Chapter 25
Beth stood in front of the pharmacy shelf, deep in thought.
She had confidently claimed she would find something ‘better’ to give him, but what exactly could she offer that man? Something to replace alcohol and cigars?
The thought of putting something in the mouth of the commander of the Nexus army was amusing, but there didn’t seem to be a better option.
Beth’s steps led her to a cupboard in the corner. On the top shelf, there was a large jar filled with small, colourful candies. They were her backup plan for the worst-case scenario when painkillers ran out.
She knew this wasn’t the ideal choice… yet she hesitantly pocketed a few of the bright candies, her expression uncertain. She worried about what the Duke might say upon receiving them.
But alcohol and cigars were out of the question in a hospital.
Just as Beth resolved herself and took a step forward, a shrill cry echoed through the hallway.
“Gale!”
Ines’s shout reverberated through the corridor. The laundry basket she had been carrying fell to the floor, scattering its contents, but she didn’t seem to notice.
As Ines stared at the door in shock, her face soon began to brighten with overwhelming joy.
“Ines!”
At the end of her gaze stood a man adorned with a golden wing-shaped badge. As he spread his arms wide, Ines didn’t hesitate to run into his embrace.
Beth realised then that this man was Ines’s fiancé, Colonel Gale Wellington of the Air Force, whom she had heard so much about.
Ines’s tearful voice could faintly be heard as she buried her head into her fiancé’s shoulder. Dixie, standing at a distance, raised her eyebrows at Beth, finding this reunion a spectacle.
Beth, who had been smiling softly alongside Dixie, turned her attention back to the tearful reunion of the lovers.
She wondered what it must be like to be separated from the one you love. It was a thought she had never experienced and likely never would. It was a rare moment of reflection, one appropriate for someone her age.
“I’m here to see Commander Debert.”
Gale gently stroked his beloved’s head, indicating that they had to part ways now.
But Ines, uncharacteristically, clung to him. She held tightly onto Gale’s hand, shaking her head in refusal.
“Let’s at least walk to the door together.”
The one who felt most awkward about this was Beth. Although Ines, as the head nurse, was one of the few allowed access to the fourth floor, Beth could only nod in agreement.
Who was she to say who could or couldn’t accompany her?
Just as this peculiar procession was about to set off, Arthur joined in. Coming down the stairs, he greeted Gale warmly and immediately joined the group heading to the fourth floor.
The men’s hearty laughter and the noisy footsteps of the four echoed down the quiet corridor. Although Beth was supposed to lead the way, she somehow ended up trailing behind the group.
“Debert, I’ve brought a friend!”
Debert’s gaze landed on the unexpected guests who had burst into the isolation room. Standing hesitantly by the door, Beth lowered her gaze to her toes the moment their eyes met.
“So this is the ‘better’ thing you were talking about.”
Only Beth understood the meaning behind Debert’s cryptic murmur.
“You’ve certainly brought a lot.”
Beth felt somewhat wronged by the situation. She wasn’t the one who had brought them along. Frustrated, she looked up, blinking her eyes in irritation.
Debert noticed the way her eyes brimmed with unsaid words and let out a small chuckle. What could she possibly have so much to say?
Arthur didn’t miss the subtle change in Debert’s expression. His thick golden eyebrows furrowed for a brief moment before returning to their usual state.
“Oh, what should I do? The young ladies will all run away because of our boring story.”
But Arthur was a man skilled at masking his emotions.
He had a way of letting just enough feeling drift away.
That was Arthur’s style.
“Let’s go, Beth.”
Sensing the situation, Ines quickly grabbed Beth’s hand and pulled her along. Beth still had things to do. She instinctively tried to resist, but Ines whispered urgently, “Hurry up,” urging her to move.
Beth looked back at Debert. But the man only shrugged his shoulders lightly.
How annoying.
***
“You must be heartbroken to see your beloved leave for the first floor.”
Arthur teased his subordinate with a sly grin.
Gale’s neck turned bright red from embarrassment, but he still managed to say what he needed to.
“It’s been a year since I last saw Ines. Honestly, I’m also happy that the commander called for me. It gave me a chance to see her.”
“You’ll be getting married once the war is over, right?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. But Commander, you should also be thinking about marriage.”
“Well, you know, I’m beloved by the people of the Empire. It seems a shame to settle down with just one person.”
Arthur’s playful tone made Gale burst into laughter. There wasn’t a soul who didn’t enjoy Arthur’s cheerful company.
“And what about you, Commander? I hear you’re quite popular with the ladies.”
“This one here just has to stand still at a ball, and the ladies are all in a flutter. It made me so jealous I could hardly stand it.”
“But you’ll have to get married eventually. I think our commander will be next once this war is over.”
Gale chimed in, sounding like he knew something.
“Marriage…”
Debert repeated the word, a word he never thought would pass his lips.
The Cliff family. The Cliff family. He had heard enough about the family’s honour and the need for an heir to last a lifetime, but he had never considered being the one to continue the line.
The day his father, Duke Cassius, ‘ended up like that.’
No, it should be said, ‘the day he made that happen.’
On that day, Debert had thought the Cliff family was finished. That there would no longer be anyone bearing the Cliff name.
And yet, marriage…
“Is there a lady you have in mind?”
In that moment, silence fell among them.
Gale, not understanding the sudden tension, looked back and forth between the commander and Arthur, whose eyebrows furrowed slightly once again.
“Well.”
Debert’s forehead creased as he gave an ambiguous answer while reaching for the whisky bottle. He winced slightly from the strain on his not fully healed right shoulder.
“Are you all right, sir?”
Worry etched across Gale’s face. Debert’s injuries were nothing new, but the timing of this one was particularly concerning.
Debert didn’t respond to his subordinate’s concern, instead, he quietly gazed at the bottle in his hand. Arthur, who had entered shortly after Beth cleaned up, arrived carrying an array of whisky, cigars, and medicines gathered from Debert’s quarters.
If that woman had seen this, she would have made that dumb puppy face again.
If only Beth had returned a little earlier, he might have caught that expression.
A hint of regret passed through him. Despite the distractions in his mind, his mouth spoke only the words befitting a commander.
“Did you check in with Colonel Bottam?”
“I gave him a quick greeting, but do we really have to deal with that man? It’s the Emperor’s order, so we can’t exactly refuse.”
Gale grumbled, still unaware of Debert’s explosive plan.
Arthur wetted his parched lips with the whiskey. Knowing the troubling topic that was about to arise, he thought it best to warm up with some alcohol first.
“Refuse?”
“Pardon?”
Debert’s expression was serene.
“We’re going to launch an offensive. Right through the centre. And I’ll need you for that.”
Debert continued, unmoved by Gale’s shocked expression.
“I need you to blow up the bridge leading to Kovach’s capital.”
* * *
“Beth….”
Ines approached with a face full of worry. Beth nodded first, knowing exactly what she was about to say.
“How do you know what I’m going to say?”
Instead of answering, Beth tilted her head toward the door. There stood Gail, his eyes sparkling, waiting for her fiancé.
“I’m on the 4th floor tonight… I’m really sorry. I’ll definitely pay you back later.”
Ines, her cheeks flushed, expressed her gratitude and repeatedly promised to make it up to Beth. Beth quickly urged her to leave.
In any case, it worked out well.
Beth had to meet Debert, and being on night duty meant she wouldn’t have to worry about others’ gazes.
There was no benefit in anyone seeing them alone together.
As she waited for Arthur, who was still in the isolation room, Beth focused on the documents she was reviewing. Arthur finally descended around the time most of the ward’s lights were extinguished.
“Are you on night duty?”
Arthur, pretending to know something about the hospital, didn’t leave immediately and lingered around the desk. His lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, they remained tightly shut.
“No, nothing. Take care.”
It was only after Arthur had completely left the hospital that Beth headed to the fourth floor.
She briefly recalled his expression, as if he had something to say, but it quickly faded. What could a prince possibly want to say to an ordinary nurse like her?
Dismissing the thought, Beth slowly climbed the stairs, one by one.
At the end of the dark fourth-floor corridor, a small light emanated from the isolation room.
Her steps, which had slowed out of a sudden nervousness, finally halted in front of the door.
She paused for a moment, hand on the doorknob, trying to steady her breath.
“What on earth are you doing out there?”
Suddenly, the door swung open, and with her hand still on the doorknob, Beth stumbled into the room.
The first thing she saw was Debert’s bare shoulder. As she quickly retreated, the man grabbed her wrist instead of the doorknob this time.
“Don’t be so frustrating.”
His voice was laced with irritation.
Debert had been counting the rhythmic steps as Beth ascended the stairs to the fourth floor.
Her pace, which had gradually slowed, eventually stopped right in front of the door.
What on earth is she doing in front of the door?
Sometimes she could be astonishingly quick, yet at inexplicable moments, she could be maddeningly frustrating.
Despite the cold air drifting in through the open window, Debert hadn’t bothered to put on a shirt.
Beth, unsure where to direct her gaze, awkwardly scanned the room.
She had seen naked bodies countless times, regardless of gender, and the man in front of her was just another injured patient.
Yet she felt strangely unsettled.
Beth, who took great pride in her work, didn’t want to be disappointed in herself, so she deliberately locked eyes with the man, her gaze filled with defiance.
“So much modesty.”
Debert grumbled as he lazily draped a shirt over his shoulders.
“Is the ‘better option’ perhaps those useless people?”
Beth weakly shook her head. Seeing her hesitation, Debert tilted his head.
“Then what is it?”
Beth, biting her lip, eventually reached into her bag and pulled out the candy she had carried around all day.
She noticed how Debert’s gaze on the candy gradually darkened. She immediately regretted not lying.
“Explain why this is ‘better.'”
Beth hesitated before pulling out a pen. Debert, without hesitation, snatched the pen and threw it out the window.
Just like Beth had done to him that morning.
“What, you threw away my cigars too.”
Beth’s lips parted slightly. Was he seriously trying to get back at her for that now?
Debert’s lips curled into a smirk.
“There’s nothing like pens here.”
He extended his injured hand towards Beth.
And then.
“I’ll pay more attention this time.”
In the stillness of the night, his voice was unexpectedly gentle as he made this promise.
(T/L: Why am I the one who is blushing.)
