Chapter 42

Karina opened her eyes to an intense pain in her wrist.

Her left arm was torn, and blood was flowing. It seemed she had scraped it against something sharp during the fall.

‘Did we really fall to the bottom of the ravine?’

Though her head felt calm, her body was in bad shape. The parts of her that had been scratched and bumped during her frantic escape now began to throb with pain.

Clenching her teeth, Karina forced herself up and immediately spotted Noah lying beside her.

“Noah…”

Instinctively, she tried to wake him, but she froze.

It was because she noticed Noah’s right hand, covered in blood.

His palm was scraped and torn, as if he had desperately tried to grab onto something. Forgetting her own wounds, Karina grabbed his arm. Noah slowly opened his eyes.

“Noah, are you okay?”

She asked urgently, but Noah didn’t respond. He simply blinked blankly, lying still.

Could he have hit his head? 

Karina hesitated, about to wave her hand in front of his eyes, but stopped.

“Your arm.”

“….”

“You’re injured.”

Noah, staring blankly at Karina’s injured left arm, finally spoke.

“I’m fine. It’s just a small cut.”

Karina forced herself to sound calm and covered the wound with her coat.

Noah then sat up. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he had hit his head. Now that he had regained his senses, it was time to assess the situation. Karina looked around the area.

It was a rather unremarkable ravine. From the steep slope, it seemed impossible to climb back up. Falling from such a height and surviving was already a miracle.

‘All we can do is wait for someone to find us.’

Suppressing her despair, Karina turned to look at Noah again.

First, they needed to deal with their injuries. In this state, they couldn’t do anything. Karina grabbed her coat in a hurry. She found a sharp rock and tore the fabric, creating a makeshift bandage.

“Let me see your hand for a moment.”

Noah, looking completely oblivious, held out both hands to Karina. His innocent expression made it hard to believe he was the same man who had fought off attackers earlier.

Left with no choice, Karina fumbled through her limited knowledge and tied a makeshift bandage around his hand to stop the bleeding. The poorly tied knot flapped loosely in the air. Noah held out his bandaged hand to Karina.

“I’ll do it for you. Please hand me the remaining fabric.”

Karina handed over the torn pieces of her coat. To her surprise, Noah’s movements were skilled. The pain was also brief.

“Wait just a moment.”

While Karina sat in awkward silence, Noah tore another strip from the bottom of his shirt.

“Why are you tearing your clothes?”

“Didn’t you do the same, Miss Karina?”

The already thin shirt was now reduced to scraps of fabric.

Unbothered, Noah reached out to Karina.

“I’m fine. Give me your arm.”

He firmly secured the bandage over the one she had tied earlier. It was a perfect first aid job. Looking at her own messy knot, Karina felt a twinge of guilt.

She offered to redo his bandage, but Noah declined, saying it was sufficient.

“The ravine is quite deep. Climbing out will be difficult.”

Feeling guilty, Karina tried to be helpful. She stood and pointed upward. Saying it was “difficult” was an understatement—it was nearly impossible. Both of them were injured, and their clothes were wet from the snow, causing their body temperatures to drop.

If night fell like this, and no one found them…

For now, the sun was still high, so it wasn’t too late. Karina tried to remain optimistic as she spoke.

“There must be another way out. If all else fails, we can call for help if someone passes by.”

Even as she spoke, Noah didn’t seem inclined to get up.

Karina, about to brush it off, suddenly stopped.

She noticed Noah’s legs, which had been motionless and stretched out from the start.

With a sinking feeling, Karina moved closer and gently rolled up the hem of his trousers.

“Your leg…!”

His ankle was swollen and bruised, with the bone visibly out of place.

It looked broken at a glance. Karina held her breath, unable to finish her sentence.

“Looks like I twisted it a bit during the fall. It’s fine.”

Noah spoke nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal, and pulled his trousers back down.

That was absurd. For an ordinary person, the pain would have been unbearable. Karina sat down slowly, lowering her gaze as she spoke.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?”

“….”

“You couldn’t get up because of the pain, right?”

“No.”

His shameless denial made it even harder for her to lift her head.

She remembered the moment right before they fell. Noah had wrapped himself around her and leapt into the ravine.

‘Because of me.’

As guilt gnawed at her, Karina bit her lip. Noah, who had been silent, suddenly looked upward.

“I enjoy being with you, Miss Karina.”

His voice echoed in the quiet space. It was a simple statement, yet it carried so much meaning. Following his gaze, Karina looked up.

Though it was a steep cliff, the snow-covered view was surprisingly beautiful. It felt as if they were the only two people left in this deep, secluded hole.

Karina let out a small laugh. Looking at their surroundings again, it didn’t seem as hopeless as before. She stood up and sat next to Noah in the same position.

“I feel the same.”

***

Noah rested his arm on one knee and watched Karina.

The way her eyelids fluttered open and shut seemed oddly slow to him.

“Noah. Are you listening to me?”

Even her mildly frustrated expression felt like it moved in slow motion to his eyes.

“That’s how it happened. I thought we could escape since one of them was injured.”

Though she spoke calmly, her eyes betrayed a trace of the fear she had felt in that moment. It was a fleeting emotion, but Noah noticed it.

Karina, seemingly embarrassed, finished her story and looked away. Noah spoke without realizing it.

“I remember their faces.”

“What?”

“Those two men.”

Especially the one who had aimed his bow at Karina—Noah could picture his face perfectly. Though he spoke with conviction, Karina seemed unsure.

Beyond the attack, Noah had learned quite a bit about Karina. It was her first time visiting the northern lands. She had marveled at the snow-covered forest and even held a bow for the first time.

“My aunt will be furious if she finds out. But I don’t regret it—it was fun.”

Karina smiled faintly as she spoke, letting out a small sigh and leaning her head back. Before long, her eyes began to droop. Seeing this, Noah finally asked,

“You can rest for a bit. You must be tired.”

“No. This isn’t the time for that.”

Karina shook her head, looking confused by the sudden suggestion.

“…We need to figure out how to get out of here.”

It was a practical response. Despite her injuries, she showed no hesitation.

So Noah simply nodded in agreement.

Out of consideration for his condition, Karina offered various ideas, seemingly deep in thought.

“Maybe we could shout for help… but that’s too risky. Those men might come back.”

But no matter how hard she thought, the situation was severely limited. In the end, Karina let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t worry too much. We’ll get out of here soon.”

Her attempt to reassure him didn’t seem very convincing. Her face was pale, despite the forced smile.

“I hope so.”

“My subordinate is probably searching for us right now.”

“Do you think Kaya is okay? What if those men hurt her…”

“Well, if it’s Kaya, I’d worry more about them.”

Noah meant it sincerely, but Karina burst into laughter. Her shoulders shook as she laughed, then she lowered her head slightly.

Noah watched her quietly before reaching out his hand. When he gently placed his palm on her forehead, she didn’t move. She seemed to have lost consciousness.

When he lifted her head slightly, Karina was breathing softly with her eyes closed. Her already pale face had turned ghostly white.

‘She’s lost too much blood.’

The fabric wrapped around her left arm was soaked in red.

Noah rested Karina’s head against his shoulder and reached out for something nearby. His hand found a flat stone he had noticed earlier. He also grabbed another piece of fabric.

“I’ll remove this for a moment.”

Murmuring an apology, Noah untied the poorly wrapped bandage.

Using the fabric, he secured the stone to his swollen ankle as a makeshift splint.

Then Noah stood up as if nothing had happened. The pain was sharp but bearable.

It had to be. He wasn’t alone anymore.

“Rest well.”

“….”

“It won’t take long.”

Leaving those words behind, Noah lifted Karina onto his back.

He tied her coat around his waist to secure her and looked up at the cliff in front of him. It was high. Not impossible, but close to it.

Noah gripped the protruding rocks tightly and exhaled into the cold air.

‘What should I say when she wakes up?’

It might have been a trivial concern, but it felt important. Ever since the moment he lost sight of Karina, it had been.

‘Captain, let’s go together!’

To be honest, it wasn’t a big deal. Losing someone close to him was something he was used to—it had happened many times before. But even so, it terrified him. He didn’t want to lose her, not even a little.

‘I feel the same.’

Being with Karina made him happy.

If I said that getting injured and ending up here wasn’t so bad because of her, would that be strange?

It was a question without an answer. The only one who could provide it was right there with him.

Noah tightened his grip on the rock until it hurt. This time, he wouldn’t let go. It was a vow, almost like a promise.