Chapter 339

Milo Eivanshter.

He was born as the second of three sons of House Eivanshter.

As with all noble families, from an early age the eldest brother received strict education as the family heir,

But the second and third sons were raised quite freely.

Moreover, Milo, the second son, showed outstanding talent in swordsmanship from a young age.

The then Count Eivanshter considered Milo a natural warrior, and often overlooked it even when Milo played somewhat rough pranks.

One summer day when he turned seven would have been an extension of that attitude.

-Milo. Today we have guests coming to the Count's house, so don't go around causing a ruckus.

-Guests? Are they my age, Father?

-They say they're bringing a young lady. Would you like to meet her?

-I don't want to. Then I'll play with Brother.

-Your brother is in lessons. Know that you'll be scolded if you disturb him. Then I trust you'll stay quietly in your room.

Unfortunately, that day even his youngest brother had caught a light cold and couldn't come out.

In the end, Milo, who was thoroughly agitated at being alone, ignored the dissuading maids and servants and ran out to the Count's garden.

With a wooden sword that children commonly wielded strapped to his waist,

Milo walked around strutting as if he were a real knight when he heard the sound of a carriage arriving from far away.

Milo wandered around kicking grass with his feet.

But the beautiful garden was so well-organized that there wasn't much to interest Milo.

Not only that. The sun rising through the summer morning was too hot.

Milo was debating whether to go inside by choosing only shaded areas, or stay a bit longer.

That's when something caught his eye.

-Oh! A bird!

Looking up at the chirping sound,

There was a bird hopping around near its nest.

Milo stared with wonder at the bird's nest he was seeing for the first time in his life.

The Count's garden had never had such things before.

After watching it for quite a while, Milo suddenly became curious if there were eggs in the nest.

According to books, there should be pretty blue eggs inside the nest. Was it really true?

The tree where the bird had built its nest was an old tree. If he stepped carefully on the twisted and bent branches, it seemed like he could climb up sufficiently.

Milo immediately climbed the tree. Stepping on the bumpy bark and trunk, it was easier than he had thought.

After climbing to a certain height, when he lay flat with his belly against the branch, the bird's nest appeared right before his eyes.

Careful, careful. Just a little more and he'd reach it.

Milo squirmed forward toward the bird's nest. But the boy, distracted by curiosity, couldn't hear the ominous sound coming from the branch.

When Milo, who had reached the middle of the branch, stretched out his hand and slightly lifted his upper body,

-Crack crack.

-Snap!

The boy fell.

For a moment the world went dark. What he felt immediately after was that his arm hurt tremendously and he couldn't breathe.

Rolling on the garden floor, Milo couldn't even let out a scream and was terrified.

It hurt. His arm, his legs, his back. Everything hurt. He needed to call his nanny, but no voice came out.

Milo sensed that he would die like this. It wasn't a child's imagination.

That was how much pain Milo was engulfed in.

The world was slowly blinking and growing dim.

But just then, something bright blue was coming toward him from far away.

-Breathe.

-Huk, kkeuk, heuk.

-Don't cry. If you cry, you can't breathe, right? Your arm seems to be broken. And the wooden sword broke and stabbed your leg.

-Heo, eoheng, heoeoeng. Heoeoeong.

-I called for people, so wait just a little. Don't close your eyes. If you're scared, I'll stay here with you.

Something small and warm held Milo's hand. Milo felt considerably relieved that he wasn't alone at the moment of his death.

Of course, as would be expected, Milo didn't die.

He was carried to his bedroom by the terrified servants. Moreover, since Viscount Primavera, the royal physician, happened to be at House Eivanshter,

Milo's treatment ended quickly and efficiently.

-Ah, truly thank you. If it weren't for Viscount Primavera, I really don't know where I would have found a physician...

-Not at all, Count. It seems your son instinctively took a defensive posture when he fell. Thanks to that, there were almost no fatal internal injuries.

-What about his arm? How is his arm? This child must become a knight. His arm will be fine, won't it?

-His arm is.

Viscount Primavera trailed off slightly.

In his view, the arm wasn't simply broken. There were complex traumas to the shoulder and joints.

It seemed like the arm had received another impact right after it broke,

Because of this, it was difficult to guarantee that the arm would heal perfectly.

In his opinion, at best it would be possible for daily life, and in the worst case, the arm might not be usable at all.

But he couldn't immediately deliver that news to the Count.

While Viscount Primavera was keeping quiet with a troubled heart.

-Father. The patient will be fine.

-Eva?

-I went to see right after he fell, and at that time there were no signs of internal bleeding. So the broken bone probably didn't pierce any blood vessels.

-Then?

-The shoulder might be dislocated. But he's still young, and his body is light, so the impact he absorbed while falling wouldn't have been severe, so it can be sufficiently treated.

-Couldn't those bruises be seen as additional fractures?

-No. He's severely bruised. It just looks ugly because it's swollen. There weren't the characteristics you see when bone protrudes outside. So right now, we should prioritize treating the leg wound and the arm fracture we just discovered. And those injuries won't have a permanent impact on the patient's body.

Clear, articulate voice. The equally young girl's words were extremely logical and medical observations.

Viscount Primavera smiled and turned his head to Count Eivanshter.

-Please forgive my impudent daughter, Count. But there seems to be nothing wrong with what this child says. I think so too.

-But can she accurately see symptoms when she's still so young?

-Usually, when it comes to treatment, appropriate medicine and a doctor's prescription are important. However, for external injuries, a somewhat different perspective is needed, Count.

-A different perspective. What do you mean by that?

-Most non-fatal external injuries heal naturally. However, dangerous situations like this sometimes arise. In such cases, no matter how excellent the medicine used, and no matter how excellent the prescription given, treatment becomes very difficult if you don't properly understand the patient's accident and injuries.

-Then.

-Yes, my son has talent in pharmacy, and I have some modest knowledge of diseases and infections. But my daughter has somehow taken an interest in external injuries.

Count Eivanshter carefully looked over the child called Primavera Viscountess Eva.

Usually a child receiving an adult's gaze would be anxious or hide behind their guardian,

But this child had none of that.

Rather, she was looking at him with a matter-of-course gaze. As if she had simply conveyed a doctor's examination findings to a patient.

-Primavera Viscountess is... very intelligent despite her young age. Come to think of it, I heard the viscountess was the first to discover our son's fall.

-Thank you, Count. You said there was no one in the garden, but I heard a thudding sound.

-If the viscountess hadn't discovered him, surely something much worse would have happened. Thank you. If it wouldn't be rude, may I entrust the treatment of my foolish son to Viscount Primavera and the viscountess?

Asking to look after his son wasn't something to request of the current royal physician,

But nevertheless, the Count subtly spoke to the two people, putting forward 'personal friendship.'

However, young Eva spoke firmly.

-I'm sorry, Count. My father is too busy.

-Eva! Such rude words to the Count.

-Father is busy. He's so busy he couldn't come home yesterday either. Yesterday was my birthday, but he couldn't come because he was at the royal castle, so he couldn't even congratulate me. He didn't give me a present either. He said we'd go on an outing together today, but he lied. So Father can't become busier.

The Count's eyes widened. But soon he laughed heartily and spoke to Eva.

-I see. I was rude to the viscountess. I can't detain a busy father further. Then may I entrust my son to the viscountess? You may not be as good as your father, but I'd like you to look after my son with a good physician.

-Then I'll do that. That's good. Thank you, Count.

Eva said this while holding her pretty blue dress and bowing.

Milo was lying in bed watching all of this.

Having his heart stolen by the lady who saved a knight's life,

Wasn't a fairy tale story from far away.

* * *

"I've come to collect payment for saving your life back then."

"Primavera Viscountess."

"I'm not asking for anything excessive."

Behind Milo, the knights stealthily drew their swords again.

But before they could point their swords at Eva, Milo shouted fiercely.

"Put them away!"

"Captain!"

"I said put them away. Are you planning to disobey orders?"

"That's not it, but this person is-"

"I can handle this. Or do I look like a pitiful person who would be ambushed and killed?"

"...No."

"Sheathe your swords. And move according to the next duty schedule."

The knights slowly and stiffly put away their swords.

After briefly exchanging glances with each other, the knights left the spot with disciplined steps.

When they were completely alone, Captain Milo swallowed dry saliva and opened his mouth with difficulty.

"Must it be like this? ...Without an inch of concession or compromise?"

"Yes. It must be so."

"Not knowing what state the one trapped in the Mage Tower might be in?"

"Whatever state he's in, we'll take him with us."

"The mage is dangerous. Viscountess, the reason Her Majesty the Queen Dowager ordered the mage confined to this tower is because the magical power he possesses might harm you all."

"Might harm, you say."

"That's why we isolated him."

Dangerous things should be kept far away from ordinary people.

That's why Milo sincerely didn't want Eva to make a foolish choice.

But hearing those words, the corners of Eva's mouth slightly rose.

"What harmed me was,"

Eva slowly blinked once.

"Not the mage or anyone else, but the people of this royal castle."

"Viscountess!"

"Then should they all be isolated from me? Aren't their numbers too great for that?"

"I know the viscountess has been deeply hurt. But I absolutely cannot watch the viscountess walk into danger herself-"

"You said hurt, Captain? I lost all my family that day."

Milo drew in his breath.

Eva continued speaking with a bleak, cold, unchanged expression.

"My father, the former royal physician, and my brother who managed medicines were innocent. No one in this world can bring back someone already dead. Then why did my father, why did my brother die?"

"Viscountess."

"When the Queen was angry then, when she tried to find blame for her dead sons from us. Was there anyone who said that was unjust?"

"Viscountess!"

"There was no one. No one. When my family attended the trial in shackles like criminals, no one spoke up for them. This royal castle murdered my family."

"At that time, due to various circumstances-"

"Circumstances. What circumstances? The circumstances of desperately turning away because you couldn't fall out of the Queen's favor? Or the circumstances where even the Count's family that I trusted said nothing, then took over all the medicine business we had been running together after Father and brother were executed?"

"That was!"

"Yes, the Captain was in no position to say anything at that time. Back then your elder brother was still alive, and you were just the second son of the Count's family."

"If I had had the authority, I would have naturally petitioned to stop the unjust execution for the viscountess!"

"But you didn't. Even afterward, even after I disappeared. Did you think there was no need to?"

"No, that's not it!"

"I didn't come to reproach the Captain for past matters. ...When your brother passed away and you inherited the Count title, you must have felt it. How much you had to protect."

Milo looked down at Primavera Viscountess.

He couldn't see resentment in her. No grudge, no anger.

"Viscountess."

"That's how it is. We're each doing what we must do in our respective positions. Just as the Captain fulfills his duties as the one leading House Eivanshter and as the Captain of the Royal Guard trusted by the Queen Dowager. I too am going to rescue him as a close associate of His Highness the 3rd Prince and as a human cherished by the mage."

"I am."

"I know that even if I blame the Captain, there's nothing you can say. But I won't do that. Before hating the royal castle, I want to save the mage."

"You won't blame me?"

"Just please repay the debt you owe me from the past now. I have the right to receive it."

Milo hadn't thought that she could tear his heart apart like this.

He had only tried to become someone she could depend on if Primavera Viscountess ever gave up everything and returned.

But he was wrong.

Eva Primavera was a much stronger person than he had thought.

She had chosen a new path by burning her own hatred,

And even knowing that only destruction awaited at the end of that path, she put forward unwavering will.

Simply because the people walking that path with her were those she cherished.

Milo briefly closed his eyes.

Footsteps passed by his side as he said nothing.

"Sister."

"......"

"If I had. Back then, if I had taken your side. Would it not have come to this?"

To his question, Eva answered without even stopping.

"As if that would have mattered."

The voice grew more and more distant.

His first love was truly cold.

Milo stood there and barely swallowed his tears.