Chapter 42: Chapter 42

The pessimistic thoughts and optimistic expectations in Tristan’s mind shattered in an instant.

By the time he regained his senses, he was already walking toward the royal infirmary tent, holding Doris tightly in his arms.

He called for a doctor to handle the urgent matter and listened to the situation.

Doris’s explanation was brief.

“I tripped. My arm must’ve been scratched by something like a thick branch.”

Well, that’s a bit of an understatement.

Her explanation barely covered half of what likely happened.

But Tristan didn’t press her further.

‘She might not want to talk about it.’

As he looked at Doris lying on the large bed in the infirmary, her fragility became even more apparent.

What had she endured with such a delicate body?

Was it a beast? Or a man?

If she had been dragged through the mud by some monster…

Tristan swore to himself that he would throw that bastard into the creek without hesitation.

His anger didn’t even leave room for disappointment when Doris mentioned losing her gift.

What bothered him slightly, though, was the look of regret that crossed her face.

‘Was Doris hoping for a gift?’

Well, of course. It was only natural. A lady’s dream to give a small gift to the partner who would go off to battle, saying, “Please stay safe and come back.” Doris, my fiancée, must have been expecting it too.

‘Looks like I really do need to catch the alpha wolf.’

But that would have to come after finishing my tasks.

After confirming Doris’s expression had softened, Tristan left the infirmary.

Although it was a secret from Doris, he already had a destination in mind.

‘I’ll go to where Doris fell.’

There were enough clues to figure it out.

‘She mentioned the “small tent in the corner.”’

She hadn’t said anything earlier, but now she brought up the “small tent in the corner,” which clearly meant something had happened there.

Tristan recalled the locations of the small tents assigned to groups of four or fewer in the camp. There were five teams in total.

Now, the second clue surfaced.

‘Where would she have slipped?’

All the paths in the camp had been thoroughly checked and maintained. That much he could guarantee.

‘I made sure the tents near the camp’s boundary were reinforced just in case. That means Doris must have entered a tent in an area that hadn’t been fully maintained or was unnecessary to check.’

The area was immediately narrowed down.

There was only one tent behind a valley.

The one tent that had been visited by two people—Baron Meyer’s tent.

Tristan hurried his steps, bringing along a lantern and two hunting dogs.

He soon arrived at Baron Meyer’s tent. There was no sign of anyone, and the entrance was tightly secured. It didn’t seem like anyone had rushed out.

“Is anyone here?”

He held the lantern higher, but it seemed there was no one inside the tent.

Instead, by the side of the tent, there was an unmistakable sign of someone having been dragged, though the mark hadn’t been completely erased.

A long, dragged trace…

‘This…!’

As realization dawned, the hunting dogs began barking. Their noses were pointing toward the valley below.

No more hesitation. Tristan slid down the gentle slope, the dogs quickly following and finding their target.

The man, half-submerged in the water and groaning, turned out to be someone Tristan recognized.

“Ugh…”

“Alex?”

“Tr… Tristan? Ah, help… me…”

Tristan remained calm as he assessed Alex’s condition. He knew a bit about first aid.

“Move your feet.”

“W-why?”@@novelbin@@

“Do it now.”

“You… you’re asking if I’m hurt, aren’t you? Ugh!”

Tristan gripped Alex’s ankle and moved it. Good, his spine seemed fine.

With one swift motion, Tristan threw Alex over his shoulder. He had expected noise, but thankfully, Alex only squirmed weakly, unable to scream.

Following the dogs, Tristan moved forward.

Alex spoke weakly.

“Slow down, will you… damn it, my ribs… hurt…”

His sentence was complete, so it seemed he was still conscious enough.

That was good.

It meant Tristan could ask him the question.

“Alex. What were you up to?”

“Huh? Are you implying I did something wrong? …Of course, I slipped while hunting.”

“You wouldn’t be hunting alone without a guide. What did you do at Baron Meyer’s tent?”

His question became sharper.

Caught off guard, Alex squirmed, unable to answer right away.

“Ha…”

“Don’t waste my time. Does this have anything to do with the rabbit you caught earlier?”

“Since when did you change careers to be a detective?”

Alex grumbled for a moment, then, with a grimace, spoke.

“It was because of you.”

“What?”

“At the start of the season, I promised I’d bet on the marriage of Maria Meyer, and you said I should bet on her.”

“…That’s right.”

It was a day spent at the club, exchanging worthless jokes and wasting time and money.

Only a few months ago, hanging out at the club had been fun, but now, even thinking about it felt bitter.

Meanwhile, Alex continued.

“Now you don’t even talk to Maria at the balls, and you’ve stopped sending her flowers. Do you still want her?”

“…”

He did want her, of course.

The most beautiful woman in high society. With her by his side, he would surely garner envy from everyone at any event, in any country.

But somehow, when he imagined himself at the event now…

Without caring about other people’s gazes, the only thing in his mind was the look of…

“… That’s not important right now.”

Tristan clenched his teeth, pushing those thoughts aside.

“Why is my bet coming up in this situation?”

“Why? Because my money is on your marriage! But seeing you struggle with that face of hers, I thought I’d help make it easier for you to swallow!”

“Help?”

“One scandal, and her nose would be brought down, making it easier for you to approach!”

Alex chuckled maliciously.

“I was going to throw the injured rabbit into the tent, and when Maria screamed, I’d pretend to help and spend some time with her. With a man and woman alone in a tent, we could spread any rumor.”

“What?”

“I wasn’t going to do anything to her! I swear! I just thought if I could make a rumor, it’d lower her pride and make it easier for you to get closer…”

At that moment, the flickering lights of the camp seemed to grow dimmer in Tristan’s eyes. Alex, still unaware of how slow Tristan’s pace had become, continued to talk.

“I failed right after I threw the rabbit in the tent. Someone hit me from behind and pushed me into the valley.”

“…”

“The culprit must have been one of Meyer’s maids. She had a scratch on her arm just before I fell. If we find her, I’ll make her pay… Tristan?”

Tristan stopped and gently set Alex down. Alex, staggering in pain, bit his lower lip.

“Ugh… so, now you want me to walk to the infirmary alone? My legs are fine, but…”

“No.”

“Huh?”

Alex looked up at Tristan, but what he got wasn’t an answer—it was…

“...!”

Alex couldn’t even scream.

The flash of pain that struck him made one thing clear:

He wouldn’t be able to walk to the infirmary.

His shins felt like they were on fire from the broken bones. And once again…

Tristan reached down to grab Alex, lifting his old friend onto his shoulder.

Standing up, his face set in stone, he advanced.

Alex, growing more and more blurred in his vision, no longer saw the camp lights but the surrounding darkness.

“Di...e...!”

Tristan calmly responded.

“To fulfill my personal vow.”

“What…?”

It wasn’t surprising that Doris had thrown Alex into the valley earlier. After all, wasn’t it only natural that an engaged man would follow in the footsteps of his fiancée?

The hunting dogs, though confused, followed Tristan closely.

And Tristan realized something important.

‘I almost forgot.’

This time, he would find the gift Doris had lost.

***

I didn’t have any particular plans.

I hadn’t even eaten dinner yet.

But maybe it was because I had been busy since early morning. I tossed and turned in bed until I accidentally fell asleep, only to be startled awake by someone’s voice announcing, "I’m coming in."

“Ahh!”

Oh, my voice is cracking.

In front of me, Tristan looked down at me with an incredulous expression.

“Your Highness!”

“You could have stayed asleep longer.”

“What do you mean? The infirmary is for patients.”

“Are you not a patient?”

“I don’t have a fever anymore, and the pain is gone. I think I’m fine to go back…”

I looked around, trying to find a doctor who could confirm that I was indeed fine. But there was no one in the tent.

Where did the doctor go?

Tristan spoke up.

“Looking for the doctor? They’re busy in the general infirmary right now.”

“Really? What happened?”

“A seriously injured patient was found at the bottom of the valley.”

… No way, no way?

The only person who could be found injured at the bottom of the valley would be one person!

Unaware of my worry, Tristan casually answered.

“Don’t worry. He only has broken limbs, but he was conscious enough to explain how he fell.”

“Why did he get hurt?”

“He tripped over my foot.”

“… Really?”

“Really.”

Tristan poured some water from the table and added, “If I had reinforced the patrols sooner, this wouldn’t have happened. I’ve learned a big lesson because of you.”

Can someone’s limbs break just from falling? I don’t remember the original story describing it like that.

Not wanting to spoil the warm conclusion Tristan seemed to be aiming for, I stayed silent and just looked at him.

Even just drinking water, he looked like a painting.

… But wait, huh?

“Your Highness, what’s that?”