Chapter 41: Punishment
1529 Words
The next day, Ranz immediately summoned Nina. Nina walked slowly towards the room with her head bowed. She wondered what punishment the leader of the bandits would give her for what she did to the princess. She knew the gravity of her wrongdoing and accepted it; the only thing weighing her down was the regret she felt.
She knocked on the door of the room before slowly opening it. She saw everyone seated around the table and Ranz was in the middle.
"It's good that you've come," Ranz said briskly, seeming to cut straight to Nina's heart.
Nina merely nodded, unable to meet the young man's gaze directly. Her trembling lips were sealed, and she knew she had nothing to say because she couldn't deny what she had done.
"Nina," Orson called, his voice causing the girl to gasp and lift her head.
"H-Huh?"
"You know why you're here, don't you?" Orson asked.
Nina nodded again, "Y-Yes, I know, and I'm ready for whatever punishment you're going to give me."
"Well, that's good because we've already decided what's appropriate for you," Ranz said, his gaze piercing her.
Nina clenched her fists and took a deep breath.
"Alright, whatever it is, I'm prepared to accept it," Nina said firmly.
Ranz leaned back in his chair at the end of the table. He stared at Nina as if they were the only two people in the room.
"Tell me, if I were to give you a choice, would you prefer to accept the punishment or... would you rather choose to leave this place?" Ranz asked. "Can you still endure... or perhaps you'd rather just leave?"
Upon hearing Ranz's words, Nina was unsure whether he wanted her to leave or if he was simply asking her. She had been with him since childhood, but at that moment, it seemed like Ranz wanted to sever their connection.
"Do you want that? Do you want me to disappear from here?" Tears welled up in Nina's eyes, but she struggled to remain strong.
"I was just thinking that maybe you're tired, I'm just giving you the freedom to decide," the young man replied.
"What freedom are you talking about? You have no idea about my feelings, because you never cared!" Nina retorted, and her tears started flowing.
"Nina!!!" Orson stood up to reprimand the young woman for her disrespect.
"Let her be, Orson," Ranz said calmly. "She's right, what she's saying is true. I don't care about her."
When Ranz repeated his accusation, Nina's heart seemed to shatter completely. Even though she knew that truth, hearing it directly still hurt.
"Ranz! You know that's not—," Orson was interrupted as their leader spoke up.
"Let her decide whether she wants to stay here or not," Ranz stated.
The gaze of those present turned towards the young woman standing before them. Nina's eyes were teary, but her resolve remained strong.
"You weren't like this before. I don't know why or what I did wrong in your eyes to make you treat me as worthless, but nevertheless, I am grateful that you accepted me here. Honestly, I've also been asking myself why my heart refuses to let go of you despite so much pain it causes! I thought I would get used to it, but the pain still lingers, then... I've realized that I'm not here just because of you! This group... is my family! They've been with me since I was young! They're the ones who help me alleviate my daily sorrows! They're the ones who bring me joy, and here is where I find peace!" Nina said, locking eyes with Ranz. "So... give me my punishment! I'll try my best to stop caring about you! I'll force myself not to love you, but I'll still remain here because they're also my family!"
"N-Nina," Martina said tearfully as she felt the sincerity in her words.
Ranz seemed taken aback by the young woman's statement. He was momentarily stunned but soon after, he grinned wickedly.
"That's good then," Ranz said as he stood up. "Since it's coming from you, starting now, our marriage will never happen—"
"I'VE ALREADY SAID, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" Nina said emphatically, determined to stand her ground. "Tell me what my punishment is!"
The grin disappeared from Ranz's face as he saw the resolute demeanor of the defiant woman.
"Fine, I'll tell you," Ranz said, turning away. "Your punishment... is to personally take care of Lady Amara until she recovers!"
Nina's eyes widened at Ranz's words. She didn't expect that to be her punishment.
"W-Wait, are you sure!? W-Why that? Aren't you concerned that I might do something harmful to her? Shouldn't you keep me away from her completely?" Nina questioned.
"Are you questioning my judgment?" Ranz's eyes narrowed as he once again looked at Nina.
Nina furrowed her brow and sealed her lips. She lowered her head and conveyed that she had no complaints, but she still couldn't help but wonder deeply.
Meanwhile, inside the cabin where Amara was sleeping, the three young men were also present. It seemed like none of them wanted to leave and abandon the young lady to any one of them.
"Dravis, aren't you going to train yourself today?" Cyrus asked. "And you, Louie, aren't you going to gather medicinal plants?"
Dravis didn't look at him as he cleaned his sword, "I'm already strong enough, no need for more practice."
Louie, on the other hand, was grinding dried leaves to make medicine, "My siblings had already gathered for some earlier."
Cyrus's gaze darkened as he felt frustrated with their inability to leave. He wanted to be alone with the princess and do what Louie almost did to Amara.
"What about you? Aren't you supposed to be teaching the kids today?" Louie teased, and soon enough, a few children were calling out to Cyrus.
"Teacher!!! Teacher!!!" Hannah's voice rang out above the rest.
Cyrus's eyes widened as he realized he had promised to teach them that day. He quickly lay down on his bed and pulled the blanket over himself.
"Tell them I'm not here! Tell them I'm sick," Cyrus ordered, and pretended to cough.
Dravis stood up and yanked the blanket off him. Cyrus was taken aback as Dravis grabbed him and tossed him out of the cabin like a cat.
"Your teacher is here, go study until late evening!" Dravis said, then quickly closed the door.
The children cheered upon seeing Cyrus, while Cyrus himself was grumbling and repeatedly cursing Dravis in his mind.
"Why did you do that?" Louie asked Dravis when he turned to him.
Dravis's eyes softened briefly as he glanced at his companion. "He made a promise to the kids. He should fulfill it."
"Wow, you're quite sentimental, General," the young doctor said with a smile.
Dravis ignored his comment and resumed cleaning his sword, and silence enveloped the room as they stopped talking. The princess was still sleeping, and her fever had somewhat subsided.
"Big brother! Big brother!!!" Erica urgently called to her brother as she suddenly entered the room.
Louie turned to her, but Dravis seemed indifferent.
"What happened? What's wrong?" Louie asked, sensing that Erica needed help.
"Miguel, he fell from the top of the tree! He might have broken a bone or something!!! Please help him, I beg you!" Erica pleaded.
Louie furrowed his brow, thinking how incredibly wrong the timing was for Miguel to break a bone at that moment. He would have preferred to stay in the room with Amara, but it seemed he had no choice but to leave.
"What the heck! Where's that bastard!?" Louie exclaimed irritably, slinging his bag over his shoulder containing his remedies. They were about to leave the door when Louie turned back for a moment to address Dravis. "I'll be back quickly, so don't get too comfortable! Huh!"
Seemingly oblivious to Louie's words, Dravis continued to wipe his sword blankly. Despite his reluctance, Louie had no choice but to follow Erica and leave Amara with Dravis. As the door finally closed, Dravis remained in his seat, far from Amara's bed. He took in his surroundings until he finally felt that the footsteps had moved away.
After a few moments, Dravis put down his sword and stood up. Noiselessly, he walked to the side of Amara's bed and gazed at her beautiful face. He hadn't had the chance to be alone with the princess for weeks due to her illness and the recent incident. He wanted to wake her up so they could talk like they used to, but he realized it was best for her to rest and recover quickly.
"It seems like you've been in danger often lately, huh? You really don't listen to what I tell you," Dravis brushed a few strands of hair away from Amara's face. "Why do you always worry me so much!? Hmm."
Even though Amara wasn't capable of answering him, it didn't bother Dravis. He was okay with that because it allowed him to say everything he wanted.
"Do my feelings... not matter to you?" Dravis questioned before gently kissing the princess's lips. "I've missed you so much, Amara."
- Writer
