Chapter 350
“Rose…”
Finally, Claude seemed to realize what was happening and tried to stop me, clearly unable to stand the thought of me doing rehabilitation on my own.
But I couldn’t just half-heartedly go through therapy while watching Claude’s every move.
I glared at him, my eyes flashing.
“You’re still here?”
“……”
In the end, I managed to get Claude out of the rehabilitation room.
Of course, I didn’t feel completely at ease. Frowning, I noticed the therapist looking flustered, unsure of what to do.
“…I’m sorry. Claude saw me get hurt, and I think it really shocked him.”
I apologized, but the therapist quickly waved it off.
“Oh no, it’s understandable. You’re his one and only imprinted Guide, after all.”
I threw a glance at the door where Claude had left. I could easily give up on therapy and go outside to comfort him. But just because something is easy doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.
“To be honest, I’m just grateful to be alive,” I said.
“Pardon?”
“…Nothing. Anyway, I’m going to give rehabilitation my all. My plan is to be running around in six months. I want Claude to completely forget that I was ever injured.”
Claude was probably crying outside, but I couldn’t let that sway me. Whether I’d be able to walk again was uncertain, but I had to do my best. Not for myself, but for him.
Though I wasn’t really saying it to the therapist, it was more of a vow to myself.
“Oh, is that so?”
“?”
“Great. In that case, let’s ramp things up a bit, shall we?”
“Ah, you’re pushing too hard…!”
***
It had already been two months since Rose was injured.
She hated being in the hospital, constantly whining about wanting to go home.
The doctor eventually approved her discharge, saying that while early on she needed close observation, there was no longer any need for emergency care. She could return for check-ups now and then, and that would suffice.
In a recent consultation, the doctor had even said something surprising:
“Seeing how lively she is, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s running around soon.”
“…”
Rose’s strong willpower had led to a faster-than-expected recovery.
She had even started walking exercises. But since Claude had been banned from the rehabilitation room long ago, he hadn’t witnessed any of it and found it hard to believe.
As a result, Claude had been coaxing and comforting Rose, keeping her in the hospital longer.
He wasn’t confident about her discharge yet. If something unexpected happened and she was in pain, he felt utterly helpless.
In the meantime, Claude barely left Rose’s side. He feared that if he looked away for even a second, she would disappear from his sight again.
Even after dealing with the mastermind behind her kidnapping, his anxiety hadn’t lessened. There could be other threats he hadn’t noticed. Rose was so fragile that anyone could pose a danger.
He didn’t want to leave her side for even a moment, but the problem was…
“Go.”
“……”
“Go! Go and accept your medal!”
Claude had been invited to the presidential residence to receive a medal of valor in recognition of his efforts in saving Arteon from a coup attempt. The reason for taking down Hermann was because he had orchestrated Rose’s kidnapping.
Claude hadn’t been motivated by some grand sense of duty to save Arteon. The medal of valor didn’t interest him in the slightest.
Without a second thought, he had declined the invitation, but Rose had been insistent.
“I don’t understand! Why on earth would you refuse such an honorable award?”
Rose, clearly upset, was fuming. Claude desperately tried to calm her down.
“Rose, I… I don’t need something like that. You’re still in pain…”
“That’s exactly why! I’m the one who’s hurt, so you should do as I say!”
“…”
Claude wanted to argue that the medal was pointless, but…
“Did you know that with that medal, you get a lifetime pension?!”
“…”
“Plus, not just you—your children and even your grandchildren get employment bonuses for three generations!”
Rose’s eyes gleamed with greed, leaving Claude momentarily speechless.
They were already more than wealthy, yet Rose seemed determined to squeeze every possible benefit out of the pension and the job bonuses for their future grandchildren.
But Claude had long understood Rose’s philosophy: The more money, the better!
Feeling exhausted, he decided to just agree.
“Fine, I’ll collect the pension and the bonuses. Will that make you happy?”
“Oh, forget all that! It’s a medal of valor! If it were mine, I’d stick it to my forehead and show it off everywhere!”
Rose showed no signs of backing down. Claude, overwhelmed, could only feel more and more defeated.
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