episode_0050

Eleanor cautiously tilted her head to the side.

If her body had heard her words, it would probably have reacted that way.

Running swiftly across the ground, Eleanor stared blankly at Dmitry’s face within his embrace. Amidst the fading background around them, seeing only his face distinctly was quite a peculiar sensation.

Perhaps it was due to her body stiffening more and more.

Normally, her heart would have fluttered, preventing her from properly gazing at his face. Yet now, even looking closely at Dmitry’s face, her heart remained strangely calm.

The man before her was robust in appearance overall. His hair, eyebrows, and those dark eyes were all thick and black. It could be because of the color combination she often saw during the Sejuha era, something familiar to her eyes.

However, one thing was certain.

He was a man of an entirely different style from the silver-haired figure.

Beyond his black pupils gazing into the distance, unlike anyone else, he seemed to hold nothing back. His clear and direct gaze was transparent enough to see through one’s thoughts.

In stark contrast to the sensuality and decadence overflowing from others, the man before her was truly like a protagonist from a novel. If this were a fantasy novel aimed at male readers that Sejuha enjoyed reading, that is.

Eleanor’s gaze fixated on the droplets of sweat trickling down his temple.

She wished she could wipe away that droplet with her own hand. But now, her body wouldn’t even respond to her voice.

Her eyelids gradually grew heavier. Even his once distinct face began to blur slightly.

Could it be that the venom of the spider’s fang was affecting her mind as well?

As her vision darkened, a tear rolled down her sky-blue iris, expressing regret that she could no longer look at the man.

“…Gieun…please…stay awake…El…Gieun!”

There you go, Dmitry. Finally calling her by that name. Frankly, with that silver tongue of yours, I was somewhat hesitant to call you that.

With a broad smile, Eleanor looked at the man. Of course, if her body had heard her words, it might have reacted that way.

From Dmitry’s perspective, Eleanor simply closed her eyes quietly.

Eleanor gently lowered her smooth, wrinkle-free eyelids. Dmitry, who had been holding her tenderly as they ran, looked down at her chest over her white jacket, which was rising and falling ever so slightly.

Thankfully, he had brought some antidote. At least there shouldn’t be any worsening of her condition here. However, relying solely on the antidote was not an option. Without any proper treatment, her life couldn’t be guaranteed.

Of course, Dmitry was not a doctor or particularly skilled in medicine. He was adept at emergency care and bandaging wounds on the battlefield, but his medical knowledge was limited to just that.

However, he could infer from his past experiences.

Having vividly witnessed Northern soldiers pierced by Snow Wolf fangs succumb to poisoning, he had seen several lose their lives in a year. The condition of those soldiers and Eleanor’s current state were quite similar.

How far had they run? Soon, shoddy wooden buildings started coming into view one by one.

Turning around the buildings, Dmitry dashed towards where people were gathered. Fortunately, it seemed like they were following his instruction to gather in one place.

“Elle!”

Among the crowd, the first person to emerge and welcome Eleanor, who was embraced by Dmitry, was a woman named Ozhenny, a maid.

With her violet eyes glistening with moisture, she faced Dmitri and gently caressed the pale face of the now weakened Eleonore.

“Your Highness, why is our lady, our Eli, like this?” The voice was filled with moisture, yet it remained steady.

“She’s been poisoned by Shilov. Get the antidote quickly over there!”

Dmitri briefly responded before turning to a knight who had informed him and Dominic earlier about Shilov’s appearance. As the knight’s black eyes locked onto him, he hurriedly approached, offering Dmitri a vial of antidote.

“Sh-Shilov’s poison?” Dominic exclaimed in surprise at Dmitri’s words.

Shilov was a rather infamous monster. Its appearance, tough exterior, but most of all, its potent venom had made it widely feared across the continent.

Assassins favored Shilov’s poison for its ability to easily kill even with small amounts. It was said that even King Jo, the founder of the Galatea Kingdom, fell victim to Shilov’s poison.

Nodding lightly to the princess, Dmitri carefully lowered Eleonore, whom he held in his arms, onto the carriage. He then opened the vial and let a few drops trickle into Eleonore’s parched lips.

“How soon can we leave?”

“It’s possible right away. However, the horses are tired from covering quite a distance…”

“First, bring my horse here. Which is the nearest town? Somewhere we can find the antidote.”

At Dmitri’s words, the man who seemed to be the leader of the knights grimaced even more.

Antidotes had always been expensive medicines. Not easily obtained, and not everyone could afford them. If commoners were poisoned, all they could do was buy time with antidotes and hope the patient would overcome it on their own. Or pray to the gods.

Moreover, this area, the capital and its outskirts, was known for having eradicated dangerous beasts and monsters, including those carrying poison.

After much thought, the leader finally spoke up with difficulty, “There’s a village two hours away.”

Upon hearing the response, Dmitri entrusted the remaining half of the vial to Eugene and rose from his seat.

“I will depart first with the princess. Don’t worry about Eugene; make sure to escort the princess safely to the capital no matter what happens.”

“Wait, Dmitri! I-I’ll go with Eli!”

Dominic’s dark hair swayed slightly as he put the short sword in his hand back into its sheath, saying, “No, Dominic. We may have bought some time with the antidote, but it’s not safe right now. Even if you insist, I can’t protect Eleonore and you as well.”

“Dmitri! Even if you don’t protect me-”

“Save your recklessness until after Eleonore wakes up.”

Interrupting the princess, Dmitri firmly refused. His tone was strong enough that anyone else might have found it disrespectful to speak so forcefully in front of a royal figure.

Except for Dominic and Dmitri, everyone present was from the Bayarn family.

In such an urgent situation with his lady, there was no room for disrespect or rebellion from them. Even Dominic, the party involved, merely bowed deeply.

The knight from earlier soon stood before Dmitri with the reins of the black horse in hand. After administering the antidote, Dmitri handed a message to Eugene, who was gently pressing her cheek against the princess’s.

“The road is long, but with Youngae’s body growing cold, would the blanket she brought be enough to wrap her up warmly?”

“Ah, I understand.”

Weijeni seemed ready to burst into tears at the slightest touch. Nevertheless, she stood up from her seat, holding back her tears with determination.

After that, Dmitri also prepared to depart.

First, the small items placed on the table all fell to the floor. From the emergency rations, the hip flask kept for secret sips at night, to even the whetstone always carried around, everything scattered on the ground.

Dmitri himself was no exception. He addressed the knight who looked like a captain, unfastening and removing his armor.

“No matter what happens to your lady, I will rescue her. You must escort Princess Eleanor to the capital as quickly and safely as possible. Not a scratch should mar the princess’s delicate body.”

Unbuckling his leather armor and carefully picking up the remaining potions, Dmitri continued speaking.

“If something happens to Lady Eleanor, it may cause turmoil in the family, but if something happens to the princess, it could lead to suspicions of treason. Moreover, you are under the Beorn clan.”

Although it might have felt somewhat unfair for their mistress to be risking her life, the knight who appeared to be a captain simply nodded without a word.

It couldn’t be helped.

For generations, the royal family had held a disdainful view of the Beorn earls. Even though they couldn’t openly oppose the royal family due to the contract made with their ancestors. It seemed as if they were swaggering around on their rich lands as if they were the lords of the west.

Furthermore, even the nobles of the west kept an eye on the Beorn family’s behavior more than the royal family did.

Amidst all this, the thought of the princess getting hurt in the Beorn family-owned mine was horrifying.

In fact, the reason Dmitri joined this journey was because of that.

Originally, feeling somewhat awkward about his peculiar relationship with Lady Eleanor, he had intended to send a woman named Prunella instead. However, due to a momentary slip of the tongue, he ended up dragging Dominic into this journey.

Being in a position where he only received help without giving anything, he couldn’t just sit idly by. Thanks to this, Dmitri volunteered to accompany Dominic and act as a guard for Lady Eleanor on this journey.

Before they knew it, it seemed Youngae was all ready, as Weijeni approached Dmitri with trembling hands clasped together.

“Your Grace. Please take care of our Ellie.”

“I can’t promise not to worry, but I’ll do my best.”

Mounting the horse this time, Dmitri picked up Eleanor, wrapped snugly in a blanket.

Unlike before, being on horseback, Dmitri embraced Eleanor face to face to prevent her from falling.

He kept his body light to reduce any burden on the horse. Thanks to this, even though she was wrapped in a blanket, he could feel her soft body in his arms.

Gazing at her pale yet incredibly beautiful face as she quietly closed her eyes in his embrace, Dmitri gently nudged the horse’s belly.