Chapter 108

“It would’ve been better if she were to come here, then the best treatment…”

Without being aware of it, he let out a sound from his lips, but then, he stopped them immediately.

If she comes here? It was rather illogical of him, thinking back on how he had treated her roughly a few days ago. Knox abruptly swept back his front hair as if he felt somehow awkward.

Knox slowly turned his head. He could no longer remember how he had spent his time before she even came and that felt like the time suddenly ceased to move.

The things he could do while sitting on the bed were extremely few. He couldn’t really read a book nor do his work properly.

Even if he had to call someone, there was no one who could normally talk to him. The people who weren’t terrified of him like Cedric and Vivian had been so few that they could just be counted within his own five fingers.

“I heard that this is actually a fake flower.”

“Fake?”

“Yes. Although it’s fake, it is said to be suitable for visiting the sick since it emits a particular scent. Isn’t that interesting? There are things that could prove their real worth only because they are fake in the first place.”

The scent that had touched Knox’s nose eventually made him remember Vivian. It was as if he could vividly hear her voice chattering on while speaking about that very proudly.

He left it at his bedside, but since the flower was covered in the scent which she, herself, had emanated, only now did the same scent reach him when she was no longer there.

Her voice that was adorably telling him about the flower still hadn’t disappeared at all. It wasn’t only the flower. She hadn’t been there for a long time already, but there were still a lot of places buried with her traces—more so than he had thought.

The chair which she had always sat on. The hanger where she would leave her hat. Even the bedsheet which she had lain down before.The things that were close to him would always leave her traces behind.

“Ah………”

Only then did regret begin filling up Knox’s heart.

No matter how furious he was due to the fact that he had been deceived, he should have heard her out first. Even if it was true that she had deluded him, he should have again asked the reason while giving her enough time to explain herself clearly.

Knox slowly began to rub his face. He didn’t dare to imagine how he would be facing her.

Once he had realized that feeling, the things which he hadn’t been aware of all this time started surging in as if they were critiquing him.

Knox quickly raised his body before plopping down once again. He started feeling very empty—without her—but it was just rude of him to visit the County when his eyes were still unwell too. On top of that, he questioned himself if he could even face her properly because of the guilt if he happened to see her face soon.

With the Count’s impatience, Knox was sure that he would eventually come over to his own dwelling someday. Knox had thought so. If that wasn’t the case, then it would be hard for the Count to comprehend her actions when she had been diligently visiting him.

Knox tried very hard to swallow his fretting heart as he drew the curtain open. He just couldn’t ignore the words which she had left until the time she would finally return.

As the warm sunshine permeated the room, Knox let out a faint smile. He recalled her words saying that bright was definitely better than the dark. To be exact, it was for a patient, but who’d care about that, he thought.

Knox slowly perched on the bed once more.

He planned to embrace her tightly in order to express his apology when she came over. He had also planned on listening to all of the things she couldn’t say all this time and once again, getting to know each other. Thinking back again, there was actually nothing that they knew about each other except for the information that they had already known beforehand.

As it had already become like this anyway, it wouldn’t really hurt to hear her out, right? Knox eventually thought like that.

He could only wait for the next day and for her to come over. Nevertheless, unlike Knox’s longing, she still didn’t appear right until the end.

***

Perhaps that day’s fever was ultimately the last—ever.

The eyes that were troubling him all this time, had ironically shown a rapid improvement during the time she hadn’t been over. His eyes that had been getting better over the span of two weeks without her appearance were now left with only its last treatment of all.

“Alright…… Now, it’s finally done.”

When the fabric that was soaked in medicine had already been applied around his eyes, Knox could then slowly open them. He moved his pupils steadily while concealing his fear and panic when the vitality in his eyes began bursting out.