Chapter 10
“Raphnel… Beth cannot speak.”
Ines hesitated as she spoke.
“Oh.”
With a sigh, tears welled up in Raphnel’s large eyes. The familiar floral scent, reminiscent of the morning’s nightmare, wafted towards Beth once more.
Raphnel patted Beth’s shoulder, as if addressing a subordinate. The small, shimmering jewels on Raphnel’s outfit grazed Beth’s neck, causing discomfort.
“How pitiful.”
Raphnel wiped away her tears with her hand. Then, with a genuinely apologetic look, she turned to Ines.
“I need to go see Arthur. Ines, could you comfort your ‘friend’?”
“Y-yes, of course.”
Ines’s eyes darted between Beth and Raphnel. Meanwhile, the sound of Raphnel’s heels clicking on the floor grew fainter as she stepped outside.
“What’s with her attitude? Is the princess always like this?”
Dixie, lowering her voice in case the princess returned, couldn’t contain her irritation.
Beth, who had been momentarily stunned, soon returned to her usual self, changing into her night duty uniform. Ines approached, trying to offer an excuse for the princess’s behaviour, but to Beth, it didn’t matter who that person was or what they said.
People’s reactions when they learnt Beth couldn’t speak typically fell into two categories: indifference or pity.
Raphnel was just another example of the latter. Beth shrugged at Ines, who was still concerned, indicating that she was fine and there was no need to worry.
* * *
“Raphnel, I’d love to offer you something better, but it’s not feasible. I hope you understand.”
Dinner was served simply in Lady Molly’s office. The only addition to their usual meal was a bottle of wine.
Of the four people gathered around the small table, only Lady Molly and Raphnel wore smiles. Arthur glanced at Debert, who was cutting his food slowly and silently.
Knowing full well why Raphnel had come here, Arthur couldn’t fathom what Debert was thinking. The sound of Arthur’s fork scraping against the plate reflected his agitated state of mind.
Raphnel, undeterred, cheerfully initiated the conversation.
“The young ladies here are like treasures of Nexus.”
“Indeed. They have forsaken comfort and chosen to endure hardships with us. They are all intelligent and diligent.”
Lady Molly’s expression softened with a proud smile as she thought of her students.
“I wish I had attended the nursing school too. It’s such a shame.”
“Raphnel, you? Well, you are clever, and you would have made an excellent nurse. Have you seen the dormitories?”
“Yes, they were cosy and charming. I’m not sure if there’s a bed for me tonight, though. I feel like I’m imposing.”
Raphnel sincerely hoped there wouldn’t be a spare bed in that cramped, secluded nurse’s dormitory. Having decided to spend a night in this remote place because of Debert, she had no desire to waste the evening with unremarkable nurses. She hoped Lady Molly would ask Debert to lend her a tent.
“Don’t worry about that. Beth and Sophia are on night duty, so you can use their beds.”
Debert’s cutlery, which had been quietly clinking, suddenly halted. Raphnel didn’t miss that slight change.
“Beth? Oh, is she the one who can’t speak?”
“Raphnel.”
Arthur shot a sharp glare at his sister.
His voice, thick with suppressed frustration, trembled slightly as he struggled to control his tone in Lady Molly’s presence.
“How admirable. Despite her disability, she’s here at the frontline, assisting the soldiers and Lady Molly. Has she always been mute?”
The tone of Raphnel’s quiet, deliberate voice made Arthur feel as though he couldn’t breathe. Yet Raphnel didn’t even glance at him, focusing instead on Lady Molly with an innocent expression.
Even Debert, who had remained silent throughout the meal, turned his attention to Lady Molly.
Realising there was no avoiding the topic, Lady Molly sighed lightly. She hadn’t expected to discuss Beth here. After taking a sip of wine, she reluctantly opened her mouth.
“Well, I suppose it’s more accurate to say she chooses not to speak.”
It was a vague answer.
Fearing that more questions might follow, Lady Molly hurriedly changed the subject.
“Raphnel, how is Wayne these days? Living out in the countryside, I miss the vibrancy of Wayne so much.”
Despite her disappointment, Raphnel tactfully followed Lady Molly’s lead. She was not naive enough to upset the influential Duchess, so she quickly began recounting the latest trends from boutiques and dressmakers, the salons of the noble ladies, and the musical performances.
After a while, Debert quietly rose from his seat.
“I have a strategy meeting, so I’ll take my leave now.”
After bidding farewell to Lady Molly, Debert nodded briefly to Raphnel. Raphnel responded with her usual smile but didn’t lift her gaze.
This was her subtle way of expressing her displeasure towards Debert—just enough to show her discontent without being outright rude.
She placed a piece of cut meat into her mouth and stared at the now-empty seat across from her.
Debert Cliff.
The name left a bitter taste.
* * *
By the time the extended dinner had ended, darkness had already fallen outside. With only a few rooms still lit, the hospital was mostly shrouded in gloom.
Having descended from Lady Molly’s office on the top floor, Debert strode swiftly down the corridor. Scanning the four-story building was no challenge for Debert, yet the person he sought was nowhere to be found.
Given her tenacious nature, it was unlikely she would be idling away somewhere.
“Your Grace, are you looking for someone?”
Sophia cautiously approached Debert, who appeared uncharacteristically impatient. Although she had heard rumours about Debert, Sophia’s nature of never ignoring someone in need led her to speak up.
In the dimly lit hospital, where the ceilings were low, the Duke appeared almost as tall as the ceiling itself. Having initiated the conversation, Sophia now gripped her hands tightly in fear.
“Your Grace?”
“…Where is Nurse Beth?”
Debert bit his lip. It was a simple question, yet it seemed to weigh heavily on him.
“Beth? She’s in the storage room right now.”
“Thank you.”
Debert’s response was clipped as he quickened his pace. As he stepped outside, the deepening darkness signalled the approaching winter at the frontlines.
What halted Debert’s stride was the faint light of an oil lamp. The face illuminated by the light was clearly visible, even from a distance.
Beth Janes.
Debert checked his watch before looking back at the dimming light around the curve.
Five minutes.
He had exactly five minutes to spare. Turning his steps towards Beth instead of heading to the barracks was a spur-of-the-moment decision.
There was nothing he needed to say, no grand purpose, and it wasn’t some foolish desire to see her face. It was simply an impulse. An inexplicable impulse. And he had time to spare.
Beth, unaware that anyone was following her, was busy collecting medicine, writing on the paper she had brought with her, and checking it over and over.
Debert stood just outside the storage room, his foot casting a shadow over the cabinet. Even the fierce wind that masked any sound seemed to be on his side.
Beth, wearing only a thin nurse’s uniform, shivered as the cold wind brushed against her.
Foolish. Debert’s impatient hand reached for the doorknob.
Bang!
“Damn it.”
At that very moment, a strong gust of wind slammed the already old iron door shut with a loud bang. Startled, Beth dropped the medicine bottles she had been holding, and they clattered noisily across the storage room floor.
Just as Debert bent down to pick up the bottle that had rolled to his feet, he heard a familiar metallic sound above his head.
“You’ve gotten better.”
The woman, who had been standing a few steps away, now pointed a gun directly at him.
“Last time, you were so scared you ran away.”
Debert slowly straightened up, and Beth’s gaze followed him as she raised her eyes.
“You’ve even loaded it this time. Now, all that’s left is to pull the trigger.”
Beth’s chest heaved as she struggled to calm her nerves. Debert shook the medicine bottle in his hand.
“I was just trying to offer some help.”
The rattling sound of the pills grated on Beth’s nerves. She really didn’t want to run into this man again. Yet he kept appearing in front of her.
Beth retrieved another bottle from the cabinet.
It was the sedative the man had been seeking. Often used as a sleep aid, it was sometimes given to soldiers temporarily incapacitated by trauma. But like all medications, dependence could easily become addiction. That’s why she had deliberately given him less.
Who exactly is worried about whom?
Beth tossed the medicine at him and turned her back as if urging him to leave. However, instead of leaving, the man’s footsteps only grew closer.
Beth’s eyes flickered with anxiety.
It was already dark outside, the guards were far away, the door to the storage room was closed, and the thought of being alone in this confined space with him made her shoulders tense up once more. The image of the man cutting the spy’s tendons earlier that morning flashed in her mind again.
Should she try to run?
In that brief moment, his looming shadow enveloped Beth.
The sharp, alert gaze she had just moments ago when she threw the medicine was now dull like a puppy caught in the rain.
Seeing how frightened she was, Debert sighed deeply and spoke.
“I didn’t come here for this.”
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TRANSLATOR:
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