Chapter 4

How long had he been running?

He couldn’t even tell anymore. Maybe he had been running. Maybe he’d only been stumbling forward. Even that much was unclear.

The Venderf soldier with the injured leg had limped after him for quite a while.

In the end, the man with the wounded leg and the man with the sword wound weren’t moving much differently.

So Eliertz fled from Venderf, escaping through what felt like an eternity.

He kept walking.

His consciousness grew hazy with every step. It might have been midnight by now. He wandered through a place he didn’t recognize, unable to tell where he was.

Blood still dripped from him with every footfall.

At this rate… that bastard from Venderf will find me eventually.

That was his final thought before his legs finally gave out.

He crashed face-first onto the ground.

He struggled desperately not to lose consciousness, but it was useless.

Darkness slowly swallowed him.

Everything around him fell silent. Somewhere far away, he thought he could hear the gentle murmur of flowing water.

Just as both sound and light faded away…

Voices reached him from the distance.

It had to be Venderf.

The man must have returned with reinforcements.

So… this is how it ends.

Eliertz accepted his fate.

Then he closed his eyes.

A fresh scent of grass suddenly filled his senses.

Something soft brushed lightly across his face, like the gentle stroke of a feather.

The sensation pulled his fading consciousness back from the abyss.

With every ounce of strength he had left, Eliertz forced his eyes open.

The first thing he saw was a pair of brilliant blue eyes shimmering beneath the moonlight.

A woman’s gentle voice seemed to tell him that everything would be alright.

Holding onto nothing but those beautiful eyes…

Eliertz sank once more into a deep, dreamless sleep.

“I’m telling you again—I don’t agree with this.”

Karl spoke with an unusually serious expression.

“Then what else are we supposed to do? We don’t even know who he is. If the police hand him over to the military, he could be tortured before they figure anything out.”

Karen frowned deeply as she voiced her concern.

“Besides…”

She shrugged.

“He’s handsome.”

“Karen!”

“Hey!!”

The nun and Karl shouted at the same time.

“Karen,” Sister Regina sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead and squeezing her eyes shut. “That is hardly an appropriate thing to say in a situation like this.”

“Ah! Sorry, Sister.”

Karen flashed Annette a playful wink.

Annette couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.

That’s Karen.

There was probably no one else in the world who could crack a joke at a time like this.

“In any case,” Sister Regina continued, “Karl does have a point. I find myself agreeing with him. Annette lives here alone, and I don’t think she can care for an injured soldier by herself. More importantly, allowing a complete stranger to stay here… it worries me.”

Her face was filled with concern.

“But, Sister,” Annette pleaded, “he still hasn’t regained consciousness, and it’s already been two days. Let’s at least let him stay here until he wakes up.”

Annette and Karen continued persuading the others, each for their own reasons.

After much discussion, they finally reached a compromise.

Once the man regained consciousness, they would move him to Karl’s house and notify the police.

Only after making Karen promise—repeatedly—not to let rumors spread through the village despite her strangely cheerful mood did everyone finally head home.

Kind-hearted Sister Regina even extended Annette’s leave by another two days.

“I’ll think of something to tell the villagers,” she had said. “Just stay with the soldier until he wakes up.”

She worried about Annette’s safety, yet her compassion for another human being shone just as brightly.

Watching the endlessly generous nun, Annette was overcome with admiration.

Unable to stop herself, she rushed forward and hugged Sister Regina tightly.

The nun smiled warmly and gently patted her back.

Silence settled over the cottage after everyone left.

Annette sat alone in the living room.

She had just finished tidying the table and was about to take a sip of tea—

Thud.

A heavy noise came from the bedroom.

Annette sprang to her feet and hurried inside.

The first thing she noticed was the revolver lying on the floor.

Then she saw the man, half-propped against the bed.

It looked as though he had tried to sit up and reach for the gun, only to drop it.

Seriously… what is it with that gun?

“Why do you keep reaching for it?” she asked.

“Are you planning to shoot me?”

She hadn’t intended it, but the words came out sounding unexpectedly sulky.

Picking up the revolver, she placed it back on the desk.

The man made another attempt to move, but immediately frowned in pain and lay back down.

Then he stared directly at her.

His piercing gaze nearly overwhelmed her, but she pretended not to notice.

“Can you speak?”

If he keeps looking at me like that, he’ll bore a hole right through me…

“Are you hungry?”

“Does anything hurt?”

The icy look in his gray eyes softened ever so slightly.

His face remained serious, yet it almost looked as though he were smiling.

“Which question should I answer first?”

His voice was far deeper than she had imagined.

Cold gray eyes.

A proud, refined face.

Jet-black hair that perfectly matched those steel-colored eyes.

Everything about him fit together with effortless harmony.

“Um…”

Annette hesitated.

“Let’s start with… are you hungry?”

A faint smile flickered across his face again.

“I am.”

He paused.

“What next?”

“Are you in pain?”

“Quite a lot.”

Their eyes met once more.

“Ah…”

Only then did Annette detect the teasing hidden beneath his calm voice.

Feeling his unwavering gaze fixed upon her, heat rushed to her cheeks.

Still, she forced herself to remain composed.

“Well… if you’d stop trying to move so much, it probably wouldn’t hurt quite as badly.”

“What was your first question again?”

Now he was openly enjoying himself.

“Oh, right.”

“The gun.”

“I’ll answer that… later.”

‘Later’?

Annette stared at him in disbelief.

“So that means you might shoot me?”

“Your savior, no less?”

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

Even as he laughed, cold sweat rolled down his forehead, making it obvious how much pain he was enduring.

His teasing was irritating.

Still, Annette picked up the handkerchief resting near the foot of the bed.

With a small shrug to show she meant no harm, she stepped closer.

The man’s expression grew even more intrigued.

She could feel his eyes following her every movement as she gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Um…”

She spoke softly.

“It’s a little embarrassing… could you maybe look somewhere else?”

He didn’t answer.

In fact, he didn’t even look like he’d heard her.

Resigned, Annette decided to ignore his gaze instead.

Sweat had soaked not only his face but also his neck and broad chest.

After finishing his face, she hesitated, handkerchief still in hand.

Their eyes met again.

As though he had read her mind, he said,

“You can finish what you started.”

Annette’s entire face burned crimson.

She shot to her feet so quickly it was almost a shout.

“You said you were hungry, didn’t you?”

“I’ll go get something to eat!”

She hurried out into the living room.

Finish what I started…

What a strange man.

Still flustered, she ladled warm soup into a bowl and carried it back on a tray.

She adjusted the cushions behind his back, helping him sit more comfortably.

Then she sat beside the bed, balanced the tray on her lap, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and held it toward him.

“How am I supposed to trust you?”

he asked.

“You’ll probably have to.”

She smiled faintly.

“We’re the only two people here.”

“And right now… without me, there’s not much you can do.”

Oh no…

I shouldn’t have said we’re alone.

Regret struck immediately.

Afraid he might notice what she was thinking, she kept her face perfectly calm.

To prove the soup was safe, she scooped up a generous spoonful and ate it herself.

After swallowing, she smiled.

“There.”

“Now you can eat it, right?”

Never taking his eyes off her, the man accepted the first spoonful.

As she continued feeding him one bite at a time, Annette tried to ease the awkward silence.

“After you’ve finished eating, I’ll disinfect your wounds. And then—”

“Before that…”

he interrupted casually.

“I think someone should put some clothes on me.”

Annette froze.

Heat exploded across her face.

Ah…

So this is exactly why Karl didn’t want him staying here.

She hadn’t consciously thought about it these past few days, but the man wasn’t wearing any clothes.

His military uniform, once soaked in blood, had been washed clean and neatly folded on a shelf in the living room.

I should have asked Karl to dress him before he left…

The realization left Annette thoroughly flustered.