Chapter 7 (Part 7)

Jeremy Richard knew the wretchedness of death better than anyone.

‘…Ha.’  

At the top of the tower where the northern wind howled, Jeremy held in his hand a fragment of Therese’s diary.  

He didn’t know who had sent it, but it was filled with love letters Therese had written to him.  

From their first meeting to the present, it detailed how deeply she loved him.  

‘I love you, Jeremy.’  

Her heartfelt words, written on the scrap of paper in his hand, trembled in the wind.  

The woman who had shone like sunlight had loved him despite his coldness and disregard.  

‘…Ha.’  

Though she was gone, Therese’s lingering feelings around the tower cut through Jeremy Richard’s heart. His knees buckled, and something wet—tears or saliva—dripped from the corners of his mouth.  

‘…Lo… Lov…’  

The feelings he had never once expressed to her escaped through his lips.  

What was the point of being a hero of the Empire?  

He was nothing but a fool who couldn’t even tell the person he loved that he loved her.  

In truth, she was the only one he had ever seen.  

The woman he had carried in his heart throughout his life was Therese, and Therese alone.  

He should have conveyed it to her, but now it was too late.  

As the sorrow that strangled his chest overwhelmed him, his grip loosened, and the letters scattered in all directions.  

‘What was it that I truly wanted?’  

Jeremy had only wished for Therese’s safety. That was all he had hoped for.  

And yet, he had failed to protect even that.  

When the meaning of his vow faded, Jeremy lost his reason to live.  

He staggered toward the letters floating below the tower. The tears running down his cheeks turned cold in an instant.  

Even as he closed his eyes, he wished for Therese’s happiness. And he cursed his foolish heart.  

‘If there is a next life, I hope my curse does not reach you.’  

That was his wish.  

Only when the claw-like nails of a monster pierced his shoulder, bringing him to the brink of death, did he remember everything.  

All the pathetic moments of his past.  

At last, he remembered.  

So foolishly, at that.  

It felt as though his entire body was burning with a high fever, and the pain in his shoulder consumed him. Yet his mind remained strangely clear.  

‘I have come back alive.’  

A flood of suppressed emotions surged through him like a waterfall, shaking his entire being.  

From the moment he first met Therese near the castle road to now.  

Why had he been so obsessed with her? Why had he been so desperate to look good in her eyes?  

The mystery he himself could not understand was finally unraveled.  

***

Three days had passed since Derrick helped move Duke Richard to Roshan’s residence.  

The Duke, who had undergone major surgery, slept as if he were dead.  

Therese was listening to Victor’s periodic reports.  

“Alright. Still no news from Roshan?”  

Since their last parting, Roshan and his subordinates had not returned.  

“We are discreetly deploying people to search.”  

“…I see.”  

Therese thought to herself that everything would be fine. Roshan was likely unable to return due to being pursued by someone.  

Victor handed over some documents as he continued.  

The Emperor was conducting investigations targeting hospitals and doctors in the capital. If anyone had a shoulder wound, regardless of age or gender, they were being dragged off and severely mistreated.  

“This is a serious matter.”  

With the Duke still unconscious, Roshan missing, and the ominous atmosphere growing heavier, Therese’s shoulders slumped.  

“You’ve conveyed my instructions to the Richard family, haven’t you?”  

“Yes, as you commanded.”  

Therese had told them to inform the Richard family that she had gone on a hot spring trip with the Duke. It was a hastily made-up story that seemed a bit odd, but she needed to buy time for the Duke to recover.  

“Victor, you’ll need to take charge of the guild for the time being.”  

Victor had once suffered from a severe gambling addiction. He had lost his home and family to it and even had the word ‘gambler’ branded on his face. Yet now, he lived a new life as Roshan’s right-hand man.  

“Do not worry, Guild Leader.”  

After Victor left, Therese stood by the window and surveyed her surroundings.  

The guild’s guards stood watch, but her unease did not dissipate.  

She knew well that there was no safer place than this.  

Outside the walls lived prostitutes, executioners, flayers, criminals, and gypsies—people considered less than livestock in the eyes of the nobility.  

The Emperor and the knights would never think to search here.  

“Is this fortunate?”  

She erased her bitter smile, but her chest felt heavy.  

From the bundle Victor had brought, she took out a suppressant and drank it. The acrid taste rose to her nose.  

She wiped her face with her dry hand, then sensed movement from the bed in the corner.  

“Has he woken up?”  

She hurriedly pulled aside the curtain covering the bed. Duke Richard was tossing and turning, groaning faintly.  

“…Ah.”  

She had waited so desperately for him to wake, but now that he seemed to be stirring, her body froze.  

‘What if he dies like this?’  

She couldn’t count how many nights she had worried about that.  

Though the Duke had received sufficient medical treatment, he had lost so much blood that he had slept as if dead.  

Every night, she crouched by the bed, placing her finger under his nose to check if he was still breathing.  

Without doing that, she couldn’t sleep for even a moment. That was how anxious she had been.  

Therese stood still, covering her mouth with her hand, as the Duke opened his unfocused eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.  

She quickly wiped away the tears that had formed on her oily eyelashes with her sleeve.  

‘Ah, this is a bit awkward.’  

In her efforts to save and treat him, she had overlooked one issue.  

The Emperor’s knights and monsters had not been attacking Duke Richard but rather the Night Wolf.  

‘What should I call him?’  

Could I reveal that I knew Duke Richard was the Night Wolf?  

But it didn’t seem like anything good would come of acknowledging what he had tried so hard to hide.  

Perhaps it would be better to pretend she had saved him by chance.  

That’s why she had even prepared a new mask to put on him.  

“…Ugh.”  

The Duke writhed, clutching his injured shoulder. Now that he was regaining consciousness, the pain must have been unbearable.  

“Please stay still. Your wound will worsen.”  

At the sound of Therese’s voice, his pupils widened, and he stopped moving.  

“I’ll go prepare something to eat.”  

In truth, it wasn’t food but medicine that he needed first. However, in her flustered state, she blurted out the wrong words.  

As Therese hurried to leave his side, the Duke stretched out his hand. He was too weak to reach her, though.  

Retracting his arm, he turned his head and spoke.  

“…Come here.”  

Perhaps because it had been days since he last spoke, the Duke’s voice was lower and rougher than usual.  

“…”  

As Therese turned back, he used his uninjured left hand to pull off his mask and toss it aside.  

“No, you shouldn’t take that off…”  

Therese trailed off as she stared at the mask lying on the floor. 

Did the Duke realize what he had just done?  

Was it alright for him to reveal his secret to me?  

Lost in thought, she was startled when the Duke spoke again.  

“I’m a bit thirsty.”  

Without thinking, Therese glanced at him.  

“…Ah.”  

Over the past three days, she had only wiped him down with a damp cloth. The Duke was, after all, a patient.  

He had lost a lot of blood and had nearly lost an arm. It was no surprise that he looked terrible.  

But Jeremy Richard was anything but ordinary.  

His pale skin contrasted with the redness of his fevered lips. His deep eyes, sharp jawline, and fragile beauty were overwhelming.  

Therese, momentarily struck speechless by his dazzling appearance, blinked in silence. The Duke smiled faintly.  

Just like he had on the day he saved a young Therese.  

Snapping out of her daze, Therese shook her head.  

‘…A smile?’  

This was no situation for the Duke to be smiling.  

‘Has he gone mad after being attacked by the monster?’  

Or perhaps he had lost his mind from the severe stress. After all, he had been exposed as the Night Wolf, suffered a grievous injury, and was being relentlessly pursued by the Emperor.  

‘Yes. Even I wouldn’t be able to stay sane in his position.’  

Looking at his parched lips, Therese felt a pang of pity.  

‘Now that he’s awake, I need to get him some painkillers and water quickly.’  

Once he recovered a bit more, he would need proper nourishment. But Therese only knew how to cook one dish.  

‘I should ask about what kind of porridge is good for patients.’  

The thought of all she needed to do made her feel rushed.