Chapter 65: Rewards – 2

The entire castle was roused by the commotion that occurred at dawn.

Lamps were lit brightly here and there, and everyone rose from their beds.

The maids, retainers, and soldiers.

A large crowd gathered in front of Vivian’s room to confirm the tragic scene.

Two surviving assassins were dragged to the underground prison, while the two who had already died were cleared away by the soldiers.

“Kailo.”

I, having also woken up, kicked Valon’s stomach as he approached me.

“Ugh!”

“You idiot. Brynden told you to leave, and you abandoned your post?”

Grabbing his bleeding stomach, I hurled harsh words at him.

The attention of everyone present was drawn to us.

Valon, clutching his stomach, seemed visibly shaken as he faced the consequences of his actions.

“I… I never imagined Lord Brynden would do such a thing. Besides, he’s a noble….”

“Brynden threatened to cut off my head if I overheard him talking to Lady Vivian….”

I could understand his position.

It must have been hard for Valon to defy a noble.

But that didn’t mean his actions could be excused.

On the contrary, punishing Valon properly would set an example for others.

Sighing, I leaned toward his ear and whispered quietly.

“…You can’t escape punishment. Do you understand?”

Valon swallowed nervously and nodded at me.

“…Understood.”

He seemed to have accepted his fate now.

Then, he asked me,

“Did you… protect Lady Vivian again?”

I nodded, and Valon let out a sigh of relief.

“…Thank you. If it was not for you, I would’ve lost my head too.”

“…Perhaps.”

Straightening up, I looked at the soldiers around us and issued an order.

“Take Valon and Randel to the prison.”

The soldiers froze at my command.

Then, Vivian, standing behind me, spoke firmly.

“Do as Kailo says.”

The soldiers saluted and led Valon and Randel, Vivian’s former guards, away.

I scanned the surroundings.

Wallace and Martin, watching the departing Valon, turned their gaze to me.

Ignoring their shock, I asked,

“Where’s Brynden?”

Wallace answered,

“…We’re searching for him. Not just us, but the other knight orders too.”

I nodded and said,

“Find him at all costs.”

“Kailo, your stomach….”

I checked my wound again.

No matter how hard I tried to stop it, blood kept seeping out.

Now that the heat of battle had subsided, the pain was catching up to me.

Biting my gums, I turned to look at Vivian.

She now seemed safe.

Vivian spoke as well.

“…Get treated first.”

I sighed and asked,

“Where’s Scholar Crellin?”

-Thud.

At that moment, Vivian grabbed me.

Turning back, I saw her shaking her head firmly.

…Now that I thought about it, she had said she wouldn’t keep Scholar Crellin by her side anymore.

She had branded even him as her enemy.

It seemed she was telling me not to seek his treatment.

As if he could no longer be trusted.

I didn’t argue with Vivian’s judgment.

Instead, I looked around and addressed the gathered people.

“…Anyone who knows how to stitch wounds, come with me.”

“I do!”

A slightly trembling yet confident voice answered.

There stood Serena, a maid.

She was the one who had once shown interest in me but suffered bullying from Vivian because of it.

Both Vivian and I were momentarily dumbfounded.

But Serena, glancing at Vivian’s reaction, continued,

“I-I’m the best at sewing among the maids. I really don’t have any ulterior motives… I-I just want to help…. E-Everyone knows I’m the fastest and the neatest.”

The other maids nodded cautiously.

Vivian said nothing.

Instead, she glared at Serena with an increasingly cold gaze.

Was this really something for her to get so upset about?

Suddenly, Vivian’s animosity toward me felt incredibly frustrating.

Perhaps it was because I had rejected her advances again.

Before Vivian could respond, I spoke to Serena.

“Alright. Come with me.”

“…Y-Yes!”

-Thud.

I shook off Vivian’s grip on me.

Then, I approached Serena slowly.

“…Kailo, where are you going?”

Vivian asked in a chilling tone.

“To get treated, as you said.”

I responded without a hint of hesitation.

Besides, Serena had long since given up her interest in me.

As she said, she probably just wanted to help.

Perhaps Vivian’s suspicions were unwarranted—

-Thud!

At that moment, Serena moved to my side.

She pressed her small hand over my wound and slipped under my arm to support me.

Her touch was disconcertingly intimate as she steadied me.

“What are you doing? I can walk on my own.”

“I-If you move too much, the wound might worsen….”

Her sincerity was as clear as the midday sun.

I thought she had let go of her feelings, but apparently, she hadn’t.

Perhaps Vivian’s doubts weren’t entirely unfounded.

The difference was that Serena’s feelings now seemed less innocent and more overtly mature.

How old was I when Serena first showed interest in me?

I think I was around fifteen.

Back then, I wasn’t this tall.

The difference in size between Serena and me wasn’t this stark either.

There hadn’t been many moments when the difference between men and women became so starkly evident.

Right now, Serena was… practically pressing herself against my chest.

As I walked, leaning on her for support, I finally said,

“Can you back off a little? It’s uncomfortable.”

“…No, I can’t. Your wounds will open up more…”

“I said it’s uncomfortable.”

“P-please bear with it for a little longer.”

I let out a sigh and asked,

Just fighting was exhausting enough, but it was the deep hours of dawn, and I hadn’t eaten properly for days.

I had no energy left to argue with Serena anymore.

There was no strength left to waste on strange matters.

Resigning myself, I shifted all my weight onto Serena.

Despite her small groans under the strain, she looked oddly pleased.

I glanced at her and asked,

“…Can you even handle this? Even if Vivian sees me like this with you?”

“I-I’m only doing this to treat your wounds… that’s all.”

That might have been the truth, but…

I turned to look back again.

In the distance, surrounded by her retainers, Vivian was still watching us.

…At the very least, it seemed Vivian wasn’t convinced by Serena’s words.

Eventually, I found myself in a narrow infirmary located in the western library of the reconstructed Rondor Castle.

Thinking about how Brynden had overseen the reconstruction made the situation feel strange.

The infirmary contained nothing but a single bed and a small space where someone could stand beside it.

Though it was an infirmary, and I shouldn’t complain, the room felt unnecessarily discreet.

Around me lay clean cloths, some already soaked in blood, and a bottle of strong alcohol.

Nearby, Serena was sterilizing a needle by heating it with a candle flame.

She swallowed hard as she glanced at me.

“Y-you’re ready, right?”

She seemed more nervous than I was.

I nodded at her, removing my hand to reveal the wound.

Serena let out a deep breath, then soaked a clean cloth in the alcohol and began to wipe the wound.

I clenched my teeth against the pain of her actions.

“P-please bear with it…”

Serena whispered.

Her brown hair, dotted with heavy freckles.

Her tall figure and modest face.

Her hands, roughened by hardships, worked carefully as she treated me.

It was bothersome, no doubt, but I couldn’t bring myself to dislike her for trying so hard.

It had been the same in the past.

Back when I had no one on my side, she was the first to show me any kind of affection.

Even then, she hadn’t felt like a burden.

After cleaning the wound thoroughly, Serena began threading the needle, and a thought crossed my mind.

…Why?

Why was it that someone like Serena, who openly showed affection toward me, who went so far as to stitch up my wounds, and who wasn’t unattractive by any means… didn’t occupy my thoughts like Vivian did?

Accepting the affection Serena offered would likely make life far more enjoyable.

So why didn’t I want to?

Why did I feel nothing for this maid, who lacked for nothing?

As I quietly stared at her, Serena shifted awkwardly, her face flushing red.

Even that small reaction felt different compared to Vivian’s.

“I-I’m starting now.”

Serena spoke again as she approached with the needle.

I nodded.

Soon, the needle pierced my skin, and pain flared up, making me grit my teeth once more.

Thankfully, Serena’s hands moved quickly, just as she had promised.

It was obvious this was her first time stitching a wound, yet she glanced at me, noting my clenched jaw, and did her best to speed up.

“Just a little more… I’m almost done.”

She tried to reassure me, speaking softly.

Even though the stench of blood and the sight of the gruesome wound were clearly making her stomach churn, she kept attempting to comfort me.

“W-what exactly happened?”

Serena finally asked.

I took a deep breath before answering.

“There was an assassin.”

“W-who would send an assassin…?”

“…The treasurer, Brynden. Brynden Trelly.”

Serena gasped softly, but her hands didn’t falter.

“W-will he be executed?”

“He will. If we catch him.”

“…Y-you really went through so much. If it weren’t for you, Lady Vivian…”

I chuckled faintly.

“Exactly.”

Vivian would have died again if not for me.

Serena’s expression grew darker and darker.

Was it because she was focusing on sewing?

I wondered.

But the next question made it clear that wasn’t the case.

“…Why do you keep doing this?”

“What?”

“…I know I shouldn’t say this, but… aren’t you and Lady Vivian sworn enemies?”

Serena, who was speaking, whispered cautiously.

There was a hint of frustration mixed into her small voice.

“What in the world… drives you to sacrifice yourself so much for Lady Vivian?”

While I stayed silent, Serena brought her face close to my injured area.

-Tick!

She finished stitching the wound by biting the thread and then looked at me.

“…I envy Lady Vivian so much.”

I had no response to that.

“If Lord Kailo protected me like this, I wouldn’t ask for anything else in the world.”

“…If it was me, I would never have hurt you.”

After a long silence, I finally responded with the only thing I could say.

“…This isn’t what you think.”

“It is not in front of Lady Vivian.”

Her gaze was different from before.

There was honesty and longing in her eyes that she never showed in front of Vivian.

“Now, it’s okay to be honest, isn’t it?”

Serena whispered softly.

“…Who knows when there might be another chance.”

Saying that, Serena slowly put the thread down.

Extending both hands naturally, she cupped my face.

“…I like you, Lord Kailo.”

It was the first confession I had ever received.

Yet, even in this moment, I felt nothing.

Her sudden approach only left me bewildered.

“…What even happened between you and me to make you feel this way?”

Serena shook her head and spoke in a tender voice.

“Does love need a reason?”

…Those words strangely resonated in my heart.

As I was lost in thought, Serena, still holding my face, stood up.

“I’m not asking you to accept my feelings. Just… from time to time…”

Serena slowly leaned in, as if to kiss me.

I was curious about what a kiss might feel like, but I had no desire to experience it with Serena.

I had someone I was waiting for.

“Stop.”

I raised my hand to stop her, but just then, the narrow hospital room’s door opened abruptly.

-Creak.

The moment the door opened, the scent of flowers filled the air, and I instantly knew who it was.

Vivian.

She stood frozen in the doorway, her eyes fixed on us.

Serena, shocked, couldn’t react.

She turned to Vivian, unable to let go of my face, and stammered an explanation.

“L-Lady Vivian… This isn’t what it looks like…”

Vivian stood at the doorway, as if trying to make sense of the situation, and remained still for a long time.

Slowly, a smirk tugged at her lips.

“…Ha.”

A soft laugh escaped from her lips.

She even lowered her head slightly, letting out a small chuckle.

There wasn’t a shred of warmth in her laughter.

“…Ha.”

What was so amusing?

Vivian just kept laughing.