Chapter 86
Since my entire body was already numb, I thought I was truly dead.
“Aack!”
But along with the absence of pain, I raised my eyes at the startled scream of the assassin, who seemed quite flustered.
Right in front of me was the assassin, frozen in place with a dagger raised.
As I observed the assassin, I immediately covered my mouth upon seeing the arrow lodged near his heart.
‘He’s dead.’
As soon as I recognized that fact, the assassin’s body slumped back and fell to the ground.
The assassin next to me, who was watching his comrade with the same bewildered expression, soon hardened his face in dismay and began to scan the surroundings.
“Damn it. I should have killed her quickly and gotten out of here.”
The assassin glanced at me lying on the ground, then instantly dashed forward.
He was running so fast that his figure quickly shrank away.
As I stared blankly at the fleeing assassin, something flew past me at an incredible speed, heading toward where the assassin was.
“Ugh!”
In the blink of an eye, the assassin, far away, collapsed with a scream.
Upon closer inspection, a long sword was lodged in his leg.
I was staring blankly at the direction where the assassin had fallen when a familiar voice came from behind me.
“Dahlia.”
It was the voice I wanted to hear one more time before closing my eyes.
I forced my creaking body to turn around.
There stood Evan, breathing heavily.
“Evan.”
After a while of mouthing words, I finally managed to call his name completely.
As if that was a signal, Evan, who had been frozen in place like ice, rushed to my side in the blink of an eye.
He immediately knelt down and examined my body, eventually discovering the wound on my ankle.
At that moment, he froze again, like a person turned to ice.
“There’s a lot of blood.”
His hand, which moved to examine my ankle more closely, was visibly shaking.
Evan clenched his fist tightly and gently lifted me by inserting his hand under my leg, speaking as he did so.
“I’ll take you to the castle right away. Please hold on for a moment.”
As I was cradled in his arms, the pain in my ankle seemed to fade away like a lie.
Just as Evan turned his body to start walking, a voice rang out.
“Customer! What’s going on here…?”
Joy’s bewildered voice echoed loudly in the air.
Thanks to Evan leaning in the direction of the sound, I was able to see Joy as well.
Joy’s gaze, which had been surveying the chaotic surroundings, soon landed on me.
Realizing my condition, Joy gasped in shock and began to run over.
“Gasp, what happened to your leg! Are you hurt…!”
“If you don’t want to die, stop right there.”
Joy, who was about to approach me, halted at Evan’s cold voice.
It was a tone so chilling that it felt like it could kill someone just through sound.
While the standoff between Evan and Joy continued, Roman appeared with knights in tow.
“My lord!”
Seeing me covered in blood in Evan’s arms, Roman’s face fell, and he stood there speechless.
“Roman, clean up the scene and capture that rat over there. I’ll handle the interrogation myself.”
“Yes. Understood.”
After quickly giving instructions to Roman, who had just arrived, Evan began to walk while holding me securely.
Evan silently passed by Joy, who stood frozen in place.
I looked back at Joy over Evan’s shoulder.
Joy, with eyes rolling in a petrified state, continued to keep his position, staring blankly at our retreating figures.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Arriving at the castle in Evan’s arms, it was no surprise that the entire castle was in an uproar.
“Madam! What on earth happened!”
The servants who saw me covered in blood turned pale, shocked.
While everyone was flustered and confused, it was Nora who restored some order to the chaos.
“Everyone, quiet down. Can’t you see the state of the Madam?”
With a single stern command, Nora quelled the servants’ commotion and calmly directed them to call a doctor and bring clean clothes and warm water.
Under her leadership, the servants quickly found their places and set to work.
Finally arriving in the bedroom, Evan laid me down on the bed.
His touch was so careful that I felt like I momentarily held my breath.
As I struggled to open my eyes to the gazes pouring over my face, I met Evan’s gaze, which was crumpled with distress.
His expression seemed to be holding back emotions so tightly that it looked like it could burst with just the slightest provocation.
“My lord, the doctor has arrived.”
Thanks to the timely arrival of the doctor, the atmosphere in the dim room lightened a bit.
Examining the wound from the dagger, the doctor opened his mouth as he took out herbs and bandages.
“I hesitate to say this, but it’s fortunate in its own way. The blade missed the major muscles, and if you take the medicine properly after the bleeding stops, you will recover completely.”
After first treating my ankle, the doctor meticulously treated the small wounds on my body before leaving.
I could definitely feel that the pain in my ankle had lessened, possibly due to the immediate effects of the medicine.
“Madam, you should wash your body. I’ll bring the maids.”
Nora, who was keeping watch with Evan, cautiously approached and spoke as she examined my condition.
It was only after hearing her words that I noticed how I looked.
My hair was matted with the assassin’s blood and dirt, and my clothes were in a similar state.
Although I had received treatment for my ankle wound, I wouldn’t be able to rest properly in this condition.
“Could you do that? Thank you, Nora.”
“Not at all. It’s the least I can do.”
With a faint smile on her lips at my gratitude, Nora left the room.
Now that it was just Evan and me in the bedroom, I could feel the air becoming heavier.
Since we arrived at the castle, he had been silently observing, making it hard for me to find the right words.
When I glanced up, my eyes met Evan’s.
Looking into his downcast eyes made me feel compelled to say something, and before I knew it, I spoke up.
“The medicine seems to be effective. I can’t feel the pain at all.”
“That’s a relief.”
Evan’s curt response gave me the instinct that I shouldn’t say anything unnecessary anymore.
‘Well, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be angry right now.’
If I hadn’t sneaked out without the knights, this wouldn’t have happened.
Especially after arguing about the escort issue, I had no excuse for the situation I found myself in.
How long did that suffocating silence last?
“Madam, I’ll assist you with your bath.”
Nora returned to the bedroom with the maids.
As the maids prepared to lift me, since my leg injury made it difficult to move,
“Enough. I’ll carry her to the bathroom.”
Perhaps dissatisfied with the maids’ movements, Evan swiftly lifted my body and carried me to the bathroom.
After placing me in the bathtub, Evan immediately left the bathroom.
“Then I’ll help you take off your clothes first.”
“Ah, okay.”
As I entrusted my body to the maids’ careful hands while they removed my clothing, I strangely began to feel short of breath.
The symptoms worsened after I got into the bathtub.
Although being in the warm water relaxed my body, my mind felt even more unsettled than before.
