I Thought I Was Married, But I Was Left Alone, So I'll Live as I Please. So Please Don't Mind Me Anymore, My Lord of the Border - Chapter 26

The battle between the knights and the thugs had already begun.

The clashing of swords and angry shouts echoed throughout the mansion, and the smell of blood drifted through the air.

Where was Ash? He had to be somewhere in this mansion.

“Quinn, Slay, do you have any idea where Ash might be imprisoned?!”

“If they want to make him brew potions, it’s definitely the alchemy hut.”

“This way.”

“Ah, that direction… Hey! You lot, get them! Take them down!”

At the flustered voice of the acting lord, the thugs blocked our path.

“Nia, I leave the rest to you!”

“Hah!”

Dodging a strike aimed at my throat, I slammed the hilt of my sword into an opponent’s stomach.

I’d restrained myself to using the hilt to avoid killing, but thinking of Ash’s suffering made my killing intent tremble along the blade’s edge.

“Ash! Ash, if you’re here, answer me…!”

I shouted until my throat felt raw.

Please, please answer me, I prayed.

“Lord Margrave! Over there!”

Following Quinn’s pointing finger, I saw the inner garden of the mansion. At its far edge stood a small hut.

Quinn ran beside me, throwing potion bottles, while Slay released ropes that moved as if alive.

They put enemies to sleep with potions, bound them with tools, and cleared the path with physical enhancements.

I blasted a man blocking the way aside with magic.

I ran toward the hut with all my strength.

A beloved voice, faintly carried on the wind.

“Stop…”

It was small, faint enough to mistake for an auditory hallucination, but I wouldn’t miss it.

It was Ash.

I could never mistake this voice.

“There!!”

I charged into the chest of the man blocking the way, slamming him against the wall.

Following through with the momentum, I kicked the door. It flew off its hinges, and I rushed through the opening.

Ash, please be safe.

That was my wish as I looked inside—

There was Ash, half-undressed, with a man on top of him.

Time stopped.

The next moment, the world turned crimson.

“You bastard!!”

My brain boiled with rage.

My own scream reached my ears like the roar of a beast.

I kicked the man on top of Ash with all my strength, sending him flying into the wall. The dull sound of flesh hitting the wall sounded unnervingly distant.

I scooped up the collapsed Ash into my arms.

“Ash, Ash…!”

“Lord… Oliver…”

Hearing my name called in that hoarse voice made my heart constrict.

His pupils were unnaturally dilated, his night-colored eyes clouded.

His lips were cracked, his fingertips trembling minutely.

He was alive. But he was in an extreme state that was painful to witness.

“…It’s alright now.”

A voice more hoarse than I expected escaped from deep in my throat.

With trembling hands, I removed my cloak and wrapped it around Ash’s body.

The warmth of this precious person I’d let go of that day had now truly returned to my arms.

“You survived… you really survived.”

It was hard to call him unharmed… but I was so glad he was alive.

A faint light returned to Ash’s eyes.

“Lord… Oliver…?”

That voice began to melt the regret deep in my chest.

When I hugged him tightly, Ash called my name once more, then slowly relaxed.

It’s alright. I won’t let you go again.

I kept repeating that call.

Eventually, Ash closed his eyes and went limp in my arms.

“Ash, Ash!”

Imagining the worst, I couldn’t help but shout.

I pressed my ear to his chest. Weak, but there was definitely a heartbeat. He had body heat too.

“…He’s alive.”

With that certainty alone, I nearly collapsed as all strength left my body.

When I hurriedly tried to cast healing magic, Quinn grabbed my arm.

“Lord Margrave, wait! It’s a brainwashing drug. Healing magic would accelerate blood flow and spread the drug throughout his body!”

“We need to extract the poison first!”

When told that healing magic would activate blood circulation and send the drug straight to his brain, I hastily withdrew my hand.

Quinn handed me a special emergency antidote with trembling hands.

“Good thing I made this just in case. Please make him drink that for now. It should help a little.”

While staring at the scattered remains of used reagents, Slay slammed the table in frustration.

“This how could they give Ash such a terrible drug…”

“Ash, how long did you endure this?”

He said painfully that an ordinary person would be broken within hours. We didn’t know exactly when they started using this drug on him, but him holding out until now was a miracle.

I was reminded once again of Ash’s strong will.

But it was precisely because of that strength that he survived.

Quinn arranged alchemical tools with shaking hands, while Slay quickly laid out ingredients.

“Quinn, don’t cry. Ash will definitely be alright.”

“Yeah… I need to make this quickly so he can rest properly.”

Wiping away their spilled tears, the two began the alchemical process.

They added ingredients one after another, beginning to create a proper antidote with well-practiced coordination.

Ash’s breathing was shallow as he lay limp. Each time I confirmed the rise and fall of his chest, relief made my own chest feel tight.

Listening to the sounds of alchemical tools touching, I removed the bottle cap and pressed it to his mouth.

But the liquid just spilled from the corners; he wouldn’t drink.

This might not be the most commendable method for emergency treatment. Still, it was to keep him alive.

Since that last kiss, I never thought I’d touch these lips again. But now, I was touching them once more.

I took the medicine in my mouth and slowly transferred it to his. Over and over. As if reclaiming the days I’d lost.

“……”

The liquid in my mouth gradually flowed into Ash.

The long-awaited kiss was filled with regret.

As if trying to recover the days I’d lost, to sustain his life, I repeated it many times.

By the time I’d made him drink all the contents, I sensed someone at the entrance.

“Your Lordship. The mansion has been secured. We’ve captured everyone.”

Nia entered through the doorless entrance to report.

“Understood. Post guards to ensure no one escapes. In the name of the law, we’ll make them confess every crime.”

“Understood.”

After casting a pained glance at Ash, Nia left the room.

I’d deal with the prisoners’ punishment later.

To be honest, I wasn’t very confident I could remain calm after seeing this devastation.

If I saw their faces now, I might swing my sword in a fit of passion.

I’d spared all their lives. Judge them by law, and crush them completely. That was my justice.

I wouldn’t show them any mercy. For Ash’s sake, I could be as cold-hearted as needed.

Ash, wrapped in my cloak, felt much lighter than I remembered, and my suppressed anger began smoldering again.

When we returned to the mansion, everyone from thugs to servants were being captured by knights and taken to some room.

Looking around the interior, I only saw disordered blankets piled in a corner—no bed in sight.

I couldn’t possibly make him sleep in such a place. Carrying Ash, I left the alchemy hut, entered the mansion, and proceeded down the hallway.

I opened visible doors one-handed to check inside. Servants’ quarters, storage, guest rooms.

Inside the already-secured mansion, I only sensed the familiar presence of knights.

I reached an unused guest room and gently laid him on the bed.

The tacky furnishings showcased the vulgar taste of this mansion’s owner all too well.

“To have to make Ash sleep in a place like this…”

A growl escaped deep in my throat.

But he needed to rest quickly.

After laying Ash on the bed, I took out the medical supplies I carried and began treating him.

I was accustomed to tending wounds myself on the battlefield. But my hands had never trembled as much as they did now.

“Ash…”

The bruises on his beautiful face were painful to see. No broken bones, but his shoulders had lost just a little strength.

“You endured so well…”

The warmth transmitted through my touching hand was proof that he was ‘alive.’

Whether because of the antidote or not, his breathing had become much calmer, and I let out a sigh of relief.

With my fingertips, I gently traced his cheek, careful to avoid the wounds.

Thinking about how much pain this body had endured while I wasn’t by his side made my chest burn with agony.

“I’ll never let go of this hand again.”

The faint pulse transmitted through our clasped fingertips.

That was everything.

I’d finally gotten Ash back.

Outside the window, the sunset dyed the mansion crimson, bringing today to an end.