Translator: Nox

51 - The Time of the Blind Beast (15+ Revised Edition)

Chapter 51

At Ezekiel’s assertion, Polina gazed at the master of the mansion and the maid he had indicated.

He was bathed obliquely in the afternoon light that seeped through the half-drawn curtains. Half of his face, brightly revealed, was elegant, while the other half, submerged in darkness, was intense. He was a man like a meticulously painted portrait, whose presence at the center of attention was understandable even after traversing blood, sweat, and dirt-strewn battlefields.

And the maid, standing a step behind the man and settled in the shadows, was a striking beauty. She was the one who had guided Polina to the drawing-room. Appearing at times like a young girl, and at others like a more mature lady, the maid gave an impression of agelessness despite her clearly youthful features. Furthermore, she was one of the rare individuals who did not scream or recoil upon seeing the burn scars that covered Polina’s face.

She was none other than…

“Rose will be by your side.”

The woman Ezekiel had referred to with unparalleled gentleness, the woman whose very first impression, tone, and demeanor exuded an innate arrogance and coldness: Rose.

“Isn’t that right, Rose?”

Ezekiel stretched his lips into a long smile, seeking agreement from the maid.

Normally, people who suddenly lose their sight experience a loss of spatial awareness and an inability to read facial expressions, leading to awkwardness in their emotional expression and movements for a while. However, Ezekiel was not like that. Especially when the accident that caused his blindness was sudden, people often became consumed by shock and rage, losing control of themselves. Yet, Ezekiel’s demeanor towards the maid showed no signs of instability. By all appearances, Ezekiel simply wanted to be the only man in her life.

So, they aren’t deeply involved.

Somehow, from the start, there had been a subtle undercurrent between them, more than just master and maid.

Still, the surgery was a separate matter. Polina shook her head, hoping Rose would help persuade him.

“Regardless of Miss Rose’s presence, opium is necessary.”

“It’s not necessary.”

But Ezekiel was equally firm.

“It is. Didn’t I say Rose is all I need?”

Ezekiel, who insisted on undergoing surgery without opium, and Polina, who insisted it was impossible without it, refused to budge. As their opinions remained irreconcilable, Rose, unable to take anyone’s side, fell into silent contemplation.

From the perspective of a Doctor who had to perform the surgery, Polina’s concern to minimize any potential risks was valid. However, recalling the suffering endured to overcome withdrawal symptoms, Ezekiel’s aversion to opium was also understandable.

Rose asked quietly,

“If you have the surgery, will your eyesight truly return?”

“I believe it will, provided no unforeseen circumstances disrupt the surgery.”

“Even though it’s a complex surgery, is there no possibility of it going wrong?”

The questions continued in the same tone.

It was natural for anxiety about the surgical outcome to be high, given that it was not a common procedure. In fact, most patients would hesitate until the very end, only seeking out Polina when their condition had worsened to near blindness. This was how she inadvertently became accustomed to complex surgeries.

Polina responded to his questions with the demeanor of a Doctor.

“To be frank, if I were to claim a one hundred percent certainty of success, I would be a fraud. However, when it comes to ophthalmic surgery, there is no Doctor in Astria with more experience than I. I perform only ophthalmic surgeries. If I cannot succeed, I believe no one else in Astria can.”

“……I see.”

There was a slight pause between the movement of her lips and the voice that actually emerged. Because of this, Rose’s reply carried a subtle nuance.

Polina, slightly puzzled, focused on Rose.

Isn’t she hoping the surgery will be a success?

Like other patients, the strongest emotion Polina sensed from Rose’s reaction was fear. And within the worry and sadness, there was a dullness mixed with a hint of resignation.

Resignation?

Resignation? What reason would she have to resign herself when the man she loves is regaining his sight?

That can’t be right. I must have misread it.

Polina pushed the ambiguous sense of unease from her mind.

“Is there a particular reason you insist on only ophthalmic surgery?”

Ezekiel’s question followed.

Most Doctors handled multiple fields simultaneously. While they might have specialized knowledge in certain areas, it was rare for someone to perform ‘only’ one type of surgery as Polina described.

“Is it a surgery that doesn’t involve seeing blood?”

“No. If a Doctor were afraid of blood, it would be absurd. I myself have experienced shedding a great deal of blood.”

“Then why?”

Polina ran her hand over the burn scars that had consumed her skin.

“You may not have shown it, Miss Rose, but I have severe burn scars on my face.”

Polina’s voice was matter-of-fact. She spoke of the incident that had ruined her face without seeking the listener’s pity or sympathy, as if simply stating a fact.

“About eight years ago, there was a fire at the school. It started from some scientific experiment in a nearby lab, and it spread until it reached the medical department, I believe.”

Rose’s eyes widened.

“That’s terrible……”

“At the time, I was asleep in a practice room where no one else was present. The other students evacuated outside, not realizing I was missing. I woke up to the acrid smoke, only to find the flames already raging beyond control.”

“……”

“The practice room was in a secluded location, with no windows. It was surrounded by fire, and the smoke made the door invisible. I thought I was going to die. But suddenly, a classmate rushed in to find me.”

Rose spoke carefully.

“He must have been a very close friend. To rush in and save you despite such a large fire.”

“Well, rather than close… he was a rival. We were constantly competing. He had the best grades among the male students, and I had the best among the female students. Because of that, we were treated as the male and female representatives, leading to a rivalry based on pride. People often say my tone is stiff and intimidating when I work as a Doctor, but that’s a habit I picked up in college. There were few female students in the medical department, so most of us tended to change our way of speaking to avoid appearing weak.”

The specialized school for training Doctors was a place students who wanted to conduct more in-depth research after graduating from a general school, like Rose’s, entered with a recommendation from the principal. It was a place where only a select few bright students gathered, so a rivalry was bound to occur.

“So, it’s likely that classmate was the first to notice my absence… In any case, it was that day we first held hands. Until then, every time test results were announced, I would swat away his hand because I found his gesture of offering a handshake so irritating.

Even amidst the gravity of the situation, there was a particular detail that caught her ear. Polina was likely the only one who had purely viewed the other person as a rival.

Rose looked down at her own hands.

She wouldn’t have known before, but now she did. Ever since she acknowledged her feelings, Ezekiel couldn’t keep his hands off Rose’s. He would constantly touch and caress them, often interlocking their fingers. Even during intimacy, and on mornings after they slept together, their fingers were always intertwined.

“I had no time to dwell on my usual discomfort. We ran out, holding hands, desperate to survive. The problem was, the building began to collapse. Flames poured onto my face, and there was no way to avoid them. It was even worse for my classmate. Building debris flew into his eyes. As he couldn’t open his eyes, my classmate pushed me, urging me to go first.”

“How did you escape?”

“After that, I don’t remember much except that I pulled my classmate along by the hand. We just ran blindly, shielding ourselves with our bodies against the flames, and somehow we found ourselves outside. Fortunately, there were many people from the medical department nearby, so we received immediate first aid… but as you can see, the scars on my face remained. And while I was injured, my classmate’s injuries were actually more severe. Besides the severe burns, debris had dug deep into his eyes, rendering him completely blind.”

“Ah……”

Rose chose her words carefully.

“Then you must have graduated school alone.”

“No. My classmate was originally brilliant, um, exceptionally so. He memorized entire books after reading them once. On the other hand, I was a hard worker who studied through sheer repetition. So, the professors considered him too talented to simply dismiss him for losing his sight and allowed him to take his exams orally. My classmate and I continued to compete for the top spot and graduated together.”

Polina smiled broadly.

“And then we got married immediately.”

It was the first time she had shown such a clear smile.