It was then that a carriage approached this place.
From a certain moment, the sound of the carriage wheels or the horses' hooves had become a rare sound in this vicinity.
Recently, carriages had been frequenting this place due to Navia.
Wondering, he looked up to face forward and saw a carriage stopping at a distance.
Soon, a man alighted from the carriage.
Lark, who had inwardly hoped that Navia would get off, was about to leave the mansion again when he said to himself, "Well, that figures."
"Please, get down carefully, Miss Navia."
Lark's feet stopped in their tracks. The voice should have been inaudible to a normal person at that distance. However, to Lark, it was as clear as if it was spoken right next to him. Perhaps it was because the awaited name was mentioned?
With wide eyes, Lark gazed blankly at the carriage.
"Thank you."
"Shall I escort you to the main gate?"
"No. I'll go alone."
The carriage obscured the view of the other person. However, it was evident that he was a silver-haired man. Soon, the carriage departed.
In the place where the carriage had disappeared, a girl with a white complexion and a yellow umbrella was visible. It was Navia.
The moment Lark confirmed it was Navia, his eyes widened in shock and he stretched out his hand.
Crack!
"Argh!"
Lark's right arm shattered instantly, covered with dense red cracks. He groaned in pain, which seemed to render him unconscious at any moment. However, he couldn't faint now. Lark hurriedly pulled his sleeve down to cover his grotesquely shattered arm.
Navia, about to enter Eseled, spotted Lark standing rigidly in front of the main gate.
"Lord?"
Lark opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His whole body was already badly broken, burning like a fireball. Cold sweat was hidden by the rain.
Ah, it was fortunate that it was raining.
Navia approached Lark with quick steps. Lark anxiously waited for the child to approach. His lips were pale, and it was a struggle to stand, trembling. But he gritted his teeth and endured.
Navia, with an unusual air, approached the motionless Lark and stiffened.
'Surely he isn’t waiting to tell me to leave...?'
She was afraid to approach him. But, strangely, she felt drawn to him as if by gravity.
Their distance gradually closed. Ten steps, nine steps. When about three steps remained, Lark barely stepped back. He gave space for the child to enter his territory.
Navia took a step forward. Then, Lark stepped back again. He was three steps away from the main gate.
Finally, Navia crossed the threshold into his territory.
Ah.
At that moment, Lark collapsed to his knees.
Navia approached him with a startled expression.
"Lord!"
Lark's complexion was a mess. His whole body was soaked as if he had been submerged in water, trembling like a hypothermia patient. His eyes were unfocused, but he desperately tried to meet her gaze, furrowing his brow.
Navia realized that he had been waiting here for a long time. The grip on her umbrella handle tightened.
Why, why is this person like this? He needed a lot of anesthetics. A personal physician was needed, and he was someone who couldn't leave the mansion. He was in pain. It was evident even from his face. He looked in agony.
But Navia dared not worry. In case he would tell her to leave. Because this wasn’t the bedroom, because it was in front of the main gate, if she was told to leave from here, she would have nowhere to go.
Moreover, she had not yet proven her usefulness.
In other words, Navia was still considered useless.
But if she could just endure without causing trouble, if she could produce results.
Perhaps then, Lark would hate her less.
Navia stood still, unable to do anything, anxiously watching Lark before she spoke up.
"I'll call someone..."
"I'm sorry."
His words were faintly mixed with the sound of rain.
"...What?"
Lark opened his mouth again.
"It's my fault."
Navia had never thought that Lark's presence at the front gate was because of her.
There was no reason to think so.
"I was too harsh. It's my fault..."
But there Lark was, kneeling, begging like a child within arm's reach of Navia.
"I'm sorry for yelling... It's my fault."
Lark repeated his apologies and admissions of fault, his face twisted in pain, barely conscious.
Yet he continued to plead.
Apologizing. Asking for forgiveness.
He didn't know what else to do but beg, clueless on how to proceed.
It was a pitiful sight.
With a pained expression and hot breath, he begged forgiveness from Navia, who was much smaller and more delicate than him.
Lark had to support himself with his unfractured arm on the ground.
"I'm sorry..."
Navia dropped her umbrella.
The distance between them shrank from three steps to one.
"It's okay."
That was as far as it went.
Navia couldn't close the gap any further.
But she spoke.
"I'm okay, Your Grace."
In reality, she wasn't okay.
Hearing Lark's apology made it clear.
She was not okay at all.
Trying to find reasons for her unbearable misery, she struggled to be acknowledged as the original, foolish Navia.
Because the days she spent in Eseled were the happiest and sweetest of her life.
"I'll call someone."
But, ironically, Navia thought that.
Perhaps, she was a little stronger than him.
With just a bit more leeway.
That's why she could say it was okay.
As Navia attempted to leave, Lark, on the verge of passing out, desperately tried to stop her.
But he couldn't show his monstrous, fractured state and quickly curled his arm.
Hiding his arm in his bosom, his shoulders heaving, he said.
"Stay here."
"But..."
"Please. I'm begging you..."
Don't go, stay here.
Lark was unaware of what he was blurting out.
His body, nearly at its expiry, couldn't withstand even this shock.
Truly rubbish.
This place was a waste dump because of Lark, himself.
Thud!
"Your Grace!"
Navia quickly reached out her hand but couldn't bring herself to touch Lark's body.
"Oh... What... What should I do...!"
Navia was completely paralyzed in thought, only managing to produce a hoarse, metallic voice.
"Just ask for help."
"Help... Please help..."
A too faint and frail voice emerged, unable to cut through the sound of rain.
Navia, unsure what to do, reached out her hand towards Lark, lying like a corpse.
"Please help...!"
Please.
Someone, please.
"Help! His Grace has collapsed!"
Navia screamed toward the mansion, like a cry for help.
"Please help, please!"
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