20. Wound

After barely convincing Annie, I occupied the changing room alone and unwrapped the handkerchief from my leg. I didn’t want to inform her about my injury for the time being.

By the way, I had worried that the wound might stick to the cloth that had stopped the bleeding, making it difficult to separate, but it wasn’t as painful as expected. When I checked the inside of the handkerchief, there was nothing visible except a very faint mark of the affected area.

Perhaps it was my imagination, but the wound on my leg also seemed to have faded a bit. Could the serious injury I thought I had sustained earlier have been an illusion?

“Was the injury only this minor……”

I clearly felt a laceration and had stopped the bleeding from a bullet graze, or so I thought. But contradicting all that, my wound appeared trivial.

Even to my eyes, it no longer seemed to require any proper treatment or care.

If I were to receive the doctors the young master said he would send in the Duke’s name to treat this pinkish mark that looked like a slight scratch, I would likely be ridiculed.

It seemed I needed to send word that treatment wasn’t necessary.

I sighed as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

The wound aside, my condition was a mess due to the aftermath of the recent commotion.

My disheveled hair, which hadn’t been properly arranged, and the hem of my skirt, dirtied from sitting carelessly on the floor, looked serious even to me. If Mrs. Wellers had seen this appearance, she might have had a fit.

“Do you need help?”

Annie’s voice came from beyond the changing room curtain. Her calm and neat voice was so perfect it could be used as an excellent example of a well-trained maid’s tone.

It was quite a contrast to me, who fell short of all standards required in my current position.

Moreover, Annie was going through a difficult time with her sister’s situation. I admired her anew.

“No, I’ll be out soon.”

“Yes, take your time.”

Since the wound wasn’t as serious as I thought, there was nothing more to hide or conceal. Therefore, there was no reason to linger here any longer.

Originally, I had planned to pretend I had just injured myself by breaking something here.

I put on a robe and walked out.

Annie was waiting for me, having finished preparing the bath. I entrusted everything to her hands.

We spent another wordless moment like that.

I couldn’t read any expression from Annie whenever our eyes met occasionally.

It wasn’t a cold and expressionless face either. Her mechanical smile was like looking at a perfect mask.

Even as the soft cloth wiping the moisture from my body melted away tension, I continued to think.

Was Marie’s condition serious? Or was it the same?

I hoped it wasn’t bad.

Annie performed her duties as if nothing had happened.

I kept watching for the right timing to gauge her thoughts.

Occasionally, the taste of orange puree in my mouth or the soft texture of snacks would distract my thoughts, but all my senses were still directed toward her.

When would she tell me about her sister?

When Annie finished arranging the blanket and finally seemed to be making gestures to put me to sleep, I reached a point of anxiety, wondering if she might not say anything at all.

Could Marie’s condition have become critical?

If so, why was Annie here instead of staying with Marie?

Shouldn’t she be by Marie’s side even at the risk of losing her job?

While I was growing anxious again, Annie turned off all the lights in the room.

“Huh……?”

“Miss, sleep well.”

The moment Annie bid me goodnight, I couldn’t hold back and grabbed her wrist.

“Annie……!”

“Is there something you need?”

That highly formal tone was just frustrating. Annie was one step ahead of me.

“Please tell me now. About Marie.”

So I decided to be the petty one.

“You borrowed my healing power.”

Rather than being swayed by Annie, who was deflecting and pretending not to know, acting childishly was somewhat easier to maintain control.

“I also feel responsible for Marie’s condition, so I want to know. If Marie is alright.”

“Miss……”

Her poker face finally crumbled as if flustered.

I sprang up from my seat and urged Annie.

“Right now.”

I knew better than anyone that this was an absurd demand. There had never been a hierarchical relationship between Annie and me, a nobody in this place.

The only people who could give orders to Annie, a servant of the Riverton family, were those bearing the Riverton name.

Knowing this fact, this approach seemed to be the only way to get through to her, who stubbornly maintained her courtesy. I was so embarrassed inside that my limbs were tingling. ‘Order’—it was such an uncomfortable and heavy word.

“Yes, I understand.”

Though I felt sorry for Annie, who answered reluctantly, I wanted to know Marie’s situation even if it meant doing this.

“But please wait until tomorrow morning.”

“Pardon?”

Though the room was dark, I could tell her face was very determined as she looked at me.

“You must sleep now. Further outings would not be good for your health.”

“Alright.”

My somewhat triumphant momentum was deflated by her attitude.

But as the drowsiness that had been subtly lingering around finally poured in, further argument was impossible.

As my consciousness grew hazy with sleepiness, I seemed to briefly feel as if I had forgotten something important to do. But I eventually lost to the fatigue heavily weighing down my consciousness.

❀❀❀

Annie Burn gazed at the sleeping woman’s face for a very brief moment.

That face, asleep without knowing anything, looked as shadowless as when she was awake. When Annie first met her, she had felt quite perplexed.

No matter how she looked at it, this person didn’t suit Riverton at all.

This place had always been quiet. From the taciturn head of the family to everyone else, people were sparing with words and careful with their behavior.

In this place overshadowed by death, everyone lived while holding their breath.

But the Rosaline that Annie had seen was optimistic and passionate about everything. Though clearly clumsy, she tried hard at whatever she did. Annie was already greatly indebted to her kind nature.

Thanks to her thoughtful consideration, Annie had been able to nurse her sister, who had been suffering from a fever for a very long time.

“Thank you.”

Annie offered a greeting that was barely audible to her.

In fact, her sister’s condition had improved quite a bit after sleeping. Though still bedridden, she was more alert than before and could even spend time sitting up.

If she had informed Rosaline earlier, it would have been good news that would have made her very happy. But Annie, who had postponed the news, had her own thoughts.

If told that Marie was still sick, Rosaline would undoubtedly rush to Marie’s side.

She could tell after observing her for several days.

Rosaline was that kind of person.

But Annie liked that about her.

“I hope you have sweet dreams.”

With a smile on her face, Annie quietly closed the bedroom door without making a sound.

Leaving the sleeping Rosaline behind, Annie picked up the luggage she had packed in advance in the adjacent room. Carrying a simple travel bag, Annie waited at the landing for a colleague she had asked to take over earlier.

She planned to entrust Rosaline to a colleague who was on time, briefly return home to check on Marie while she slept, and then come back.

It would probably be the deep of night when she returned.

She intended to serve her duties to the best of her ability tomorrow morning for Rosaline, who had relieved her of a great worry. Having made that resolution, Annie looked back toward the bedroom with a pleased expression.

At that moment, the footsteps she had been waiting for reached her ears.

She saw a long shadow turning around the corner of the landing. Annie leaned forward, extending her hand to greet her colleague warmly.

However, after letting out a very brief gasp like a death rattle, Annie soon staggered and fell backward. A wet white handkerchief fell beside her as she collapsed onto the corridor.

The shadow that passed by Annie, who had fallen unconscious, seemed to have no interest in her existence.

Those steps climbing the stairs moved at a constant pace toward one place.

From the beginning, those footsteps showed no hesitation, as if they had determined their destination.

The shadow moving through the corridor stopped briefly at one spot. A hand wearing a snow-white glove stretched out as if discovering something.

What it held was a black marble that had stopped and was tucked away in a corner of the corridor. The hand carefully picked it up and placed it in an envelope taken from an outer coat pocket.