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Selina stretched out her hand to Count Orlen, who was falling backwards, but she was too hasty. Because she couldn’t hold her center of gravity, she couldn’t fully receive him, and they fell down together. The two of them fell to the floor with a loud noise.
A stabbing pain ran through her elbow and knee.
Only then did the world find its speed. Selina jumped up and looked over Count Orlen’s body. Without looking long, an arrow in his chest caught her eye. Startled by the blood all over her body, Selina tingled with numbness everywhere the blood flowed through.
“A-ah, Cou—Count… Count, Count!”
A beat later, a scream broke out.
There was no reply from Count Orlen. There was no expression on his face with his eyes closed. It was as if he had cooled down pale in an instant.
In fact, a person was shot and fell in front of her. He might be dead.
All she could do was scream.
“Please, step aside for a moment!”
“Come this way!”
“Lady, come this way!”
With Selina’s scream as a signal, the escorts around her rushed towards the two of them. As Count Orlen’s escorts shoved Selina, her escorts brought her to safety. Blood and death were familiar to them. So, even in this situation, they calmly did what they had to do.
However, Selina couldn’t. It was best to keep her mouth shut and back off when Count Orlen’s escorts pushed her away.
‘I’m no help here. Don’t even shout, and don’t even stay on their side for nothing.’
The more she did this, the more impatient she felt like she needed to do something. Nonetheless, staying still could help.
Pressing down on her desire to move, Selina muttered to herself endlessly.
She shouldn’t speak, she shouldn’t scream, and tremble like a shocked blind person here. It was good enough that she didn’t repeat ‘Is he okay?’, which was not helpful even if she asked for no reason.
When something happened, the escorts struggled as much as they did to clear up the situation, and it was to calm the frail nobles who buzzed in surprise. Selina was surprised that her head had turned white in the shock, but she was desperately trying to do something to help the situation. It was something to be grateful for.
Once the escorts step forward, this type of attack usually didn’t follow again for the second or third time though they couldn’t let their guard down.
The escorts assisted her, who dragged her back, and headed towards the barracks. Selina walked as if being dragged along. She didn’t even know if her legs were moving. At the same time, the footsteps of people running past her were humming dully, like hearing the sound of stone in the water.
The horn sounded low like a vibration, announcing the news to those on the hunt.
As soon as Selina entered the barracks, she collapsed into the chair. She couldn’t remember anything she saw on the way back. Only Count Orlen, who had fallen before her eyes, and the arrow stuck in his chest, came to mind.
It was only after drinking water that the maid brought that she could inquire about the situation.
“…What happened? Who shot him?”
The escort guarding her side shook his head.
“Nothing is certain. It may have been an arrow that flew out while hunting in the forest, or it could have been a male or female.”
“Who is the culprit?”
“It will be tracked.”
Little by little, Selina was able to think properly in response to the escort’s sensible answer.
“Count Orlen. Is he okay…”
Because he was hit in the chest and nowhere else, she wanted to check whether he was alive or dead. As she got up, staggering in the urgency, the escort pressed her on the shoulder and sat her back down.
“You can’t even go in now. It will be under control until Count Orlen wakes up.”
“Ah…”
It was then that she realized that the doctor would be treating him.
“…I guess he hasn’t regained consciousness yet.”
Selina covered her face with her hands and buried her face in her lap. The breath in her hands was thick as blood. She looked like she was going to drown in the gooey air.
At the sound of the barracks fluttering, she managed to raise her head.
“Selina!”
Kalcion, whose complexion looked as if he had been hit by the arrow, came crashing down like a storm and knelt down on one knee in front of Selina’s chair. As soon as he got off the horse, he ran and left the bow while the javelin was still hanging from his body.
“Are you okay? Were you injured?”
“I’m okay.”
“I heard there was a secret attack.”
“It was not me, but Count Orlen. In the arrow, the chest…”
The sight of Count Orlen falling filled her eyes. Kalcion’s face became blurred as if it was covered in the background.
“Get yourself together.”
The afterimage that filled her eyes was scattered as he grabbed her two arms and shook them. Kalcion’s figure became clear again, gazing at her with a pale face.
“Selina.”
“Ugh…”
When she opened her mouth to answer, it poured out like she was out of breath.
“There is no need to force an answer. Just breathe.”
It wasn’t until she heard his voice that she realized she was holding her breath. Selina consciously inflated her lungs and repeated the breathing. Meanwhile, Kalcion watched from the other side without taking his eyes off her for a moment.
“Hoo… Whoo…”
As soon as her breath returned, Kalcion also got up.
The servants clung to him and removed the bow and javelin. However, they left his armor intact as it was still a dangerous situation.
“Let’s withdraw for once.”
She had nothing to take care of, so she got up straight away.
“Ah!”
Even though she thought she had taken care of her mind, her surprised body had not yet calmed down. Contrary to her will, there was no strength in her legs, so she almost collapsed.
Kalcion, who was a few steps away, ran faster than the escort next to her and grabbed Selina’s body, and held her.
“I’d better carry you.”
It would be better for him to hold her and walk fast than to walk slowly, supporting her staggering legs. So, Selina wrapped her arms around Kalcion’s neck without hesitation.
His body memorized holding her. He moves on a subconscious level by memorizing how much force to put on his arms and shoulders and where to place her lower body’s center of gravity. It was natural enough that it wasn’t much different from wielding a sword.
“Oh my God, what is this? An accident?”
“Even if you’re careful, this kind of thing happens once in a while…”
“What happened during the hunt?”
“Shh.”
As she stepped out of the barracks, a buzzing murmur caught her ear. There were also a lot of gazes towards Selina, the main character of the accident.
Selina buried her face deep in the nape of Kalcion’s neck. She didn’t want to be noticed. However, the gaze, which had already gathered around her, did not go away. She was just grateful to Kalcion, who kept stepping forward as if he didn’t feel anything.
Coincidentally, on the way to the carriage, there were the barracks of Count Orlen. The escorts around the barracks tightly surrounded the place.
While passing by with a worried mind, she couldn’t take her eyes off the barracks entrance, and a man who looked like a doctor appeared. If he looked busy, she was going to pass it by, although the doctor sighed at the entrance and straightened his back.
Maybe, she can ask a word or two.
“Wait.”
Selina jumped off Kalcion’s arm and ran to the doctor.
“The Count, how about the Count?”
The doctor took a step back at the woman who approached him out of nowhere. Still, it was clear that she wasn’t a suspicious person.
“Fortunately, the vital point was missed. All that remains is stamina and resilience.”
“Ahh…”
She was glad that he was not dead.
Selina exhaled a sigh of relief that was pouring out of her depths and leaned her back against Kalcion’s chest, which was approaching her back. As the tension relaxed, she became more dizzy and shaky.
“Is he conscious?”
Kalcion asked on behalf of Selina.
“He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I’ve put a sleeping incense on for treatment, too, so he won’t wake up for a while.”
“I see.”
Since he hadn’t regained consciousness and the doctor was even treating him now, there was no reason for the two of them to be in Count Orlen’s barracks. They quickly backed away and helped by getting rid of the disturbance.
As she turned around, the entrance to the barracks fluttered once more. Naturally, she glanced towards it.
The person who came out of the barracks was the Crown Prince.
Surprised by the Crown Prince’s unexpected appearance, Selina hastily bowed her head.
“I heard a little bit about it. The accident must have happened right before your eyes.”
“…Yes.”
“There’s always the risk of accidents in hunting competitions. No matter how careful we are, this happens every once in a while. It’s a pity that this happened to the Count, who was not feeling well and did not participate in the hunt.”
“Yes…”
Selina just repeated yes, yes, yes to his words.
“It is deplorable that such an unexpected accident occurred at a hunting contest hosted by the Royal Family. If you need anything for the Count’s recovery, don’t hesitate to ask.”
The Crown Prince gave instructions to the person who appeared to be the Count’s lieutenant. Although it was common sense, it looked rather strange because he was the ‘Prince.’ The person who warned everyone to be on the lookout was particularly normal and calm in front of Selina.
After giving instructions to the lieutenant, he now turned to her with a sad face.
“You must have been very surprised. I have brought the most beautiful game for you, but I don’t think you want to be too surprised now, so I’ll give it to you next time.”
“Yes… Thank you.”
“Then, go and get some rest.”
It was only when she turned around that she realized that the Crown Prince had not spoken a word to Kalcion. But, instead of arguing about that, she wanted to get out of this place.
Following the quick pace as if running away, the Crown Prince’s gaze followed her for a long time.