Chapter 182

Chapter 182

On the other hand, she couldn’t understand why Lucius would remain silent for the Emperor. No, she understood the situation that forced him to do so.

What she couldn’t comprehend was why Lucius, the person she loved the most, had to keep sacrificing and enduring something while others had the right to do as they pleased.

But she knew the reason deep down. It was all because of the meaningless social hierarchy. Her heart crumbled like crumpled paper.

She remembered her lover from six years ago, someone who was once free and overflowing with confidence. Until then, he was someone who believed in gaining more rather than giving up. If the fact that he was a bastard hadn’t been revealed, or at least not in such a humiliating manner, perhaps Lucius wouldn’t have gone as far as the battlefield. He could have prepared for so much more.

She reached out and placed her hand on the bandage covering his wound. Suddenly, a white light started emanating from her hand. Lucius, who couldn’t understand what it meant, instantly wrapped her in a blanket and pulled her close.

“Are you alright?”

There were still people inside the tent. If they witnessed the light coming from her hand, it would be overwhelming. Just thinking about it made him dizzy. He looked at her with a mix of anger and concern, angry at her foolish mistake, or rather the choice she made because of him.

“Everyone, please leave for a moment.”

In response to Lucius’s low voice, the attendants and the doctor, who were exchanging glances, immediately bowed and left the couple alone. Lucius waited cautiously until they were gone and only then spoke.

“No matter how angry you are, you can’t do this. Your life is at stake, and you’re being so defenseless.”

With his wrists still held, he spoke to her. His voice had softened slightly. It was because he believed she acted out of pain, unintentionally. He tried to convey both annoyance and affection, as if he were talking to a little sister who had made a mistake.

However, that was his misconception. Deatrice hadn’t made such a mistake unintentionally. Though impulsive, she deliberately revealed her power, wanting the Grand Duke to face the truth he had concealed. Of course, if she were to say that, Lucius would probably look at her with the same angry expression as before.

“Let me heal you.”

She pleaded. Lucius sighed and cupped her face, placing a kiss on her forehead.

“You’re in pain.”

“It’s not that bad. It’s not like I’m sharing an equal amount of pain. It’ll disappear if I endure a bit…”

“But still, I can’t allow it. You haven’t experienced this kind of pain. It’s better for someone like me, who’s familiar with it, to endure.”

“Who’s familiar with pain?”

“Right here.”

“Don’t joke.”

“Don’t be stubborn about it. How can I bear to see you in pain because of me?”

“But I’m here, witnessing it.”

She said, and he was left speechless for a moment.

“…It’s not because of you.”

“I keep witnessing it. Everything that happens to you because of me.”

He was enveloped in a mix of emotions and couldn’t find the right words to respond.

“…It’s not because of you.”

Eventually, her voice trembled with tears. In Lucius’s gray eyes, there was a mix of desperation and resentment. He couldn’t say anything and just faced her pale face. He witnessed a single tear rolling down her cheek, and it felt like that tear was piercing his heart. Lucius kissed her lips to comfort her. The trail of tears was bitter.

“Let me get treatment from another priest. I promise to do it, so don’t worry too much.”

He whispered, breaking his stubbornness in an instant. Deatrice nodded in agreement. In the end, she even made a slip of the tongue, saying things she shouldn’t have in her emotional state.

Lucius was doing his best despite his downfall, and expressing pain over that effort would only belittle him. She knew she should not do that either. She wanted to respect him and support him gracefully. However, the guilt that nestled in the corner of her heart was growing deeper day by day, gnawing at her.

Deatrice hastily wiped away her tears. Lucius gently consoled her while coaxing her to take a breath outside. He assured her that he would get treated by another priest as if nothing happened.

Deatrice glanced at the edge of his arm as she stood up. She noticed her skirt was a mess with dirt. Despite his injuries, Lucius reached out and brushed the dirt off her skirt. However, the moistened soil only spread further as he touched it.

Amidst this, Deatrice took his hand as he tried to withdraw it and kissed the back of his hand without caring about the dirt. Startled by her action, Lucius attempted to pull his hand back.

“Dee.”

However, it didn’t bother her at all, whether it was dirty or not. To her, the man before her, the one who confessed his love to her again, looked more magnificent than anyone else.

“Do you remember? You said in the letter that you would dedicate yourself to me again.”

When she mentioned the letter she wrote with excitement, Lucius blushed slightly with embarrassment. But he didn’t make up a lie. He had sincerely meant his confession in that letter and soon nodded with a sincere expression.

“I remember.”

“If you know, don’t get hurt for anything from now on. You are mine, so if you’re hurt, I feel hurt too. Got it?”

“Yeah, got it,” he smiled.

But his face, handsome as it was, lacked trust. Therefore, Deatrice swore that if he got hurt again, she would do whatever it took to personally treat him, even if she had to use her powers to bind him.