“I’m guessing you’re from the Palace of Medicine, based on the way you’re dressed.”
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Hemion felt a shiver run down her spine. Causing a disturbance in the courtroom without permission, even if it was to question Liliana, was an indiscretion for which she had no excuse.
She knew that, but she couldn’t just let Liliana go unscathed, so she acted.
Worrying about what would happen if the Emperor held her accountable, Hemion bit her lip.
“They say the most important thing for a physician is their hands. If you continue here, those precious hands might get hurt.”
But the Emperor’s subsequent words made Hemion doubt her ears. With a warm and concerned voice, he smiled kindly and patted Hemion’s shoulder.
“Leave the rest to me.”
At that moment, Hemion felt a lump rise in her chest. She bowed her head deeply and silently swallowed back her tears. In the midst of indescribable, complex emotions, Hemion suddenly found herself longing for Rohiriel.
Warm, affectionate, strict, yet kind.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I apologize and thank you.”
Was it because the Emperor’s words resembled Rohiriel’s?
Wiping away the tears that threatened to spill, Hemion quietly stepped back.
‘I miss you, Your Highness.’
So please, come back soon.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
It wasn’t difficult to find Rambletrow.
It was a well-known place. However, because of the extremely treacherous path, I was practically clinging to Julion as we climbed.
“What would you have done if I hadn’t come?”
“…Then I would have found another way.”
“It would have undoubtedly been much harder and more difficult than it is now.”
I couldn’t deny it. It was probably highly likely that Julion was right. Feeling crestfallen, I quickly turned my gaze to the trees.
Then I heard Julion chuckle lowly.
For some reason, the cheek pressed against Julion’s chest felt warm, so I deliberately took a deep breath. The sensation of the cold mountain air piercing my lungs cleared my mind.
How much time has passed? Julion’s pace gradually slowed.
“We’re almost there.”
Suddenly, the view opened up, revealing a vast lake. Julion stopped walking, and I planted my feet firmly on the ground.
“Thank you. It’s even bigger than I imagined.”
“What do we do now?”
“First, fill this flask with water…”
I took out the makeshift reagents I had brought and laid them out on the ground. I planned to test the water with these reagents as soon as possible.
That’s when I got close to the shore.
“Wait, Rohiriel!”
Julion, who was slowly following behind me, urgently grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I felt myself being yanked backwards, and at the same time, something slender flashed past my eyes.
Reflexively, I followed the flash with my gaze, only to see red blood pouring out onto the ground.
“Julion!”
I urgently tried to turn around to check Julion’s condition. But this time, my body didn’t respond, and I floated helplessly in mid-air.
Julion had pulled me into his arms and shielded me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his arm stained red.
“What on earth…”
The spot where I was standing just moments ago. The floor there was deeply cracked, and the lake water was pooling. It was obvious what would have happened if I had continued to stand there.
“I thought you were rotting away in the underground dungeons of the palace.”
Julion, who had set me down, blocked my view and muttered quietly. The voice that answered him was one I knew all too well.
“I’m surprised; the crown prince is here.”
The voice, cold yet tinged with desire, spoke with a sneer.
“This will be an unexpected harvest. I’ll take what I couldn’t last time, your life.”
“Have you grown mad in my absence, Zikriesen Cassian?”
Julion snorted in disbelief.
Beyond his shoulder, I saw Duke Cassian with strangely gleaming silver eyes. His clothes were clean, but his wounds hadn’t healed yet, leaving red marks here and there.
“Rohiriel, take five steps back.”
I followed Julion’s instructions and slowly moved backward. As I moved, Julion intercepted the Duke’s steady gaze and drew his sword.
“I don’t know how you escaped, but it seems your efforts were in vain. You’ve already been defeated by me once.”
“…Back then, I was affected by poison; my body wasn’t functioning properly.”
“Really? You still don’t seem to be in top form.”
Before Julion could finish speaking, both of them lunged at each other simultaneously. In that fleeting moment, the sunlight reflected off the sword split into dozens of rays.
The harsh clang echoed through the mountains, and I swallowed nervously.
‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
Julion, who had reappeared in front of me in a cloud of dust, thankfully didn’t seem more injured. However, blood continued to flow from his already injured arm, indicating a deeper wound than expected. It looked like it needed to be bandaged quickly.
“Julion, are you okay?”
As I asked worriedly, Julion glanced at me briefly and spoke in a low voice.
“Rohiriel. It would be better if you closed your eyes for a moment.”
“What? Close my… why?”
“Because what you’re about to see won’t be pleasant.”
“…Okay.”
“Good. Just count up to ten quietly.”
I nodded slightly and closed my eyes.
The last thing I saw was Julion aiming his sword at the Duke.
A deafening noise, beyond what I could imagine from clashing steel, echoed in succession, and I began counting silently.
One.
Two.
Three…
Another loud crash reverberated.
Even though the ground vibrated and my whole body trembled, I kept counting without opening my eyes.
……Eight,
nine,
ten.
And as soon as I reached the exact tenth number, I cautiously lifted my eyelids.
At the same time, I heard a puffing sound.
The first thing I looked for was Julion. He stood in front of the lake with his hand extended, holding the sword. As I tried to rush toward him, he raised his hand to stop me.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Before Julion could finish speaking, a hand emerged from the lake, touching the ground. Then the Duke’s body emerged swiftly. His face, covered in blood, did not seem to belong to a human being.
“Julion Sertizan, how dare a mere young prince!”
The Duke exclaimed in anger, gritting his teeth.
Because he was submerged in water, every step he took left watermarks, but strangely, what flowed was not water but blood. It all came from the duke’s body.
I was about to move in for a closer look when something strange happened.
“G-guh…!”
The Duke, who had raised his sword, suddenly collapsed, bending his knees, blood streaming from his mouth, nose, and eye. His crumbling silver eyes were full of doubt.
“This can’t be happening… Ugh!”
The Duke coughed up another mouthful of blood, and his hands clutched at the floor, barely able to support his upper body.
Meanwhile, Julion, with a furrowed brow, kept his sword pointed at the Duke, silently observing his condition.
Amidst the gushing blood, the Duke muttered in disbelief.
“I took the antidote… why!”
Trembling, he retrieved a vial from his pouch and swallowed its contents. But nothing changed. The bleeding only worsened.
“Why won’t it stop! Why!”
Struggling to hold on, the Duke shot one last glance at me. The eyes that met mine were no longer silver.
‘Excessive bleeding…’
It seemed that falling into that lake had caused the problem.
Seeing him complain about the antidote, it seems he knew what would happen if he fell into that water.
I took a few steps closer to him and spoke.
“It seems you’ve fallen into your own trap.”
Due to the severe bleeding, the Duke’s complexion grew paler by the moment.
‘Those who used the river water from the bottom of the mountain must have used diluted water, which is why the disease didn’t progress so quickly.’
In contrast, the Duke seemed to progress rapidly after falling into the lake that served as the source of the epidemic.
“This can’t be right. I confirmed that prevention and treatment were effective…”
The Duke spoke with a strained voice, only to cough up more blood.
I looked down at him with cold eyes and said,
“Did you think diseases could be so easily prevented and treated?”
If that were the case, far fewer people would suffer from diseases.
The idea that a single treatment or preventive measure would always work is nothing but a dream.
“You underestimated things, Duke.”
I’m not sure if the Duke heard my last words.
His body seemed to have given up completely, lying limp on the ground.
“Rohiriel.”
Julion approached me, wrapping his arms around me.
In the midst of the rapidly unfolding situation, I finally felt the overwhelming fatigue and leaned against Julion, seeking comfort.
If it weren’t for his visible wounds, that would have concerned me.
“Oh, the wound; let me see.”
“I’m fine…”
“Let me see; come on!”
