Chase was staring at the fidgeting Lizelle as she held his hand very carefully.
The reason he didn’t want to show her that he was injured was because he was worried it would make him look weak.
However, he didn’t mind having her undivided attention like this.
No, he wanted more.
He used to hate it when other people paid attention to him or meddled in his life, but now even that was changing because of her.
Was he truly losing his mind?
Chase smirked at himself in disbelief.
“Do you really think this is funny?”
Lizelle, taken aback by his smile, spoke in a frustrated tone.
She couldn’t understand what he found amusing when his injury was so severe. Apparently, his hand wasn’t hurting him at all.
“It doesn’t hurt much yet, does it? You still have the energy to smile.”
“Ahem. No, it hurts. It does.”
Chase tried to suppress his smile that threatened to emerge under Lizelle’s scolding.
But her concern made him want to laugh even more.
“Ahem!”
He quickly adjusted his expression.
He was worried that if he laughed again, she might storm off. She looked that angry.
“Was it a knife wound?”
Lizelle peered closely at his injury while waiting for the physician.
Her expression was serious. The skin that had been torn open looked so painful.
“I don’t usually get hurt. But the coward pulled out a hidden knife… I deliberately grabbed it with my hand because I thought it would be better to do that than get stabbed.”
Chase explained the situation in detail.
He made it clear that it wasn’t because he was weak, but because of the opponent’s cowardly tricks.
He had chosen a smaller wound to avoid a larger one.
“…”
Vice commander Raymond, whose very existence had been forgotten, stood with his mouth agape.
Was this really the same Duke Chase who hated giving explanations or excuses?
It felt like an entirely different person was standing before him.
“Is that all? Are there any other injuries? Just your face and hand, right?”
“That’s all. Nothing else.”
Despite Chase’s assurance, Lizelle couldn’t shake her doubt.
He now had a history of hiding injuries from her.
She scrutinized him carefully, sighed deeply, and then apologized.
“I’m sorry…”
It was an injury she could have noticed if she’d been paying closer attention.
But she had been so preoccupied with Raphel and her own feelings that she hadn’t even realized he was hurt.
Even when he was injured, he prioritized her feelings, making sure she wouldn’t be alarmed…
He even stayed behind to deal with the enemies while she and Raphel left safely…
She felt terribly sorry.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“You delayed treatment because of me and Raphel.”
“That’s not why…”
“Doctor, could you take a look at his hand? Is it serious?”
Lizelle quickly moved aside for the physician, who had just arrived, and presented Chase’s hand.
The timing of the physician’s arrival stopped Chase from saying what he really wanted to.
That it wasn’t because of the delay but because he was more worried about her. He missed his chance to speak.
“It’s a deep cut, but as long as we stop the bleeding, disinfect it, and stitch it up, it shouldn’t be a major issue.”
The physician examined his hand carefully and gave his assessment.
“What about tetanus? He said it was a knife wound. What if it gets infected and his hand rots?”
Unlike the calm physician, Lizelle bombarded him with all sorts of questions.
Of course, she couldn’t help but worry about tetanus when he was cut by a knife that was full of bacteria and hadn’t been disinfected.
It was a very modern worry.
“What the heck is this tetanus thing?”
Chase asked the physician when he heard the unfamiliar term.
Lizelle mentioned it before, even handing him a medical kit while talking about it, but he still didn’t understand what it was.
What on earth is tetanus that made her so worried?
“I’ve never heard of this disease before, but I think you’re referring to a disease that spreads through wounds. We’ll disinfect it before suturing, so you don’t have to worry.”
The physician didn’t know the word tetanus, but when he heard Lizelle say, ‘What if it gets infected and his hand rots?’, he understood what kind of disease she was talking about and kindly explained it to her.
“That’s a relief.”
Lizelle sighed in relief. The fact that it wasn’t a serious injury was even more reassuring.
“This way, please.”
The physician gestured for Chase to follow him to the treatment room for disinfection and stitching.
“Can you go alone? Should I come with you?”
It’s depressing to be alone when you’re in pain.
She, who had been alone from an early age, knew this fact better than anyone else.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll get treated quickly and come back. Please stay with Raphel.”
Chase smiled softly and followed the physician, even stopping Raymond from accompanying him.
But inside, he briefly wavered.
At first, he didn’t like the idea of her treating him like a child, but when he realized that it was just out of concern, he thought it would be nice if she was by his side.
Still, he decided it was better for her to stay by Raphel’s side, who was suffering from actual pain, rather than himself.
Because Raphel was still young and needed a guardian by his side at all times.
He, on the other hand, was an adult and could take care of himself.
He was used to doing things on his own.
“Vice commander.”
Lizelle watched Chase’s retreating figure and called out to Raymond.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Could you watch over Raphel for a bit?”
Lizelle asked after ensuring that the peacefully sleeping Raphel was fine.
“Of course.”
“Thank you.”
Leaving Raphel in Raymond’s care, Lizelle walked in the direction Chase had gone.
Though he claimed he was fine, she wasn’t.
To her, it didn’t matter how bad the wound was. A wound was a wound.
It was more important to have someone who recognized that pain by your side.
She knew how much strength it gave a person to simply not feel alone.
Chase seemed to think it was nothing serious, but Lizelle couldn’t just ignore it.
If their roles were revered, the answer would be easy.
She also wanted someone to be by her side.
She thought it would be nice if there was someone who understood her pain.
Just like she thought she needed someone to tell her that everything was okay, she wondered if he needed someone too.
He also must have been surprised by the unexpected attack.
“Are you okay?”
Lizelle entered the treatment room and approached Chase.
His expression was a little more pinched than usual as he was being disinfected and cleaned to see if the bleeding stopped.
“What about Raphel? Why are you here…”
Chase trailed off, startled by her appearance.
He had naturally expected her to stay with Raphel.
He was so shocked that he didn’t move even though the disinfectant was being placed onto his open wound.
“I asked the vice commander to look after Raphel. He’s sound asleep, so it’s fine for a little while.”
“I’m fine. Go back to Raphel.”
“How many stitches will he need?”
Ignoring his words, Lizelle took a seat beside him and asked the physician.
“This wound will require about 15 stitches.”
“When will the stitches be removed?”
“That depends on the healing rate, but since the wound is large, it’ll likely take two weeks.”
Lizelle questioned the physician endlessly as if she were Chase’s guardian.
The questions didn’t stop there.
How to prevent infection, whether there would be a scar, how to manage the wound.
While Lizelle was rattling off questions to the physician, Chase just stared at her face.
“…”
He couldn’t bring himself to speak. His ears burned, and his heart kept fluttering.
This situation felt completely unfamiliar to him.
Having someone else worry about and take care of his injuries was something he never experienced before.
Since childhood, he always heard about his physical condition directly from his personal physician and managed his health on his own.
It had been the same even when his older brother was alive.
Yorne, thirteen years older than him, was always busy with his duties as the heir, so Chase spent most of his time alone.
On top of that, their father had been so indifferent to the family that Chase couldn’t even admit he was in pain when he was hurt. He had to endure his suffering alone.
He lived his entire life believing that was just how things were supposed to be…
“I’ll start stitching now.”
“What? Anesthesia? Aren’t you going to use anesthesia?”
When the physician suddenly picked up the needle, Lizelle gasped in horror and stopped him.
“Shall I administer anesthesia?”
“No, it’s not necessary—”
“Of course it’s necessary! Do it now!”
Lizelle shouted, interrupting Chase.
