Senior, I've Come to Visit - Chapter 67

After they began dating, they were always together, so there had been no need.

But when the queen tormented Eloise, and he, of all times, had to leave for the subjugation, it became essential. He assigned the most skilled wizards among his subordinates to secretly guard Eloise, then left for the subjugation because he had no choice.

There was no need to even describe how disturbed and heavy-hearted that subjugation had been. To return even a little faster, he hunted demonic beasts relentlessly. During that time, his subordinates reported that Eloise had visited her sister’s family’s home in the Eckville shopping district. He didn’t know exactly what the queen had demanded of her, but he suspected she must have threatened her family.

He remembered Eloise at the academy graduation ceremony, greeting her sister with a bright smile he had never seen before. Knowing her, when someone else she cared for was in danger, she would’ve been far more shocked and terrified than when she herself was threatened. He ordered his subordinates to protect Eloise’s family as well, and he thought over and over about how to overcome this crisis.

‘A way to bring Eloise back.’

During the day, while being asked if something urgent was going on, he hunted demonic beasts like a madman, and at night, alone in the pitch dark forest, he sank deep into thought. Recalling Eloise, and the countless nights he held her, he comforted himself and thought of a solution with a heart that only sank further. After a sleepless night, he settled on one of several possible methods, and it had been the right decision.

“….”

In the end, it was a good thing he got injured on purpose.

He knew better than anyone that Eloise was weak toward people who were hurt. Back in their academy days, during live combat training, when she healed Miles, who had suffered a serious injury, he’d been captivated by her completely. She was always indifferent toward everything, yet she had immediately rushed forward to heal someone she wasn’t even close to, displaying overwhelming skill. It had left a strong impression on him.

‘Since then, she’s always been weak to people who are hurt. When she sees someone injured, she just reacts on instinct and heals them. It’s not even out of kindness… it’s just because of memories from when she was young.’

Eloise had told him this herself. He felt guilty about using her kindness and the vulnerable part of her shaped by painful memories, but he had no other choice. He desperately wanted the warm attention Miles had received when he was gravely injured. He was willing to become a bad, gloomy man if that was what it took to bring Eloise back to him.

Executing the plan had been easy. He shortened the duration of the subjugation by finishing it as fast as possible, then on the final day, he attacked a secluded area alone. He deliberately approached a demonic beast and let its sharp end slice across his pectoral muscle, yet he didn’t feel pain. The pain of being separated from Eloise was far greater. Soaked in the beast’s bodily fluids and with red blood gushing from his chest, he still found himself smiling at the faint hope spreading inside him.

And the effect exceeded expectations.

After returning to the ducal mansion in the capital, he refused all healing magic except for the minimal basic treatment. He waited, thinking Eloise would come after hearing the news of his injury. He received word that she was already on her way, faster than he had expected.

His heart pounded wildly.

When he sat calmly on the bed, pretending to be a patient, Eloise arrived.

“I came because I heard you were hurt. Are you badly injured?”

Eloise was, as always, dazzlingly beautiful. He couldn’t take his eyes off her even for a moment. Her small face and large pale blue eyes were filled with worry for him.

“I’ll use healing magic on you.”

As expected.

“It’s fine.”

“…Let me treat you. When I was in pain, you made sure I didn’t hurt.”

“…I’m really fine. You don’t need to do this.”

“…Why not?”

“You don’t need to go this far for someone who was just a fling.”

“….”

But her unexpected reaction made him freeze. He had shown a little of his hurt feelings on purpose, but Eloise looked like she was about to cry.

That expression was unfair. Afraid he might actually make her cry, he hurried to speak.

“You can take it back.”

“Take… it back?”

“Yes. Just take back what you said.”

“If I take it back… can I treat you?”

“….”

He’d thought Eloise was a proud, aloof cat, but maybe she wasn’t. She was a beautiful fox.

“…Yes.”

He hadn’t gotten injured because he wanted healing. Her stamina was precious to him. But if receiving healing was the condition for her to take back the things she’d said that night, he had no other choice.

“I want to take back everything I said that night. I take it back.”

“All of it?”

“Yeah. Let me treat you.”

“…Come here.”

Eloise climbed lightly onto his bed and moved closer. Her lovely scent, which he hadn’t smelled in so long, and the closeness alone made his lower body tense.

Her small, delicate hands unwrapped the bandage. When she saw the wound beneath it, Eloise gasped in shock and her eyes filled with tears again. He panicked, wondering how to calm her, but she gathered herself, expression firming, and began casting healing magic.

The silver white light illuminated her beautiful face, creating an almost mystical atmosphere. More than the pain fading, he loved that he could look at her face all he wanted. Just like when he first fell for her, he stared as if spellbound.

When the healing finished, Eloise lay in his arms and, answering his gentle questions, slowly revealed the truth.

“The queen… told me to make poison so she could kill the king’s mistress and illegitimate child. I refused, but she must’ve investigated me, because she threatened me using my sister and my family.”

As expected, the queen had threatened her family to force her to make poison. He’d disliked the queen since the lactation-promoting potion incident; how dare she tell someone so precious to him to do something so filthy?

“When she threatened my sister, I lost my mind. I was terrified and all I could think about was checking if she was safe… so I went to my sister.”

Eloise was like a seashell. Terrified, she’d shut herself tight, and only now was she finally opening. He listened fully and comforted his lover with all his heart.

“I can stop the queen.”

“How?”

“If I just tell the queen that we’re dating, that alone will be enough. The queen can’t touch me or anyone I’m with. If you give me permission, I’ll tell her about us.”

In truth, he could have stopped the queen long ago. Even without knowing what she’d demanded from Eloise, and even while he was away on the subjugation, it wouldn’t have been a problem. One letter warning her not to touch Eloise would’ve ended it.

But Eloise hated having their relationship exposed, so he’d held back, waiting for her permission. The queen, who resorted to threats and had no real standing, probably wouldn’t dare run her mouth… though she also didn’t seem to be in her right mind.

And on top of that, Eloise was telling him they should break up.

“If we hadn’t kept our relationship a secret from the start, she wouldn’t have even made a request like that.”

“…Maybe so.”

“…It might be a good opportunity to make it public.”

He had spoken with the intention of subtly satisfying his own desire.

“I don’t mind if it’s not a secret. I don’t mind if other people know.”

At long last, Eloise gave her permission. And not only that.

“If you’d told me from the beginning, it would’ve been better.”

“…Yeah.”

“You know you were wrong, right?”

“Yeah, I was wrong.”

“It’s alright, just don’t do that again. Don’t keep everything to yourself and worry alone.”

“I won’t. I didn’t think straight back then, but I’ll do better from now on. And the things I said that day… I didn’t mean any of them.”