While You're In Love

A week had passed since the accident involving Duke Tordell’s carriage.

The culprit had not been apprehended.

Though the escort knights had followed, they couldn’t catch up with the speed of the horse, especially with the priority of tending to the seriously injured Aslan.

Fortunately, not long after the accident, a lieutenant arrived with a carriage.

[What in the world happened here?]

There was no time to explain to the astonished lieutenant. They carefully transported Aslan to a nearby hotel.

Since it was a hotel owned by the Tordell family, they were able to get the top-floor easily.

It was fortunate that Dr. Chamberlain, who had accompanied them from Central, to treat Lyla’s cold was there.

Dr. Chamberlain, who had performed first aid on the street, conducted an emergency surgery in the hotel room.

He disinfected and treated the wounds, even sewing them up. He did so with trembling hands, aware that any mistake could be fatal, and concentrated to the fullest to complete the treatment.

A week has passed since then.

And yet, Aslan remained unconscious. It meant that he had been in a coma for a whole week.

“Fuck, damn it!”

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

Biting his nails to calm his anxiety, the lieutenant, Oscar, involuntarily muttered curses.

Curses were coming out naturally in this situation.

“I should have been the one injured!”

The lieutenant who had gone with him was perfectly fine, while his master, Aslan, he couldn’t even lift his head.

However, Oscar was relatively unscathed.

“I’m sorry, sir. I was right there with you, but, ugh!”

Oscar had left to get a carriage, leaving his seat.

Isaac, the bodyguard next to him, was also unharmed.

Even though it was his job to ensure his master’s safety.

“It was inevitable, wasn’t it? Of course, I’m disappointed that we didn’t catch the killer…….”

Oscar let the words slip out like a sigh and glanced at Isaac’s face.

Isaac’s eyes narrowed in determination.

“I will catch him definitely.”

Ding-ding-ding.

Just then, a bell rang outside, signaling the hour.

Checking the time, Isaac straightened up.

“It’s time to meet with Officer Brooke, so I’ll be on my way.”

Officer Brooke of Eres was the officer in charge of the carriage attack incident.

Isaac visited Inspector Brook every day, inquiring whether they had found the culprit and how the investigation was progressing.

Inspector Brook disliked civilians interfering in the investigation, but he couldn’t dismiss the escort knight so easily. After all, Isaac Langston, the escort knight of Duke Tordell, was a nobleman himself. Moreover, the Duke himself was backing him.

Although the fact that the victim was Aslan Tordell was kept strictly confidential, thanks to the status and profession Isaac held as an escort, the pressure for the investigation was well received.

“It would be good if they find the culprit soon” muttered the lieutenant as he watched Isaac hurriedly leave for the police station.

“Once we find them, we won’t just sit still. Absolutely not…”

Thump.

The door to the room where Aslan was being treated opened.

Oscar, who had been pacing in front of it, quickly turned his head at the sound of the door opening.

“Doctor!”

The family physician of the Tordell family, who looked tired as he came out of the open door, responded to Oscar’s question with a gloomy expression.

“Ha.”

Oscar let out a frustrated sigh and furrowed his brow.

“What on earth is the problem?”

“Well, you see…”

Chamberlain hesitated, unable to give a straightforward answer.

Oscar found Chamberlain’s inability to communicate properly frustrating, but he understood his excessively cautious attitude.

After all, this was no ordinary matter; it concerned Aslan Tordell, the Duke himself. Being overly cautious was not unwarranted.

Moreover, it involved a health issue, and it was a particularly sensitive matter. Even more concerning was the severity of Aslan’s condition.

When the accident occurred, Aslan had sustained a massive head injury, resulting in profuse bleeding. It had been terrifying to the point where they thought he might not make it.

Although his complexion had improved, and his breathing was steady now, in the immediate aftermath of the accident, they had feared he was dead.

So, it wasn’t surprising that he had remained unconscious for a whole week.

Oscar grimaced as he stared intently at the doctor.

“Doctor.”

“I did my best…”

Chamberlain could confidently say this, at least about his efforts. He had truly done everything he could.

With trembling hands, he had painstakingly applied all the knowledge and skills at his disposal to treat Aslan’s injuries.

But he couldn’t do anything about Aslan, who wouldn’t open his eyes even after he’d tended to his wounds.

So, he continued to wait anxiously by his side, regularly checking his condition, hoping for any sign that he might awaken.

“It seems we’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

“Why? How much longer are we supposed to just wait?”

Oscar’s sharp retort made Chamberlain squint.

It was only then that Oscar realized his own error and offered a polite apology.

“I’m sorry. I understand it’s not your fault, Doctor.”

“It’s alright. I’m just as concerned.”

Chamberlain responded with understanding, acknowledging that they were both equally anxious about the situation.

The two men sighed with exhausted expressions, almost as if they had been photographed in unison.

After a moment, Chamberlain began to explain again.

“In my judgment, the issue isn’t physical trauma. The Duke is in a state very much akin to a deep slumber. However, the reason he hasn’t awakened for an extended period is likely psychological.”

“Psychological reasons?”

“Yes. But when I looked up similar cases, I couldn’t find an exact reason or cure.”

“So, how did other people recover? You mentioned similar cases.”

“…There were two possibilities. Either they remained in that state until they passed away or, suddenly, one day, they awoke.”

Neither option was particularly helpful.

It was only now that the lieutenant understood why Chamberlain couldn’t provide a definitive answer.

As the lieutenant silently stared at the door, Chamberlain spoke up.

“Just in case, I will continue researching other cases. There must be a solution somewhere in the world to resolve this issue…”

After uttering the same words he had for several days, Chamberlain headed to his assigned room.

Now, Aslan’s room was empty, with only Oscar by his side.

“Ah…”

Letting out a deep sigh, Oscar turned his gaze away from the window.

This was the top floor of the high hotel, so he could see all the way out the window.

He wasn’t sure, but somewhere out there was Ellwood, the rural town they were going to.

“It’s so close, yet why can’t we reach it?”

Oscar muttered to himself as he stared at the scenery outside.

He continued, voicing his inner thoughts,

“Should I inform her ladyship of the truth and have her come here?”

The master, who had been so anxious to see her, had postponed all his important plans to come here.

If she were by his side, holding his hand and begging him to wake up with tears in her eyes, the unconscious Duke of Tordell would miraculously wake up as if he had only fallen into a deep sleep.

Such imaginations flooded his mind.

But.

“……It won’t work.”

While they hushed the matter from others, being Aslan’s closest confidants, they knew the general situation concerning the Duke and Duchess.

At the very least, it was known that the Duchess staying in the rustic village of Ellwood wasn’t for convalescence but rather to escape from her husband.

Aslan knew this yet chose not to forcibly bring his wife back here.

Oscar didn’t know the exact reasons behind this, but in his opinion, summoning the duchess here would be defying the Duke’s will in one way or another.

Isaac, the bodyguard, and Gus, the other officer who had been sent here in advance, agreed with Oscar’s judgment.

So, calling the Duchess here was out of the question.

Oscar gazed out of the window with a helpless look. The sky was clear without a single cloud.

Everything was in chaos.

Starting from the Duke’s precious body being harmed, to the people searching for the absent Duke, the backlog of work, and the slowly spreading rumors.

As the days passed, the problems only multiplied, and the lieutenant’s anxiety grew.

Oscar became gloomy.

“Ugh.”

His energy drained away.

Still, it was all right.

As long as the Duke woke up safely, they could somehow manage everything.

He just needed to open his eyes. They could handle everything else. If only he would wake up…

It seemed that Oscar’s earnest wish had reached the heavens because, not long after, a miracle occurred.

“The Duke has awakened!”

A few hours later, Chamberlain, who had entered to check on Aslan, shouted with an excited voice.

Oscar, who had been waiting outside the door, rushed inside upon hearing the news.

“My lord! You’ve regained consciousness!”

Then, he really saw Aslan, who had opened his eyes.

Aslan, who had been lying down for a few days and seemed to have no strength left, was sitting up with his back against the headboard, looking at Oscar.

His face was pale under his disheveled hair, but his eyes were clear.

Without taking his gaze off Aslan, Oscar asked the doctor.

“How is his condition?”

“…For now, there doesn’t seem to be any major issues.”

“Oh, thank the heavens!”

Oscar sighed in relief.

He bent down in front of Aslan and said, his voice trembling with emotion.

“I’m truly relieved that you’ve awakened safely.”

The lieutenant spoke with a heart full of emotion, trying to calm down his excitement as he waited for Aslan’s response.

The cold-blooded Duke of Tordell he knew would nod lightly and then immediately ask about the schedule ahead.

He would meticulously ask about the accident, how it happened, the damage it did to him, and the extent of the repairs that needed to be done.

Even if he were told not to overexert himself because he was still in bed, the Duke wouldn’t listen to anyone trying to stop him.

‘In that case, let’s make sure to convey everything accurately so he doesn’t need to ask multiple times.’

As Oscar made this resolution and organized his thoughts.

“Who are you?”

The words that slowly escaped from the half-opened lips of the Duke pierced Oscar’s ears.