Time of the Blind Beast - Chapter 57

The disagreement between Ezekiel, who insisted on undergoing surgery without opium, and Paulina, who maintained that opium was necessary to endure the pain, remained unresolved until right before the operation. Although Dr. Brehman arrived earlier than the scheduled time and Madam Serva had already set up the drawing room as the operating room, the surgery was delayed because of that dispute.

“If you so much as move from your fixed position, I will immediately halt the operation. And I will never participate in this surgery again.”

In the end, after Rose and Dr. Brehman mediated, it was Paulina who took a step back.

“Fine. Let’s do it that way.” Ezekiel readily agreed.

Soon, the servants entered—sturdy young men handpicked by Madam Serva. Since the operation required incredibly delicate handwork, even with Ezekiel’s limbs strapped to the bed, the men were to restrain his body by force throughout the procedure.

“Rose, are you sure you’ll be alright?”

Madam Serva looked at Rose with concern.

“To leave such a young lady behind like this… Even I, who’ve been through thick and thin, don’t have the courage to witness this operation.”

Having heard the details from Rose, Madam Serva gave up watching, saying it would be unbearable to see with her eyes open. She was so shaken that she couldn’t sit still and had been sipping brandy since morning.

“If you think you’ll have a hard time watching sober, say so now. I’ll have them bring brandy for you too. Wouldn’t it be easier if you were a bit tipsy?”

“I’m alright. Please don’t worry.”

Rose hurriedly shook her head in refusal.

This was a time where even a single minute or second might become precious later—she couldn’t waste it in a daze from alcohol.

After Madam Serva left the surgery room, preparations began. Devices to keep the eyes from blinking, sharp needles that would pierce the eyeballs, and the men who would restrain his limbs were all lined up, yet Ezekiel remained composed. As if there was nothing to fear because he couldn’t see. A man who had faced all kinds of threats while blind was bolder than anyone.

Rather, it was Rose who was in living hell, having to watch the preparation unfold. Merely guessing the purpose of each unfamiliar surgical tool and imagining the pain they might cause Ezekiel wore down the courage she had barely managed to muster.

“The ropes need to be tighter. Even a slight movement of the head could cause the needle to pierce the wrong area. And please draw the curtains completely to block any unnecessary light from entering the room. Next, bring the surgical tools here. The magnifier goes here.”

Besides Dr. Brehman, who assisted, there was another attendant who ran about, busy carrying out Paulina’s instructions.

“Now, I’ll begin fixing the eye.”

Ah…

It’s starting.

Rose sat in the chair set up next to the bed and gripped Ezekiel’s hand tightly.

Sweat dripped from Paulina’s forehead. The reason why she had been reluctant to perform surgery without relying on opium became clear at once—the procedure required extreme delicacy and intense concentration.

Fortunately, Ezekiel remained calm even while fully conscious. The device that held his eyelids open was undoubtedly painful and uncomfortable, but he showed no sign of distress.

Even Paulina, who was conducting the surgery, was astonished by the man’s endurance. As she made incisions on the surface of the eye with the sharp, thin blade and pierced inward with a pointed needle, Ezekiel neither groaned nor flinched, let alone cried out in pain or struggled. His composure made it seem like summoning five strong men had been excessive—his discipline as a soldier was extraordinary.

Thanks to that, the surgery proceeded smoothly. Paulina skillfully and efficiently removed the clouded lens through the incision. Even Rose, who knew nothing about the field, could tell that Paulina’s technique was exceptional.

The eye that had undergone surgery was soon covered with thick folded bandages. Until the damaged eye healed on its own, both of Ezekiel’s eyes had to be tightly wrapped in bandages.

Rose thought of Ezekiel’s dark blue eyes. She was glad she had seen them beforehand, but also regretted not having looked at them more.

From now on, the chance to face those beautiful eyes directly would likely never come again.

Because eyes that regained sight would no longer look at her with that same warmth and tenderness.

And so…

When that time comes…

“Ah! Ah—ahhh!”

A sudden scream tore through the room.

Rose snapped her head up.

The instrument tray, on which spare surgical blades, needles, and the lamp had been placed, was tipping toward the bed where Ezekiel lay. The assistant who had been holding the lamp to illuminate the surgical site cried out in shock, but was too far to intervene in time.

She didn’t know what had caused it, but her instincts acted faster than thought. In a procedure where even the slightest movement could be catastrophic, if the tray were to fall onto the bed, it could lead to irreversible consequences. Rose immediately let go of Ezekiel’s hand and threw herself in front of the falling tray.

The dangerous instruments atop the tray struck Rose directly and clattered to the floor. Crash! The sharp sound echoed as the lamp shattered and rolled away.

The loud commotion caused the surgery to halt briefly. Thankfully, nothing had fallen onto the operating table.

“Hey, you…!”

Only after seeing the dismayed expressions on the servants’ faces did Rose roughly grasp what had happened. Because Ezekiel was enduring the pain too well, one of the servants, finding himself with nothing to do, had gotten restless and moved slightly, unable to bear the itch in his body. In doing so, he carelessly bumped into the storage unit placed beside the bed.

“What happened, Rose? Where are you?”

“I’m right here.”

Rose quickly returned to her place and placed her hand on Ezekiel’s.

“It’s nothing. The storage cabinet was about to tip over, so I reached out to catch it.”

“Did it hit you hard?”

“It just made a loud noise. Everything inside spilled out onto the floor.”

Her voice was as composed as ever.

Only those who had witnessed the scene with their own eyes had turned pale. Especially the servants, who knew full well how much Ezekiel cherished Rose, had fear written on their faces.

“Are y—”

“Doctor, the surgery seems to be nearly finished, isn’t it?”

Rose naturally cut off the servant’s attempt to ask if she was alright.

Paulina quickly caught on and replied, “Yes, we’re nearly done.”

That single line was as good as a signal. Everyone fell silent.

Surgical instruments were always honed to an extremely fine and sharp edge. This was to allow precise incisions on the affected area without requiring force.

If it had been a normal blade, it would have bounced off the elasticity of the skin. Unfortunately, the one that struck had been sharpened to a perilous degree, and it drove deep into Rose’s thigh. On top of that, the weight of the falling storage cabinet bore down on it, driving it in even deeper.

A searing pain flared up in her thigh like it had caught fire, but the surgery could not be halted here. Rose exchanged a look with Paulina.

Paulina caught the meaning in Rose’s gaze. She continued the surgery.

The man was extraordinarily stoic, but the woman was no less formidable. Even though the man’s reputation preceded him, Paulina hadn’t expected that the woman—young and graceful in appearance—would defy expectations like this.

Paulina shook her head in disbelief.

“Let’s take a look quickly. No matter how important the surgery is, how can you endure it without even pulling out the knife? Doesn’t it hurt?”

Even so, Rose double-checked that the surgery had gone well and helped with the cleanup afterward.

“It was surprisingly bearable.”

The wound happened to be on the upper part of her thigh. Since it couldn’t be examined while the men were still around, Paulina made an excuse that she needed to explain postoperative care and pulled Rose aside.

“You didn’t need to endure it. Dr. Brehman was present—we could have treated it immediately.”

It was Rose who refused. She simply smiled and gave a subtle gesture to assure Dr. Brehman and Paulina, who were urging her to allow treatment, that she was alright. Since the injured party was clearly trying to conceal it, they followed her lead for the time being, but no doctor could be comfortable seeing someone pale from pain, holding back in silence.

“The Major is sensitive to smells. Since ophthalmic surgery hardly bleeds, he would’ve found it suspicious if he smelled blood from somewhere.”

“You mean you waited this whole time because of that?”

The moment the knife, which had been blocking the wound, was pulled out, blood spilled out in a rush. Fortunately, the area wasn’t life-threatening, but the entire blade had embedded into her leg. Had it been even slightly longer, it would’ve pierced through.

Paulina clicked her tongue as she examined the depth of the stab wound. “That was luck. No damage to the bone. Thankfully it hit the leg—if it had been your abdomen, it could’ve been a serious injury. And this, it’s going to leave a scar.”

As Paulina examined the wound, Rose deliberately turned her head slightly to gaze out the window. She didn’t have the nerve to stare at her own injury. However, she faintly smiled at Paulina’s warning that it would leave a scar.

“What are you smiling about? You’re going to have a scar on such smooth skin.”

“Just… I’m glad there’ll be at least one thing that won’t disappear.”

It was a puzzling remark. Coming from someone so young, it sounded strangely sorrowful—almost profound.

While pressing the wound firmly to stop the bleeding, Paulina looked at Rose for a moment. Afternoon light poured directly over her face.

Paulina, who had always seen Rose overshadowed by Ezekiel, saw her true face properly for the first time that day.

Despite the youthful features, Paulina finally understood why Rose’s age had always seemed ambiguous. Her speech and demeanor were mature, but more than that, the complexity in her gaze left people with a lingering ache.

There was too much story in the face of someone so young.

Especially her eyes—those were truly strange.

Perhaps sensing Paulina’s gaze, Rose lowered her eyes. Even so, the impression remained vivid. Her eyes, layered with subtle depths of light and shadow, were a mysteriously beautiful shade of hazel—complex and delicate.