Chapter 24: Chapter 24 - What Happened That Day?

Chapter 24 – What Happened That Day?

Part 4. Accident

To begin with, I’m not dead.

“My Lady!”

I didn’t want to know how long I was unconscious, but when I opened my eyes, I could hear Florinda’s voice calling to me. The sudden loud noise made me frown.

“Keep your voice down, Florinda. My head hurts,” I mumbled.

“Oh my, oh my. I’m sorry!” Florinda apologized profusely as she grabbed one of my hands. I cracked open my eyes and tried to look around.

Was I really alive? Seeing that I was breathing fine, I guess I was not dead after all. I let out a grateful sigh of relief.

“Hmm… I will bring the Master and Madam!” Florinda exclaimed, and she rushed out of the room. She must be going out to retrieve Count and Countess Bellafleur.

I was the only one left in this spacious place. The room was very big, probably for the stability and benefit of the patient, so I honestly was very bored while I waited for Florinda.

‘Urgh, I’m sure I’m still alive.’

I carefully tested my limbs to see if they were still working. I could move them somewhat, but it was painful enough to judge that it would be beneficial not to do so.

I took a deep breath. What if I could not use any of my body parts…

‘But still.’

I was so glad I was still alive. That was my only thought.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t know if the carriage driver made it out safely.’

He was in front of me when the other carriage crashed into us, so he probably suffered a greater impact. The thought suddenly made me feel uneasy. I managed to awaken relatively uninjured, but I didn’t know if he was so lucky. I should have asked Florinda about that. A sinking feeling settled in my mind.

‘What the hell was going on back then?’

A carriage on the opposite side of the road suddenly crashed into a carriage that was traveling just fine. The one responsible for it all was that other carriage. Unless they were crazy, why in the world would they do such a thing?

As I ruminated over this, my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the door bursting open.

“Marie!” a voice cried.

I was lying down and couldn’t see the owner of the voice, but I could guess who it was. I managed a smile and welcomed two—no, three people.

“Mother, Father.”

“Oh, my daughter,” Countess Bellafleur cried as she plopped down by my side.

“Mother, I’m fine,” I said quickly upon seeing her lament like this.

“What do you mean you’re fine?” Countess Bellafleur rebutted in a trembling voice. “You have been bedridden for five days straight. Five days!”

“…”

That was a long time. I put on a sour expression. Even before I was transported to the book world, I had never been this indisposed before. I had never been in a traffic accident nor had major surgery.

Fearing that my parents were worried, I gave a nod of my head. “ I am really fine, Mother. I can still laugh and talk like this. See?”

Countess Bellafleur fixed me with a hopeless stare. “According to the doctor,” she began gloomily, then stopped to sigh. A moment later, she continued again. “There’s no place in your body that wasn’t bruised. Your right leg is completely broken and so are your ribs.”

“…”

That was pretty serious…

Still, at least the injuries weren’t severe enough to cause a disability right? I thought I was hit quite hard in the accident.

Countess Bellafleur seemed to echo my thoughts. “The doctor said only your bruises were serious, but other than that, you are fine. I’m glad you’re not dead. It didn’t even cause disability.”

She had a sad smile on her face, and I managed an awkward smile back. Honestly, I was lucky to be alive considering I wasn’t even wearing a seatbelt.

Then, I remembered the worry I had earlier. “It was quite the crash. Is the carriage driver alright?” I asked.

“The horse died on the spot, but fortunately the carriage driver is safe. However, he was injured so badly that he won’t be able to hold the reins for a while.” Countess Bellafleur looked at me reassuringly. “The driver is also getting the best treatment like you, so don’t worry. I’m glad the both of you are alright.”

“That’s for sure.” I gave a weak laugh, then my face hardened as I moved on to the next topic. “Hmm. I have a question, Mother.”

“Yes, baby. Tell me anything.”

“What about the carriage that crashed into us?”

A troubled expression flickered across Countess Bellafleur’s face when I asked that, and the same could be said for Count Bellafleur. Their reactions gave me the answer I needed.

“They’re dead,” I muttered in shock.

“What? No, no. No, Marie,” Countess Bellafleur denied emphatically, then she spoke with a much calmer face than before. “The other carriage is also alr—no, they are not alright. Their horse also died, but the carriage driver and the passenger are fine.”

Count Bellafleur, however, thought he needed to correct her words. “No, they were not alright. Their situation is not much different from ours. But I heard that if they take a good rest and get their treatment, they will be able to continue their normal lives afterwards.”

“What happened that day?” I ask, and Countess Bellafleur looked a little perplexed before she spoke again.

“The horse had eaten a poisonous plant. It’s a grass that causes hallucinations in horses. The creature suddenly became so out of control that it wouldn’t even listen to the carriage driver’s instructions.”

“Ah…”

“The grass is quite common, so this kind of carriage accident happens fairly often. Of course, we don’t know why it had to happen to us…” Countess Bellafleur trailed off, and took in a deep breath to brace herself. The Count, who was standing still, came to my side and spoke in a low voice.

“I’m so glad you’re okay, baby. If anything had happened to you, I…”

Tears began to spill over Count Bellafleur’s cheeks as he stared at me with an agonized expression. The atmosphere was already quite serious, but I felt bothered that it became heavier than before. While it was depressing that I had a few broken bones and I’d be trapped in bed for a while, with some proper treatment I’d be able to return to normal life. I was still breathing through both nostrils now.

“I’m really fine, Mother, Father. Don’t worry too much,” I said cheerfully in an attempt to soothe them. Fortunately it seemed to work.

“We’re so happy to see you awake like this. We just want to thank God for this blessing.”

“God must be looking out for all four of us. Most people die immediately, or if they’re lucky enough to survive, they’re crippled for life.”

“Yes, Marie. We’re very happy to see you again like this.”

All I could do was pretend to be as okay as I possible in the midst of their worries. How hard had it been on during these last five days for their faces to look so haggard? I felt both grateful and sorry for the two of them. Of course, it was not my fault that I got hurt.

I looked around the room. “Where is Martina?”

Countess Bellafleur hesitated for a moment before answering. “While you were lying in bed, Martina nursed you with extreme care.”

Count Bellafleur added to her words. “She stayed by your bed until this morning. She looked so tired earlier, so we forced her to sleep in her room. She hasn’t slept a wink in three days.”

“Ah…” A lump rose in my throat after hearing that.

I knew Martina was a good sister from the moment I met her, and at some point I was even envious of Maristella for having these kind and wonderful people in her life as her family.

“I hope Martina won’t get sick over nothing,” I said in worry.

“Fortunately, the doctor said she’d be alright after a few days of sleep. It’s temporary overwork.”

“Your doctor, Doctor Bailey, will be here soon, baby. You should rest a little more until then.”

“But I’m fine—” I insisted.

“What are you talking about? You’re a patient. Not just any patient, but a critical patient! You have to take absolute rest.”

“Just stay in bed and don’t move, baby. Understand? What if you move the wrong way and then you hurt yourself more?”

“…Alright,” I said in surrender.

I felt under the weather and I wanted to exercise a bit, and the sweet taste in my mouth told me that I really was out for five days. But as my parents said, I was in no condition to move around. In any case, moving would only cause more worry for them.