Chapter 25

Some people knew what gifts they’d receive, like Romina, who was currently behind her, completely absorbed in caressing the beautiful dishes, while others like Sana had gifts Sehera had prepared on her own.

Unfortunately, Sana was one of those who didn’t know, and when asked to just unwrap the packaging, she’d ended up opening the box.

The box itself must have been to Sana’s taste. The contents she’d peeked at seemed to have captured her heart even more.

“My lady… surely, surely… is this mine?”

She turned around with such expectant eyes that even if it had been someone else’s gift, Sehera would have had to nod.

“Ah, you caught me? It’s yours, Sana. I know you like pretty accessories, but I felt like I haven’t bought you many. If Sana next to me is prettily dressed up, it’ll be nice for me to look at too, right?”

Watching her joy, Sehera felt her heart melting.

After all, giving gifts didn’t have to be meaningful only on that specific day. Since she was giving it to see someone happy receiving a gift like this, the purpose was properly achieved.

“Wow… My lady, can I wear this when I go to the party?”

Sana was looking carefully at each item with her eyes, the lid open, too precious to even touch.

She turned the box around, completely absorbed in the accessories, practically diving into the box.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Dress up prettily and come out, then brag that the lady gave you this as a gift. Before giving gifts to others. Everyone will think, ’Ah, the lady gave so many gifts…’”

Romina, who’d apparently checked all the dishes one by one behind them, smiled brightly while wrapping and putting them back in the box.

“My lady, I think I’ll try using these at the party too.”

At Romina’s warm smile, Sehera smiled back.

“Wow! Such pretty dishes! When Romina’s food is served in them, they’ll definitely be even prettier!”

Sana’s voice tone had risen a notch, excited about her gift.

After carefully checking all the other items, fortunately everything had arrived safely without major issues.

To rewrap these gifts, they moved everything except Sana’s and Romina’s to the reception room near the first-floor hall.

“My lady!”

But when Sehera, thinking she’d wrap them right after moving everything, stepped on the central staircase again, Romina called her.

However, she couldn’t ask why she was going up to Sehera, who turned around with a puzzled face.

“I’ll bring up some warm milk.”

“Good. Thanks, Romina.”

After a short answer, Romina made a complicated face behind her as she climbed the stairs.

Sehera entered the room the former Count and Countess had used again. She closed it with all her strength on the doorknob so it wouldn’t make a sound, then turned around.

‘Hup…’

Since he’d been constantly falling asleep after regaining consciousness, she’d naturally thought he’d be sleeping and closed the door quietly… but he was looking this way with both eyes properly open.

So she briefly debated. Whether to leave the room again, leaving him awake, or sit beside him and do embroidery like before.

“What did they say about my current physical condition?”

But then he spoke to her in a voice cracking terribly.

Even though there were clearly only two people in the room, it took Sehera quite a while to realize he was talking to her.

“…Are you asking me?”

Sehera asked while standing in front of the door. Then this time, Ethan, who didn’t catch the intent of her question, frowned.

Ethan’s face, handsome enough to sparkle, was also pale and completely haggard from exhaustion from fighting and struggling with deep wounds.

Nevertheless, there seemed to be no dispute that his face, with added poignancy, was handsome.

“Right now… haah, yes.”

He started speaking like he’d say something long, then sighed somewhat defeatedly, putting it down, simply closing his mouth firmly before answering briefly.

Sehera roughly guessed what his heart must be like, checking his physical condition as soon as he woke up, so she swallowed her sigh inwardly and moved her feet quietly.

The sofa at the bedside was entirely hers. Returning to that spot, she found the embroidery and cushion she’d left on the chair when she got up. After picking them up, Sehera settled onto the sofa.

“According to the doctor who came by when you woke yesterday, you might suffer terrible pain for a while, so when that happens, he’ll come right away to administer painkillers.”

“Mmm…”

He must have been feeling some pain already, as he let out a low groan.

“Are you… in pain? Should I call Himoph… the doctor?”

She felt herself weakening at his appearance, but Sehera froze in place.

But instead of answering her question, Ethan looked at her with deep eyes.

Yet even in that depth, she could clearly see his eyebrows twitching unbearably, so Sehera hadn’t relaxed yet.

She’d clearly said it. To speak up if it hurt. But he kept his mouth firmly shut, just looking at her, seemingly trying to endure to the end.

“The wound—even if it looks sutured, only the skin is sewn up, so they said to be careful.”

Sehera sat upright on the sofa, meeting his gaze head-on.

“I heard the explanation. Still, it was fortunate there was a decent doctor here.”

Himoph had been the Count family’s attending physician before traveling around the Planer territory. Of course, there might be others whose skills fell short, but Himoph was trustworthy in many ways.

“So… it will take time for the inside to heal, and during that time, you need consistent treatment. Since they can’t precisely suture everything inside…”

She didn’t take her eyes off Ethan, who was listening to her words. She wanted to grasp both his physical condition and his mental state without missing anything.

“That means once the outer flesh heals well, I can gradually start moving.”

Ethan showed a harsh side at times.

And this was a part that appeared without exception when doing his own work, when dealing with employees after entering the ducal estate, and even toward herself, his wife.

Sehera said nothing to him.

She’d been anxiously worried all night without a wink of sleep, concerned he might wake in the middle of the night suffering in pain…

But hadn’t she also been the one hoping he’d get better quickly and leave this place?

Sehera steeled her heart.

“I’m not saying to move right now. When you’re better. From what I see, it’s a deep wound that won’t heal even in about a week. It’s not okay, not at all.”

Sehera spoke firmly, looking at him.

She didn’t quite know how he’d ended up at Planer County Estate, but since he’d come here, she couldn’t just leave him be.

Honestly… if it had been another knight instead of him, she probably wouldn’t have gone this far. Just give him a small room, help with treatment, take turns nursing…

Though she’d put in plenty of personal feelings, that was also her responsibility managing Planer County Estate.

In that sense, she’d decided to be a bit firmer…but Ethan’s expression completely hardened.

The one who’d been asking and answering calmly with just an expressionless face suddenly turned cold, looking at her with icy eyes.

“Who are you to give me orders?”

“Or-orders… I’m just worried about an injured person.”

At his undisguised, blatant expression of suddenly worsening mood, Sehera’s mood soured too.

Anyone could see this was concern. The kind of concern you could have for any sick person. She’d thought it was concern within the possible range even without lingering feelings.

But his cold face only worsened.

“Concern? Did you say concern?”

Seizing on Sehera’s words, he lifted one corner of his mouth.

She couldn’t ask why he wore such a sneering face. Taking her goodwill so crookedly and rejecting it…he was still the same.

She couldn’t help but recall how he’d repeatedly turned away his wife, who’d tried to follow him in when her injured husband returned, wanting to hear where and how he was hurt, see how he was treated, and learn how to nurse and care for him.

The one who’d turned her away like that was now completely denying her very heart of worrying about his wounds.

“I found someone collapsed in my backyard, pierced through with a sword. Isn’t it natural to be worried?”

Sehera finally brought up what she hadn’t said then. She was no longer someone trapped in his estate who had to meekly accept whatever he told her to do.

Right now, keeping him here and nursing him attentively under good conditions was just because she wanted to, but naturally she couldn’t help feeling hurt when that was denied.

He hadn’t changed at all. From an outsider’s perspective, even if they couldn’t accept such care gladly, she’d thought they’d at least be grateful—she must have been stupid.

He was speaking even worse with an even worse expression than back then.

“Ha, someone who was so worried…ran away to the county estate abandoning me like that? Leaving behind just a letter, just some documents?”

Ethan picked at Sehera’s last point.

It certainly hadn’t been a mature, wonderful farewell. If she’d properly made up her mind, she could have cleanly ended it and returned.

But Ethan himself had been the first to abandon such courtesy. First of all, he rarely came home, and even that short time was mostly spent receiving treatment and recovering from illness or injury.

And that meant it could have been time Ethan and Sehera spent together.

If only he hadn’t pushed her away…if only he hadn’t pushed her away with such harsh words and cold face, she would have spent time feeding him soup and wiping his sweat beside him when he briefly returned after leaving the estate for so long.

Sehera would have been happy with just that. At least fulfilling a wife’s duty by his side, doing what she could for him. And…in the estate, she would have been recognized as a wife receiving the Duke’s love.

Not just a piece of wood propping up the ducal estate.

“Are you… blaming me for that now?”