HDBMTD 49

Chapter 49

Nocturne slowly opened his eyes.

Beyond the glass wall of the observation room, he saw the princess lying down. Her pale face surrounded by various life-support machines was as still as if she were dead.

He had seen a similar scene before—when he saw photos left in Ari’s cloning experiment records.

He remembered the feelings he had then.

The anger that the dignity of a loved one was trampled on. The betrayal toward Padva. The heavy guilt for not protecting Ari.

The princess’s current state was no different from the experiment records he had seen back then.

Clack.

The sound of the door opening announced the hospital director’s entrance.

“Duke.”

“How is she?”

“The poison is stronger than expected. In fact, it was a miracle she was still alive when transferred here. We are doing our best, but…”

The director spoke carefully.

“As you said, it was definitely Cambiata-made poison.”

Nocturne frowned, recalling the situation at the villa.

The healer had desperately cast healing spells, but after a brief improvement, the pulse quickly weakened again. The poison spread faster than the healing.

‘The princess drank Cambiata-made poison. She must be moved to the imperial hospital!’

The survival rate with Cambiata poison depended sharply on whether there was an antidote. With antidote, 90%. Without it, only 20%.

The imperial hospital was a converted Cambiata laboratory, so they believed the antidote would be there.

“Is the survival rate low even with the antidote?”

“There is no antidote.”

“What?”

Nocturne’s gaze sank. The director added nervously:

“It’s a poison designed without an antidote from the start. Made as a failed experiment’s disposal, mixed with all kinds of toxins to increase lethality… Honestly, survival is very uncertain.”

Failed experiment disposal.

That phrase echoed in Nocturne’s mind, and the princess’s voice flashed there.

‘Please call me Vis.’

That smiling face that introduced herself with a failed experiment label. Nocturne’s jaw tightened and fists clenched.

At first, when she brainwashed all the knights and drank the poison herself, anger came first.

Even if I had done something wrong, it was understandable to harm me. But for her to try to kill herself was incomprehensible.

But now, he no longer felt anger toward her.

He was simply blindly desperate to wake her and hear anything she had to say.

After a long silence, Nocturne relaxed his grip and spoke.

“I investigated this hospital once.”

“Huh?”

“The operating costs were a bit high. It’s run with royal funds.”

The director’s shoulders twitched.

“I was investigating something else and didn’t have any special feelings toward the director, so I just let it pass…”

Nocturne’s voice dropped.

“I don’t know what will happen if my fiancée is harmed.”

The director went pale.

He recalled the incident months ago when Nocturne went berserk and destroyed the whole Rittensan mountain after the princess was endangered.

Even then, when she was only in a coma and not dead, it was terrible. What if she really died…

“…I will definitely, definitely save her.”

The director swallowed dryly and said.

Nocturne silently looked beyond the glass wall. Even the promise felt empty.

Though he was a powerful ruler, in front of one life, all he could do was threaten.

He had grown far beyond childhood, but now he felt smaller than before.

When feeling hopeless, he imagined.

‘What if it were you?’

If the one lying there was me, and the one standing here was you, would things be different?

‘It surely would be…’

Shadows fell beneath his eyes as his eyelids slowly closed.

Nocturne realized Ari was a meticulous and strategic person—not someone to make an enemy of.

But one strange thing was that Ari’s body had many small wounds.

A precious princess could not have been bullied like him; these were from pure carelessness.

‘She’s surprisingly clumsy.’

Walking with that thought, he saw Ari from afar.

Since meeting her, he developed a knack for finding her anywhere.

As she seemed to be going to the next class, he tried not to bother her, but Ari was hit by a flying ball and fell down.

“Oh?”

Nocturne hurried to her side. A boy picked up the ball and said to Ari,

“It was an accident.”

“It’s okay.”

Ari got up smiling as if nothing happened.

Nocturne slowed, watching her. He glared at the boy who left with the ball, then approached Ari.

Ari waved brightly when she saw Nocturne.

“Hello, Nocturne.”

“I don’t say hello.”

“Oh…”

Ari lowered her hand embarrassed. Nocturne pointed to her hand.

“You’re hurt now.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Look.”

When Ari showed her palm, blood was flowing as expected.

Nocturne frowned and looked at Ari, surprised she looked confused.

Seeing that, Nocturne was even more surprised.

‘She really didn’t know she was hurt?’

‘Clumsy…’

How can someone be meticulous and clumsy at the same time?

Nocturne took Ari to the infirmary and treated her wound.

He spoke.

“That boy did it on purpose.”

Nocturne was sure because Ari almost blocked the ball with her arm, which was impossible given her usual slow reflexes.

He thought the boy had read her mind beforehand.

“That’s not true.”

Ari laughed and denied it. Nocturne frowned.

“Why lie?”

“Uh…?”

Ari stammered, then sighed.

“It’s nothing serious. If I explain, it would take a long time.”

“That’s okay.”

After hesitating, Ari opened up.

“That boy’s name is Benji. His family situation is complicated, so he has low self-esteem. I think he’s trying to get attention like this.”

Nocturne was silent for a moment before asking,

“What’s self-esteem?”

“It’s how you think about yourself. Benji usually thought he was bad, but since I didn’t get angry when he made mistakes, he seems to be gaining confidence. Recently, he even started talking about me and hanging out with other kids.”

Nocturne blinked.

“…Why is that okay?”

“Because it’s a lack.”

“What’s a lack?”

“It means there is something missing. But…”

Ari hesitated then asked.

“Turn, how about reading some books when you have time?”

“……”

“…Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Nocturne learned one more thing about Ari.

‘Ari is strange.’

When he was locked in a basement, starving for days, or dragged out of sleep and beaten until he fainted, he never wondered why.

Why? Because he was weak.

But now, he was curious.

‘What’s so complicated?’

Unlike me, Ari was a princess, smart, and had many people on her side. Why did she have to suffer?

To him, who had just started learning the language of society after being raised like a beast, Ari’s mind was like a doctoral thesis laid before a child just learning letters.

Still, he wanted to understand.

So Nocturne did something he never had before.

He even went to the library Ari called a treasure of knowledge (he didn’t even know it was there), thought deeply by himself (really for the first time), and asked other kids about Ari.

When Nocturne spoke first, excited children chattered.

“Benji? He pretended to be close to the princess, and some kids believed him.”

“Stupid. The princess just can’t ignore weak and lonely kids.”

“Right. She is kind to everyone but never refuses requests from the poor kids.”

“…Really?”

Nocturne felt a strange discomfort but didn’t know why.

Then someone asked,

“But who is the princess’s partner?”

“Partner? What’s that?”

When he asked lightly, all the kids looked at Nocturne.

“You’re an Eshape at B-rank and don’t know what a partner is?”