27.
Duke Ishtan Gladinare said,
“If you rest well, your wound will heal quickly.”
“Yes, I’ll rest. But… you didn’t need to personally bring me back like this.”
“I wanted to. Don’t worry about it.”
The arms holding me — Zaka’s arms — suddenly tightened.
I could feel his anger, sharp like hostility.
I tapped his shoulder lightly, as if telling him to calm down.
The Duke’s eyes flickered toward my hand resting on Zaka’s shoulder, then lowered.
“It’s all my fault.”
“…What?”
“You got hurt because of me.”
I hadn’t expected him to blame himself for this. For a moment, I couldn’t answer.
“That can’t be true.”
It seemed he thought it was because he had brought me to the royal hunt.
“Your Grace, you can’t possibly know everything in the world. You can’t prevent everything either.”
I shrugged and added,
“Besides, I’m alive thanks to you.”
“…”
“Don’t tell me you won’t even let me say thank you?”
The Duke silently nodded.
Whether he truly accepted my words or not, I couldn’t tell.
“If you ever want to know more about what happened, you can ask me.”
“…Would that be information I’m even allowed to know?”
The Empire wasn’t likely to treat anything about the heretics lightly.
Of course, hardly anyone here even realized it was about heretics…
“Then I suppose you’ll just need to become someone I can share secrets with.”
Zaka’s body tensed hard, as if frozen in place.
I tapped his shoulder again, a bit firmer this time.
Even if it wasn’t really the Duke’s fault, Zaka still reacted like this.
From where I rested in his arms, I could see his brow twitching in irritation.
But thankfully, he stayed quiet and didn’t join the conversation, just holding me like a silent bystander.
The truth was… my eyelids were getting heavy again.
Ever since the knights carried me home, I had kept drifting in and out of sleep.
The medicine I took also made me drowsy.
It was strong medicine — strong enough that it frightened me a little.
Still, once I fully healed, I should be able to walk without trouble.
But the thought of being stuck in bed for now… it was depressing.
Worse, they’d probably forbid me from drinking alcohol.
Now that was the real tragedy.
When I didn’t reply, the Duke spoke again.
“You may visit me anytime. I’ll be waiting.”
Honestly, after today, my interest in the heretics had only grown.
Probably no one in the Empire knew more about them than Duke Gladinare.
And if I became one of his subordinates, it would be harder for people to brush me off with “classified information.”
“Well… I’ll think about it.”
I realized, with some annoyance, that the one who ended up persuaded here… was me.
But I was too exhausted to dwell on it.
My answer finished, I sank into sleep again.
Something cool pressed against my forehead.
It felt so nice that I leaned into it. The coolness slid down to my cheek.
Then, warmth spread across the back of my neck. Wanting that same cool touch there, I shifted restlessly.
Almost as if he noticed, the cool sensation wandered hesitantly down, brushing past my ear and jaw, and finally covering the back of my neck.
I opened my eyes.
The curtains around my bed were drawn shut, and a faint glow — whether from candles or sunlight, I couldn’t tell — spilled into my vision.
My eyes stung, damp with fever.
When I lifted my head, I recognized the familiar ceiling of my bedchamber.
I must have been lying sick at least a full day.
As my mind slowly cleared, I felt the distinct touch again at my neck.
I couldn’t move my head, so I only shifted my gaze downward.
And there… I saw him.
A man sat at my bedside, half-covered in faint light.
…Did I die?
For a moment, I thought I was seeing some heavenly being.
Wow.
…He was handsome.
No, beyond handsome.
A beauty so absolute it crushed any ordinary human preference.
And on top of that, he seemed to glow faintly.
My muddled thoughts wandered.
So this was what “self-radiant” meant.
…Wait. Was he actually glowing?
Was it my eyes or my brain that had gone wrong?
His hand kept brushing my neck, cooling me, sending pleasant shivers. Each time, I had to stop myself from groaning in relief.
Thank goodness I still had enough self-control not to embarrass myself.
“…Sir Izanar.”
It was Friane Izanar.
At my voice, his long lashes lifted, and red eyes locked onto me.
His long silver hair slipped down his shoulder like silk.
Honestly, I wanted to touch it.
If only I had the strength to move a finger.
But then, his breathtakingly perfect face shifted — sadness spread across it.
Tears welled in his crimson eyes, then rolled down his cheeks.
My heart lurched. Had I wronged him somehow, without realizing?
If he hadn’t spoken, I might have blurted an apology right then.
“Baroness… are you alright?”
I quickly nodded.
At once, he pulled his hand back from my neck.
But in his tear-streaked eyes, I glimpsed regret.
And the moment his hand left me, the faint glow surrounding him faded away.
…Wait. He really was glowing?
Noticing my shock, Friane wiped his cheeks and explained,
“I used holy power. It works best through direct touch.”
So the glow had been holy power.
Relieved, I thought: good, my eyes and brain weren’t broken after all.
Only then did I finally ask the obvious question.
“Why are you here?”
It wasn’t the kindest thing to ask someone who had cried over me… but I ignored that.
“…Wounds caused by heretics sometimes don’t heal easily. I couldn’t rest unless I checked on you myself.”
“…”
“I know it was shameless to come. Even entering your bedroom without permission… was wrong.”
He lowered his head deeply.
So earnest. Almost too self-blaming.
At least he seemed human now.
Earlier, with the glowing holy power, he hadn’t felt real at all.
“…No. Thank you.”
I cleared my dry throat and asked again,
“How long was I asleep?”
“A day and a half.”
He noticed my eyes glance past the curtains.
“The one called Julie went to consult a physician. Should I call her?”
“Oh… and Zaka?”
Friane’s reply came after a pause.
“…I don’t know.”
He lowered his head again, his tearless face leaning closer to mine.
“If you need anything, tell me.”
…And here I thought he was gentle when he asked, ‘Should I call her?’
Now he looked almost threatening.
“Don’t priests have a rule against lying?”
“I am not a priest.”
“…You’re bolder than I thought.”
He smiled faintly.
Then his gaze slid slowly, from my forehead down to my neck.
“Your fever seems to have gone down.”
“Holy power is amazing. To get better this quickly…”
He looked at me quietly.
Then he lowered his gaze and said,
“There are rare cases… where holy power resonates perfectly with someone. With only a small amount, the healing becomes complete.”
“…”
“For me, just now was one of those cases. It was my first time.”
“…”
“I was… truly happy.”
I thought over his words, then asked,
“…So you’re saying we’re some kind of fated pair?”
“No.”
He whispered,
“It’s just that… I was glad I could help you, Baroness. No one else. Just me.”
