Chapter 70
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Request for Rescue
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It was dawn when I opened my eyes. Sunlight was faintly streaming through the window.
I lay there in a daze, blinking at the canopy above my bed. I tried to make sense of the situation.
I was definitely on the roof, talking with Knox... He'd said it was time to go down and offered me his hand... I took it, and then... I don't remember anything after that.
Had I collapsed?
I'd dreamed of the day my parents died. The dream was still vivid even after I woke. To think the last I saw of them was their backs as they left to meet a new friend.
To think the last words I said to them were ones that drove a nail through their hearts. I was sick with regret. It was the greatest regret of my life, and I would likely regret that day until I died.
I bowed my head for a moment, steadying my breath.
‘Come to think of it... who was that new friend my parents were going to meet?’
I'd never wondered about it before, but after reliving that day so vividly in my dream, I was suddenly curious.
The fact that the accident happened on their way to meet this new friend was a little unsettling. I wondered if that person had come to the funeral. At the time, I was in no state to pay any mind to the guests.
‘Harrison might know.’
But even Harrison, the one person I could ask, wasn't here now.
Just as a hollow feeling began to settle in at the thought of being all alone, I sensed a presence beside me.
I turned my head toward the presence and saw a man sitting with his back to the window. To be precise, it was Ethan, asleep in a chair with his arms crossed.
His blond hair caught the morning sun streaming through the window, shimmering beautifully. He normally had a sharp, sleek look, but with his eyes closed, he almost resembled a docile cat.
Shadows pooled beneath his thick, gently lowered lashes. After gazing at him for a moment, I turned my head to the other side. There was someone there, too.
Knox was asleep in the chair on the opposite side. He held a damp towel in his hand, and a basin of water sat on the nightstand beside him. The sight of him sleeping so peacefully was like a painting of a slumbering prince.
The room was utterly quiet and peaceful. I slowly sat up. The two men sitting on either side of me looked just like sentinels. Sentinels guarding my bed.
My stream of consciousness led me to picture two guard dogs, and I let out a snort of laughter.
Ethan was the first to wake. He must have heard me laugh, because his eyes slowly fluttered open.
“Mmm...”
He furrowed his brow and groaned softly. Then, looking exhausted, he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and spoke.
“Your fever.”
Without waiting for an answer, he reached out and gently rested the back of his fingers on my forehead. Could he really tell my temperature from such a light touch? I was doubtful, but apparently, Ethan could.
“It's down.”
He murmured, letting out a sigh of relief. The situation felt a little strange, and I couldn't quite school my expression, scratching my cheek awkwardly.
“Why are you two here?”
“Because of you, Cherry. You had a terrible fever.”
Ethan said, rubbing his temples. He then stretched languidly. In the midst of it, Knox woke up.
“Ah. I must have dozed off.”
Knox looked exhausted, too. He rubbed the stiff back of his neck, then smiled as he looked at me.
“I only meant to check on your fever for a moment, but I must have fallen asleep.”
With that, Knox set down the towel and checked my condition. He confirmed my fever was gone, examined my eyes and hands, and then placed his fingers on my neck to check my pulse. Only then did he shrug.
“You seem to be all right now.”
“How long was I out?”
“A full day and a half?”
I'd asked Knox, but it was Ethan who answered. He handed me the glass of water from the nightstand. After quietly sipping the water, I started to get up.
At that, Knox and Ethan both moved to stop me.
“Stay in bed. You shouldn't push yourself. You collapsed from exhaustion, Cherry.”
“That's right, Cherry, you need to rest. Don't do anything today. Honestly... you never take proper care of yourself.”
Tsk. Ethan even clicked his tongue at the end. I blinked at the barrage of nagging and spoke without thinking.
“Looks like I gained two mothers while I was asleep.”
Of course, that comment only earned me an even longer lecture from Knox and Ethan.
And surprisingly, being lectured didn't feel as bad as I'd expected.
How strange.
* * *
Amy peeked through the curtains of a second-floor window. Monsters were still roaming the streets of Brunel.
“We should have gone out earlier to get help.”
“The monsters would have swarmed us if we'd done that.”
“But you saw her. The young lady from the abandoned house, rescuing the doctor and taking him away.”
“Exactly. We should have risked it to call for help. What is this situation? In the end, we're the only ones who are trapped.”
“You saw the lights in the abandoned house on the hill, didn't you? They made it out of this hell alive.”
“Just who is that young lady? To have such incredible strength...”
“Well, everyone's seen the papers, right? They say she's the heiress to the famous Sinclair family from the capital.”
Behind Amy, the villagers' whispers filled the air.
Amy, a girl of fifteen, looked back at the villagers with a look of disdain.
Ever since the village had fallen into this state, they had been like this. Hiding here, only talking about escape plans. Not one of them had the courage to go outside like the young lady from the abandoned house.
And these were the same people who usually looked down on the young lady from the abandoned house, slandering her and gossiping behind her back...