Chapter 6 – Part 4

Tapping.

The sound of tapping on the glass window echoed crisply. Spotting Anne, Kyle lifted the closed window and spoke.

“Hey, Anne, how are you doing? You and the Commander seemed to be getting along pretty well a few days ago. He even took care of your nursing.”

“…….”

Anne squeezed the pillow she’d been tidying up and looked at Kyle.

Why did she want to see how strong her momentary strength was now, like when she’d crushed an apple with one hand a few days ago?

Alas, the window was too small to give her enough room to throw the pillow.

Instead, Anne squeezed Kyle’s hand, which rested on the window sill.

“Don’t you ever talk about Commander Evan Davis in front of me again.”

“Why, why, why, what happened?”

“That….”

“That?”

Anne, looking grave, immediately dropped to the floor.

With her head between her knees, Anne’s face was flushed red.

“I don’t know. I won’t tell you.”

She would never tell.

She’d come to think of herself as a disappointment that Evan Davis, who’d been hovering around her every day, had stopped showing up. ….

“Do you like me by any chance?”

“So, do you want to sleep with me?”

The thought that it might be because of something she’d said made Anne feel even more ashamed.

‘Ha, whatever.’

She was sure she should just forget about it, but why did she feel so sad and disappointed?

Oddly enough, Anne now wanted to see Evan Davis’s face.

Oddly enough, Anne now wanted to see Evan Davis’s face.

The way he lay on the field hospital bed, glancing at her as if he had come to rest.

Anne didn’t realize it, but suddenly she was enjoying trying to figure out where Evan was.

‘This is all because of the rumors that the commander is interested in me.’

Anne thought to herself, trying to calm herself down.

Moreover… hadn’t he protected her from Gabriel Evian’s tyranny while holding her in his arms?

She was changing the bed cover, suppressing the urge to rush into his quarters and shout.

A commotion echoed in the hospital.

A woman in a strikingly colorful light blue dress, her brown hair neatly braided, stood at the door of the field hospital.

She looked like a noblewoman who had risked her life to come to the aid of a loved one.

Tears welled up in her deer-like eyes, so it seemed better for Anne, also a woman, to approach.

When their eyes met, the woman began to run toward her with such urgency that her shoes came off.

Naturally, Anne thought she was going to push past her to get to the patient, but the woman’s arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace.

Soon, a wistful, whimpering voice rang out.

“Sniff, sniff… How could this be? It’s real. Even on the way here, I wondered if this could be reality… It’s really real. Miss Anne. I’ve, I’ve been pretending to be calm, but I’ve actually missed you so much. How have you been? Have you been eating well?”

Miss Anne? Surprised that she knew her name, Anne patted her on the back with her hand.

But when she realized that her uniform was stained with the blood of the wounded, she was troubled.

She was no stranger to the fickleness of noble ladies, and for a moment, she was afraid.

When she tried to pull away, thinking of the stain on Carly’s light blue dress, she hugged Anne tighter.

“Just a little, just a little more…. Stay like this. I, the reason I ran all the way here…. I came all this way to make sure you were okay.”

‘And to keep Anne Riley and Duke Evan Davis out of the Calohas region….’

Carly choked back a sob, unable to hide her overwhelming emotions, then pulled away to look at Anne’s face.

She noticed Anne’s light freckles on her nose and her steadfast gaze.

She looked the same as she had at the castle, and she smelled the same as the strawberries she sometimes wore.

This was her chance to make them both happy.

As Carly gently caressed Anne’s face, lost in thought, Anne spoke in a flustered voice.

“Who, who are you?”

Anne’s panicked question brought Carly back to reality.

A few days earlier, Carly had woken up in her bed in the castle, realized she had regressed, and immediately prepared to leave.

She knew it wasn’t an easy task to come here during a war.

But it had taken days and days of convincing her father that she had information vital to the military and that she needed to share it to improve her family’s standing.

She had to stop Evan Davis and Anne Riley from coming to the Calohas region.

That way, at least they wouldn’t die.

Composing herself, Carly remembered how indebted she felt to Anne before the return, and with a determined grip on her dress, she bowed her head.

“Excuse me!”

“I’ve been rude, haven’t I? I’m Carly Dehart.”

Anne was stunned by the formal greeting reserved for high nobility.

When Carly finished, she took Anne’s hand and stared into her face.

Anne looked even better than when she had seen her at Dehart Castle. Although her arms were thin, her face looked more vibrant.

Anne spoke, her voice unable to hide her curiosity.

“May, may I call you Miss Carly?”

“Call me whatever you’re comfortable with, please.”

Anne nervously wiped the sweat from her hands on her thighs.

“Ms. Carly, who is it you’re looking for?”

Realizing the gazes around her, Carly took Anne’s hand and said,

“Can you talk with me for a bit?”

“What?”

“I came here to see you, Anne Riley.”

~End of Volume 1~