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 27

Slowly, I opened my eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling and the scent of clean sheets.

My body felt heavy, and a dull ache throbbed deep in my head.

“Are you awake?”

“Lord Oliver…?”

“Ash.”

Realizing Lord Oliver was by my side made me so happy my face naturally broke into a smile.

Seeing me like that, Lord Oliver smiled back at me.

“You’ve been mostly asleep for these past ten days.”

“Eh, that long!?”

Startled, I tried to sit up, but a violent wave of dizziness assaulted me.

“It’s a side effect of the drugs. Your brain and nerves needed to rest. It’s only natural.”

“Stay lying down for now,” he said, supporting my body as he laid me back down in bed.

“I kept drifting in and out, and each time you were there by my side.”

“You were fading in and out of consciousness. We even had some conversations, you know?”

“I thought it was all a dream. So, you’re really here, Lord Oliver.”

“Yes, I’ve been right here the whole time.”

A large hand gently stroked my cheek.

“You must be recovering well to have such clear consciousness now.”

Lord Oliver let out a long sigh, sounding relieved.

“You were nearly dead. Quinn and the others worked through the night, repeatedly making antidotes.”

“Is that so… I must properly thank them later.”

“They said it’s fine once you’ve recovered. For now, just rest.”

“Yes.”

He readjusted the covers over me, and I let the tension drain from my body.

For a while, quiet time flowed by in the warm sunlight.

Lord Oliver, seated by the bedside, had been watching me the entire time.

When our eyes met, his face crumpled.

“I’m so glad. Ash, I’m truly so glad.”

Lord Oliver took my hand, his voice trembling as he breathed out a sigh of relief.

Holding my hand with one of his, he covered his eyes with the other, his shoulders shaking.

“Lord Oliver… please don’t cry.”

When I said that with all the strength I could muster, the hand holding mine squeezed tightly for a moment.

At that sensation, tears spilled from my own eyes.

I was saved.

You came to save me.

I’m sorry for causing you trouble.

Right now, I’m just so happy that you’re here by my side.

Various emotions overflowed, spilling out along with my tears.

Gentle sunlight streamed in from the window, and a soft breeze flowed through.

The warmth of Lord Oliver’s hand holding mine made this reality feel real.

“We rescued you seven days after you were abducted. I wanted to save you sooner. I’m sorry.”

Lord Oliver’s voice was tinged with painful regret.

I squeezed back the warm hand enveloping my palm with all my might.

“You came. For me. I’m happy. Thank you.”

I had wished for someone to save me. And Lord Oliver came.

That alone makes everything worthwhile.

After the attack, my sense of time and my thoughts had been dissolved by drugs and pain.

Lord Oliver explained what had happened during the time I’d lost all sense of time.

“Quinn and the others said the strongest brainwashing drug was used on you for about half a day, but it must have felt like an eternity, right?”

When I nodded, he stroked my cheek as if to comfort me.

“You endured it well.”

Lord Oliver’s hand felt so nostalgic; wanting to feel it more, I snuggled closer, and he laughed and stroked my cheek repeatedly.

Even after waking, the headaches and nausea didn’t subside, and each time I tried to sit up, my consciousness would fade.

Repeating that state over and over, I had finally ‘returned.’

Thinking I must be hungry now that I was awake, Lord Oliver left the room.

Then, in less than five minutes, a knock sounded, and when I responded, Lord Oliver appeared with the aroma of soup.

“Do you think you can eat?”

Perhaps stimulated by the gentle scent, my stomach rumbled.

“Yes, I’m hungry.”

When I answered, Lord Oliver, holding a tray, placed it on a nearby table and helped me sit up in bed.

“…No solid ingredients.”

Seeing my slumped shoulders after peeking into the bowl, expecting my first real meal in a while, Lord Oliver gave a wry smile.

“Start with something easy to digest first.”

Oh, right. I haven’t eaten properly since I was abducted.

“Okay.”

When I replied, Lord Oliver sat in a chair and picked up a spoon.

Being fed spoonful’s of soup like a child was ticklish and embarrassing, yet still comforting.

The gently salted, thickened soup warmed my body and gave me a deep sense of satisfaction.

After I finished the soup he brought, Lord Oliver patted my head as if praising me and laid me back down in bed.

When I reached my hand out to Lord Oliver, who had sat back in the chair, he smiled happily and took it.

“By the way, Ash, regarding the Kreuz territory… it’s officially back in your hands now.”

“Eh?”

“With the royal decree and the earl’s audit, the procedures are complete. This ends the proxy’s tyranny.”

Pausing there, Lord Oliver tightened his grip on my hand.

“You really endured so much.”

Being spoken to so kindly like that made me feel like crying again.

Being praised by the person I aspire to be like as a lord, a slow-spreading joy filled my chest.

Kreuz, my homeland, had returned to me.

But…

This means the path to becoming Lord Oliver’s partner is now cut off.

For two lords to be united, they must overcome numerous complex conditions.

Especially for Graphica and Kreuz. The distance alone is a huge obstacle.

A future where we stand side by side might never come.

And yet, there wasn’t the slightest shadow on Lord Oliver’s face.

That very calmness, instead, tightened my chest.

How can you be so composed?

There shouldn’t be any room to doubt the feelings of someone who went this far for me.

And yet, I don’t understand.

How can you smile with such an expression?

And finally, belatedly, I realized.

How utterly unnatural it is for Lord Oliver to be here in the first place.

Why in the Kreuz territory?

I’m glad you saved me. But why are you still…?

It felt so natural for you to be by my side that I’d even forgotten to question that normality.

“That reminds me… Lord Oliver, why are you here?”

I understand the alchemists came because I told them I was going to Kreuz.

But why is even Lord Oliver here?

At my question, Lord Oliver gave a slight wry smile before answering.

“The reason is because you’re here, Ash. I can’t explain it any other way.”

He made a troubled face, as if stating the obvious.

“Let me explain in order. A letter arrived at the mansion for you, from the territory proxy.”

“Ah! They said something about sending a letter, so that was it.”

“It said suspicious things like ‘return to your territory, let’s discuss matters.'”

“That’s definitely a lie.”

When I grimaced, Lord Oliver, seeing it, laughed.

“It was delayed in arriving.”

He said regretfully that if it had arrived on time according to regulations, he could have issued a warning or provided protection.

It’s my own selfishness that made him make such a face.

“If I’d known this would happen, I shouldn’t have refused the escort…. I’m sorry.”

“Truthfully, I considered secretly assigning one. But when I saw your face that day, I thought forcing protection on you would be wrong.”

“Thank you for respecting my feelings.”

“…Even so, I can’t stop regretting that I couldn’t protect you.”

The pain carried in those words transmitted through our clasped fingers.

I feel truly, deeply sorry.

I was so conceited. Thinking I was strong was just an illusion.

“So, using that letter as a pretext, I went to see you, only to find out you’d been abducted. Wouldn’t anyone want to save you then?”

Even though the engagement was canceled. Even though we shouldn’t have any ties.

As if reading my mind, Lord Oliver narrowed his eyes and gave a self-deprecating, yet gentle, wry smile.

“I told you I wouldn’t give up on you. That has nothing to do with the canceled engagement.”

Lord Oliver enveloped my hand with both of his, making the same face as when he knelt to confess his love for the first time, and kissed my fingertips.

Those beautiful green eyes that had captivated me back then in the herb garden.

My own reflection was visible within them.

Lord Oliver slowly formed a soft smile and spoke.

“Because I love you, Ash.”

In the quiet room, those words alone echoed strangely loud.