Chapter 352
The secretary froze at the cold warning in Claude’s voice.
She had anticipated a moment like this ever since deciding to leverage his Guide to ensure Claude’s participation. However, no matter how prepared one is mentally, it’s never easy to face a man like Claude without feeling fear.
Stammering, the secretary apologized.
“I apologize. I admit it was cowardly. But the banquet had already been planned…”
“You pulled my Guide into this under the pretext of catering to her mood, didn’t you?”
“……”
“My Guide is likely satisfied now after seeing the scene she wanted in the hospital. The banquet won’t even be filmed, so is there any reason for me to stay here?”
Though the rebuke was aimed at the secretary, it was clearly a warning to the President as well. The secretary, at a loss for words, remained silent.
“…We’ve overstepped.”
It was the President himself who broke the tense atmosphere with his calm tone.
“You’ve done so much for this country. Yet we’ve never had a chance to meet you face to face. I wanted to take this opportunity to express my gratitude, unsure when such a moment might arise again.”
The President, who was in his late thirties, spoke with humility. Claude had sensed this from the moment the President avoided pinning the medal on him directly.
“What man would want to spend time chatting with the President when his beloved waits in a hospital room? You may leave now. I’ll send a gift to the hospital later—please convey my regards to your Guide as well.”
“But, Mr. President…”
The secretary tried to intervene, but the President shook his head.
With the President’s permission granted, Claude had no reason to remain. He gave a slight nod before turning on his heel, leaving without hesitation.
He had been anxious for a while now, and for good reason.
He feared that something might happen to Rose the moment he left her side. Every time he took his eyes off her, it felt like she might vanish. And if that happened again, he was afraid he might never find her.
His pace quickened unconsciously.
He felt like he needed to hold her small body, feel her soft cheeks, and kiss her right now—or he wouldn’t be able to endure it.
What was a medal of valor compared to her? How could he have left her, unable to even leave the hospital on her own, to attend this ceremony? He felt utterly foolish.
How long had he been almost running when he noticed a familiar silhouette that shouldn’t have been there?
“Careful. If you trip and fall, I’ll carry you straight back to the hospital.”
“I won’t fall. I know what I’m doing. And where would I go? My man’s receiving an award. I need to give him flowers and clap for him.”
“…I must be out of my mind. Why am I even going along with this?”
The one bantering with her blonde friend, as usual, was none other than Rose.
Claude had no idea why she had come all the way here without telling him, but that didn’t matter.
What really shocked him was something else.
She was standing—on both feet. Though she was using crutches, and her movements were painfully slow and unsteady, Rose was standing on her own.
As Claude looked at her, a wave of emotion surged through him. The doctors had marveled at her fierce determination to recover, but he hadn’t truly believed it. To his eyes, she had always seemed fragile and in danger.
But as always, and especially now, Rose had exceeded his expectations.
Before he even realized it, Claude was running. Rose spotted him too.
“Whoa… what a sight… Ah, no, wait, that’s not it…”
Rose, wide-eyed as she looked up at Claude, blurted out an admiring comment before quickly regaining her composure.
“Is it all over already? The ceremony and the banquet? I should’ve been here earlier to give you the flowers, but it took so long to grab my crutches. Didn’t I say we should hurry, Irene?!”
“…You’re seriously annoying.”
“Rose…”
Before she could say anything else, Claude scooped her up, and she dropped her crutches with a loud clatter. Startled, she flinched, but her arms instinctively wrapped around his neck.
“Claude?”
As he felt the warmth of her skin, the softness of her body, and the comforting sensation of their Guiding bond flowing between them, Claude closed his eyes. A profound sense of relief and fulfillment washed over him.
This was all he needed.
And for the first time, he truly believed it.
〈The End〉
T/N: What a journey! The story meandered in the middle there, but I’m so glad we reached this happy ending~
More side stories to come though, so it’s not yet the end for realsies!
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