Chapter 29
"Damnern...?"
Elyra frowned to herself.
Why should I care about him?
The thought slipped through her mind like a stubborn excuse, yet her body refused to listen. Almost unconsciously, her feet carried her toward the glass window overlooking the backyard.
Moonlight bathed the garden in a pale silver glow.
There, sitting alone beneath the night sky, was Damnern. Several pieces of wood were stacked beside him, and tiny wood shavings littered the ground around his feet. His hands moved slowly and carefully as he carved something with meticulous focus.
Elyra narrowed her eyes.
A sword?
Several broken wooden swords lay neatly arranged beside him, discarded after failed attempts. Despite the late hour, Damnern remained focused, carefully shaping another one.
The miniature sword was roughly thirty centimeters long.
"...For me?"
The realization came instantly. Her eyes widened slightly as a strange warmth spread through her chest. Yet somehow, it felt heavy too, carrying a weight she couldn't quite put into words.
You could've just bought one...
"So... why go dis faw(far)?" she whispered.
She truly didn't understand. Why stay up this late for something so trivial? Why spend hours making it yourself when buying one would be so much easier?
The feeling growing inside her wasn't anger. It wasn't hatred. It was something else entirely—something that made her chest tighten.
She was touched.
The realization irritated her.
Elyra quietly gripped the fabric of her clothes, trying to suppress the unfamiliar feeling. After a moment, she tore her gaze away from the window and headed to the bathroom without another word.
Cold water ran over her skin. Gradually, the chaos in her thoughts settled. At least a little.
When she finished, she hurried back to her room and climbed into bed.
But sleep never came.
The soreness in her legs lingered. Her muscles ached every time she shifted. Elyra stared blankly at the ceiling.
This is going to take a while...
She let out a quiet sigh. Thirty minutes passed. Still awake. Still sore. Still unable to sleep. Then—
Click.
The bedroom door slowly opened.
The moment she heard it, Elyra immediately closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Damnern entered quietly, his silver hair still damp from his bath. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed, and the mattress dipped slightly beneath his weight.
"Have you already fallen asleep, Elyra?" he asked softly, almost afraid of waking her.
Elyra remained silent.
"That must be diffic—"
"Why go dat faw?"
Her sudden question cut him off.
Damnern blinked.
"Hm?"
"...The wooden sowd(sword)."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then Damnern scratched the back of his cheek awkwardly.
"Ah... so you saw that?"
A sheepish laugh escaped him.
Guess I got caught.
Papa wanted it to be a surprise tomorrow.
Actually, he had originally planned to give it to her on her birthday. But after seeing how badly Elyra wanted to train, he had changed his mind.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"I thought you'd like it."
"...You couwd've jus' bought one."
Her voice was quiet, yet it carried genuine confusion. Damnern froze, then laughed awkwardly. Her words had reminded him of several painful memories.
A year ago—
"Papa bought you a cute teddy bear!"
Damnern had practically bounced into the room with excitement. One-year-old Elyra accepted the teddy bear, looked at it, then immediately threw it across the room.
Damnern cried on the inside.
A few months later, on her first birthday, he bought her a beautiful necklace. Again, Elyra took it—then threw it away.
Damnern cried on the inside once more.
Ever since then, she had rejected nearly every gift he tried to give her. She would accept things from the maids or from Elina, but never from him.
Papa can't even tell you how much Papa want to see you wearing my gift.
Elyra'd refuse it immediately.
But this wooden sword was different.
A sword was something Elyra would actually use.
Something Elyra wouldn't be able to reject so easily.
Why is Elyra so different from Eldern...?
Damnern thought while silently crying inside.
Then his expression brightened.
"Oh, speaking of buying things..."
He suddenly stood up and left the room.
A few moments later, he returned holding a small bottle.
"After coming back from the forest, Papa stopped by a famous physician in Willowess."
He sat down again.
"I bought some medicine for muscle pain."
Elyra remained silent.
Then Damnern smiled.
"It was tough, wasn't it?"
"What was?"
For the first time, Elyra rolled over to face him directly.
Damnern held up the bottle.
"Even if Elyra acts like a tough big girl, muscle pain is still muscle pain."
His tone was light.
As though he already knew exactly why she couldn't sleep.
"That's—"
Her words suddenly caught in her throat.
Because she finally noticed his eyes—blue, gentle, and somehow… sad.
"Papa used to be like that too," he said quietly.
Before Elyra could react, he scooped up a spoonful of medicine and brought it toward her. Instinctively, she opened her mouth.
A second later—
Her entire face twisted.
"Hueeekk! Bitter!"
She nearly sat upright in shock.
At least warn me first!
Damnern immediately burst out laughing.
"Medicine is supposed to be bitter."
That's not funny...
"It'll help you sleep."
His voice softened. Carefully, he lowered her back onto the pillow, then pulled the blanket over her small body.
The room fell silent, with only the faint chirping of insects outside.
Elyra stared at him for a few seconds. That strange sadness in his eyes still lingered in her mind.
Why do those eyes look so lonely...?
Before she could think any further, drowsiness began to overwhelm her—the medicine was working. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Damnern gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"Good night, Elyra."
His voice sounded distant yet warm, and the last thing Elyra saw was his faint smile before darkness embraced her. A few moments later, she finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.
The next morning, Elyra slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but as her awareness returned, she realized several people were gathered around her bed.
"Mama, is Elyra going to be okay?" Eldern asked anxiously, clutching Elina's sleeve.
"She'll be fine," Elina reassured him gently.
Nearby, Sasha stood with a worried expression.
"Young Lady..." the maid murmured softly.
Suddenly, a loud voice erupted from across the room.
"What is this?! Is it because of the medicine I bought from you yesterday?" Damnern demanded.
Elyra instinctively turned toward the commotion.
Standing near the doorway was a trembling physician.
"C-Count Damnern, please calm down..." the man stammered. "That medicine was approved by the Neltan Medical Association."
"If anything happens to her, I won't hesitate to—"
"B-But she's fine!" the physician blurted out before Damnern could finish.
As the argument continued, Elyra's mind gradually cleared, and that was when she finally noticed something was wrong. Her head felt unbearably heavy, her entire body burned with heat, and even lifting a finger felt difficult.
The physician quickly approached her bedside.
"Excuse me, Young Lady Elyra."
He gently placed a hand against her forehead before conducting a brief examination.
A few moments later, he turned toward Damnern.
"It's nothing serious," he said. "Just a fever."
Damnern's expression remained grim.
The physician immediately continued.
"Most likely caused by exhaustion. Young children sometimes develop fevers after overexerting themselves during play or physical activity."
Only then did Damnern's expression soften slightly.
The physician quickly handed over several packets of medicine.
"Have her rest and drink plenty of water. The fever should pass soon."
Without wasting another second, the poor man excused himself and practically fled the room.
The rest of the day passed quietly. Eldern sat beside Elyra's bed, enthusiastically reading storybooks to her despite stumbling over half the words. Elina remained nearby, gently replacing the cool cloth on Elyra's forehead whenever it grew warm, while Damnern hardly left her side. Every time Elyra opened her eyes, she found him sitting nearby, watching over her. Maid Sasha and Rina also took turns caring for her throughout the day.
While Elyra is lying in bed with her fever, she spots the newly finished, perfectly smooth miniature wooden sword resting on her bedside table.
For the first time in a very long while, Elyra found herself surrounded by people who genuinely worried about her. It was a strange feeling, an unfamiliar feeling—and yet, as she drifted in and out of sleep listening to their voices, she realized she didn't dislike it.
Not at all.
End of Chapter 29