TVTIW Chapter 48

Chapter 48

“What happened here?”

Richard asked as he examined Dave, who was cradled in Jason’s arms.

“I found him collapsed in a secluded alley not far from here.”

I stepped forward to take a closer look at Dave. His entire body was bruised as if he had been severely beaten. Blood covered his face, seeping from his eyes, nose, and mouth, and his small hands were twisted to the point where it was difficult to look at them.

It was a sight so horrifying I had to raise my hand to cover my mouth to stifle a scream.

Any lingering thought that Dave might have run away of his own will was completely dispelled.

“W-We must get him to a physician right away,” I urged Richard.

This was no time to stand idly by and report details. Seeing Dave’s chest rise and fall laboriously, I was gripped with fear that he might stop breathing at any moment.

“The physician is this way,” one of the maids offered, stepping forward to guide us.

As I moved to follow her, Richard stopped me briefly.

“Why?” I asked urgently, turning to look at him.

He gazed down at me, concern evident on his face.

“Diarna, you don’t need to come. Jason and I will take the boy to the physician. You should rest instead.”

I hesitated for a moment, my gaze shifting back to Dave, who lay limp in Jason’s arms. The sight of his small, battered body pierced my heart like a thorn.

“No, I’ll come too.”

I shook my head, rejecting his suggestion. I understood his concern, but I couldn’t just go back to the hotel after seeing the boy in such a state.

Richard opened his mouth as if to protest but eventually nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.”

We hurried after the maid.

Dave let out a faint groan, likely due to the jostling as we moved quickly. Jason, realizing this, adjusted his hold to minimize the movement, though it still seemed to cause the boy discomfort.

We arrived at the physician’s office as quickly as we could.

“Please, tend to this child,” Jason said urgently to the physician.

The doctor, who had been attending to another patient, immediately stood up when he noticed Dave’s bloodied state and hurried over.

“This boy is in bad shape. Bring him here at once.”

The physician gestured toward an empty bed. Jason carefully laid him down, but even that simple action caused the boy to groan in pain.

There was nothing more we could do but stand back and watch as the physician began to examine and treat Dave.

The doctor removed the boy’s shirt, applied ointment to his wounds, and covered them with white gauze before wrapping him in bandages. Every touch seemed to cause Dave unbearable pain, and he whimpered softly throughout the procedure.

“May I ask what happened?” the physician asked cautiously. Though he seemed to have much he wanted to say, he was careful to remain polite, likely because we were nobility.

“We found him bloodied in an alley,” Richard answered.

“Hmm…”

The physician let out a low hum and sighed softly.

“I’ve done all I can for now. What he needs most is rest. He’ll need to remain bedridden for at least four days, possibly up to two weeks. Even then, that’s only the beginning of his recovery—he won’t be fully healed by then.”

I looked at Dave with sorrow-filled eyes.

It felt as though all of this was my fault.

If I hadn’t been here, Dave wouldn’t have been forced to take such a dangerous role. He wouldn’t have ended up beaten and discarded in an alley like this.

Though I could hear the physician speaking to Richard and the others, their words didn’t register.

“Dave…”

I called his name softly and gently took his small hand in mine.

His tiny, fragile hand fit perfectly in mine.

Duke Tristan not only exploited this child but also discarded him after he was no longer useful, going so far as to brutalize him before leaving him for dead.

Anger flared inside me.

I couldn’t let Duke Tristan continue like this.

I turned my gaze from Dave’s unconscious face back to the others.

Today it was Dave who suffered, but I knew I could easily be the next target.

If I let my guard down, I could end up worse off than him. He had survived by some miracle, but I wouldn’t be so lucky.

I couldn’t afford to let my attention waver until the trial was over tomorrow.

Once I reclaimed everything from Duke Tristan, I would ensure he never had the chance to pull something like this again.

I had to make sure there would never be another victim like Dave.

“Olivier,” I called out suddenly, a thought occurring to me.

“Yes, my lady?”

She responded immediately.

“You mentioned his younger sibling is unwell, right? Since we’re here, why not have the child examined as well? Can you bring her here?”

“Yes, my lady. I’ll bring her at once.”

With that, she left the room quickly. I waited until she was fully gone before turning my gaze back to Dave.

He was still unconscious, softly groaning in pain.

The physician had been speaking to Richard and the two knights for quite some time. After about twenty minutes of discussion, Richard finally let the physician go and approached me.

“The culprit is most likely…”

“Mt father, isn’t it?”

Before Richard could finish his thought, I voiced my suspicion.

It couldn’t have been anyone but Duke Tristan.

He must have ordered his subordinates to deal with Dave. It was a small mercy that they hadn’t taken those words to mean “kill him”. At least Dave was still alive—where there’s life, there’s hope.

“This is all my fault.”

I couldn’t hold back the guilt that had been weighing on me, and my words spilled out. Richard placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t blame yourself. This is Duke Tristan’s doing, not yours, Diarna.”

“But if it weren’t for me, Dave wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess.”

“If you think like that, you’ll never reach the end of it.”

“…”

Richard was right. As sad as it was, dwelling on it like this would only lead to endless self-recrimination.

“All you can do now is pray for his recovery. That’s enough.”

“…You’re right.”

Yes, for now, all I could do was hope for his quick recovery.

Feeling a little defeated, I gently brushed Dave’s hair back from his face.

It wasn’t long before Olivier returned to the physician’s office, accompanied by a servant carrying Dave’s sister on their back.

The physician, already briefed by Richard, immediately began examining the child.

I watched the scene anxiously.

Since I couldn’t undo what had happened to Dave, I thought that helping his sibling might ease some of my guilt.

I could only hope their illness wasn’t too serious.

As the physician continued the examination, he brought out more and more instruments, spending a considerable amount of time inspecting the child.

It seemed diagnosing the illness wasn’t going to be simple.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally let out a low exclamation, as though he had found the answer.

“What is it? Is it something serious?”

Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked the physician as he began putting away his tools.

He nodded gravely, his expression filled with regret.

“You may not have heard of it—it’s a rather rare condition…”

“Just tell me. What’s the name of the illness? And what can we do to cure it?”

I urged him on, and he nodded before speaking.

“The child is suffering from ‘Darnnella’s Disease’.”

The name made my heart drop.

It was a disease I knew all too well because I was suffering from it myself.

“It’s a degenerative disease that causes the muscles to gradually waste away. Unfortunately, the child’s condition has already reached its terminal stage. For treatment, they’ll need…”

“The Rosier Flower?”

“…You’ve heard of it?”

How could I not? It was impossible not to know.

I was in the midst of desperately searching for the Rosier Flower to treat my own condition. With a hollow expression, I nodded. The physician sighed deeply, his face showing even more pity.

“If you know about it, then you’re aware of how incredibly difficult it is to obtain this flower.”

“…I know.”

My voice was barely audible. A wave of helplessness washed over me.

“The child’s condition has progressed significantly. If she doesn’t receive the treatment within three months, she will not survive.”

The physician’s voice was heavy with sorrow.

I looked at her, my heart sinking further.

What had started as an attempt to ease my guilt over Dave had only added to the weight I carried.

Worse still, the sight of the frail child lying motionless on the bed wouldn’t leave my mind.

Perhaps it was because their condition reminded me too much of my own impending future.

And so, for a long while, I could do nothing but stare at the child in silence.