Chapter 05
I didn’t wait for an answer and quickly got up, moving with purpose. All I could think was that I needed to save him and get him out.
I hurriedly brought a small vessel from the dining room, poured some hot water into it, then added the dried herbs and crushed them. Once the mixture became thick enough to apply, I handed the entire vessel to him.
“Here, put it on.”
“…I’ll make sure to repay you later.”
Even as he groaned in pain, the prince didn’t forget to be polite.
“You don’t need to repay me. If you need anything else, it’s in the room beyond that door. Use it. Right now, the blizzard is getting worse, and wild animals might come out, so leave at dawn tomorrow.”
I explained quickly, almost reciting it from memory, and pointed to the small passage connecting the food storage to the dining room. Judging by the blood, he’d probably need water at least once more.
Well, I could bring more on the way out.
He nodded.
I grabbed a wet towel, wrung out the water, and handed it to him, then got up from my seat. I went to the dining room, took another container, ladled more water from the pot, and grabbed two thick blankets that we usually used when the firewood ran out.
It was my silent way of saying, “Cover yourself with this, and please leave as soon as it’s daylight.”
I decided to skip dinner. I wasn’t very hungry, and there was no benefit in running into him again.
But by nighttime, it grew lonely, and the chill made me shiver, so I warmed myself in front of the fireplace for a while before getting up.
I wanted some tea and needed to refill the pot, so I headed to the dining room.
The prince still worried me, but he’d lost so much blood that he was likely exhausted and asleep by night, unable to move.
When I went downstairs, I immediately grabbed a small iron kettle and filled it with water.
While waiting for the water to heat, I refilled the pot and added more firewood to the nearly dying fireplace.
Opening the door to bring the new water, I saw him just as before, eyes closed, a container with a wet towel beside him. My heart sank for a different reason this time.
“Please don’t be…”
I slowly approached him. Even as I got right in front of him, he didn’t move. I squatted down and cautiously placed my hand near his nose.
If he died here, it would be a real disaster. I could feel a faint breath at my fingertips. He wasn’t dead—he had just fallen asleep.
I relaxed my stiff, tense shoulders.
Just as I was about to withdraw my hand and stand up, I felt a hand grab mine. His eyes opened, and ours met directly.
I had always thought his violet eyes were mysterious, but with the firelight flickering in them, they seemed even sharper.
“….”
“…I thought you were dead.”
At my calm words, his eyes cleared, fully awake.
I pulled my hand back, hoping he would let go.
He hurriedly released it, realizing my intent.
“Sorry for startling you. After applying the medicine, the pain eased, and I must have dozed off. It was warm.”
At his words, I glanced at his clothes, darkened with dried blood and herbal water.
It looked like he had just rubbed the crushed herbs on himself with his hands. He shouldn’t have done that… I twitched a little, but forced myself to ignore it.
“I see. I’ll add more water, so use it if you need it. I’m just making tea and then leaving.”
I immediately stood up. A groan of pain came from behind me. When I turned, he was sitting upright, pressing his side with his hand in obvious discomfort.
Blood seeped through. I frowned without realizing it.
…Really.
I quickly lit a few more lamps that hadn’t been turned on yet.
“Didn’t you treat that?”
He looked down at his side, then awkwardly smiled as he raised his head.
“In the rush to apply the medicine to the painful parts, I forgot the wound on my side.”
Ah, so frustrating.
I tried to ignore him but ended up sitting in front of him.
Alright, I’ll just help a little. Just a little more.
“Let me see the wound.”
“…You’ll be shocked.”
“Let me see. I need to.”
Blushing, he hesitated for a long moment before undoing the buttons. The inside of his shirt and pants were already soaked in blood.
When I lifted his shirt, the cut from the knife was deeper than expected. The only relief was that the other wounds had clotted, so the bleeding had mostly stopped.
If I just applied medicine to the roughly treated parts and his side, the immediate danger could be managed. But the dried blood sticking to his shirt could reopen the wound if I wasn’t careful.
“It’ll be disgusting.”
As I stared at the wound, he covered it again with his shirt.
“You actually walked here like this?”
“There was no one around here… nowhere else.”
“It’s not a place for humans. Take this off and wait.”
I prepared more herbal poultices, even bringing out the rarely used emergency ointment, and grabbed cloth for bandaging.
He seemed exhausted from taking off his clothes, leaning against the wall to catch his breath.
“Can you lift the shirt halfway more?”
As he lifted it, I wrung out the wet towel, folded it twice, and dabbed away the dried blood around his wound. I continued until the wound was fully exposed.
Then I cleaned the surrounding area with another towel and opened the emergency ointment.
He stared at me, curious about what I was doing.
“It would be better to stitch the wound, but I’m not a doctor. As long as it doesn’t reopen, it shouldn’t be dangerous—provided you go see a doctor tomorrow.”
“…I know.”
“It will hurt.”
“I can handle it.”
I applied a generous amount of ointment.
Carefully, I applied it to the wound, which was mostly cleaned of blood.
“Ahh…”
Even though he said he was fine, he gritted his teeth and groaned.
I chuckled. This ointment is highly effective, but it’s painfully strong, which is why I usually avoid using it.
He frowned.
“Not really. It’s bearable.”
Despite his groaning, he jokingly claimed it didn’t hurt.
“You know how to wrap the bandage, right?”
“…Yes.”
I handed him the bandage after he nodded.
After giving him two thick bandages, I finally stood, ready to leave and stop worrying.
But instead of wrapping the bandages, he struggled to fully remove his shirt. He was being careful not to reopen the wound, which frustrated me.
It seemed easier for me to do it than to have him try.
I sighed lowly and sat in front of him again, extending my hand.
“…Give it here.”
“Sorry, again.”
“Take off the shirt completely. You have to wrap it.”
His face turned as red as the fire in an instant. Watching silently, he finally removed the shirt and set it aside.
“Can you lift your arm?”
“…Yes.”
As he raised it, I pulled a long piece of bandage and guided it behind his back.
Supporting it with my other hand, I ended up holding him slightly.
I could feel him tensing, holding his breath. The warmth escaping through his body brushed my neck, and I instinctively held my own breath from the ticklish feeling.
“It’ll be quick.”
Pretending to be indifferent, I quickly wrapped the bandage around his waist, minimizing contact.
“I need to use another one.”
As I spoke and lifted my head, our eyes met again.
The crackling of the fire in the dining room filled the space between us. The orange light painted his silhouette in a warm glow.
I had forgotten how close we were while wrapping the bandages. We were way too close.
Startled, he leaned back.
His broad back hit the wall with a loud clatter.
“Ah, sorry.”
He didn’t need to apologize.
I shrugged and applied the second bandage.
Once both were on, the wound was fully covered. I tightened them as best I could, recalling past experience, and it looked fine.
“…All done.”
“Thank you so much…”
The kettle in the dining room began to boil loudly, clattering. I had completely forgotten the one I left earlier.
“One moment.”
I quickly broke eye contact, stood, and went to the dining room to grab a tray with a lip.
Returning with tea, I found him struggling again to put his shirt back on.
Noticing me, he lifted his head and smiled awkwardly.
“Much… better. Thank you.”
“I’m glad.”
Now I could finally leave. I could relax and drink tea without worrying.
If not for the thunderous rumbling from his stomach, I really could.
He froze, embarrassed.
