Chapter 23

At that moment, her closed eyes opened, revealing blue irises. Rihirt quickly realized the situation and jerked his head back.

“I’m sorry! I woke you up, didn’t I? You looked uncomfortable, so I was trying to fix your position……”

“No, I apologize for falling asleep during our conversation……”

At his words, Anasha felt as if invisible tears were flowing from her eyes. She was already grateful that he had listened to her ramblings, but she was even more touched that he had earnestly listened to what he thought was a serious concern.

“No, you didn’t need to listen at all. More importantly, you look very tired—get some rest, even if just for a moment! I’ll be your pillow.”

With those words, Anasha brought her hands to Rihirt’s face. As she cupped his ears, his eyes met hers. His gaze trembled slightly, suggesting extreme fatigue.

Feeling concerned, Anasha gently pulled him down so he could lie down. With his bandaged left hand gripping her, Rihirt couldn’t refuse for fear of straining her injured hand, and had no choice but to follow her guidance.

Eventually, his head rested softly on Anasha’s lap. However, he remained stiff as if he had placed his head on a bed of thorns.

“It’s fine…… You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t be shy, just rest your head. One head isn’t heavy at all.”

“No…… really, it’s fine.”

“Come on, it’s okay. Just my lap!”

Despite his persistent refusal, Anasha insisted. Clearly, the position was comfortable, as he soon fell silent.

“See? Comfortable, right?”

Her voice sounded so tender that Rihirt couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Directly in front of him, her clear face was looking down at him from close proximity. Rihirt found it difficult to maintain eye contact and closed his eyes, but this only made his torment worse.

Strangely, he became increasingly aware of her. Her warm body temperature and soft scent were perceptible even unconsciously, making him feel like he was becoming a strange person.

Though his eyes appeared peacefully closed, his long eyelashes trembled slightly. Anasha misinterpreted this, thinking perhaps his fallen bangs were bothering him. She raised her hand and carefully brushed his white thread-like golden hair to the side, taking care not to touch his skin.

However, that gentle touch felt like torture to him. His previously drowsy mind had vanished, and all his bodily senses were awakening sharply. Forcibly so.

Had his heartbeat always been loud enough to fill his ears? Even simply inhaling and exhaling felt as difficult as if his chest were being strongly compressed. His ears were burning, and his mouth kept drying up strangely.

Desperately pretending to be calm to hide this was painful. Every sensation from his lungs to his skin tickled as if he might cough at any moment.

Though this was his first experience with such an unusual phenomenon, he immediately understood what it meant. He could no longer pretend not to know his own feelings.

Sleep had long since fled.

5. The Distance Between Two People (1)

When the sun was high in the sky, Anasha rose leisurely from bed. She stretched with a languid yawn and entered the small bathroom attached to her room.

Normally, she would have splashed water noisily during her face-washing routine, but with only one usable hand, it wasn’t as easy as she’d thought. In the end, she had to settle for a quick cat-wash before leaving the bathroom.

Changing clothes also took twice as long as usual. Being unable to use just one hand—her left—created countless inconveniences.

After roughly finishing her preparations, Anasha headed to the dining hall in the annex building. The dining hall was bustling with knights who had come for lunch. Anasha squeezed between the knights waiting in line for food service and said:

“Stew again today? I prefer potato soup.”

“Hey! Think we won’t notice you sneaking in like that?”

“That’s right. We’re not letting you get away with it today. Go to the back of the line.”

When her uncles spoke in mock stern voices, Anasha pulled out her secret weapon.

“Just this once. I hurt my hand.”

“What…… what happened to your hand?!”

The knights, noticing her bandaged left hand, widened their eyes in unison.

“She really is injured! How did you get hurt?!”

“Who’s hurt?”

“They say Asha is hurt! Her hand is completely wrapped in bandages!”

“Let me see, let me see!”

Knights who had been receiving food at the front of the line, as well as those already seated and eating, all gathered around Anasha. Some even approached directly to examine her hand.

“Who did this to the child!”

“Who did it?! Just wait until I get my hands on them—they’ll get what’s coming to them!!”

“What are you talking about! I just landed badly and sprained it myself. Stop crowding around!”

Anasha felt uncomfortable with the knights gathering around her, murmuring among themselves. She realized this was why she couldn’t even pretend to be hurt in front of her uncles.

“It’ll heal in a week…… My cheek is just a little scratched.”

“Are you sure it’s just a scratch? Some worthless bastard didn’t come at you with a knife, did they?”

“With bandages like that, it’ll take more than a week to heal.”

“How did you land to injure your wrist like that?”

“You should be more careful, kid!”

The concerned comforting from her fellow knights was followed by endless nagging from her uncles. Though her ears were burning, her body felt extremely comfortable.

“This isn’t the time—we need to feed her. You, move over.”

Chris chased away a knight sitting at a nearby table. Thanks to him, Anasha could start eating right away without having to wait in line. Of course, she could feel the resentful gaze of the knight who had his tray forcibly taken away before he could even take a bite.

“You’re skin and bones—how will you heal quickly like this? Eat more.”

“That’s right. You need to eat a lot to recover quickly.”

Her uncles’ consideration continued. They even personally placed her favorite fruits and bread on her tray. With those items piled like mountains, Anasha was able to have a fuller meal than ever before.

‘This might be convenient?’

Anasha thought she could live comfortably for a week with such advantages.

⁕⁕⁕

That thought completely disappeared in less than a week. The inconveniences of daily life caused by not being able to use her left hand were greater than expected. Though they seemed minor, they accumulated and became quite frustrating.

And currently, her biggest complaint was related to movement.

Anasha was not at all accustomed to walking everywhere like others did. For example, if she could climb the wall to the commander’s office window, she would arrive in just 10 seconds, but instead she had to go all the way around to the main entrance, take the stairs, and walk down a long corridor, which felt exasperating.

Is this how a bird that once soared freely would feel if forced to walk on the ground? Anasha stood under a tree, looking up at the third-floor window of the main building.

‘I could climb up so quickly……’

She sighed heavily and tore her gaze from the window. Just as she was about to trudge reluctantly toward the main entrance, she heard a sound from above.

“Meow.”

Anasha looked up at the sound. The green leaves at the top of the tree rustled, and soon a white cat appeared.

“Why are you up there!”

Anasha’s eyes widened at the sight of the familiar cat. It had climbed so high that it was now stuck on a branch, unable to move either way, just mewing pitifully. It stared down at her as if asking for help.

She considered calling one of the knights, but it was training time, and she worried the cat might fall and get hurt in the meantime. Finally, Anasha quickly unwrapped her bandage. After placing the splint and bandage on the ground, she firmly grasped a branch with her right hand.

Using her left hand to grip another branch, she began slowly climbing the tree. Her wrist ached slightly, but it wasn’t unbearable. A quick climb up and down seemed manageable.

Anasha planted her feet firmly on the rough tree surface and continued climbing upward. As the meowing sound grew closer, Anasha looked up.

“Come here. Good kitty.”

When Anasha extended her hand, the cat promptly jumped into her arms. It clung to her clothes with its claws out, apparently frightened. Anasha smiled softly at the sight.

“Why did you climb up there? What if you had fallen?”

“Meow. Meow.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll get down now.”

Cradling the cat with her left arm, Anasha began slowly descending. She was carefully stepping down, putting weight on her legs and finding footholds on the protruding parts of the tree, when it happened.

The bark supporting her right foot suddenly broke, causing her foot to slip downward. Anasha instinctively grabbed a branch above her head with her right hand and hung from it.

Of course, it was difficult to hold on for long with just one hand. As she was searching for a foothold by feeling the tree surface with her feet, she sensed someone’s presence below.

Anasha glanced down. The sight of snow-white blonde hair brought her immense relief.

“Please catch me!”

No sooner had she spoken than the strength in her right hand gave out. As she felt the dizzying sensation of falling, she was caught by strong, reliable arms.

Rihirt gently set her down on the ground. Anasha exhaled in relief and checked if the cat in her arms was safe. Startled, the cat remained obediently clinging to her.

“I survived thanks to you, Commander. Thank you.”

“……”

“You should say thank you too.”

“Meow.”

Anasha put the cat down on the ground. It lingered around her legs for a moment, but soon scampered off elsewhere when Rihirt approached.

“Didn’t I tell you not to overexert yourself?”

The voice from above her was kind yet somehow firm. Anasha looked up at him sheepishly, cradling her left wrist.