Chapter 124
****
With trembling hands, Diana gathered the scattered shards of glass from under the table. Then, she wiped up the spilled tea with the dishcloth she always carried with her.
The area around the table was clean in no time, and all that remained was the Commander’s soaking-wet right hand. After a moment’s hesitation, Diana pulled a worn handkerchief from her chest pocket.
‘This handkerchief is quite old… ’
She glanced at him to gauge his reaction, but he showed no sign of objecting. Fortunately, he didn’t seem offended by the crude item.
Diana carefully wrapped the handkerchief around the man’s hand.
The moment her fingertips touched it, the back of his hand—where the veins stood out prominently—twitched. Diana found herself glancing at him involuntarily.
The man remained expressionless, but a ripple stirred within his deep blue eyes.
The Commander-in-Chief alternated his gaze between Diana and the hand he had offered her. Diana quickly looked down and brushed away any glass shards that might have remained on his hand.
Upon closer inspection, the knuckles of his right hand were clearly protruding abnormally. It didn’t look like a simple fracture. Was he a knight who had lived a rough life?
Diana examined the back and palm of the man’s hand in turn before speaking.
“You may have suffered a burn, so I’ll send for a physician.”
Neither permission nor rebuke came from the man.
He merely sent her a piercing gaze. There was something familiar about this aura that instantly overwhelmed her. Yet she struggled to pinpoint exactly when or where she had encountered those eyes before.
The Commander stared intently into Diana’s trembling pupils. His deep blue eyes, resembling the night sky just before the moon rises, held a mesmerizing magic.
Diana, who had been staring up at him blankly, suddenly found herself curious about his voice.
A man this handsome surely had a beautiful voice as well.
As anticipation welled up within her, her heart began to race at an almost unnatural pace. If there was a voice that would suit someone like him, the only one she could think of was…
“Ah.”
Having unconsciously thought of someone else, Diana hurriedly let go of his hand. Just as she stood up to bow again, the man leaned toward her and reached out his hand.
Diana was startled by the warmth enveloping the back of her neck. The temperature of his large hand was so low it felt as if he’d pressed a block of ice against her.
Diana lifted her head, following the lead of his cold hand.
He was closer than she had expected. Caught off guard, Diana gasped as she found herself face-to-face with him, just a few inches away.
“If… you have any instructions.”
Before Diana could stammer out her words, he ran his thumb across her cheek. The mud smeared all over her face crumbled away like dust.
“……!”
Diana hurriedly pulled away from his touch.
The moment she did, she realized her mistake. She had come to atone for her wrongdoing, yet she had given the impression of defying her master!
Accustomed to the nitpicking of those in high places, Diana instinctively hunched her shoulders. A stern rebuke might come at any moment. Diana’s lips grew parched.
The man stared at his thumb, still dusted with the crumbly residue, for a long while.
Since he said nothing, her anxiety gradually grew. Beneath his beautiful yet impassive exterior, something intense was raging.
The one who had exuded such aloof elegance had transformed in an instant into a beast hunting its prey. Diana could even see his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. A foreboding sense swept over her that he might tear off her mud mask at any moment to reveal her true face.
Her heart sank.
He was clearly someone she didn’t remember, so why did he feel so natural?
Why did the touch of this hand, now resting on her chin, feel so familiar?
Diana instinctively turned her head toward the Deputy Commander. It was a reflexive act of avoidance. Fortunately, the Deputy Commander provided the answer Diana had been hoping for.
“Isn’t this enough? Commander. I’ll call for a doctor, so please dismiss the servant.”
Even after the Deputy Commander offered his subtle advice, the man’s peculiar scrutiny continued. Only after Diana’s mouth had gone completely dry did the man remove his hand from her chin.
“I’ll go now.”
Diana quickly stood up and bowed deeply to the Commander-in-Chief once more.
As she bowed, she caught a glimpse of a fist clenched so tightly it looked as if it might snap the armrest of the sofa, but she forced herself to look away. His gaze, his expression, his every movement—all were like a swamp from which there was no escape once she stepped in.
So she didn’t want to think about it too deeply. She wouldn’t step in carelessly, nor would she give him a second glance. Her goal was singular: to open the entrance to the Spring. She had no time to let her mind wander to irrelevant matters.
Diana consciously shut the door on her thoughts.
***
Somehow, she had managed to get past the most dangerous hurdle, but the path ahead of Diana was still a bed of thorns and a sheet of thin ice.
She had to fend off Senz Rossi, who was making advances toward Elliott; deal with all the miscellaneous tasks Senz had dumped on her; and look for any opportunity to slip into the audience chamber.
In the midst of all this, she strained every nerve to avoid running into the Commander-in-Chief, so by nightfall, she would often collapse into a deep sleep. She’d manage to get just three or four hours of sleep before having to rise before dawn.
She’d thought she’d be fine for the first few days, but after a week had passed, there wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t ache. With the spirits that usually helped Diana absent, she had to handle everything on her own—lifting heavy loads, chopping firewood, and repairing various parts of the royal castle.
“Don’t overdo it, Brother Let.”
Elliot said with concern.
“I’ll try to coax Lord Senz Rossi into telling me which days the audience chamber is empty. That man is so steeped in vanity and laziness that he can’t make sound judgments beyond a certain level. I’ll look for a way of my own as well.”
“…You must absolutely avoid being alone with Lord Senz. If he tries anything suspicious, run out immediately….”
“I’m old enough to know what I’m doing, brother.”
What does His Highness really know? Diana could only sigh deeply.
Then, on the eighth day, Diana ran into the Commander by the well.
He appeared silently behind her. She had no idea how long he’d been watching her.
Diana gasped as she was drawing water for drinking.
“Wh-what…?”
Startled, she nearly let her true voice slip out.
Water droplets glistening with sunlight spattered up from the surface all at once. It was sheer luck that she was by the well, where she could draw a little of the spirit’s power.
Clutching her pounding chest, Diana turned around.
Standing under the midday sun, the man was as beautiful as ever. He wore plain clothes embroidered with the black panther emblem, the symbol of the empire. Even though it was the same attire worn by most knights, the way he carried himself was extraordinary.
Just as before, he stared intently at Diana’s masked face.
In this second encounter, she sensed a powerful longing emanating from him. He acted as if he had a clear expectation of her, as if waiting for her to realize something. Instead of composure, a hint of frustration was visible in his sharp eyes.
Yet, just as a week ago, Diana could not fathom the man’s true intentions.
“If you have any orders, please speak…”
The moment Diana began to speak, a storm stirred in his blue eyes.
The Commander chuckled, as if finding it absurd. A fleeting flash of anger flickered in the gaze fixed on her.
Wasn’t this the answer? The longer he looked at her, the more Diana grew afraid.
No matter how much she thought about it, it didn’t feel like she was meeting him for the first time. It was a face she could never forget even after seeing it just once, and the fact that she felt this way meant he was someone she had met during the seven years she had been blind.
Someone she couldn’t forget.
A presence forcibly imprinted on her soul.
A demon who had bewitched people with his captivating voice…
There had been only one such person in her life so far.
“You are mine.”
The bucket Diana had let slip fell into the well. Goosebumps broke out all over her body.
Diana hesitated and took a step back. But her heel struck the edge of the well, causing her body to lurch backward.
“……!”
A strong hand instantly seized Diana’s hand as she flailed in midair. Her body, which had been leaning backward, was now jerked forward by the sheer force of the grip. Thick arms wrapped around Diana’s waist, which was bundled in several layers of coats.
Diana was helplessly pulled into his embrace.
The moment his body heat brushed against her nose, Diana’s world spun dizzyingly. That familiar feeling she had experienced before swelled within her once more.
Surely not, surely not….
***
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