Chapter 51
She had lost consciousness, but not continuously.
Every so often, she would pass out, only to come around again when something stimulated her—for instance, the slightly rough fingers stroking her lips. This cycle repeated over and over.
But after that bitter liquid filled her mouth, the periods when she was fully conscious gradually grew longer.
Could that liquid really have been an antidote?
As her consciousness returned once more, Eleonore considered the possibility, if only for a moment.
The unpleasant sensation that had enveloped her whole body seemed to have receded a little. Feeling had returned to the tips of her fingers and toes inside her shoes, and she could even lift her unbearably heavy eyelids ever so slightly.
When Eleonore finally raised her lowered eyelids over her sky-blue eyes, she was still in Dmitri’s arms, just as she had been in her last memory.
But Dmitri’s posture as he held her, and the scenery around them, were different from before.
Until a moment ago, he had been carrying her in what was commonly called a princess carry. He had needed to run while holding her, after all.
Now, by contrast, she was nestled right in Dmitri’s arms.
His battle-hardened, powerful arms encircled her to keep her from slipping away, and beneath his riding trousers, she could feel each of his taut thigh muscles.
The world around her was still tinged red and blurred, since her senses hadn’t fully returned. Even so, she could feel their speed from the scenery rushing past in her hazy vision and the fierce wind buffeting her head.
I’m going somewhere in Dmitri’s arms right now. What happened to the mine? What about the people left behind? Eugenie, and Domi?
Haa. I’ve just caused everyone around me a whole lot of trouble again….
Eleonore let out a soft sigh.
As the wind blew against her, she turned her head to the side. To avoid its razor-sharp bite, she pressed her face against his flat, firm chest.
Through his thin T-shirt, Dmitri’s body heat and the steady thrum of his heart warmly enveloped Eleonore.
Was it because Eleonore had let out a small sigh?
Or was it because of the unfamiliar sensation of her squirming against his chest?
Dmitri looked down at Lady Eleonore, who had nestled against his chest.
“M-My lady. Are you conscious?”
At the familiar man’s voice, Eleonore gently lifted her head to look at him.
They were even closer now than before. Looking at Dmitri’s faintly trembling lips, Eleonore tried to tell him she was grateful—and sorry.
But whether by misfortune or good fortune, when she opened her lips, all that came out was the raspy sound of her breathing.
When no answer came, Dmitri turned his gaze forward again.
He thought that her mind still wasn’t clear. That must be why she was rubbing her face against his chest like this.
But contrary to Dmitri’s thoughts,
when his black eyes turned away from her, an inexplicable feeling of disappointment tickled Eleonore. Of course, since he was riding at a fairly brisk pace, he couldn’t keep looking only at her.
Out of that disappointment, Eleonore rubbed her face against his firm chest, just like a cat might.
His body was warm, and the steady beat of his heart was rather pleasant to listen to.
Because she still wasn’t in her right mind.
Because it was all due to the spider monster’s poison.
Making those excuses, Eleonore’s flowing platinum-blond hair swayed this way and that in Dmitri’s warm embrace.
#.
By the time Dmitri, holding Lady Eleonore’s soft body carefully in his arms, reached the village, dusk had just begun to settle over the shabby rooftops of the wooden houses.
The quiet countryside village stirred at the sight of a man arriving on a black horse.
The first to greet him were the village’s mischievous little children. They watched Dmitri and his black horse with equal parts wonder and admiration.
Horses had always been valuable.
They needed wide grasslands to be raised properly, and a nearly unfathomable amount of feed.
Naturally, a horse wasn’t an animal or livestock that commoners could easily acquire and use.
Besides, the horse the man was riding wasn’t the ugly packhorse commoners might occasionally see, all bulky with useless muscle.
It was an elegant riding horse with a sleek build and only the muscles it needed to run.
As the children chattered excitedly at the sight of the sleek black horse, the village men came up behind them, their faces wary, and stepped in front of the children.
“Where’s the doctor? Where is he?”
The black-haired man on horseback called out to the crowd.
His voice sounded terribly urgent. It was understandable, given the sight of the girl—or rather, young woman—in his arms, her tiny face pressed to his chest as she struggled to breathe.
Amid the gathered people, one man pointed toward a two-story house on a hill. Unlike the shabby homes around it, it looked quite sturdy.
“O-over there. The one with the navy-blue roof beneath the zelkova tree.”
Without even thanking the man, the rider turned his horse toward the doctor’s house indicated by the man’s finger.
An old man with graying hair opened the door and came out, drawn by the commotion outside.
“What’s all this commotion about?”
The answer he expected came from outside his field of vision.
“Are you the doctor?”
Dorio, the doctor and village chief, turned toward the man who had replied in a low, deep voice.
Though he liked to say he’d lived a long life, Dorio had never seen a man as powerfully built as the one before him. He had to crane his neck to meet the man’s eyes.
The thin, tight shirt he wore as his only top left nothing to the imagination, showing off his sturdy muscles. His black hair was darker than a moonless night, and his eyes were filled with unease.
Of course, that was understandable when he was holding such a frail, pale woman—so very unlike him—in his arms.
“Ahem. I am the doctor, but who might you be?”
“Who I am isn’t important. This young lady is. She’s been poisoned by a Shilob.”
At the words “young lady” and the name “Shilob,” Dorio’s answer grew more hesitant.
“A-Shilob? You mean that spider monster?”
“That’s right. Fortunately, she wasn’t struck by its stinger, but the monster stabbed her shoulder with one of its legs. Since the young lady still can’t support herself, it seems some of the poison must have entered her then.”
“P-Please, come inside at once. Jacques! Get some water heating! Eily, come down and lend a hand! This is a lady of noble birth.”
After ushering Dmitri inside, Dorio shut the door and called out loudly.
“Over here. Lay her on this bed.”
As Dmitri carefully laid Eleonore on the hard-looking bed Dorio had indicated, he asked,
“Do you have an antidote?”
“As you know, there are no poisonous monsters around here, so we don’t keep one on hand.”
The doctor answered as a girl hurried down the stairs and unwound the blanket wrapped around the young lady.
“Fortunately, it seems the young lady has received divine favor. A man with light brown hair happened to bring an antidote by earlier today.”
#.
Let us turn back the clock briefly, to around the time Eleonore and her party had just left the capital.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs had a grand headquarters, rivaling even the Imperial Palace where the emperor resided.
The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the two pillars of the Empire’s administration, had each built headquarters pointlessly large and magnificent, as though competing with one another.
Whereas the Ministry of War’s headquarters had a straight-lined, solid appearance, the Ministry of Internal Affairs made far greater use of curves, giving it a more graceful and gentle air.
On the fourth floor of that Ministry of Internal Affairs building was the office of Julian Valatier, the security councilor appointed to succeed Marquis Noel Saintomer.
Christian lounged on the sofa with a bored expression, as he had ever since being assigned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Through the large window, the capital, Rutes, spread out below him. He stared intently at the crossword printed in the corner of a newspaper, chewing on his pen and grunting in frustration.
Unlike his old friend, who was idling away his time, Julian sat at the large solid-wood desk across from him, his red eyes busily scanning the text on the documents.
It was a truly quiet and peaceful morning. A cautious knock rang through the silence, announcing the end of that peaceful hour.
Knock, knock—
Then came a woman’s voice from beyond the door.
“Councilor Valatier.”
Julian lifted his eyes from the papers, cleared his throat, and glared at Christian, who was sprawled across the sofa. At the sharp look in his red eyes, Christian yawned broadly and lowered his feet to sit up straight.
“Come in.”
At his low voice, the hero of that day—the one who had borne Countess Etie’s sharp gaze all by herself—bowed her head and entered the office.
“Councilor, Sir Ernst is here to—”
Her voice was as well-mannered as her neatly worn uniform, but a man with hazel hair brushed past her and cut her off.
Ignoring the secretary’s introduction, Ernst strode straight toward Julian.
The secretary let out a quiet sigh at the sight. It wasn’t the first or second time that emotionless man had done this. Julian gave his poor secretary a slight nod, telling her she could leave.
At last, when the heavy wooden office door closed, Ernst parted his tightly pressed lips.
“Your Grace.”
“Ernst. I believe I told you not to use that title inside the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”
“There’s an emergency.”
Even as his lord reprimanded him, Ernst didn’t so much as blink, simply continuing with what he had to say. Though he called it an emergency, his voice held not a trace of emotion, as usual.
Julian set down the silver fountain pen he had been holding to sign the document. It was the first time Ernst had called anything an emergency since they had started working together.
“What is it?”
“The abandoned mine where you stored the Shilob eggs you brought back from the East. Do you remember it?”
Julian thought back and gave a small nod.
“Ah, yes. I remember. Wasn’t it a mine belonging to House Béarn? You said that abandoned mine was fairly deep, damp, and dark—the most suitable place around here.”
“I was told Lady Eleonore is heading to that abandoned mine now.”
At those words, both Julian and Christian, who had reclined on the sofa again after the secretary left, sprang to their feet.