Chapter 22

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Anasha opened her eyes to the sunlight piercing between her eyelashes. The first thing she felt was a throbbing pain, so she had to check her left hand first. After frowning at her hand wrapped in white bandages, she soon widened her eyes at the belated realization of her surroundings.

The view of a spacious guest room that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar entered her sight.

Not knowing what to do, Anasha first raised herself up. Having slept here once before, she quickly recognized where she was.

‘What should I do? The window… I don’t think I can leave through it.’

Previously, she had secretly slipped out through the window the next morning to avoid being seen, but now she couldn’t do that because of her hand. Even for someone like her, falling from this height would surely result in instant death.

Anasha closed the window again and anxiously paced around the room. That’s when a knock sounded from outside the door.

“May I come in if you’re awake?”

“What? Yes!”

Anasha stared at the opening door with tension, as if ready to salute. A middle-aged woman with her gray hair tied up entered. She wore a white apron over a long black skirt that reached above her ankles.

“Did you sleep comfortably?”

“Ah, yes, absolutely.”

“You must be hungry, so I’ll prepare a meal downstairs. I’ll assign a maid to help you with washing and changing clothes. When you’re ready, please come downstairs.”

“No. You don’t need to go that far!”

As Anasha flustered at the thought of being served, having never received such treatment in her life, Marlin, the head maid of this mansion, responded with a calm face.

“The master has ordered us to provide you with every convenience. You seem to have injured your left hand, so please feel free to rely on us.”

“Well, if that’s the case… I’ll accept your help.”

Feeling awkward about refusing, Anasha quietly accepted. Shortly after she left, two younger-looking maids entered.

“Your black outfit is currently being washed and dried. We only have shirts and pants suitable for outdoor wear. Would these be acceptable for you to change into?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed about exposing her bare skin in front of others, Anasha had to receive their assistance stiffly. After changing into a soft linen shirt and comfortable pants, Anasha followed the maid’s guidance down to the mansion’s dining room.

The long table, too large for one person to sit at alone, was set with appetizing food. Beside the table stood a middle-aged man presumed to be the butler. When he pulled out a chair for her, Anasha felt somehow embarrassed and simply bowed her head slightly.

“If you need anything during your meal, please let me know at any time. I will prepare it right away.”

“Um, what about the Commander? Shouldn’t we eat together……”

“The master is currently away.”

“He’s not here? What time is it now?”

“It’s a little past two o’clock.”

Anasha’s eyes nearly popped out at the butler’s calm answer. She had thought it was breakfast time, but it was well past noon.

“When did he leave? More importantly, why did he leave without waking me up!”

“Well……”

The butler hesitated a bit at Anasha’s question, seeming somewhat troubled.

“He left immediately after bringing you to the mansion last night.”

“He left last night……”

“Yes.”

Hearing that he hadn’t returned all night, Anasha quickly rose from her seat. She worried something might have happened to the Commander.

“There’s no need to worry. About five hours ago, he sent a letter saying he was working at the knight order.”

The butler spoke with a voice that reflected his years of experience. His calm voice continued, as if soothing her who looked ready to dash to the knight order immediately.

“If you wish to go to the knight order, I will prepare a carriage for you. Would you like to have your meal first?”

Anasha had to sit down obediently, unable to find any reason to refuse since he said he would have the carriage waiting. She felt it would be impolite to leave without eating any of the food that had been prepared. The moment she tasted a spoonful, she felt a small shock flash through her mind.

The meat dish she put in her mouth was so delicious it seemed to melt on her tongue.

Though she felt a bit guilty eating alone in the mansion without its owner, the temptation was hard to resist. In the end, she ate more than her usual amount before getting into the carriage.

Upon arriving at the knight order, Anasha headed straight to the commander’s office. Unable to climb walls or trees, she barely made it by taking the stairs and running through the corridors.

“Commander!”

Rihirt looked up from his work. He watched her as she closed the door and strode toward him. His eyes, which showed no trace of fatigue, anxiously examined her standing before him.

“How are you feeling?”

“I feel perfectly fine except for my left hand. More importantly, I heard you stayed up all night? Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m a bit tired but I’m fine. Don’t overexert yourself for a month. Try not to use your left hand as much as possible……”

“I think you’re the one who needs rest, Commander……”

His face was still beautiful enough to inspire admiration, but it couldn’t hide the fatigue caked on it. His golden hair, tinged by sunlight, sparkled weakly as if it might crumble. His white skin seemed paler than usual, and faint shadows had formed under his eyes.

“Do you have a lot of work? How much is left?”

She wondered what kind of work had piled up so much that it remained unfinished even after working through the night. What Anasha didn’t know was that he had been sitting at his desk for barely six hours.

Before that, Rihirt had devoted all his time to catching the masked person who had threatened the princess. He had personally requested the Crown Prince to put him in charge of this case, and all investigative authority had been transferred to him.

Rihirt still vividly remembered last night’s events. Whenever he thought about her thin wrist being severely twisted and trembling, his mind turned white with rage.

The cold anger remained congealed in his heart. Being obsessed with catching the masked person, he hadn’t even thought about getting some sleep.

“…Commander?”

“…I apologize. I was momentarily lost in thought.”

He tried to regain his composure and lowered his gaze back to the documents, but Anasha still had her eyes wide open. He seemed to be in such poor condition that he could barely hear properly.

“Commander, are you sure you don’t need to sleep? How about resting on the sofa for a moment? Hmm?”

“I can still hold on.”

‘That’s exactly how big accidents happen!’ Our Commander… what if he collapses? Anasha was extremely worried.

She wondered if there was a good way to naturally get him to sleep, even briefly. After circling around him like a puppy for a while, Anasha stopped in front of his desk. Then she looked at him with eyes burning with loyalty more intensely than ever before. Suddenly, a brilliant plan had occurred to her.

“Do you remember when you said we could go for a walk behind the knight order?”

“…A walk?”

“Yes. Shall we go get some fresh air now? You’ve been sitting for so long. I heard somewhere that sitting for too long actually makes it harder to concentrate on work. Doesn’t your body feel stiff?”

Her words seemed quite convincing, as he obediently got up. Anasha walked to the door first with a bright smile. Anyone else who knew her would have said her expression suggested she was plotting something, but to Rihirt’s eyes, she just looked purely cheerful.

The two began walking along the path behind the knight order. Warm sunlight shone down on their heads, and the occasional breeze was cool.

Rihirt thought he had made the right decision to come out, as she suggested. Though he was a bit tired, the open scenery definitely refreshed his mood.

“Let’s sit down for a moment.”

Anasha, who had been running ahead, sat down on the field with her legs comfortably stretched out. Then she looked back at him and patted the spot beside her. Rihirt sat down about two steps away from her.

When both were sitting silently for a moment, Anasha opened her mouth with a deliberately serious expression.

“You know. Sometimes I think.”

“What do you think about?”

“Life. About what life and death are…… Where do people go when they die? And what is living? Are we happy because we’re alive, or are we alive to be happy? What is happiness in the first place? Perhaps enjoying these small moments of leisure and pleasure is true happiness.”

If anyone else who knew her heard this, they would think, ‘Has she gone mad?’ But he listened quietly without any change in expression.

Anasha secretly laughed wickedly inside. But keeping her expression serious, she began to endlessly talk about life. She also made sure to keep the atmosphere heavy so he couldn’t leave first.

On a nice day, sitting idly in a field, one naturally becomes drowsy and closes their eyes. Add a boring conversation to that, and it becomes even harder to resist sleep. And Anasha’s prediction was correct.

‘According to plan……’

He gradually closed his eyes. Anasha lowered her rambling voice and observed him.

Just as she was wondering whether he was simply closing his eyes or actually dozing off, his head tilted slightly to the side. Seeing how uncomfortable he looked, Anasha pondered.

She considered offering her shoulder so he could sleep comfortably for a while, but since her shoulder was too low, it might actually be uncomfortable for him to lean on. After some thought, Anasha carefully moved her hand toward the side of his head.