Chapter 8 – Part 1 (Preparations for Departure)

Today marked the fifth day Anne had been trapped in this abandoned mansion.

“I have to get out today.”

“…Anne, you know that even I can’t leave this place.”

“My Lady!”

“I told you to call me Carly, not My Lady.”

Carly couldn’t hide her disappointment, and Anne reluctantly nodded.

“Carly… what if the situation outside is bad? And we’re almost out of medical supplies…”

Carly followed closely behind Anne, her eyes filled with anxiety.

“You can’t try jumping like last time.”

“That time, I was just looking at the scenery.”

Carly Dehart seemed unusually fixated on Anne.

Every morning, she desperately searched for Anne Riley, though it wasn’t as if she expected to be waited on. In fact, it looked like she was the one waiting on Anne.

Last night, Carly had insisted they bathe together, which Anne barely managed to refuse. Instead, Carly ended up giving her an oil massage, claiming Anne’s fingertips were hurt. She also kept touching Anne’s forehead, saying she felt a bit feverish.

“Don’t worry about the outside. He’s not the kind of man to make the same mistake twice.”

“…What?”

“You’ll probably come to like Duke Evan Davis too.”

Anne’s eyes widened.

Her heart pounded as if Carly had read her mind.

“He’s certainly capable as a leader.”

Carly said, narrowing her eyes. Anne knew perfectly well that wasn’t what she meant. Carly just smiled contentedly, staying silent.

“Don’t think about your difference in status. Anne, you’re going to save many lives in the future. The Dehart family is ready to support you fully.”

Anne was taken aback. She never expected to hear such words from a noble like Carly Dehart. Memories of losing her parents and becoming a vagrant resurfaced. During that time, a chrysanthemum mark, almost like a slave’s brand, had been etched onto her back. If this became known, she would be scorned by those around her and the patients she treated. Carly Dehart didn’t know that Anne would have to flee if that happened.

Just then, there was a click. The door, which had seemed permanently shut, opened.

“Kyle!”

“The commander ordered you to come out. I was wondering where you were…”

Anne beamed and dashed upstairs to retrieve the plan she had been working on. It outlined the optimal system to improve the efficiency of the hospital.

Kyle scratched the back of his neck and greeted the noble in front of him.

“Kyle Elman.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re friends with Miss Anne, right?”

“Yeah.”

Despite Kyle’s indifferent response, Carly smiled warmly and asked,

“How long have you known Anne?”

“Well, since she came to the field hospital, time flies. At first, she was like a scared kitten, but at some point… someone needs to stop her from doing reckless things.”

Kyle frowned, grumbling. Anne had insisted on going to the back alleys, got caught by the commander, and ended up confined…

At some point, the warehouse became so stocked with medical supplies that they didn’t have to worry for a while. Normally, they had to wait for royal administrative approval to get supplies. But for some reason, the commander, who was part of the military, had brought those supplies. What did he say again?

“Release Anne Riley.”

“Why me?”

“I locked her up, so I should release her.”

“Why don’t you go yourself?”

“It’s an order.”

Evan Davis hadn’t given any reasons, just a rough location. Kyle had searched the forest thoroughly to follow Evan’s order.

‘Anne and Evan’ A match made in heaven? Kyle was tired of getting caught in their disputes.

“You and Anne seem like siblings.”

“Siblings? Oh, she’d shake her head, saying, How could she have such a dumb brother?”

“Pardon?”

“Noble folks wouldn’t understand. Anne acts tough, but when she makes a mistake, she can be a terrifying superior.”

Just then, Anne called out urgently.

“Kyle! Let’s go now. How many patients are there? Any critical cases?”

“Anne, please, just shut up.”

“Let’s assess the numbers on the way.”

Kyle stopped and looked at Anne’s face. He had a lot to say, but she was his superior.

With no choice but to comply, he recalled the number of injured people written on the board.

“39 people. They’re stable compared to before. Each medic is taking care of about three patients, so don’t worry. There are no critically injured that need immediate attention.”

“Really?”

Anne’s steps slowed at those words. Carly, who was following behind, grabbed her hand and whispered.

“So, we’re not busy? Let’s take this moment to relax a bit, just the three of us.”

“Exactly right! We need some rest days too!” Kyle agreed heartily, his deep voice resonating, causing Anne to look a bit troubled.

“…But I wasn’t able to ease my mind for almost a week!”

“You must not have rested.”

Anne held up the rolled-up papers, contemplating. Could she really afford to take a short break?

Despite her lingering doubts, Carly gently pulled her hand, changing their direction.

“Just for a little while.”

“Yeah, yeah. Even Lady Carly Dehart is saying we should rest for a bit.”

“Come on, Anne.”

The three of them reached the lakeshore in the forest and sat on the grass, enjoying the cool breeze.

“Oh, this is wonderful. I’ve wanted to spend time like this every day!” Kyle exclaimed, lying down on the grass as if he were fed up, and Anne nodded in agreement.

“Hold on a moment.”

Carly stood up, straightening the hem of her blue dress, and approached Kyle. She noticed a scar near his neck and was startled.

‘Why?’

This face seemed familiar. Wasn’t he the medic who helped the Crown Prince survive the Battle of Vorenia a year ago? The medic had a long, thin sword scar on his neck, identical to this one!

Thinking she might gain some valuable information from him, Carly’s heart raced again.

“Lady Carly?”

“Sorry. I was surprised to see a scar here.”

“Oh, this.”

“How did you get it?”

“It’s nothing serious. But we should prepare to go back now. Look at Anne’s face.”

“Kyle, I wasn’t rushing.”

“Yes, yes.”

Kyle ruffled Anne’s hair, nodding. Watching this, Carly realized Kyle was deflecting and became serious again.

‘I need to get closer to him.’

“Kyle, since Anne is so tired, let’s go back to the field hospital.”

Anne shook her head at this.

“No, you don’t need to worry about me. As Kyle said, the hospital isn’t in bad shape right now.”

“Really? Then come sit here for a moment.”

Carly pulled Anne by the wrist.

“Ow, Lady Carly!”

Sitting together on the grass, Carly rested her head lightly on Anne’s shoulder. It was a warmth she had never felt before.

“Just for a little while, just a moment.”

“Okay.”

This woman, whom Carly initially intended to use for information, was the woman who had luckily won Evan Davis’s heart. Carly felt foolish for her earlier thoughts.

Kyle, seeing Carly leaning on Anne, tilted his head in confusion. How should he interpret this strange relationship?

Carly, noticing Kyle’s puzzled expression, gave him the brightest smile she had ever shown.

“Kyle, come here and sit with us.”

“Yes.”

With a reluctant expression, Kyle sat next to Anne, running his fingers through his brown hair.

Carly straightened up and moved in front of the two, her dress hem touching the lake and getting wet, but she didn’t mind. She then grabbed both their hands.

“Lady Carly?”

“Let’s make a bet.”

“What?”

Kyle and Anne exchanged glances, both puzzled by Carly’s sudden suggestion.

“Let’s see who can skip a stone the farthest on the lake. The winner gets to have a wish granted by the others. Let’s make the most of our break.”

Carly’s eyes sparkled, thinking of asking Anne to grant her wish in the future. If she was to ensure Anne’s safety, as Evan had asked, she needed a compelling reason to persuade her. Carly hadn’t figured out how yet, knowing Anne would likely refuse. She hoped this game might give her a future bargaining chip.

Carly knelt to make eye contact with Anne, causing the hem of her wet dress to get dirty.

“Come on, unless you both don’t think you can win.”

Kyle jumped up.

“Oh, even a noble lady is interested in this?”

Anne let out a small laugh.

She was confident she would win this game. Despite Kyle’s bravado, his stone-skipping skills were notoriously poor.

“I’ll go first!”

Kyle found a smooth stone, bent down, and took aim. Carly’s clear laughter echoed through the forest.

“Go!”

Plop.

“Pfft.”

The stone flew bravely but sank immediately. Ignoring Kyle’s bewildered expression, Carly picked up a jagged stone next to his.

“I think I can easily beat Kyle. At least a tie, right?”

Anne couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

“This isn’t as easy as it looks!”

“Of course. My turn!”

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Kyle applauded Carly’s surprisingly good attempt and then looked at Anne. If it was this game, Anne wouldn’t lose.

‘I’m counting on you.’

Anne picked up a stone and, with a casual flick, sent it skipping effortlessly across the lake.

Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop. Plop.

Anne watched the stone skip across the water with a stunned expression. She had only intended for it to skip twice, thinking of Carly, who had taken care of her while she was confined in the mansion.

Anne glanced at Carly, worried about her reaction, and hesitantly asked, “Can I save the wish for later?”

Carly and Kyle burst into laughter at Anne’s apologetic question.

“Yes, of course. Just say the word!”

“Absolutely.”