Chapter 74
The old man, seemingly believing Rubel’s nonsense completely, looked at Eir with concern.
“Oh dear, is her hearing naturally like that?”
He glanced at Rubel, his expression transparently conveying his thoughts.
‘How did a young, handsome man like you end up tied to a woman with so many problems?’
Rubel’s eyes seemed to reply.
‘I wonder the same.’
Eir felt abandoned in this atmosphere, left alone to process everything.
She couldn’t keep up with the situation. Normally, wouldn’t someone explain to the person who had been unconscious, “You’ve been out for a few days, and this is where we are”? Why were they chatting so amicably among themselves?
Eir kept her mouth shut until the old man left. She had enough sense not to confront Rubel about his lies in front of the old man.
But even after the old man left, they continued to exchange warm words about how the rain had been heavy for days, how the wind was strong, and how they shouldn’t overwork themselves.
By the time Eir finally spoke, she felt completely out of sync with the conversation.
“Uh, wife?”
Rubel looked at her lying in bed, half-pitying, as if he had been waiting for her to bring it up.
“The people here are conservative, being islanders and all.”
He answered her question indifferently but dutifully as he tidied up a wet towel and a cup of water.
But it wasn’t enough. Eir still couldn’t understand how she had ended up being referred to as Rubel’s wife.
“So? Was there anything particularly radical about our relationship? You could’ve just told the truth.”
“There wasn’t anything not radical about it. You cut open my chest.”
Eir wondered if he was throwing her own words back at her or subtly hinting that he had been the one to change her bandages recently. She hoped it was the former.
“Let’s just pretend I didn’t hear that.”
As she stammered, he let out a short laugh. But he looked exhausted.
“Anyway, there was nothing else to say. I’m a holy knight who was trying to capture you, and you’re a witch who dragged me here for some unknown reason before passing out. Telling the truth wouldn’t have improved your situation, so just give up.”
There wasn’t a single thing wrong with what he said, but it was utterly disheartening to hear.
Moreover, though Rubel’s face as he stood by the window looking at her was the same as always, his tone and the aura he exuded felt strangely sharp.
Eir rolled her eyes and let out a forced cough. She tried to sit up using her uninjured left arm, but something flew through the air and hit her forehead, thwarting her attempt.
He was holding a crumpled piece of paper, ready to throw it again.
“Ah! What was that?”
“Stay lying down. You’re feeling fine because of the painkillers, but don’t push it. Do you know I had to arrange for surgery while you were out because your hand was almost severed?”
His words made her feel strange.
It was as if they had become the couple in the lie he had spun.
She had hidden her illness and somehow tricked him into marriage, and he had become a devoted husband, working hard to support her.
At least, that’s what the conversation with the old man had implied.
“Was it that serious?”
She muttered awkwardly.
Rubel looked at her as if discussing someone else’s affairs, his indifferent attitude making her feel a surge of frustration. She wanted to mutter, “Are you joking right now?” but held back.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to scold him, but she wanted to hide the fact that she was still affected by what had happened a week ago.
“You must’ve thought I was an easy target.”
Instead, he expressed a bit of anger, and Eir blinked her large eyes in confusion.
“That’s not it.”
“Then why did you do it? Did you think the thing I put on your arm was just an accessory? I told you it had a spell to block shadows. Did you not realize what would happen if you forced the spell? Or did you not care if your wrist got destroyed as long as you saved your kind?”
‘Not realize?’
Even if she hadn’t, the pain of feeling like her wrist was about to be severed would have made her realize.
And…….
Eir furrowed her brows.
“No, but isn’t the one who didn’t realize you?”
He frowned, not understanding her sudden attack. Eir half-sat up and lashed out at him.
“What delusion are you under? Back then, it was clearly you who were about to die, and I saved you. Don’t you get that?”
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