May Every Wound Be Fatal - vanish into fiction

“…….”

Reyna blinked her tear-soaked eyes at him several times. He then added an explanation.

“You have perspired a great deal, so I will wipe your body first and then apply a fresh bandage.”

After her lips trembled for a moment, Reyna finally managed to ask.

“…You will, Your Majesty?”

A brief silence followed before he answered calmly.

“…You need not worry about my skill. I was originally a knight, and wrapping a bandage is something I am well acquainted with….”

However, Reyna could not remain calm.

“No, no…. I do not want to. That is….”

She was not unaware of the fact that she was being oddly stubborn. However, she was too terrified to show her bare leg to him. If it looked this hideous to her own eyes, how would it appear to his?

“It is too…. It is too unsightly for you to see….”

Out of shame, her voice naturally trailed off. She could no longer meet his eyes.

“Reyna….”

Elizer knelt at her feet once again and looked up at her.

Feeling his gaze upon her face, Reyna squeezed her eyes shut. Tears pushed out from her eyelids and fell onto her lap in heavy drops.

It was precisely then that something firm, rough, and warm touched her tear-stained cheek.

Reyna’s eyes flew open. Her green eyes, glistening under a thin film of tears, looked back at him in surprise.

Incredibly, his hand was fumbling across her cheek, wiping away her tears.

“…….”

A large teardrop that had been blurring her vision wobbled precariously on her lower lashes before rolling down.

Reyna closed her eyes once and then opened them. His face, distorted as if he were about to burst into tears himself, suddenly became clear.

“That is not true. Do not say such things….”

His voice gradually slowed and then stopped once.

“…Never say such things again.”

“…….”

Because it felt as though he had been wounded by her words, Reyna could not say anything more. At some point, even her tears had stopped.

The hand that had been wiping the corners of her eyes moved away, and he whispered softly.

“You do not have to hide. It is alright.”

The strength slowly drained from her hands, which had been desperately clutching the hem of her gown.

Elizer watched Reyna’s reaction intently.

Once she seemed to have calmed down to some extent, he wrapped one hand around her shoulder and slid the other behind her knees. He carefully lifted her up and placed her toward the inner side of the bed.

A massive shadow gradually covered her. Reyna looked up at him, stiff with tension. When their eyes met, his pupils wavered slightly.

A moment of silence followed, and when Reyna did not say a word, his hand slowly pulled the belt of the gown she was wearing. The knot came undone, and the gown wrapping her body fell open.

This time, it was Reyna’s pupils that wavered. Elizer’s hand, which had been about to pull the loosened gown from her shoulders, paused for a moment.

At that tantalizing movement, Reyna looked at him as if she did not know what to do, before exhaling a short, gasping breath and lowering her gaze. Taking that as a signal, Elizer moved his hand again and removed her gown, which was damp with cold sweat.

‘How did things turn out like this….’

Reyna, who had suddenly become naked, was momentarily thrown into confusion. In the midst of that, her body shivered at the warm air touching her bare skin.

Reyna instinctively curled her legs and crossed her arms to cover her thin, withered body. It was more out of a sense of humiliation than mere bashfulness.

‘What will he think when he sees my changed body?’

Whether for better or worse, he had said nothing for a while now. Only the sound of splashing water and the sound of a wet towel being wrung out echoed through the quiet room.

Soon, Elizer sat on the edge of the bed and began to wipe Reyna’s body.

First was the nape of her neck, and next was her left shoulder. There was no hesitation in his touch.

When his hand, which had traveled down her left arm, gently took the hand she was using to cover her chest, Reyna became so tense she forgot even to breathe.

It was a very strange thing.

Reyna was a noble lady who had never washed her own body. Therefore, she was accustomed to the hands of others touching every corner of her form.