Translator: Nox

44 - Chapter 44

Ryan stared blankly at her.

Even in the darkness, her figure was surprisingly clear.

She was a mess, as if she had fought a deserter.

Her hair was disheveled like a madwoman, and her clothes, which had been spotless the last time he saw her, were now stained with mud.

Moreover, she was panting and holding a rock in her hand, which she had clearly used to strike the deserter moments ago.

She didn't look like the lady the world talked about in any way. But absurdly, Ryan couldn't take his eyes off Eloise in this state.

"Ryan! Are you okay? Good heavens, God! Your face! Your face!"

Eloise screamed, threw the rock she was holding, and rushed towards him.

"You're hurt!"

Saying that, Eloise touched his cheek.

Her fingers barely touched him, but it was as hot as if he had touched fire, and Ryan flinched involuntarily.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"No, it's not that... Wait. Just step back for a moment."

Ryan quickly stepped back. Somehow, he felt that if he didn't, a difficult situation would arise.

After taking a step back, he finally wiped his stinging cheek with the back of his hand.

Blood smeared thickly on the back of his hand. Apparently, when he dodged the deserter's attack earlier, the dagger had grazed his face.

"Ah, the dagger!"

He immediately got up and looked around.

He found the dagger near the deserter who had fallen next to him, picked it up, and threw it far away.

He examined the fallen deserter.

As Ryan placed his hand on the back of his neck, Eloise asked in a tense voice.

"Is he... dead?"

At her nervous voice, Ryan shook his head.

"No, he's just unconscious. Of course, he'll be dizzy and in pain enough to want to die when he wakes up, but we don't need to worry about that."

With that, he took off his coat and tore it. Even though it was an outer coat for going out, it was a light summer coat, so it tore easily in his hands.

Ryan twisted the long strip of cloth around and made it into a rope, then tied the unconscious deserter's hands behind his back.

He tied his legs with another rope and even gagged him by putting the rope in his mouth.

His movements were quick, as if he was very used to restraining someone in this way.

"He won't be able to run away even if he wakes up with this."

He kicked the still limp deserter with a frustrated expression.

Then he turned to Eloise.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I rolled, so I'm a little sore."

"Were there any other problems?"

"Other problems?"

At that question, Ryan cleared his throat and pressed down on the back of the unconscious deserter.

"Did this guy do anything rude...?"

"No. You came right before he did."

At Eloise's words, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's a relief."

Even so, he put more strength into the foot that was stomping on the deserter's back.

Even though he was unconscious, the deserter groaned and squirmed, as if he felt the pain.

"It's a relief we didn't have to kill him and drag him away."

His voice was so chilling that Eloise swallowed hard without realizing it.

"First of all, thank you. I really thought it was all over..."

"What were you thinking! This happened because you left alone at this late hour!"

As Eloise was about to thank him, Ryan interrupted her and shouted in a voice that echoed through the forest.

As a result, the sound of birds startled and flying up from their deep sleep could be heard throughout the forest.

Eloise, who had shrunk at his roar for a moment, stared blankly at him. But that was only for a moment.

"I left alone because they said the deserter was caught, otherwise I wouldn't have gone alone either!"

Eloise's voice also echoed through the forest. The beasts of the forest, now fully awake from their sleep, glared with resentment in the darkness.

But the two of them didn't care at all.

"Besides, I was already tired from using my body too much during the day! I'm always grateful that you take me, but do you know how sorry I would feel to ask you to take me even on a day like today?!"

"So you knew you were grateful?"

"Of course! Ah, I'll say it in advance before I get more annoyed! Thank you for saving me!"

"Are you being grateful now, or are you getting annoyed?"

"Both! I'm grateful, but I'm annoyed! I'm scared to death that I was in a dangerous situation, but how can you scold me first!"

The two of them looked at each other and breathed roughly.

They didn't need a mirror to see what they looked like. They could guess what they looked like just by looking at each other.

After a long time of snorting and staring at each other, Ryan finally laughed first.

"Why are you laughing? Is this funny to you now? Doesn't it hurt? Ah, now that I think about it, are you okay?"

At Eloise's voice, which he couldn't tell whether she was angry at him or worried about him, he couldn't help but burst out laughing even louder.

He remembered Eloise's appearance when she was standing with the rock a moment ago.

Eloise could have run away alone. She had been facing fear alone until he arrived, so she must have wanted to escape from that fear immediately.

But she didn't run away and went back to find a bigger rock. And she knocked down the fear that had threatened her with her own hands.

What lady would hit someone with a rock the size of her head?

Ryan was sure that Eloise was the only woman in Feltham, Cambon, and Blissbury who would do such a thing.

She was a really strange woman.

And Ryan didn't dislike that Eloise.

The two decided to return to Blissbury.

Fortunately, the Eclipse that Eloise had ridden hadn't gone far and was circling around.

Ryan put the deserter on the back of the Eclipse and rode the horse he had come on with Eloise.

The horse, realizing that the man on its back was the one who had attacked him, deliberately shook its body to drop the deserter.

Then it kicked him hard with its hind legs.

Crack!

A chilling sound could be heard. At the same time, the deserter, who had been unconscious, woke up screaming.

Ryan shook his head as he looked at his leg, which had been bent in a strange direction. Now the deserter would never be able to escape.

The two returned together on the horse that Ryan had ridden.

Knowing that he wasn't going to die anyway, they put the deserter back on the back of the Eclipse, and no matter how much he cried and begged, the two argued all the way back.

And when the two returned to the mansion, Blissbury was turned upside down.

The workers dragged the deserter out and tied him to a tree in the garden, and Mr. Palmer hurriedly gathered medicine to treat Eloise and Ryan's wounds.

Mrs. Parker, surprised and tearful, brought clothes for the two to change into.

Her heart was still pounding and her eyes were clearer because she had experienced something so terrible. So Eloise thought she wouldn't be able to fall asleep until morning.

But contrary to her thoughts, after washing her body and changing her clothes, and confirming that Ryan wasn't seriously injured, an unbearable sleepiness washed over her.

When Eloise opened her eyes again, Mrs. Suberton and Emily had arrived at Blissbury with faces that looked like they were about to suffocate.

"Eloise! Dear!"

Eloise thought it wasn't appropriate to call a twenty-six-year-old woman that, but she kept her mouth shut for now.

Mrs. Suberton hugged Eloise and cried for a long time, repeatedly muttering prayers of thanks to God.

Behind her, Emily also made the sign of the cross without stopping and vowed to go to church this weekend, not to doze off during prayer time, and to give an offering.

Mrs. Suberton cried for a long time, then finally calmed down and stroked Eloise's hair, asking.

"So, are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm fine. Ryan came and saved me right before I was in danger."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. When she looked up, Ryan was standing in front of the slightly open door, as if asking if he could come in. "Ryan? What's wrong?"

"It's about the deserter."

Eloise said she would be back in a moment and went out into the hallway.

"The constabulary arrived a little while ago. They were very surprised when they saw the person tied up. They said they already had a deserter in their prison."

"Then..."

"There were two deserters."

"...Good heavens. I thought it was strange. The places where they saw the deserter were all over the place, and at first, the damage was clearly just the disappearance of boiled potatoes left at home, but suddenly people were being attacked..."

She wondered if the deserter had become extreme as he was cornered, but since there were two people from the beginning, their actions were different and they were seen in different places.

"Anyway, he was escorted away. He's injured, so he'll get treatment, but the trial will be over and he'll be transferred to prison before his broken bones are fully healed."

He looked at Mrs. Suberton and Emily, who were waiting for Eloise in the room, and said with a smile.

"The constabulary said that only one person needs to be interviewed, so I'll do it. Mrs. Suberton must have been very surprised, so you should reassure your mother."

Eloise smiled and replied to him, who had considered her situation.

"Thank you, Ryan. I'll try to come down as soon as possible."

Ryan said it was okay and went down to the first floor, and Eloise returned to the room.

Then Mrs. Suberton said to her in amazement.

"You seem to have become very close to Sergeant Thornton?"

"Yes?"

At the unexpected words, Eloise looked at Mrs. Suberton as if asking what she was talking about.

"No, I'm just saying that because you called him by his first name so comfortably a little while ago."

At Mrs. Suberton's words, Eloise finally realized.

At some point, the two of them had been calling each other by their first names.