Chapter 14
As Beth slowly woke up, her drowsy gaze focused on Debert’s hand retreating from her face.
She blinked, watching as his hand moved away from her cheek, following his arm up to his shoulder, and finally meeting his eyes, which were fixed solely on her. The sound of cheerful morning birds drifted in through the closed window.
Was it a dream?
The hellish events of the previous dawn seemed like a distant nightmare. More unbelievable was the fact that this man had been stroking her cheek while she slept.
She raised her aching arm, turning her hand this way and that.
Lying down, she wiggled her toes slightly, lacking the strength to sit up. Everything was moving according to her will.
Beth stared blankly at the bloodstains on the ceiling. Fragmented memories swirled chaotically in her mind.
The muzzle of the gun had pointed at the lieutenant’s chin, and the trigger had been pulled in a moment of confusion.
As the bitter taste spread in her mouth, she realised she was still alive. But then, a wave of excruciating pain had knocked her to the ground.
She was sure she’d been hit somewhere.
Beth’s hand moved to her face. Even as she felt her rough skin, there wasn’t a single plaster in sight.
Debert watched silently as Beth, seemingly confirming something, explored her face.
Devert watched Beth’s actions silently, as if confirming something. He thought it was funny to sit on the bed, so he stood blankly at the woman’s feet, just as he had when he had met Mrs. Molly at the door.
As Beth turned her head to look at him, a groan escaped her lips. When her hand fumbled around her neck, it encountered thick gauze and plasters.
Of course. She had thought she’d heard two gunshots. It seemed that one of those bullets had hit her.
There were so many questions.
Was the spy dead? What was her condition? Yet she hadn’t expected the first person she’d see upon waking to be him.
She turned her head carefully, looking for paper and a pen to request someone else, but the isolation room was empty, without even a bedside table.
“There was a sniper.”
Debert’s calm voice broke the silence.
Beth felt a sigh rise up her sore throat. If she could, she would have screamed at him to leave, but she didn’t even have the strength to sit up.
When the spy had violently grabbed her neck, a wave of fear surged through her, drowning her in memories of past violence.
The familiar, anger-filled whispers, the rough breath, the oppressive strength pressing into her skin. The helplessness she felt as she watched a young soldier, trembling with fear, rush forward at the spy’s threats.
In that moment, she had only wanted to live—to escape.
She had felt relief when she saw Debert again. In her terrible past, there had never been anyone to rescue her. Perhaps that was why she had held onto the hope that he would save her.
‘Kill that woman’
‘Shoot.’
The cold commands were delivered as if to mock her futile hope.
“It took the sniper some time to get to the window.”
Whatever he was saying now, it couldn’t be an excuse. Her life must have been just another part of his plan.
“I was trying to save you.”
Beth squeezed her eyes shut.
If she couldn’t speak, then at least she didn’t want to hear anything more. She resented God for this because there was no other way. She couldn’t resent the Duke of Cliff.
He wasn’t… He wasn’t a merciful god who would listen to her grievances.
The words Debert had intended to say—‘I was trying to save you’—remained unspoken as he saw her eyes tightly shut, her reddened eyelids trembling.
The nagging thought that she might hate even looking at him proved true, and an unfamiliar sense of helplessness washed over him.
He had come without any plan.
He hadn’t even considered how to act in front of a woman who clearly didn’t want to see him.
For someone as obsessive about control and planning as Debert, Beth had already managed to catch him off guard several times without even realising it.
Debert’s throat bobbed as he swallowed down his frustration.
He had tried to save her. The possibility of the hostage dying hadn’t been part of any plan. But whenever she acted like this, it made him feel as though he had done something terribly wrong.
Had she ever even trusted me?
“If you had stayed still, you wouldn’t have been hurt again.”
The words he spoke instead of the question he couldn’t ask were far less significant.
“Why do you keep interfering with my work?”
He noticed the fresh bandages wrapped around her hand. Somehow, this woman seemed to accumulate injuries every time they were together. And that twisted his mood even further.
Beth opened her eyes and glared at Debert, tears welling up in her eyes. If she hadn’t mustered the last of her strength to twist the lieutenant’s grip, it might have been his bullet that pierced her temple, not the sniper’s.
She didn’t want to cry in front of him ever again.
Beth bit down hard on the soft flesh inside her mouth. If it was blood that came out instead of tears, she could handle it.
She raised her hand and pointed towards the door.
“Get out?”
Everything seemed ridiculous, tiresome, and the proud Duke’s face showed a slight crack as he realised what she was asking. Get out. His voice echoed with disbelief, accompanied by a merciless chuckle.
Beth didn’t care whether he was surprised or angry. She just didn’t want to be alone with him in this room where the memories of that dreadful dawn still lingered.
Whether it was an excuse or an explanation, she didn’t want to hear any more of his words. If she kept her distance from anything related to him, as he had said, then maybe she would be alright.
Just like that first day when they didn’t know each other.
From now on, she would avoid him, just as everyone else avoided Debert Cliff.
As the man’s lips parted, as if to say something, a knock at the door was followed by a familiar voice.
“Beth.”
Ines softly called Beth’s name, peeking her face around the door. She had already seen the Duke through the window, making her greeting awkward.
“I came to check on Beth’s condition. Did you sleep well through the night, Your Grace?”
As soon as she spoke, Ines bit her lip in realisation of her mistake. The hospital had been in chaos since dawn, and here she was asking the Duke, who was at the centre of it all, if he had had a peaceful night. It was a mistake born from her habit of polite greetings.
Debert’s gaze shifted back to Beth. The woman’s stubborn face, staring into space, seemed determined not to even look at his collar.
Caught between them, Ines didn’t know what to do. She thought the Duke was angry because of her slip of the tongue, but in reality, Debert hadn’t even heard what Ines had said.
“Yes, thank you, my lady. You must have had a long night too. Well then.”
There was no point in continuing the conversation with Beth, so Debert politely ended the exchange and left the room.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Your Grace.”
Unexpectedly, he was blocked by Rapnel.
“Yes, well then.”
Debert attempted to step aside, but Rapnel moved gracefully to block his path once more. She didn’t like how his gaze remained fixed on her only after she stood directly in front of him, but she didn’t lose the smile on her face.
“It’s unfortunate what happened to Beth.”
When she had glanced inside earlier, she had only seen Debert’s back, but she could sense some emotion. She couldn’t tell exactly what it was, though.
But now, his face showed as little emotion as it would when dealing with an ordinary soldier.
Arrogant bastard.
She silently cursed him, her eyes sweeping over Debert’s dishevelled appearance. Whenever she mocked someone without them hearing, Rapnel always smiled even brighter.
“I know you intentionally made things difficult to save Beth. Even if no one else knows.”
Debert waited silently for her to finish. He couldn’t interrupt the princess.
“Are you finished?”
“Don’t take it too seriously. I’ll make sure Beth understands your intentions. Beth and I have become good friends here, after all.”
Rapnel’s gaze shifted to Debert’s stained shirt. The man who was always impeccably dressed was now a mess. She could imagine the Duke running in a panic, worried that that insignificant girl had been hurt.
Rapnel suppressed the urge to laugh.
“You may go now. I need to see Beth as well.”
With a slight nod, Rapnel entered the room. The sound of the door closing echoed in the hallway, and only then did Debert slowly begin to walk away.
“Beth, are you sure you’re alright?”
Even after hearing from Lady Molly and checking the chart, Ines couldn’t stop worrying. Rapnel stood back, watching the tearful reunion.
“When I saw you collapse, I almost fainted myself. Dixie’s eyes are so swollen that she can barely open them while working.”
Beth’s bandaged hand gently patted Ines’s shoulder.
“Moments like this make me want to flee to Wayne.”
Ines mumbled, her voice thick with emotion.
Beth comforted her friend while deliberately ignoring the princess’s gaze that lingered on her. From the first time they met in the dormitory, she had sensed an inexplicable hostility in those piercing blue eyes.
Beth wasn’t particularly sensitive to affection or kindness, but she was acutely aware of negative emotions like anger and contempt. Her instincts had never been wrong, a trait born from her life experiences.
“This isn’t the time to cry.”
Ines wiped her tears and set her expression with determination.
“I’ve heard about it, but I need to check for myself to feel at ease.”
Ines carefully peeled away the gauze covering Beth’s wound. Once she confirmed it wasn’t a severe injury, her expression relaxed.
As Ines meticulously reattached the gauze, something shiny caught her eye.
“Is that a necklace?”
A necklace? Beth clumsily felt around her neck. She wasn’t someone who owned such accessories, so the idea of suddenly having a necklace didn’t make sense.
Ines cautiously avoided Beth’s fingers and pulled out the necklace. Dangling from the glittering chain was a rough, bloodstained key.
“A key?”
Ah, Beth’s expression twisted in discomfort as she realised what it was.
She had meant to give it to the Duke earlier. She had worn it for so long that she had forgotten it was still around her neck.
At that moment, Rapnel, observing their melodrama from afar, approached. The overpowering scent of roses accompanied the sharp click of her heels.
Beth flinched and pulled away, but Rapnel didn’t care and firmly placed the necklace in her hand. There was no trace of consideration in the way she handled it, as if she was pulling a leash.
Tiny diamonds were set into the platinum chain at regular intervals.
This was a luxury item so expensive that only the Nobel family could afford it. Yet, here it was in the possession of this insignificant girl.
Rapnel’s cold gaze bore into Beth.
“Who gave this to you?”
The corners of Rapnel’s lips, which had been smiling as brightly as if she were a flower, twisted slightly, resembling a torn rose.
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TRANSLATOR:
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