Chapter 13

Two hours later, the butler coming out of Ian’s bedroom found something firmly wedged under the door.

“Hmm……? It’s broken.”

It was the wreath Ian had dropped when he stormed out.  

The wreath, scraped and trampled under the door, was a complete mess. Since it was originally made of fresh flowers, the leaves had dried and wilted, so the damage was fatal. Picking it up and hanging it back on the door was pointless, as February was approaching. There was no reason to cling to a hideous wreath decoration in a season when spring was coming.

“I suppose we should throw it away. Hey, break it up and toss it in the fireplace.”

“Yes, Sir.”

The butler had no idea how many times Elcia had smiled at the wreath hanging on Ian’s bedroom door, or how much happiness she had felt. He simply picked up the ruined wreath and handed it to a nearby servant. Before the morning sunlight could brighten the world, dark clouds gathered thickly over the roof of Usley Castle.

After waking from her unexpected fainting spell, Elcia seemed, at first glance, to behave just as she had before.  

That Saturday, she went to Ian with White Bunny for a checkup, and when nothing unusual was found, she offered the customary words of congratulations. It was their first meeting since the night they’d collapsed together in the storeroom.

However, she never mentioned the unfortunate incident with Ian that day, as if she had completely forgotten it. Her face was covered with a deliberately blank expression.

Ian, sitting silently, asked her,

“……Is the surgery next week?”

“Yes.”

No words of comfort came, like ‘You must be worried, but White Bunny will do well. Just relax and it’ll be over soon.’ Ian, who knew her usual gentle tone, could tell her speech was unusually cold and flat.

Elcia even stood up immediately after answering, as if she were trying to avoid Ian.

“Elci……”

“Please rest well.”

She pretended not to hear Ian calling her and left, saying goodbye. She wasn’t curious about what kind of gaze he sent her way from behind. Whether he disliked her for being rude overnight or found her behavior absurd, it was all up to Ian.

After all, Elcia had always liked Ian on her own, in her own way.

She started and nurtured a love he never even knew about……

Was it really for Ian’s sake?

No, it wasn’t.

It was her own private love and satisfaction.

So Ian, too, could think whatever he wanted about Elcia, and she had no right to blame him.

If they’d kept a typical, distant client relationship from the start, things wouldn’t have been so painful.

If she’d known she would have to give up her foolish feelings for him so quickly……

She would have wished she’d never started at all.

Seiran called out to Elcia, who was heading quickly toward the bedroom.

“Miss Bennett?”

“What is it?”

Even though her response was rather sharp, Seiran, ever the seasoned knight, showed no change in expression.

“You must be tired, but could we talk for a moment? It won’t take long.”

“……”

Elcia openly showed her reluctance but had no choice but to follow Seiran. She’d heard it was Seiran who had moved her when she was sleeping, thanks to White Bunny. If it hadn’t been him, she would have ignored even the butler in her current mood.

Entering the parlor, Seiran checked Elcia’s face, which had become as tense as if she were chewing needles. She glared at him with a subtle anger.

“Please, finish the treatment to the end.”

“That’s what I came here for. Did you think I’d leave halfway because of an accident?”

When Elcia responded defensively, Seiran sighed—a rare gesture for him.

“Ha…… I’m sorry, Miss Bennett. I should have paid more attention to the master’s condition, but I’ve been too lax recently. That day…… You must have been very surprised. How could you not be? Before you arrived, it happened from time to time, but it had been quiet for so long. I’m used to it, but thinking of how bewildered you must have been, I’m truly sorry. On the master’s behalf, I apologize.”

“……”

The deep wound Elcia had received was reflected in Seiran’s words. She too had believed her devoted care, daily greetings, and White Bunny’s treatments had nearly cured Ian’s condition.

But her hopeful thoughts were just a vain illusion.

Hadn’t Ian reverted to his drunken self as soon as the reins were loosened?

The true source of her much greater pain……

She didn’t even want to recall it specifically.

Rather than blame Ian alone, she wanted to mock herself for foolishly thinking she could push aside the Saint and claim his love. Yet she still resented him a little.

To anyone else, Ian might not have been so bad, but to Elcia Bennett, he was truly a terrible man. The words he’d shouted at her that day were still stabbed into her heart, making it bleed.

Sometimes, when she tried to sleep, she heard Ian’s mocking voice as a hallucination.

—Elcia Bennett, did you really think you could open my heart and take my love? Don’t be deluded! If it weren’t for your healing doll, I’d never even know your name. Kayla, even in death, is my eternal love, so stop sniffing around and get lost! Don’t even think of reaching above your station, commoner!

……She knew Ian would never say such things, but Elcia didn’t want to be hurt anymore and just wanted to avoid him.

Seiran, face full of concern, still defended Ian.

“After a monotonous winter, the master seems unable to endure the hardships of abstinence. I’m truly sorry you had to go out in the middle of the night and suffered such trouble. Really……”

Awakened from the drunken haze of love for Ian, Elcia finally saw things clearly.

Perhaps that’s why she could now see Seiran’s true nature. Unlike her, Seiran had been a member of the Grand Expedition, giving up all chances for wealth and fame to follow Ian here. Unlike Kayla, who was now gone…… Or maybe he was here to replace her?

Maybe Seiran’s steadfast and loyal character was the biggest reason Ian had been saved.

Feeling even more down, Elcia offered a quiet, almost self-directed comfort.

“No, it’s fine. I know very well that I could stay here all this time because of your help, Sir Seiran. It was my fault for going down to the storeroom alone. If I’d called someone from the start, none of that trouble would’ve happened.”

“No, Miss Bennett.”

“That day…… Sigh, never mind. The Count is suffering so much because of the Saint who died covered in blood, so what more could I say? I’ll just forget it, isn’t that enough?”

Elcia was about to end the conversation and stand up, but Seiran tilted his head at her words.

“What did you just say?”

“Yes?”

“Just now, didn’t you say the Saint died covered in blood?”

Elcia didn’t know all the details of the Grand Expedition’s events. She only knew what was publicly known, so she’d always heard the Saint died vaguely. She knew about the reason for the expedition like everyone else.

In the Draug Empire, there is only one World Tree, bestowed by Tyr, the chief god, to protect all creation. One day, the goddess Vanir sent a prophecy: if the entrance to Jotunheim, where the giants are sealed, opened, they would descend from the heavens and burn the World Tree.

The destruction of the World Tree meant the end of the world.

This was a forbidden warning written in the scripture since the beginning.

Alarmed, the Church quickly formed the strongest Grand Expedition, including the Saint Kayla, the Tyr Church, and the Imperial Family.

At that time, Ian, the leader of the Holy Knight Order of Tyr Church, took up Levatein, the sword bestowed by Tyr through the temple, and headed to Jotunheim with the Saint’s party. The prophecy said if they planted Levatein at the entrance, the gate would close, but perhaps due to Ian’s lack of power, the gate didn’t shut completely. Unfortunately.

So……

Saint Kayla sacrificed herself to fully close the cursed gate of the giants, and the expedition, having lost the Saint, returned safely.

That was all Elcia knew, and the story widely known throughout the Empire.

“The Count said so, didn’t he? He cried to me, asking why I didn’t save the Saint who was dying covered in blood……”

Elcia had thought it a bit strange when she heard it from him, but she’d assumed it was just a horrible story and hadn’t spread it around.

“……Did you mishear? Or Miss Bennett, has there been some new rumor about the Saint in the capital? The Saint only sacrificed herself to close the gate, she didn’t bleed or suffer.”

“No. Actually, I knew that from you just now. The blood part was something I heard from the Count, so it stuck with me.”

Seiran frowned and soon concluded,

“The master must have been hallucinating from drink. The Saint bleeding out of nowhere? Really…… You must have been very shocked. I apologize on his behalf.”

“I suppose that’s it.”

“Probably. You’re not feeling well, so I’m sorry for taking your time.”

“It’s fine. I’ll be going now.”

Elcia replied lightly and stood up. Whatever the truth of the Grand Expedition, it wasn’t really her concern.

What mattered was the painful fact that Ian Kypris still loved Saint Kayla fiercely. What did anything else matter, when Elcia’s own heart felt sliced by a knife?

Once she healed him with White Bunny’s power, she wanted to return quickly to the capital. No, even the crowded capital felt suffocating. After reporting her mission to the Crown Prince, she wanted to go back to her quiet hometown and rest.

To a place where no one could torment her weak, tender heart……

She wanted to nurse her wounded, sorrowful love alone, healing her scars for a long, long time.

Until every memory of Ian disappeared.

Her peaceful daily life would be guarded by Udis, and White Bunny would be just a light companion for conversation.

‘……Will I be able to forget everything that happened here? All of it? You can do it, Elcia. I was never meant to be a guest of nobles anyway.’