I Don't Need the Grand Duke's Regret - Chapter 142
It was Ricardo who single-handedly killed the leader beast and swept through the Isota Canyon.
Yet now, he was injured while fighting the very beasts he had once vanquished.
“…Rabel.”
Missus Catarina was startled by the voice and looked up.
Before her was Ricardo, gasping as if engulfed by pain. His face was drenched in sweat, and his dark hair clung to him.
But he didn’t look weak or frail. Instead, he resembled a young hero enduring divine trials.
As Ricardo groaned like he was trapped in a terrible nightmare, the woman beside him lifted her head.
It was Princess Mirabel.
“I’m here.”
At the princess’s gentle voice, Ricardo’s gasping quieted.
As her pale hand patted his veined hand, Ricardo began to breathe more comfortably.
He appeared to fall into a deep sleep as if under a slumber spell, and Ugo let out a sigh of relief.
“Is he going to be okay?”
Ugo flinched at Mirabel’s sudden question. He blinked and then turned his gaze to Ricardo.
“Most people would have passed out before even making it into the castle.”
Ugo took a deep breath and tossed the blood-soaked cloth into the basin. As he looked at the basin filled with the towels stained from Ricardo’s blood, he continued,
“With this level of bleeding, shock would be expected.”
“But Ricardo isn’t an ordinary person.”
“…Yes.”
Ugo looked speechless when the princess casually used the Grand Duke’s name. Still, under the weight of her serious mood, he nodded.
“His injuries are severe, so it will take time, but he will recover. I’ve done everything I can for him. Now, we just have to trust in His Grace’s resilience.”
The princess sighed deeply at Ugo’s response, appearing to finally relax.
“That’s right. It will be okay, he’ll be fine.”
Her voice, murmuring as if casting a spell on herself, brought silence to the room.
It was because the voice was so desperate.
Missus Catarina quietly clasped her hands together, feeling an inexplicable need to comfort the princess.
But a mere maid could not dare to offer words of comfort to a princess first.
So, Missus Catarina simply watched the princess in silence.
Missus Catarina had heard from Sophie about the rough situation.
The princess and her party had encountered a starving horde of beasts by unfortunate chance, and Ricardo had fought desperately to protect them.
As Sophie explained to Ugo and Missus Catarina, she continuously watched the princess with anxious eyes.
At first, Missus Catarina couldn’t understand why Sophie was so concerned.
The princess looked fine compared to the injured Ricardo. Thus, she thought Sophie was being overly dramatic.
However, it soon became clear why Sophie was worried about the princess.
Mirabel hadn’t lived normally for the past two days. She had been too busy helping Ugo care for Ricardo.
Except when checking on Prince Charles, she hadn’t left Ricardo’s side at all.
Her previously composed demeanor was now overshadowed by a sense of regret.
Occasionally, the princess would quietly clutch her chest and exhale painfully, and that pitiable sight was enough to make Missus Catarina’s heart ache.
Princess Mirabel was barely holding on through sheer willpower.
“After the recent coughing up of blood, all the toxins should be out now, so we just need to wait for him to wake up. Before that, we need to change the sheets.”
At Ugo’s words, the princess jumped to her feet. She reached out without hesitation for the bed sheets.
When she pulled on the sheets as if she intended to change them herself, Missus Catarina gasped and stopped her.
“That’s the maid’s job. Princess, please rest. We will take care of the Grand Duke.”
“…Then what should I do?”
“Excuse me?”
“What can I do for him?”
Her voice was on the verge of breaking into tears. As the flustered Missus Catarina struggled to respond, the princess took a slow breath. Then, as if nothing had happened, she spoke in a calm tone.
“Has Ezio woken up?”
“Yes, he regained consciousness this morning.”
“Please let me know the moment the Grand Duke wakes up.”
The princess earnestly urged Missus Catarina and let go of the sheets. After standing for a while, she reluctantly turned away from Ricardo to leave.
* * *
Mirabel quietly made her way. The knights’ quarters where Ezio was staying were behind the main building. She hadn’t requested guidance, but no one seemed to take notice of that.
Mirabel had grown accustomed to the scenery of the Vittore mansion during her time there.
Only the knights stationed in the quiet hallways paid her any attention.
Each time she passed through their area, they would offer a brief salute, their expressions tense. Everyone was on edge due to the fact that the Grand Duke had been severely injured.
Some even stepped forward to follow the princess, but Mirabel declined them all.
She needed time alone. The anxiety she had been avoiding while caring for Ricardo was threatening to overwhelm her.
‘Surely, he won’t die like this.’
Mirabel took a deep breath to calm her restless heart as she left the mansion.
Her steps began to slow as she made her way towards the path leading to the knights’ quarters.
Staring at the beautiful sight of white snow piled on the black branches, she bit her lip. She held her veil-covered face tightly and breathed heavily.
Her slender shoulders trembled violently, and the white mist that escaped her red lips spread against the gray sky.
“It doesn’t make sense for you to die like this.”
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