Chapter 3

C H A P T E R _ 3

Episode 7

????

Ian was also unable to sleep at the time Elsia was dealing with her complicated feelings. He alternated between his intact left hand and his horribly damaged right hand.

After getting these hands healed, he has to live as a knight again.

He has to dive into a world without Kayla…….

Wearing the stigma of being a knight who lost his saint.

Ian accepted the recommendation from that cheeky puppeteer, knowing how much pain it would cause him. It was not an easy decision, but he had his circumstances.

“Will it be okay?”

Ian’s murmur was not directed at himself but a question for his deceased lover.

“You don’t have to forgive me…..”

Even if everyone in the world pointed a finger at Ian, he was able to breathe because he was not hated by his beloved Kayla.

‘I’d love to see you if I could.’

‘Kayla.’

Ian hesitated and pulled out the frame containing Kyla’s picture which Seiran retrieved for him. The portrait of the saint, kept in a leather frame, was smiling brightly as always.

He couldn’t stand it, so he flipped the frame, closed his eyes, and rambled away his sadness.

“Kayla, I have sinned against His Majesty Conrad. I couldn’t fulfill my loyalty to the master who always regarded me as a friend and cared for me even though I was just a knight. It was that… I’ll pay that back quickly and come back… No…I wouldn’t leave it if that….. wasn’t the case…”

“If there is, I….”

Ian couldn’t finish but it was, “I want to sleep quietly next to you,” and moved away as if running away from the frame. He couldn’t handle any parting words when he promised to be wherever she is.

Ian wanted to go crazy. If he went crazy and lost consciousness, he can be freed from this pain forever. He clenched his teeth, drawing his beloved Kayla with red eyes. He swallowed his sorrow to pay the loyalty he promised to his master.

That was all that it was.

????

The next day.

Elsia was not confident at all about whether it would be okay to see Ian’s smiling face right away. Fortunately, she didn’t reach the point of dreaming of Ian’s face when she fell asleep, still, it was different in person. No matter what, she could not postpone an important appointment.

Elsia, who held White Bunny tightly in her arms, knocked on the door.

“Count, are you here? It’s Elsia.”

“Oh, hold on!”

Haden, who was inside, quickly answered and opened the door. She carefully entered the count’s bedroom door. White Bunny sniffed and whispered, perhaps because it felt the air being different.

[Hmm, it smells suspicious here……]

“Be polite, Bunny. Did you have a good night, Count?”

“Hmm.”

Ian was wearing a white shirt revealing his forearm, perhaps for treatment. Staring at him, Elsia shook her head as she started blushing.

‘As expected, it would be difficult to quickly erase the feeling I felt once. For the time being, I should not think about anything and focus on treatment. As long as Ian Cypris is recognized as a patient, I will be fine soon, I hope.’

“First of all, White Bunny will make a diagnosis for the treatment plan.”

“Is that so? Haden, you may leave.”

Haden glanced at Ian’s words and asked carefully.

“Master, can I stay? I’ll be quiet and I won’t mention what I heard here!”

Ian stayed still for a while and blinked towards Elsia. She nodded, meaning it was okay, and pointed her finger at the elegant bed.

“Please lie down.”

“What did you say?”

Haden was watching with his eyes open because of the misleading statement. Ian was also suspicious. Elsia felt embarrassed and immediately raised her hands.

“Oh, that’s not it! White Bunny is a small doll so he can’t check while the patient is sitting down.…! If you just lie down straight, it’ll be over quickly.”

‘What should I do? It is true that White Bunny has excellent treatment skills, but it seemed to make him misunderstand more. Why was I so nervous but I didn’t even explain properly? Fool, you foolish and Idiot Elsia!’

“Okay.”

When he heard Elsia’s reason, he stood up from his seat and flinched. Haden, who saw the weak convulsions on Ian’s right wrist, ran to him in surprise.

“Master!”

“Urgh…”

“What’s wrong?”

When Ian suffered, Haden carefully held onto his terribly damaged hand and said.

“My master sometimes feels pain in his hand. Once the pain recurs, it lasts for a few minutes.”

“I knew it. Bunny! Hurry up and help me.”

[Yes, easing pain is more important than diagnosis.]

White Bunny, who jumped out of Elsia’s arms, ran toward Ian with its short legs. It was inevitable because it was about the size of Elsia’s elbow from her finger.

However, the rabbit doll stood and tilted its head instead of running. This was because a white, clean glow suddenly rose from Ian’s hand that Haden was holding, and then disappeared quickly.

Elsia, who was anxious about the emergency, pressed.

“Bunny, what are you doing? We have to hurry and help Count!”

[ Hey, patient. Are you still in pain? ]

“Hmm?”

Ian, who was in agony, saw the hand held by Haden. It still looked ugly, but the convulsions disappeared cleanly and no pain was felt. White Bunny muttered as he frowned on something that was rarely understood.

[ It seems that divine powers came out to relieve the pain. ] 

“A divine power?”

Surprised, Haden let go of his hand and Ian had a difficult expression on his face.

“……It certainly doesn’t hurt. However, the sacred power I built as a knight protects the body, it doesn’t heal external injuries.”

[ Well, I definitely saw your hand being healed by divine powers. ]

When Ian denied it, Bunny smirked, and Haden was puzzled.

“I-Is it me? But I’ve never been offered to be a priest, I don’t feel any divine power, isn’t it the master’s power?”

[ We don’t know the principle so it might be done unconsciously. It’s strong that the person may even become a pope in the future, you know? ]

Elsia, who had been out of the three’s conversation for a while, was impatient.

“Bunny, please diagnose Count quickly. We can find out whose divine power it belongs to later.”

[ Okay, I got it. ]

“Right.”

Ian, who had been suffering from intermittent pain until just now, went to bed and laid down for a long time.

The small rabbit doll jumped up onto the bed and pressed Ian’s side a couple of times with his fluffy hands.

“Hey…”

Ian immediately responded when he touched the wrong place even though only his hand was the problem.

[ Stay still, patient. Originally, the examination is done when we check everything. ]

“Hah….”

While White Bunny rebuked Ian. Elsia, who couldn’t bear to open her eyes and see the treatment process, shut her eyes tightly.

[The examination is over.] 

“Already?”

As soon as White Bunny said it was over, Ian stood and returned to the sofa where he sat earlier. He beckoned to Elsia, who was left alone, signaling her to sit on the opposite seat to him. With his consideration, Elsia’s small heart was hard to bear. She even thought it would be better if he was as cold as their first meeting.

White Bunny came down from the bed and rambled on with treatment plans.

[ Well, we first remove the broken bone fragments, rest for a few days, and then fix the dislocated bone. I’ll put on a protective device, so after the tissue that makes up the hand returns completely, we rehabilitate to make the original hand movement possible, and that’s it. ]

“How long will it take? Will I be able to hold a sword after treatment?”

When Ian asked an important question, White Bunny wrinkled his small nose.

[ Except for rehabilitation, it ends in November. Moving your hand like normal is possible but I can’t guarantee such strenuous load, I have something for it, but..]

“It’s no use if I can’t hold a sword. You said there’s a different treatment to let me hold a sword, isn’t it? Let’s use that.”

Ian asked with enthusiasm, unlike before.

[ Hmm… Then we’ll have to keep an eye on the progress for a long time. Even if it’s short, it’ll last  until March next year! If treatment doesn’t work, I’ll use another alternative.]

“……I see.”

Elsia, who was listening to Ian and White Bunny’s conversation, was relieved without realizing. November would be the end of the treatment period, so she might have to leave Eusley Castle. However, as long as Ian showed willingness to hold the sword, she could stay longer. She was astonished at herself after thinking about this.

‘Elsia! What are you thinking about? It’s bad to ask for longer treatment!’

“Elsia?”

“Yes?”

Elsia, whose name was suddenly called, looked at him in surprise. Ian said something unexpected after looking a little down.

“Thank you.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Thank you for coming to heal my hand. You must have been surprised, but you didn’t run away and stayed until the end.…. Thank you.”

“Count, I’m…”

He smiled, swallowing pain.

“I look forward to your kind cooperation until next spring. We are going to start reinforcing the inner wall so that you don’t feel cold in winter. I hope you can bear with us for a while even if it’s noisy around during the day. Will that be okay? I’ll ask the butler to give you earplugs.”

Obviously, he was the same man who stubbornly rejected her so she’d leave.

All her efforts were being paid off and were showing now.

Ian, who showed a little of his closed heart, was warmer than she thought.

Elsia choked up with unexpected tenderness. She shouldn’t cry in front of her patient, but she was sobbing. Ian was still watching as she was being emotional. White Bunny, who suddenly returned to Elsia’s arms, grumbled in a small voice.

[ What is this? A rabbit does everything for treatment, and Elsia is the only one who gets a ‘thank you?’ ]

When the cute rabbit doll muttered to himself, Haden smiled as fresh as a leaf. Behind him, the divine power soon disappeared.

Four days later, Ian received treatment to remove bone fragments safely. White Bunny is thorough with the treatment.

As it is his specialization, he has an amazing ability to accurately pinpoint the location of inflammation or bone fragments without seeing them directly with his eyes. Whenever he touches the back of his hand with a blunt pin without tearing the flesh, the remnants of the bone protrude through it.

Ian was told not to talk during the surgery, so he kept his lips closed while showing curiosity. The pale coral lip color that goes well with Ian’s white face was always beautiful. How can a man’s lips be so beautiful? Elsia shook her head while watching Ian’s treatment process with dreamy eyes.

‘What am I doing?…. Crazy Elsia. I should slap you for being like this.’

But she had to admit it in her mind now. No, Elsia knew well that the beginning of a desperate crush that was unlikely to come true is only irreversible.

Even if he couldn’t see his mortal lover, Saint Kayla lived in Ian’s heart all his life.

Undeniably, this pain signified that Elsia Bennett fell in love with Ian Cypris…

Will Ian, who stole Elsia’s heart in an instant, recognize her heart?

Elsia thought she wanted to hold his hand privately, but was more afraid of revealing her feelings than anything else.

Her love was weak and had a soft shell.

Ian would probably see it if he touches that shell.

At the end of the first treatment, White Bunny advised Ian to wear a light protector on his hand.

[ Never use your right hand for the next two days and leave it alone. If you need to use your hands, ask someone else. The bone joint treatment will begin afterwards. ]

“Okay. You’ve worked hard to heal me, rabbit doll. Take a good rest.”

[Hmph!]

White Bunny, who heard compliments only after showing his ability, smiled and ran into Elsia’s arms. Elsia, holding the hard-working doll in her arms, looked at Ian with pity.

“Did it hurt a lot?”

[ What? Don’t you trust me? I gave him a mild anesthesia and got rid of all the inflammation. How can it hurt?]

“Well, I’m alright. Um… More than that, Elsia?”

Ian was quietly looking at Elsia even though White Bunny was furious. She was wondering if he was going to send her back. She quickly felt anxious and asked back in a trembling voice without realizing it.

“What is it?”

“How is his highness?”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing Conrad’s name, Elsia’s complexion looks dark. There was a huge change in his tone about his highness before and after treatment.

Ian sighed and spoke softly.

“Okay. I am a disloyal servant who has not kept an oath to make him my one and only lord, so I have nothing to complain about. Apparently, many people around you pointed at me, right? Even though your highness sent you for this ugly me.”

“No! Who points his fingers at Ian- err, Count?”

Elsia tried to stop him from self-criticism, but Ian’s eyes fumbled through the distant past.

“The situation was not good even when I was abandoned in this old castle. Those who praised me turned their backs by now. Rather… The people who secretly stood up for me are just pretending to show sympathy they don’t even mean, all while thinking that I am already useless now.”

“Count…”

END OF EPISODE 7