My Ruin to You - Chapter 241

Valen was transported back to the Grand Duchy.

It wasn’t an easy decision. His condition could worsen during the transfer, and they had to consider the possibility of an enemy ambush. However, the poor conditions at the encampment made it impossible to provide adequate treatment for his injury.

Furthermore, the critical state of the commander would cause significant chaos within the encampment, so his condition was strictly classified as top secret. This was Merrick’s decision. The knights also maintained a united silence.

“If you value your life, keep everything you’ve seen and heard to yourself.”

Merrick personally handled the task of silencing the physician. When the blade touched the back of his neck, the physician, his face pale with terror, nodded frantically.

The transport carriage was quickly prepared. Roseline and the physician rode in the carriage with Valen. While the physician busied himself stopping Valen’s bleeding, Roseline wiped away her cold sweat. The physician, in a low, comforting voice, mentioned that Roseline’s initial first aid had been very helpful. But Roseline couldn’t utter a word in response.

Whenever the carriage jolted, causing Valen’s chest to rise faintly, Roseline would clutch her blood-stained hands even tighter.

The journey alone took a full three days. The escort, composed of elite soldiers, was substantial, but no one slept during that entire, long period. They drove tirelessly, stopping only to rest the horses.

Whenever Valen occasionally opened his eyes, he would confirm that Roseline was the one tightly holding his hand, and only then seem to close his eyes in relief. Each time, Roseline had to swallow the hot lump lodged in her throat.

“We have been waiting for you.”

Arriving at the mansion late at night, the steward greeted them with a stern expression. The personal physician was with him.

Thanks to the steward, who had received the situation via messenger bird earlier and had run around in all directions to make perfect preparations, everything was ready. From high-grade medicinal ingredients unavailable at the encampment to precise medical tools, all had been prepared. The bedroom was brightly lit, ready to receive Valen immediately.

“Thanks to the Awakener immediately stopping the bleeding and stabilizing his posture, the major crisis has passed. The bleeding was controlled during the move, and His Highness seemed to regain consciousness intermittently. However, he is showing signs of fever and convulsions.”

While the knights laid Valen on the bed, the physician calmly explained the current situation. The personal physician, who couldn’t have known the circumstances, seemed quite surprised that a noble young lady had performed the tasks of a medic, but as it was no time for personal chatter, he promptly began treatment.

“Fetch some clean, heated water.”

At the personal physician’s words, the servants busily moved about. Roseline and Merrick stood at a distance, silently watching the scene.

Both of them were in terrible states. Merrick, who had driven the horses without a moment’s sleep during the long journey, was also haggard, but he was in a better state than Roseline.

The moment Valen lost consciousness, Roseline had rushed out of the tent and torn her own clothes to stem the bleeding. She hadn’t had a chance to change since, and remained in the same tattered, torn robe. Stains of blood were smeared all over the white fabric.

The steward urged them to rest, but Roseline and Merrick shook their heads. It wasn’t until the bitter smell of burning medicinal herbs began to fill the room that they reluctantly left Valen’s side, and only after receiving the physician’s firm assurance that his condition was progressing well.

However, Valen did not wake the next day, or the day after that.

As Valen’s absence grew longer, Roseline’s self-blame deepened. The more she thought about it, the more it all seemed to be her fault.

I shouldn’t have gone to the tent. If I had stayed at the healing center, even if I were worrying alone, this terrible tragedy wouldn’t have happened.

It was agonizing because every time I closed my eyes, the scene from that day kept resurfacing. The moment Valen gave a faint smile, the scene of the enemy commander, drenched in blood, swinging his mace played out in slow motion. Each time, it felt like a heavy rock was pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

“It is not the young lady’s fault. Please do not blame yourself.”

Merrick spoke as Roseline pounded her chest and let out a hot, frustrated sigh. Roseline, who had been sitting in a chair beside the bed watching Valen, turned her head. Merrick, who was having a time as difficult as Roseline’s, if not more so, looked terrible; his complexion was pallid, the area around his eyes was sunken, and his face looked haggard.

“Was I not the one who brought you to His Highness?”

Merrick regretted his misjudgment. It wasn’t regret for the mistake of taking Roseline to the tent, but regret for not having acted sooner. It was a matter of time. The prisoners had acted much more hastily than anticipated, leaving insufficient time for the young lady to persuade the Grand Duke. Had there been just a little more leeway, the situation would have been much better.

The option of detaining Roseline at the healing center never even existed. He could say with certainty that if the young lady hadn’t come, the Grand Duke would have offered a hand or an arm to the enemy, creating a pretext to keep his lover all to himself.