Episode 8
Ashlyn was moved to a medical room inside the mansion. Fortunately, she did not lose consciousness, but because of that, she had to feel her burning pain.
Blood trickled down with every step she took.
“This is a deep cut. How did you manage to get it?”
The apprentice training under the main doctor at the duke’s residence asked.
“The edge of a blade brushed against me.”
“Ouch.”
The doctor sterilized the wound. Sitting in one corner of the large treatment room, Ashlyn endured the gruesome pain. Just then, the door to the treatment room violently burst open.
“Ashlyn!”
Her messy red hair showed that she’d run to get here. Sophia gasped as she looked at Ashlyn.
“Jason, that crazy bastard!”
Looking at Ashlyn’s wound, she cursed the man.
“Sophia, I’m fine.”
Ashlyn said, as if to soothe her. But Sophia only trembled more in fury, and bit her lips.
“You might get a fever, so once the treatment is over, spend the rest of the day here in the treatment room.”
“Okay.”
The apprentice rolled up the excess bandages.
“Then, could you tell the head maid-”
“I’ll tell her. So don’t worry, Ashlyn.”
It was Sophia who answered her. The bandages made the wound look serious.
Ashlyn smiled faintly. A bout of blood had been taken out of her, and she had no energy left to refuse her favor.
“Thank you, Sophia.”
“Jason, that damned bastard.”
“….”
Sophia just gnashed her teeth.
* * *
There were four beds that were arranged side by side in the medical room.
Ashlyn was sitting alone on a bed by the window. She had managed to somewhat calm down Sophia and sent her back to work.
Before she knew it, the sun had set. Leaning her head on her pillow, she thought the day had been too long.
‘Jason Barron…’
She hadn’t expected him to be that hopeless.
Ha. Ashlyn let out a deep sigh. Her head was pounding.
Just then, she heard a small knock from the door.
“Ann, Lena.”
“Ashlyn!”
Looking at the two faces stained with regret, Ashlyn smiled slightly. The two of them approached the bed together.
“Are you alright? Goodness, what the hell is this?”
Lena slapped her chest as if she couldn’t hold back her anger.
“I guess I was too careless.”
“Ask others for help! There must have been other maids nearby, so why did you confront Jason alone?”
“Well…”
‘Cause that’s what I’ve always done until now.’
But Ashlyn didn’t say anything.
“Ann, don’t blame Ashlyn. It’s all Jason’s fault.”
“I know, but I can’t help it. I’m so frustrated!”
“So, what happened to Jason?”
“…..”
“Ann? Lena?”
When no answer came back, Ashlyn narrowed her eyes. After a moment, Lena calmly answered.
“As soon as the head maid heard the news about you, she became very angry and went to argue with the chief housekeeper.”
Lena glanced into Ashlyn’s eyes. Her expression, as always, was like a still lake.
“The chief housekeeper ordered Jason to go without pay for three months.”
“…I see.”
It was roughly what Ashlyn had expected. But Ann didn’t seem to think the same.
“How could he not fire Jason? Maybe it’s because he’s about to retire, but his judgement seems to have become impaired.”
She let out an exasperated sigh.
‘The head maid might be a person of high authority in the mansion, but even she probably cannot ignore the will of a servant as old as the chief-butler.’
Ashlyn shook her head thinking about the structure of power in the mansion.
“Don’t say that. It’s okay, I’m fine.”
“Still, Jason seems to have been surprised as well, but now he looks a bit scared.”
“That’s right. He probably won’t even come near you for a while.”
“Rumors have spread throughout the mansion, so everyone will probably keep an eye on him.”
Ann said and grabbed Ashlyn’s hand. She smiled slightly.
“Well, that’sa relief.”
Was that really the case?
Jason wasn’t in a very good position to begin with, but now he was cornered. His gray eyes, devoid of reason and sense, came to her mind again.
Ashlyn took a deep breath. Lena carefully examined her face.
“Ashlyn, your face is getting redder. You must have a fever.”
“Huh? Let me see…”
She checked her forehead herself. Her body had been cold for a while now, and she was still plagued by a headache. Like the apprentice said, she must have a fever.
“We’ve disturbed you for too long. Get some rest, okay?”
“Okay, thank you for coming.”
Ashlyn agonized over something for a moment.
“Uh..wait.”
“Mhm?”
The two looked back at Ashlyn.
“Can you tell Sophia to come over again?”
“Of course.”
Ann replied with a smile on her face.
* * *
Ashlyn thought it was strange.
It was because everything around her was too unfamiliar.
The long velvet chair, embellished with exquisite jewels. Elaborately crafted ornaments adorning the surrounding space, complemented by thick curtains embroidered with gold thread.
The room’s warm temperature enveloped her, and a subtle scent of incense brushed against her nose, enticing her senses. They were all unfamiliar things to her now.
Including the person in front of her now, who was looking at her with a stern gaze.
“It’s not possible.”
“Why?”
Ashlyn asked back, dissatisfied.
The person in front of her, Derion, stared at her and crossed his arms crookedly. He let out a snark.
“How can I turn a person into a mouse? Not to mention, a princess.”
“Are you saying you can’t do it or you won’t do it?”
“I can’t.”
“Oh, come on. That’s no fun.”
Ashlyn pouted.
She sat down on a horizontal velvet chair and leaned against the armrest. A maid came over and set a plate of grapes within Ashlyn’s reach.
“Magic is not omnipotent.”
Wasn’t magic the same thing that allowed a person to grow grapes in winter? What was it, if not omnipotent? Ashlyn swallowed a laugh and popped a grape into her mouth. The fresh and sweet fruit juice spread all over my tongue.
“…what are you going to do as a mouse anyway?”
Derion asked Ashlyn with a disapproving expression. Ashlyn shrugged her shoulders as if it was obvious.
“I’ll go around eavesdropping, of course. I need to find out what the first prince is plotting this time to get rid of me.”
“Ha.”
“Doesn’t that sound like fun? Or should I disguise myself as a maid? How’s that?”
“I beg you, please, please stop talking nonsense like that and be quiet. Be quiet.”
The young wizard muttered as he rubbed his forehead. He had a very tired face.
Ahaha. Ashlyn covered her mouth and giggled brightly.
“Deri, don’t you get tired of nagging me?”
“I’m sick and tired of it too. I really want to stop having to do that too!”
“Then you can stop. I never made you nag me.”
“Oh, your highness…”
He muttered as if pleading. Ashlyn smiled happily and took another grape.
“Okay, I’ll stop teasing you now.”
“Thank you for your generosity.”
Derion replied in a sarcastic tone. His pouting lips indicated that something still wasn’t to his liking. Ashlyn looked at him with affectionate eyes for a moment.
She then lifted up her body, which had been relaxed for a long time. Her maid came over and handed her a silk cloth. Wiping the juice from her hands, she straightened her back.
“Now… tell me what you’ve come to report.”
She was no longer smiling.
* * *
Ashlyn opened her eyes. It was completely dark in the room.
She felt around her surroundings with her hand. The feel of the rough, crisp bed sheets. The cold, dry air.
‘Dream…’
Ashlyn only then realized that she had seen the past in her dreams.
What had Deri reported back then? She unconsciously tried to trace back her dream.
She believed he was talking about someone, but strangely enough, she couldn’t remember it.
whoosh.
The northern night wind slammed loudly on the windows. Cold air seeped in through the gaps in the window frame.
‘Cold…’
Ashlyn shrank back into her blanket. The chill was so severe her teeth chattered. Apparently, the apprentice had put on the furnace before he’d left, but it was of no use.
‘It hurts…’
She gritted her teeth. It was so that her groans wouldn’t spill out.
Even in the midst of the cold, her head was still hot. Her injured calf also throbbed.
Ashlyn struggled to close her eyes, holding the blanket tightly together. To forget her pain, she had no choice but to fall asleep.
A short nap followed.
How long had it been?
“…!”
Ashlyn flashed open her eyes. The door to the medical room, which had been closed until now, opened.
“…”
The sound of heavy footsteps followed. They didn’t belong to just one person either.
Ashlyn held her breath and closed her eyes.
thum.
It was as if something heavy had been placed on her bedside table.
This was followed by the sound of things being rummaged through, taking out and putting things down. Every movement was very careful.
“Move quietly so as to not wake her up.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Her body stiffened up. The midnight intruder was none other than Duke Laperion.
“The air is cold. Bring more braziers and firewood.”
“Yes.”
Ashlyn cupped her fingertips under the covers. The muscles in her face stiffened. If the light of the lamp had been a little brighter, she might’ve been caught being awake.
‘Why on earth is he here at this ever?’
Ashlyn held her breath as her nervous heart raced.
Soon there was the smell of burning medicines and herbs. She remembered smelling it before. It was a type of sleeping incense that served as a pain reliever.
The duke checked the temperature of the furnace and clamped the window tight once more.
“Hah…”
Suddenly, a short sigh escaped the duke’s mouth. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel his warm gaze on her. After a while, something large, hard, and cold touched Ashlyn’s forehead. The duke’s hands were very careful, as if he was touching broken glass.
“… … .”
She always felt his body temperature to be hot, but for some reason, it was as cold as the northern wind today.
Ashlyn felt his hand drain away the heat in her body. She felt her boiling fever subside a little.
“How can I?”
A voice that seemed to have been hard to let out came.
“What should I do with you?”
His question was meant to be left unanswered. His voice seemed like he’d swallowed a thousand thorns, and Ashlyn felt like she could see his expression without having to open her eyes. His hard, rough hand brushed her forehead for a long time. She could feel the calluses caused by his sword on her skin.
The rugged yet gentle touch soothed her headache. Her alertness also gradually faded.
Krrr.
The door opened and a servant added another brazier. The room quickly heated up.
“Don’t tell anyone that I’m here.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Leave.”
Something cold touched her forehead again. It seemed to be a wet towel.
“…”
The duke took care of Ashlyn without a word. He changed the towel numerous time, wiped her sweat, kindled the fire in the hearth, fixed her blanket…
This was a gesture that strangely felt familiar to her. Maybe this body was used to this. Ashlyn soon fell asleep.
She awoke only to the sound of the door closing. She looked out of the window and saw a bluish dawn coming.
Ashlyn looked around. The room didn’t feel crowded anymore.
Two braziers near the bed caught her eye, along with all sorts of medicine and ointments laid out on the table.
Why? The moment Ashlyn saw the traces of the duke’s care, a corner of her heart ached.
“Why the hell is that guy going so far?”
Just how much did he love this maid?
The question was stuck on repeat in her mind, but yet again, no answer was plausible for the confused maid.
* * * *
That day, Ashlyn was sleeping alone in the treatment room.
Thump.
The door violently slammed open. A pair of footsteps sounded and headed towards the bed.
“Agh!”
Ashlyn opened her eyes in surprise. Someone had roughly snatched away her blanket.
Two lamps were set on the floor. Hands reached out to her.
Ashlyn couldn’t even scream.
