It was not just Melissa; even the maids and guards standing around were looking at Mary and Dorothy with deep disgust.
Melissa no longer even had the urge to slap their cheeks.
Even in a situation like this, neither of them showed the slightest remorse. Instead, they thought only of pinning the blame on one another, proving that they truly were… beyond redemption.
“Throw them in the dungeon until the Duke hands down his order.”
The Head Maid gave the command to a nearby soldier.
“Ma’am! Please, Ma’am!”
The guards dragged the two maids down without mercy.
Pressing a hand to her throbbing forehead, Melissa turned her eyes away from the sight, only to spot a member of the search party riding furiously into the estate in the distance.
The soldier hastily dismounted, hurried over, and whispered into Melissa’s ear.
“We found the missing maid. And…”
The moment she heard the report, the color drained completely from Melissa’s face.
“There are scratches on her face and arms, but there don't seem to be any serious injuries.”
“Applying ointment will be sufficient.”
The Palace Physician handed the medicine kit to Tilda, gave instructions on how to tend to me, and left.
“That’s impossible! Look at her closely. She fell from a sheer cliff—how could she be fine?!”
The doctor replied in an aggrieved tone at Tilda’s insistence.
“Her bones are entirely intact, and there are no tears or internal bleeding anywhere.”
“I’m fine, Tilda. Really, nothing hurts.”
Perhaps it was thanks to the Silver Wolf I had seen in my dream, but my body truly had no noticeable ailments.
To be honest, I was far more worried about Callius’s condition than my own.
On our way out of the forest, we had run into the ducal search party, and thanks to them, we made it back to the manor quickly.
Callius had been completely exhausted, so Brandon took charge of carrying him straight to his bedchamber.
The Head Maid and the Head Butler, who had stayed awake because of the turmoil sweeping the estate, rushed to check on the young master’s condition the moment the news reached them.
It seemed they hadn't had the faintest idea that Callius had walked out of the manor on his own two feet.
Once the physician left the room after finishing the examination, Tilda began dabbing ointment onto my wounds, muttering under her breath.
“Ah, well, it’s a relief the young master cares for you this much. If not for his orders, you’d probably still be lost in the woods right now.”
“…That’s true.”
“And on top of that, he had his own personal doctor examine you, even with how high her fees are. Looks like you’ve earned quite a bit of his trust, haven’t you?”
She said it teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.
Yet the more she spoke, the more my anxiety grew for Callius, who was surely lying in bed at this very moment.
“No, I can’t just sit here. I have to go check on him…”
“Lie back down, Lizzy! Even the Head Maid said so!”
Tilda tried everything to force me back into the chair, but I was determined, slipping out of the staff lounge anyway.
When I finally reached Callius’s bedroom door, hushed whispers were drifting from within.
It seemed several people had gathered to check on the young master’s state.
Faced with that scene, a strange mixture of emotions stirred in my chest.
Until recently, this room had been nothing more than a cold, desolate place that nobody visited.
Now, it was surrounded by all these people worrying over him.
I hesitated briefly before entering, overcome by an odd sense of unfamiliarity, when—
“Lizzy.”
The Head Maid called out to me after noticing me at the door.
“Is the young master all right?”
“Fortunately, his life is in no danger… But what exactly happened in the forest?”
“The truth is… while I was picking raspberries on my own, someone approached me pretending to be Brandon.”
Entering the room, I began calmly recounting what had transpired.
“He claimed something terrible had happened to Lord Callius, and in my panic, I followed him without thinking it through.”
Someone inside the room muttered, “How unfortunate…” swallowing a sigh.
I could easily guess what was running through their mind.
They were surely thinking, ‘If only this maid could see, things wouldn’t have gone this far…’
Soon enough, that very thought surfaced clearly in the words of the Head Maid and the Head Butler.
“Taking someone who cannot see into the forest was clearly a hasty decision.”
“That it ended only like this is nothing short of sheer luck.”
“I understand you cannot see, but you should have exercised far more caution.”
“Be sure to pay closer attention from now on.”
“Yes, Head Butler. Yes, Head Maid.”
“Very well. The young master needs ample rest now, so you should take your leav—”
“No. Lizzy, stay.”
Melissa was abruptly cut off by Callius’s voice—we had assumed he was asleep.
“The rest of you, return to where you came from. I am fine. And inform my father not to worry.”
“B-but…”
“Get out.”
“…Yes. As you wish, Young Master.”
The Head Maid reluctantly complied, and everyone else followed her out of the room.
Click.
The door shut.
In that instant, a heavy silence settled over the room, as though everything that had just occurred was a mere illusion.
Yet having dismissed everyone else to keep only me behind, Callius did not say a word.
I stepped forward cautiously and came to a stop beside the head of his bed.
“My Lord.”
"…"
“Are you truly all right?”
“Enough with that question. I’ve heard it dozens of times already.”
He answered in a faint voice, clearly having not yet regained his strength.
Even so, he was no longer gasping or groaning in pain, allowing me to let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry, My Lord.”
I murmured with my head lowered.
“If only I hadn’t followed that man back then…”
"…"
“Ah, why didn't I realize his voice wasn't Brandon's? I’ve heard it so many times before.”
“Stop. What matters is that everyone is safe.”
Callius said.
“The Head Maid was right. Going into the forest was a foolish choice to begin with. I’ll be much more careful from now on and won't do anything reckless.”
“I said that’s enough. This also happened because of my own carelessness…”
He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
There was an unspoken emotion lingering beneath his tone.
And as we both held our breath in the heavy atmosphere—
“What about you? Is your body really fine?”
He shifted the subject smoothly, as if asking after me had been on his mind from the start.
“Oh, yes. Aside from a few scratches, I’m completely fine. Even the doctor was surprised by it.”
“Come closer.”
When I stepped closer hesitantly, Callius gently took hold of my chin.
“Ah.”
“Stay still.”
He turned my face left and right, inspecting it carefully.
“I don't see any injuries besides the scratches… Move your arm.”
“My arm?”
“Go on.”
Under his insistence, I had no choice but to bend and straighten my arm like a machine.
“Like this?”
“Your legs too.”
“Really… I told you, I’m fine. Even the doctor said so earlier.”
“The man who fell off the cliff with you died instantly.”
Callius said, his voice laced with suppressed anger.
“So how can you alone be completely unharmed? Truly, nothing hurts at all?”
“That’s because…”
My voice trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging.
The truth was, I didn't understand it myself.
‘I passed out while falling and remember nothing… When I woke up, I was already lying on the ground.’
Right then, the silver-furred wolf flashed in my mind.
‘I dreamed that it brought me down safely to the earth…’
Yet that had only been a dream.
“Perhaps a tree caught me as I fell.”
I said quickly.
“That must be why the impact was softened for me alone.”
“…If that’s the case, then that is a relief.”
Only then did Callius seem convinced, letting his hand drop.
“If you feel any pain later, tell me at once. I will instruct the Palace Physician to examine you whenever needed.”
“Yes, I will.”
