Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 29

‘Thanks to the initial treatment, the wound had started to heal quickly, but…….’

Perhaps because he had used his arm a lot in the meantime, it had opened slightly again.

After disinfecting the reddened wound once more, I began treatment to promote regeneration.

“Try not to use your shoulder too much. It’ll flare up again quickly.”

“That’s not possible, given my profession.”

“Even so, you can still be more careful.”

I replied while focusing on the end of the wound running across the middle of his back.

Ehit was quiet for a moment, then spoke again.

“You should be careful as well. Don’t jump into dangerous situations without proper preparation.”

At a glance, it sounded like concern—but it also felt like he was just contradicting me.

“Are you really worried about me?”

“As I said before, you’re currently Cloyden’s fiancée. If something disgraceful were to happen to someone like you, what would that do to Cloyden’s position?”

Yes, yes, I know. I know full well that the young master of the great Cloyden family would be displeased at the thought of his family being stained because of some insignificant house.

And I know you’re keeping an eye on me in case I do something reckless.

I understood that it was natural from his point of view, but hearing those words still made me bristle.

‘Let’s skip the anesthetic.’

I deliberately made the treatment sting a little, but that level of petty revenge didn’t faze Ehit at all.

When I finished, I tugged lightly at his shirt to pull it back up. Because of his bulging muscles, it didn’t slide up easily.

“Let go. You said you might tear it, and now you really will.”

“It’s the shirt’s fault for not fitting your body properly. If it tears, just get a new one.”

“I can’t. Even if it doesn’t fit, it’s a shirt my grandmother chose for me.”

“Oh. It must be a very special and precious shirt, then.”

“…….”

“Ahem, um…… The air here is too dry. I don’t think I can stay any longer. I’ll be going now.”

Feeling suddenly awkward, I blurted out an excuse and hurriedly stood up.

“Did you really come just to treat me?”

“Of course. I’m on a house call, that’s all.”

Thinking that if I said anything more the situation would only get stranger, I tried to leave—but Ehit caught me and made me sit back down.

Then he stood up instead, brought some water, and handed it to me.

“Why water all of a sudden?”

“Just drink it quickly. When your body’s dehydrated, everything gets worse.”

At his health-preacher-like words, I accepted the water with an unenthusiastic expression and drank.

Resting his arm on the sofa armrest and propping his chin on his hand, he suddenly asked me,

“Does your divine power wear down every time you heal?”

What kind of out-of-the-blue question was that?

I studied his expression more closely, trying to figure out his intent.

For a moment, he almost looked worried—but there was no way he’d be worrying about me, so maybe he was just tired.

“Huh?”

“I’m asking literally. Does it get used up each time, or put strain on your body?”

“It’s not so much that it gets used up—it’s more like stamina. If I heal for too long, I get tired and sometimes completely exhausted.”

Compared to others, my divine power wasn’t especially strong, so I reached my limit a bit faster.

It was like trying to push further, only to feel as if I’d slammed my bare body into a wall.

“It’s not really my place to interfere, but why do you keep doing work like that?”

“If you put it that way, you could say the same about any job. Even you keep working despite those dark circles under your eyes.”

I added quietly,

“Even though you don’t have much stamina.”

“Are you saying I lack stamina?”

I hadn’t meant for him to hear—it was just muttered under my breath—but somehow Ehit caught it.

“On what basis?”

He frowned slightly as he asked.

If he wanted a basis, I didn’t really have one—just the natural conclusion drawn from the fact that he was terminally ill, something I knew all too well.

But if I admitted that I knew that, I’d immediately be questioned about my source and thrown into all kinds of trouble.

“You can just tell by looking.”

“Tell what, exactly?”

“Well… in common terms, I guess you could say the ‘lines’ give it away.”

No, actually, they didn’t.

Aside from the deepening shadows under his eyes, Ehit looked overwhelmingly healthy. Even the lean muscles I’d seen throughout the treatment testified to that.

“I have plenty of stamina.”

“Well… okay.”

“I’m serious.”

The reply came back more resolute than ever.

I had no intention of arguing further, so I simply nodded.

“Alright. If you say so.”

But my lukewarm response was paired with a gaze that still lingered on those dark eye shadows, and Ehit’s expression twisted further, clearly displeased.

“What is it?”

“Would it satisfy you if I proved it?”

“Be my guest. But how?”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Without even properly buttoning his shirt, Ehit suddenly stood up.

Where was he going? I looked up at him blankly. His face looked as though he’d made some kind of decision.

“Where are you go—ugh!”

The next moment, my body was suddenly lifted into the air.

There was no time to prepare myself mentally—no warning at all. It was as if the ground had surged upward, as if the air itself had buoyed me up in an instant.

Of course, no one had cast a spell on me.

“You said I lack stamina?”

The fact that a person could lift me like this—so easily, without the slightest wobble—was unbelievable.

It felt almost as comfortable as lying on a bed.

At this point, he was practically human furniture. Perfectly shaped for leaning on, and even for lifting someone like this……

Then, reflexively, my palm gripping his shoulder felt something wet.

“……!”

I looked over his shoulder, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head.

The muscles of Ehit’s shoulder—where he was holding me—had pulled apart, reopening the wound, and blood was pouring out.

“Put me down. Now!”

I almost punched his shoulder in shock, but barely managed to get down by frantically kicking my feet.

Ehit, as if he’d sold off his sense of pain somewhere in exchange for every other talent in the world, remained perfectly calm despite his shirt being soaked red.

He tried to put his jacket back on as if that settled it, and my face filled with horror all over again.

“Are you insane? Is this your way of not using your arm? At this rate, why don’t you just carve your name into your shoulder while you’re at it?”

I forced him back into his seat and hurriedly opened my medical bag, glaring at him—only to find that, strangely enough, he was smiling faintly.

“You’re smiling? Now?”

“Did it look that way?”

At this point, it almost felt reasonable to suspect that Ehit hated me so much he’d deliberately reopened the wound just to mess with me.

That was how suspicious the situation was.

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

After exhausting myself all day restoring Ehit’s wound, I finally returned to the infirmary late in the afternoon.

Granted, the injury had happened because of me—but still!

A patient has a responsibility to manage their own wounds properly, too!

While muttering to myself as I worked through leftover tasks, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. Checking the state of my hair like this had become one of my newer habits.

‘As long as I stay still, it doesn’t show much. That’s a relief.’

My braided hair did a decent job of hiding the empty spot.

After double-checking that no one was in the infirmary office, I gently lifted my hair. A smooth scalp came into view.

‘Still no sign of growing back.’

Right. Aside from Ehit’s injury, I had mountains of problems to solve—my future, for one, and physical issues like this, too.

‘For now, fine. Someday it’ll grow back, right…?’

Inside my desk drawer was a notebook copied from medical texts. It contained notes on “stress-induced hair loss.”

「In many cases, it naturally recovers within one year. However, in 20% of cases, it does not resolve naturally and remains.」

‘Please let me be in the 80%…….’

Reincarnating into this kind of role was bad enough—carrying hair loss at this age was just cruel.

‘I’ve already taken medication to boost immunity, and I’ve started self-immunity treatment with divine power.’

So it’ll work, right? My hair will grow back, right?

‘I can do this!’

I bit my lip and forced myself to think firmly.

Then, as reality washed over me again, I sighed, pulled another pin from the drawer, and tightly redid my messy half-up hairstyle.

‘Yeah. Stress has to go away for this to heal. Let’s hurry up and get that engagement broken off. Saving just my salary will never be enough—I need something else…….’

I also needed to find my other two brothers quickly and see what they were up to.

At least after this incident, Elzers probably wouldn’t start anything again.

Pity Pedian, but Elzers had recovered the principal and interest for the watch and paid off the loan sharks, putting an end to his few days of vain, extravagant living.

More than anything, this was what Elzers had said to Pedian as he was transferred from the investigation bureau to the temporary detention facility in Regen:

‘Pedian, you said you could identify who wore the Kelling watch using Esterd solution.’

With a kind face filled with the sorrow of having lost a colleague.

‘That was my last bluff, Pedian.’

‘So Elzers should stay quiet now. The problem is what my other brothers are doing. I’ve already warned Enric once, so I should contact Adlen next.’

I thought all that—only to realize, barely a couple of hours later, just how little my life ever went the easy way.