Chapter 52
‘…No, what am I thinking?’
In her selfish wish for peace, she had let a devilish thought slip in. A thought she should never have entertained.
Even upon reflection, it chilled her to the bone.
Prina held her breath as she examined the knight’s condition. His breathing grew shallower and more fragmented until at last he let out a low groan and slowly opened his eyes.
“Ugh… hhh…”
When he tried to take a deep breath, perhaps out of frustration with the shortness of it, his face twisted sharply and he hissed through his teeth. Even breathing deeply would bring stabbing pain.
Once his eyes were fully open, the knight stared into empty space, a deep blue fear clouding them.
Prina had seen that look many times back in the monastery while caring for patients. She knew it well.
It was the look of someone caught between the agony of clinging to life and the fear of meeting death. The eyes of someone moaning in that limbo, vacant as though waking from a nightmare.
“…Your ribs are broken, so it must hurt a lot.”
“Kh… kgh…”
When he instinctively tried to sit up, his body froze, seized by a wave of pain.
Though she had wiped his forehead several times already, cold sweat beaded there again, and his breathing was shallow and uneven. This knight was a patient who could not move freely on his own.
Seeing that with her own eyes, Prina felt a small measure of relief.
“I’ve secured them with bandages, but you still mustn’t move. Even breathing deeply will hurt, so be careful.”
“Uhh…”
“If the pain is too great, I can give you more herbal tonic.”
There was no need to let him see her agitation as it would only make her seem guilty. Prina masked her trembling voice, speaking in an even tone. Thankfully, the knight gave no real reply.
She quickly turned and went to the cabinet where she kept bottles of herbal tonics. Her hands were shaking, perhaps from tension. Each time her fingertips brushed a bottle, it rattled, making a faint clinking sound.
She picked one up without thinking. Then, startled, set it down at once.
‘This is the wrong medicine. What am I thinking?’
If she had actually given it to him, it would have been a disaster.
Her head was so muddled that even though she herself had sorted and prepared every bottle, she couldn’t clearly tell one from another. Only after some time examining them carefully did she finally pour the correct herbal tonic into a bowl and bring it over to the knight.
Trying to hide the trembling in her hands, she managed to slowly tip it into his mouth.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice anything.
She watched his condition for a while.
After some time, as the effects of the herbs began to set in, the pain seemed to fade slightly from his face, and he gradually began to calm down.
Prina busied herself with clearing away the towel, basin, and bottles, their faint clatter breaking the silence.
He was a patient, so he should rest. She would check on him periodically, of course.
But honestly, more than anything, she wanted to escape this stifling room as soon as possible.
She needed to avoid him, at least for now. If he suddenly recognized her, she had no idea what she would say. It would be best to think it over alone and come up with something plausible in advance. Her movements grew hurried.
“Um… uh…”
Clang. Startled, Prina froze and dropped the scissors in her hand.
The knight had opened his mouth with a hoarse, strained voice.
He seemed to be trying to speak to her. But what could he have to say? Surely there was nothing… unless something about his treatment was uncomfortable. She’d have to check to be sure.
With the knight behind her, Prina’s eyes darted nervously before she slowly turned around.
As expected, the moment she faced him, their eyes met directly. Startled, she quickly averted her gaze.
“…Y-Your Highness?”
“……!”
A knight of the royal palace had recognized her. He had recognized her. Her heart seemed to drop into her stomach.
The very thing she had feared had come to pass.
Even though she had deliberately covered her head with a scarf, pulling it low over her brow so that if he woke he wouldn’t recognize her, it had been pointless.
‘What do I do? Why had I only assumed he wouldn’t recognize me? Why hadn’t I thought through what to do if he did?’
The realization left her flustered and unprepared.
“It is you, isn’t it? P-Princess Prina…”
Even in his poor condition, the knight kept addressing her by name, confirming it whenever he had the breath to speak.
Discussion
0 CommentsNo comments yet.