Edited…

<Episode 11>

In the end, it was Elkais’s responsibility to move the fainted Abellard to the cabin.

“I’ll go in first.”

“Yes.”

He said so and then lifted Abellard like a baggage and moved.

I reluctantly tried to put on my coat again, feeling uncomfortable because I couldn’t wash. So, although it seemed like it might rain, I took off my negligee because it didn’t seem to rain directly.

Then I went into the lake and washed briefly before coming out.

“Ah… it’s cold.”

The water was very cold, but it seemed better than not washing at all.

After drying off moderately, I headed to the cabin.

“Are you back?”

“Yes.”

As soon as I opened the door, I saw that the red cloak that had bound Elkais was now binding my brother.

He had his eyes covered, and his mouth was gagged with the wedding dress sash I had tied him with.

There didn’t seem to be a need to gag his mouth, but you shouldn’t overlook a job well done.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“…”

Whether he felt good hearing those words or not, Elkais’s expression softened.

“Lady.”

“Yes.”

“Could you take a look at his wounds?”

“Sure.”

Actually, it would be enough to persuade Abellard to get treatment, but Elkais seemed to not trust him. And as far as I knew, Elkais had liked Abellard for a long time.

But with this kind of reaction.

I brought a suspicious first aid kit and sat near him.

He really had a sculpted body, firm and muscular, and his waist was also very wide.

His shoulders were square, and his body was covered in small wounds. There was now one more scar on his arm.

“Why haven’t you taken fever reducers and painkillers?”

“It’ll get better if you wait, can’t waste medicine.”

“You’re saving it in unnecessary places.”

“Because the lady might get sick too.”

A mouse doesn’t thank a cat for thinking about it. It was similar to feeling grateful for raising emergency rations.

If Abellard had really become an alpha…

No, but how is that possible?

Even if I postponed that thought for a moment, it was clear that he treated me well as a beta, because alphas never imprinted on each other.

Alphas find each other’s pheromones unpleasant. It was the same for omegas.

If Abellard had become an alpha, they wouldn’t instinctively like each other. It was even worse for those of the same rank.

But I couldn’t take those words at face value.

I’m a beta.

But even betas can smell pheromones. But if I can’t feel anything from these two right now, then they could be lying to me.

“Lady.”

“…”

“Eve.”

“Yes.”

Coming to my senses at his voice, I opened the first aid kit.

When I checked earlier, it seemed to have Cyrillic characters of the Cropper Empire, but the contents had changed.

It was like a plethora of tools used by professional doctors.

“The contents have changed.”

“I see.”

“Your Grace.”

“Yes.”

“Even if you disregard the painkillers, please take the fever reducers. If Your Grace gets into trouble, I think I’ll have a hard time.”

“…Fine.”

He said so and lowered his gaze to the ground.

The first aid kit was filled with clean cotton. I tore some off and grabbed it with tweezers, rolling it into a suitable size.

Then I reached out my hand to untie the bandage that was clumsily wrapped around his arm.

“Did you do this alone?”

“…Yes.”

“Do you often do it alone?”

“Yes.”

Even for Elkais, it seemed difficult to wrap the bandage alone. So when I loosened the bandage that was loosely held by pins, it slipped off smoothly.

“It’s because of the fever.”

“I see.”

Ignoring his strange excuses, I continued to unravel the bandage. It seemed like the wound had opened up due to the movements earlier.

“I’ll disinfect and suture it.”

“Do you know how to do that?”

“Yes.”

Suturing was basic. Moreover, for this wound, either cauterizing or suturing had to be done, and if cauterizing, it would be quite painful.

I shouldn’t make a sound during this process to avoid waking Abellard up and causing trouble.

I couldn’t trust either of them completely, but Elkais at least didn’t entertain futile thoughts with me. So he was a little better than Abellard.

“How did you endure this?”

“…”

There was a considerable amount of blood soaked in the bandage. When I unraveled it completely, the wound was deep.

“Do you think it’s infected with something?”

“That’s not true.”

“How do you know?”

“I know that much. It’s my body after all.”

No wonder his voice had softened considerably. Perhaps he was feeling some camaraderie towards me. Or maybe he felt enmity towards someone of the same kind.

“Endure the pain even if it hurts.”

“…Okay.”

I poured water onto a dry cloth and wiped away the blood around the wound. Then, I soaked cotton in alcohol and wiped it again, but even though it had stopped bleeding, blood was still seeping out little by little.

“Don’t bite your lips.”

He was biting his lips enough for blood to come out.

He must not be completely immune to pain, after all. He must be just enduring it.

As I wiped away the blood around his wound with the cotton soaked in alcohol, I noticed that his breath was close enough to touch his cheek.

It was an uncertain gaze, whether he was watching me wipe his wound or looking at the wound itself. But as our eyes met, he quickly turned his head away.

He said he had never held hands with anyone else, and it seemed to be true.

His ears were reddening, perhaps out of embarrassment from touching someone else.

He and Abellard were quite alike.

Very, very much.

So that must be why.

“I’ll stitch the wound.”

“Okay.”

Even though he said he would stitch his wound, he didn’t turn around.

“Where are you going?”

“There’s flint over there.”

When he saw me trying to get up, he glanced back at me but quickly turned his head in the opposite direction.

So, I left him as he was, checked the drawer for antiseptics, and grabbed the flint and oil from the compartment below. Then I returned to my original place. I struck the flint, but the fire didn’t catch as well as I thought.

“I’ll do it.”

“Sure.”

Actually, shooting it with a gun would start a fire, but I didn’t do that because I didn’t think the wick would remain.

Thud, thud!

He lit the fire in two attempts. However, what were initially two stones had become three.

“Weren’t your arms injured?”

“…”

To think he still had this much strength left. I can’t let my guard down.

Conscious of the gun on my thigh, I sat back down near him.

He seemed to find my gaze uncomfortable, as he turned to look in the opposite direction again.

I disinfected the needle with the fire and used a hair for a thread since there was no real thread.

“Does it hurt?”

“Yeah…”

He covered his mouth with his large hand, so I just pricked his skin deeply. It should have been more painful than he let on, but he didn’t make a sound.

The only thing heard in the silent cabin was his breathing.

My hair was red, so the combination of his red hair and blood looked strange.

The stitching process took longer than expected due to the difference in sewing style.

I knew this because I had been educated about it.

While sewing it like clothes might be more comfortable, this method was said to be more helpful for recovery. Whether it was true or not, I couldn’t be sure.

Still, I couldn’t just stitch it randomly like sewing clothes.

Although he was clearly turning his head away, he found himself looking back in my direction again.

He pretended not to know, as if he would be embarrassed.

It took longer than expected due to the two areas that needed to be stitched and the larger size of the wound.

After stitching up the wound, there were faint bloodstains like petals on my hand and his shoulder. So, I soaked cotton in alcohol and wiped it again. He seemed to dislike the cold sensation more than the needle, as he shivered each time it touched him.

“When did you learn to do this?”

“Why are you curious?”

“…I was trying to say thank you, but some strange words came out.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes.”

When he brushed his finger over my wound, I hastily pushed his hand away and started wrapping the bandage.

“You can’t do it alone?”

“After seeing you like that earlier, you’re asking me that?”

“Oh.”

He had only wrapped the bandage around his arm. Usually, if the upper part of the arm, near the shoulder, was injured, you would also wrap the chest.

So I said it because I didn’t want it to look like he was hugging me while wrapping the bandage.

“If you stay still, I’ll do it for you.”

“Okay.”

He chuckled softly, so I started wrapping the bandage without worry.

After securing it tightly around his arm, I wrapped it around his torso twice this time. It felt like I had become a tailor measuring someone’s chest circumference.

Now was the time to secure the bandage with pins.

Clatter!

“Ouch…!”

Because he hugged me, I dropped all the pins and bandages from my hand. They fell to the ground, creating a mix of rustling and dull, thudding sounds.

“Cover your ears.”

Oh, why did I say that? I used to receive physical training even on thunderstorm days.

It would be quite annoying to wrap the bandage again.

“Don’t shake. Cover your ears, milady.”

“…”

“Eve.”

If I refused now, it felt like all the camaraderie we had built up would disappear. So, as he said, I covered my ears. Then, I felt his comforting touch on my back.