“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to answer,” the man said.
“I’m Ashley,” he introduced himself.
“Ashley?” Agatha repeated.
“Yes, it’s the name my mother gave me,” the man said in a calm voice. His eyes were not smiling, though.
Agatha repeated the name “Ashley” in her mind. The fact that he didn’t mention his last name made it seem like he might be a commoner. While some commoners inherit their parents’ surnames, many orphans from the long history of war had no surname at all.
“Are we familiar with each other, Ashley?” Agatha asked, wanting to get to the heart of their relationship.
“Yes, we are,” the man answered without hesitation.
“…!” Agatha’s heart began to beat a little faster. He had said that they were acquaintances, but Agatha couldn’t figure out how she knew him. The man had shown interest in her, staying by her side all this time, but she didn’t think they were romantically involved or anything close to that. She didn’t feel any warmth or affection from him, which would be typical in a relationship. Even if her memory was gone, she didn’t think she’d fail to recognize someone close to her, especially a romantic partner.
“Can you tell me how we know each other?” Agatha asked.
“You were my dedicated nurse,” the man explained.
“I… was?” Agatha asked, surprised.
“Yes,” he confirmed.
It wasn’t the romantic relationship she had imagined, but Agatha felt strangely proud that she had been his dedicated nurse. Still, she couldn’t remember any moment of working as a nurse or any time spent in a hospital.
“How is it possible that I can’t remember anything at all?” Agatha wondered.
“It’s only been ten days since you woke up. Don’t be too upset about not remembering,” the man said, his voice gentle. His warm words contrasted with his cold expression.
Agatha wondered if she had misjudged his personality based on his looks alone.
Agatha then rolled her eyes, trying to sneak a glance at the man, who was reading a book while sitting on the sofa.
“Do you have something to say?” the man asked.
“No? Oh, no,” Agatha responded, startled. She hadn’t done anything wrong, but she let out a big sigh. She wasn’t sure how he had figured out she was watching him.
Being alone in the room with the man made her self-conscious. Since she had woken up after ten days, no doctor or nurse had come to check on her. She was alone with him, and she didn’t know how to handle the awkwardness of this situation.
Maybe the room was just too small, and they had to share it?
Just as she was pondering, there was a knock on the door.
Grateful for the interruption, Agatha quickly welcomed the visitor with a cheerful smile.
“Hello,” Agatha greeted the young nurse, feeling at ease as the nurse appeared to be around her age.
The nurse, Eliana, nodded at Agatha and then greeted the man with respect.
“Hello, Captain.”
“Welcome, Nurse Eliana,” the man said warmly. Agatha noticed they seemed to know each other well, as he greeted her casually.
“Agatha, how are you feeling?” Eliana asked, her tone soft.
“I… I’m fine,” Agatha answered.
She felt bad because she didn’t recognize Eliana at all, and no memories of her came to mind. She looked down, feeling embarrassed.
Eliana seemed awkward but nodded. She was supposed to help Agatha with her wounds, but since the Captain was present, she didn’t know how to continue.
The Captain, still reading, spoke softly, “Don’t worry about me.”
“Oh, okay,” Eliana said, trying to hide her surprise.
She started to tend to Agatha’s wounds, unbuttoning her shirt to help remove the bandages. Agatha hesitated at first, but finally reached for her shirt, feeling awkward with the Captain sitting there.
“Um, Ashley?” Agatha called, her voice barely audible.
Ashley looked up from his book, smiling softly, “Did you call for me, Agatha?”
His response was smooth and natural, but Agatha still felt uncomfortable.
“I need to change the bandages,” Agatha explained.
Since they were sharing the room, she felt awkward about undressing in front of him. He needed to move out of the way.
“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Ashley asked calmly.
His face remained neutral, but Agatha couldn’t respond. She nervously avoided his gaze, biting her lip.
Had he been watching her change the bandages all along, even though she had been unconscious for ten days? If so, why?
She felt embarrassed and couldn’t bring herself to ask him directly.
“I should mention that for the last ten days, I’ve been changing your bandages, Agatha,” Ashley said, breaking the silence.
“Excuse me?” Agatha and Eliana both exclaimed in surprise.
Ashley, however, remained calm, continuing, “I was the one who first applied the bandages when you were injured. Since we were sharing the same room, and I was more skilled in this, I took care of it.”
“But why…?” Agatha was confused. Why had he been the one to do this instead of a nurse?
“Didn’t you get injured trying to save me? I thought it was only right for me to help,” Ashley replied, his tone firm but respectful.
Agatha had no words to say. She closed her mouth and didn’t question him further.
“I’ll step outside for a bit,” Ashley said, standing up and politely nodding to both women. He left the room and closed the door behind him.
Once he left, Agatha sighed in relief, unaware how tense she had been.
“Natalie, what’s going on?” Eliana asked.
“I don’t know either,” Agatha responded, her voice uncertain. Eliana, who had thought she was the one tending to Agatha all this time, was now confused. Agatha’s injuries had been serious, but why had Ashley stepped in?
“Do you really remember nothing at all?” Eliana asked, looking at Agatha skeptically.
“I… really don’t remember,” Agatha answered softly. Then, her curiosity got the better of her. “I have a question, though. Can I ask you something?”
“Let’s finish with the bandages first,” Eliana said, quickly unbuttoning Agatha’s shirt. She hesitated when she saw the clean bandage, knowing it had been done by the Captain.
Once the bandages were off, a long scar ran down Agatha’s shoulder, the evidence of her injury.
“It must’ve hurt a lot,” Eliana murmured sympathetically, seeing the scar for the first time.
She felt regret for asking Agatha earlier if she really had no memory. Eliana quietly apologized.
“I’m sorry, Natalie,” she said softly.
“What are you apologizing for?” Agatha asked, her voice gentle and innocent, as though she truly had no recollection of what had happened.
