Chapter 02
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Is the blood on my body my own, or is it a mark of glory obtained by harming others?
She couldn’t be certain of either. If it was the latter, Edith could be in danger.
But…
Edith quickly came to her senses and asked the people to move him to her house.
After they laid the man on her bed and left, she hurriedly stripped off his soiled clothes and cleaned his wounds. Then she took out the needle and thread she always carried and began suturing the man’s injuries.
If he died from delayed treatment, that was his fate.
But if not—
*’You’ll have to explain to me who you are.’*
After finishing the treatment, Edith slumped into a chair. After a moment’s thought, she picked up a sharp knife that could serve as a scalpel and hid it in her sleeve. Just in case.
If this man had harmed someone, she had no intention of letting it slide.
Absolutely not.
—
***
—
How much time had passed?
In the heavy darkness that had settled, blue eyes emerged.
The man, staring blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, furrowed his brow.
“Ah…”
That’s right—he had been attacked.
There was a group that ambushed the Crown Prince as he was coming down from the execution grounds. So he had fought them off. And then…
He couldn’t quite remember what came next. He was pretty sure he’d dealt with all the attackers, though.
*’Come to think of it, what about my wounds?’*
He felt no pain. Startled, the man sprang up from the bed.
At that moment, he sensed a faint presence behind him. Weak, but unmistakably akin to killing intent.
Caught off guard by the sudden presence, the man reflexively grabbed the person behind him and shoved them down onto the bed.
“Huff…!”
At a distance close enough for their breaths to touch, golden eyes colored with fear and blue eyes clouded with drowsiness met each other’s gaze.
“Who are you?”
The man looked down at the girl beneath him with a bewildered expression. A pale-faced girl with shining golden eyes stared back up at him, her face blanched with terror.
“I… identify yourself.”
Edith forced down her trembling voice and drew the blade she had concealed, pressing it against the man’s neck.
Though the blade touched his throat, the man didn’t even flinch, simply gazing down at her calmly.
For an assassin, her presence and killing intent were far too honest. Even the tip of the blade pressed to his neck was trembling incessantly.
The man averted his gaze from the woman who, despite holding a knife to him, seemed more frightened than he was, and surveyed his surroundings.
What came into view was a shabby, rundown house. The only things that stood out were piles of dried herbs and clean cloth.
A healer? But judging by her clothes, she didn’t seem to be one. Probably an apothecary.
Not everyone who possessed holy power became a healer. In the Kesmel Empire, only those trained at the temple could become healers or priests. Those who weren’t often became apothecaries who treated commoners.
The man obediently relaxed his grip and sat up.
“My apologies. I was rude.”
She had saved his life. And he hadn’t committed any crime, so there was no reason not to reveal who he was.
“I am Akantus,” he said in a hoarse voice, helping Edith to her feet. After clearing his throat a few times, he continued.
“Duke of Felix. Akantus Khelan Felix.”
“Duke of Felix…?”
Edith repeated his title blankly. The man nodded.
As she repeated his name, the tension drained from Edith’s shoulders. She had heard of the Felix Duchy—it was one of the noble houses known for championing the protection of the weak.
Edith quickly tucked the knife back into her sleeve and bowed her head.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
“No, I should be the one apologizing for frightening you. I sensed someone in the dark and reacted reflexively to subdue you. Is your wrist alright?”
His immediate apology made Edith’s eyes go wide. A duke, apologizing to a mere commoner.
For a moment, she was so surprised that she just stared blankly at his face, when Akantus let out a groan and doubled over.
“Ugh!”
“Your stomach! Don’t put any strain on your abdomen! Please lie back down!”
Edith hurriedly helped Akantus back onto the bed. Then she rushed to bring the painkiller she had prepared.
“Drink a sip of this—it should ease the pain a little.”
Akantus looked at Edith, who was bringing the medicine with a serious expression. She had held a knife to his throat, and now she was bringing him medicine.
That said, he didn’t feel bad about it. Rather, he felt grateful and apologetic.
The moment the sword pierced his abdomen, Akantus had thought he might lose his life if he wasn’t careful. But thanks to meeting this girl, he had luckily survived.
“…Thank you.”
He took a sip of the medicine as Edith urged, then offered his thanks.
“Truly. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be able to sit up and speak like this.”
“Not at all—I only did what needed to be done.”
Akantus let out a low sigh. After taking the medicine as Edith had instructed, the pain seemed to subside somewhat.
While waiting for the pain to ease, he checked the wounds on his body.
He was certain that not only his abdomen but also his arms and hands had been cut quite deeply. Yet his arms and hands were perfectly fine.
Curious, Akantus carefully posed a question.
“By the way, I’m asking just in case—are you a healer?”
“No!”
At Akantus’s question, Edith quickly shook her head. Her voice was so resolute that Akantus frowned, wondering if something was wrong.
“Are you in hiding because you don’t want to go to the imperial palace?”
“I’m not a healer.”
Edith said this, making a somewhat wronged expression.
“Even though you have healing power?”
“I’ve never been trained at the temple. I’m just an apothecary.”
Akantus momentarily doubted whether her words were true, but soon set his suspicions aside.
“…I see. Understood.”
Edith let out a low sigh and spoke.
“It will take a bit more time for your wounds to heal. You’ll need at least a week of rest, so please be careful.”
“I will. Is there anything else I should be mindful of?”
Akantus asked gently. His tone treated her not as a lowly commoner, but as one person to another, and Edith relaxed a little as she spoke cautiously.
“Please try not to move around, and stay lying down at least until tomorrow. If possible, it would be best for you to spend tonight here.”
“Is that really alright? This house…”
Anyone could tell that Edith lived alone. Akantus trailed off and glanced around. But at Edith’s following words, he let out a wry chuckle.
“Surely you, of all people—His Grace the Duke of Felix—wouldn’t treat me poorly. I’ve heard of the Felix Duchy as well.”
“That’s a rather frightening thing to say.”
It was as good as saying that if he laid a hand on her, the honor of the Felix Duchy would be dragged through the mud. If she was saying that, there was no way he could do anything untoward.
“Then, I’ll impose on you for just tonight.”
—
***
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The next morning, having recovered a little, Akantus prepared to leave.
This was welcome news for Edith as well. She couldn’t keep a patient—a stranger, at that—in her house forever. Especially not during a time when plague was spreading and outsiders were regarded with extreme suspicion.
“By the way, I’d like to repay your kindness—how should I go about it?”
Just before leaving, Akantus asked carefully.
Not only had she saved his life, she had let him stay the night and even prepared a modest meal, so it was only right that he repay her. But Edith politely declined his offer.
“I’m fine, Your Grace.”
“Still…”
“Really, I’m fine. If you truly want to do something, please send some food to the people here later.”
It wasn’t empty flattery—she meant it. If word got around that she had taken payment for treatment, it could cause trouble. She had never taken payment when treating the poor, either.
But from Akantus’s perspective, this was incomprehensible. She had shown him kindness, yet refused any reward?
However, with Edith practically pushing him out the door as if urging him to leave, Akantus couldn’t repeat the same words again.
“Thank you for everything. Then, I hope we can meet again.”
Akantus bowed to her and quickly left the place.
Edith watched his retreating back, then went back inside. But now that Akantus was gone, the house somehow seemed strangely spacious.
Had she been alone for too long? She’d been living alone for over seven years after losing her family to the plague—that must be why.
Thinking that, Edith stretched and flopped down onto the bed.
“Well, at least now I can finally get some proper rest.”
At that moment, someone suddenly pounded hard on the door.
It must be an urgent patient. She looked toward the door with half-closed eyes and slowly sat up.
But strangely, the closer she got to the door, the more an inexplicable unease coiled around her body.
She cautiously opened the door, poked her head out slightly, and opened her mouth.
“What’s the—”
But before she could finish her sentence, a sharp blade was pressed against her throat.
In that instant, she knew with instinctive clarity.
She had been found out.
—
