Please be Patient, Grand Duke - Chapter 111.2

Luan slowly approached Karl, spitting saliva. While others might not remember, he clearly remembered Karl’s face. The anarchist resorted to self-harm to avoid police suspicion.

No, they were terrorists.

If the mine hadn’t collapsed. If Claude hadn’t been buried inside, Canilia would be in Geore right now. She would surely be smiling fondly as she watched the pouring rain, enjoying a sweet dessert with a mischievous expression on her face. Then, she would playfully tease him, and if luck was on his side, he might have had the chance to put her on a horse saddle.

Luan’s cruel grin widened as he realized that the time he had patiently waited for had been ruined by the figure in front of him.

“No. You have made me utterly miserable. If you utter even a single word from now on, the next bullet will pierce through your skull.”

A metallic click accompanied the barrel touching my forehead.

“It would be better to kill me now. Kill me!”

The impact struck Karl’s throat as he rebelled with raised blood. An officer who had been watching helplessly intervened and subdued Karl.

With a dull sound, his head jerked back.

“I-I apologize. I couldn’t bear to witness your insolence towards His Excellency…”

“Well done.”

Luan retrieved the gun and defiantly raised his head towards the pouring raindrops in the sky.

“Let’s go. We have finished our hunt, so we should receive praise from the master.”

The rain continued to fall incessantly.

*****

A doctor who had accompanied Luan from Geore began skillfully stitching up his wounds.

The patient displayed remarkable patience. Despite being unable to administer anesthesia, he barely even grimaced and remained silent, only slightly furrowing his brows.

“If he is an Imperial Duke, could he be the one who dethroned Luan Sergio?”

The doctor muttered quietly and glanced briefly at another person who shared a strangely similar disposition. It was Luan Sergio, who had returned a while ago.

Luan and Claude sat in chairs placed a short distance away from the sickbed, engaged in a silent battle of gazes.

“I forgot to say thank you.”

Claude spoke first.

“Since when did you start being polite?”

Luan retorted with a sneer. Claude responded with an unaffected smile.

“It depends on the person I’m dealing with.”

“But why is Canilia lying there unconscious? Wasn’t it the Duke who got injured?”

Both men turned their heads simultaneously in the same direction. There, lying unconscious on a makeshift bed, was Canilia.

The girl who had been shouting for help, as if she knew something serious was happening, lost consciousness with a disheartened expression upon seeing people rushing over.

“Well, was she worried about me too much?”

The honey-like affection in Claude’s eyes as he gazed at the sleeping Canilia, dissipated abruptly.

Now, he truly felt a desperate longing, as if he couldn’t live without her. He felt an urgent desire to crown her head right at this moment.

“Hey, doctor. Just patch her up roughly. There’s no need to treat other wounds.”

Luan, who spoke irritably, stood up and approached the sleeping Canilia. But Claude, who had turned into a fierce beast with raised fur, extended his arm to block his path.

“There’s nothing to say to a sleeping lady. Please respect the etiquette, Duke Sergio.”

“I’m trying to move her to a more comfortable place. This place is too dirty and damp, not suitable for Canilia.”

The doctor was caught in a dilemma between the two men. Despite having beast-like resilience, Claude’s injuries were more severe than anticipated. The doctor thought that his current appearance of being perfectly fine was all thanks to his mental strength.

While contemplating how to separate the two men, the doctor alternated between looking at them and moving a medical tray in front of Canilia.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s going on?”

Instead of answering the men’s questions, the doctor cautiously dabbed the disinfectant on a cotton swab and gently lifted Canilia’s skirt. Startled, Claude sat up, and Luan reached out his hand.

But the moment they saw the wound extending from the thigh to the knee, both men froze. Whether she was unaware of the injury or not, she clenched her fist and trembled uncontrollably.

“She has been bleeding since a while ago. I was planning to treat the Duke first and then assess her condition. However, your argument dragged on, so it seems we should attend to the lady first.”

“Of course, she should have been treated first!”

Claude abruptly stood up and sat by Canilia’s head. Then he tightly grasped her small hand. The relieved doctor disinfected the wound and carefully wrapped it with a clean bandage.

The treatment had come to an end. What Claude needed was rest, and what Canilia needed was to regain her strength.

Luan couldn’t take his eyes off Claude, holding Canilia’s hand tightly, pulled a chair, and sat down.

“Tell me. How did you survive? The doctor who planted the bomb thought you were dead.”

Chuckling, Claude gently caressed Canilia’s cheek and spoke.

“I found a rabbit hole. It was a miracle. And then the rain started, and the hole collapsed.”

“You must have had divine protection.”

“Perhaps it was the blessing of my father.”

The two men were lost in their own thoughts.

Meanwhile, the incessant downpour gradually subsided, and Carso prepared food for the exhausted people.

“Well, now, it’s time to leave. I need to change my clothes.”

In response to Claude’s words, Luan reluctantly opened the door to the barracks, wearing an unwilling expression. However, he looked back at Canilia several times.

Claude, who kept his intense gaze concealed, unhesitatingly took off his shirt. He roughly wiped his body with the wet cloth from the basin, then put on the prepared new clothes. As he blinked, he caught a glimpse of Canelia, who had moist green eyes.

Claude sat down on the floor, aligning his gaze with Canilia’s, as she stared at him absentmindedly. When he smiled faintly, her green irises began to glisten. Claude gently caressed Canilia’s cheek, then lightly pressed his lips against hers.

“Canilia.”

As he touched her sealed lips, she trembled and sobbed softly. Claude gently wiped away her tears and pressed his lips against various parts of her face.

“Canilia…”

Trembling, she reached out her quivering arm and pulled him closer by his neck. They nestled together as she closed her eyes, and with a tender kiss as soft as a feather, he whispered against her lips.

“Canilia…