Chapter 24
Laches recently couldn’t fall asleep.
He simply wanted to hear the story of Reprentia firsthand.
But she only vented her frustration.
Laches couldn’t shake the feeling, Why did he think it was just a good memory?
He knew he should apologize, but now she was in the north as a servant, so he had nothing to say.
As he struggled to choose his words of apology, the sleepless nights grew longer, and days passed.
When he didn’t know what to do, the woman came first.
It was always like that. She came first, and she always caught his eye first, even if she didn’t always come first.
And just when he thought everything was going well.
Thud.
Her snow-white skin was stained with red blood, Everything Laches saw in that moment seemed like a fantasy.
Thud.
For a moment, it seemed like all time stood still. Memories of losing subordinates or comrades in battle with Maus flooded back, and Laches’s body reacted first.
‘What is happening right now…’
He was deflecting the thin and fragile arm that seemed like it could break just by touching it, flowing with blood.
“I wondered if so much blood was flowing in this small body.’’
You should have said you were hurt.
Laches shouted like that.
If asked, ‘What happens if you say you’re hurt?’ even though she wouldn’t be able to answer.
“I’m… fine.”
The woman replied slowly, as if piercing through everything inside.
“You don’t need to call a doctor.”
There was no emotion in her usually indifferent eyes.
Even in moments that would surprise others, this woman showed no reaction. As if everything was okay.
In that moment, Laches recalled the resentment he heard from the woman last time.
No one wishes for Lady Reprentia to live, Your Grace, Nobody.
That indifferent gaze that didn’t even hold any expectations. As if such things were everyday occurrences and not surprising at all. The woman remained the same.
Did you always die like that?
Laches almost asked the woman unintentionally, His head turned white.
What is this emotion, exactly?
‘I’ve never been on death row before.’
Laches felt like his heart was pounding and falling, Every situation unfolding before his eyes seemed like the final judgment delivered to a convict.
There’s nothing else I can do anyway.
‘No, What’s important about what’s happened so far? This life is always different.’
Laches couldn’t hide his confusion, But thinking differently, situations and outcomes always changed according to actions. So, this situation and outcome could also change.
Terminal illness wasn’t something that came when you were mentally prepared.
So, even if her life ended as a death row this time, it wouldn’t be surprising.
‘It’s my fault.’
Laches sighed and shook his head.
Only Laches knew her true identity. So, only he knew that she was hurt.
He should have been more attentive.
“Exhausted from going around to collect laundry in the northern cold that seemed unbearable even for her body, and exerting strength to do the laundry.’’
This was entirely her responsibility.
‘What on earth do I want?’
But this woman was apologizing for dirtying her clothes.
Can one apologize for dirtying clothes in this situation?
Laches found it difficult to truly understand the woman.
Despite the fierce wind blowing, her slender body seemed momentarily unsteady as if unable to stand properly.
Laches reached out his hand first, When he came to his senses, he had already supported her back to prevent her from falling.
‘If this woman dies… then what will happen to me again?’
When the thought went that far, Laches hugged the woman tightly, Although it wasn’t the first time he hugged her, the woman’s shoulders stiffened as if startled.
‘Ah, The first time was when she fainted and I hugged her.’
Laches lightly ignored the woman’s struggles in his arms and changed his steps.
Even when he hugged her for the first time, she was so light that he felt no weight at all.
‘Can a person be this light?’
He wondered, Maybe she lost weight due to poor diet after coming to the north, so recently he had been personally cleaning the kitchen and changing all the servants’ meals.
Then she should have gained weight back to normal, so why is she still so light?
Laches felt like he could easily lift her with one hand.
Just as he was about to ask if she wanted to eat whatever she desired, her body gradually lost strength.
“Are you okay?”
No answer.
“Leah, are you okay?”
Laches raised his voice again, calling out her name, It was the third time. But as expected, there was no answer.
Soon, the hand holding the handkerchief fell limply below.
Laches felt like the ground disappeared from under his feet and he was falling.
The blood-smeared face was peaceful, There was no sign of tension as a moment ago. The blood-stained handkerchief that had been held in her hand fell down.
“Reprentia!”
Laches called out the name of Reprentia unknowingly.
It wasn’t that woman, it was Reprentia.
Surprised by suddenly calling her own name, Reprentia still showed no reaction.
Laches’ steps quickened, eventually bursting through the door and into his bedroom.
Contrary to his rough demeanor, Laches gently placed Reprentia, who he had embraced with fear, onto the bed.
It didn’t matter if the bed was stained with blood or not.
“Doctor! Call a doctor right now!”
He shouted as if in distress. Laches, who always handled everything with ease and composure, startled the servant who quickly moved.
Laches’ large hands trembled unattractively.
It should have been easy to check if she was breathing, to feel if her heart was beating.
But it was too difficult for Laches. He collapsed beside the bed, sinking into despair.
“If you, if you die again…”
This despair.
The desperation and anxiety that he couldn’t escape no matter how hard he struggled.
When had he felt this emotion before?
“…Ah! It was then, When Count de Verte called for her.”
How desperate he had been when Reprentia wasn’t in the room.
Since then, he had constantly strived to avoid feeling such emotions again, following her everywhere.
Yet in the end, it happened again.
“I should have just killed you.”
Laches’ gaze turned to Reprentia’s delicate neck, If he grasped it with his large hand and exerted force, she would disappear without even being able to scream.
Perhaps that was what fate desired.
That way, he could escape from these endlessly repeating days…
“Your Grace.”
As Laches sank deeper into his profound melancholy, the doctor quickly rushed in.
Laches glared at the doctor fiercely.
Overwhelmed by his gaze, the doctor acted as if he knew exactly what needed to be done.
Approaching Reprentia’s bedside, the doctor checked her condition to determine if she was alive or dead.
In just a few seconds, Laches felt like he was suffocating.
His frail hand gripped his own throat. His delicate body, which seemed as though it could fly away in the wind, was pressing down on him.
Surprisingly, Laches was being dominated by that woman.
Unbeknownst to the woman herself.
“I’m alive.”
The doctor reported without delay, Only then did Laches exhale the stifled breath. He covered his face with his large hand.
“My lord!”
The steward hurried over and supported Laches, who had collapsed to the floor. The steward’s face showed bewilderment at seeing his master in such a state, but Laches paid him no mind.
Alive, He must stay alive.
Such emotions need not be known again.
At any cost.
“Save her.”
Laches’s blackened eyes focused on Reparentia lying on the bed. Reprentia was swallowed by the deep, shadowy pupils.
“If she’s not saved, I can’t survive here.”
If he couldn’t save her, he couldn’t move forward either.
Trembling, the doctor lowered his head with trembling hands in response to Laches’s menacing ultimatum.
“My lord, The bleeding has stopped.”
“Why did she bleed? Is it a serious illness?”
“It seems her mucous membranes were originally weak and swollen, Could she possibly not be from the north?”
“…Is that important?”
“Perhaps she’s unaccustomed to the cold of the north, Due to the drastic temperature difference, there’s a chance she bled. Don’t you often build a strong fire in the indoor fireplace because it’s cold outside? Due to that wind, the indoors become dry…”
“Hold on.”
Laches rubbed his forehead, What was he saying?
“So, are you saying that she bled just because of the temperature difference between outside and inside?”
“Yes.”
“Does that make sense?”
“Of course, there may be other factors as well, but…”
“Make sure to confirm properly, She’s a very important person to me right now.”
Laches pressed the doctor, his eyes restless and alive with anxiety.
In response to Laches’s reaction, the doctor took a deep breath and nodded vigorously.
“I will confirm it.”
“Then why did she faint?”
“It seems like she’s showing symptoms of anemia. She might have suffered due to dietary changes since she hasn’t been here in the north for long.”
“Dietary changes?”
“People with severe anemia are advised to consume leafy greens or meat, Aren’t leafy greens scarce in the north?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Her reduced intake of essential nutrients might have weakened her immune system, leading to her fainting.”
I thought there would only be vague explanations like not knowing the cause, but there was a more specific reason than I expected.
“Is it a terminal illness or something she won’t survive for more than a few months?”
“Um, excuse me?”
The doctor’s pupils shook at Laches’s question. The doctor looked perplexed as he alternated between looking at Reffentia lying on the bed and Laches.
“Um… aside from the symptoms you mentioned, are there any other issues?”
It seemed like he was asking if a terminal illness was necessary.
Since it had come to this, Laches decided to ask one more thing.
“You’re unusually thin, Almost inhuman.”
“Um… what duties did this maid handle?”
“She was in charge of laundry until recently.”
“Um… then… rather than moving around, increasing her food intake naturally increases her weight, my lord. Since collecting laundry around the castle requires a lot of energy, it’s one of the tasks where weight doesn’t naturally increase.”
Once again, the doctor provided a clear cause and solution.
“So, it’s not a terminal illness?”
“At present, there are no suspected findings.”
“What about a terminal condition?”
“If there were no other symptoms, that wouldn’t be a significant issue. However, there are countless diseases that I am not aware of, my lord. It could simply be something yet to be discovered. People’s bodies are such that they can be healthy today and injured or diseased tomorrow.”
Laches rubbed his forehead, If there were no other symptoms, it meant there was no disease that could be diagnosed at present.
“Just leave, Don’t mention what you saw today.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The woman knew nothing.
“Steward.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Send a letter to the chief physician of the Niriel family, asking him to visit the north.”
“Is there anything else you would like to add, my lord?”
“No, Just tell him to come to the north, and he’ll understand.”
If he wrote the invitation, there was no way he didn’t know her identity.
“I have to save this woman.”
That doctor understands.
Whether it’s terminal or not.
“But first, I need to figure out how far I can go with my own life.”
Laches gently covered Reprentia with a blanket so she could sleep peacefully.
With the question of whether this was for me or for her buried in my chest.
