He didn’t know where that fullness came from, nor could he put a name to the feeling. He didn’t even know when he started feeling such an emotion.
But none of that was important. He was happy regardless.
Kaywhin needed his wife, and he now knew of that fact.
That was enough for him, since from now on, he would bend over backwards to make sure he never lets this hand go.
The person who taught him how to desire again shone brightly.
She was radiant and beautiful.
‘Rabbit.’
And she looked like a rabbit.
Kaywhin thought that to himself as he gazed at his wife, whose eyes were open wide with shock.
He broke into a smile.
Chapter 6 Always Without Warning
“Good morning, Madam.”
“It could’ve been a good morning.”
It would’ve been a good morning, if only you weren’t here, was what her response implied. The doctor paid no heed to the nuance and began examining her.
“How do you feel?”
Yelena swallowed a breath and then replied obediently, “Good.”
“How was your sleep last night?”
“Pleasant.”
“And you didn’t have any nightmares?”
“I suppose I didn’t.”
“Did you experience tinnitus or hallucinations?”
“No.”
Yelena considered adding, “I wish you were a hallucination,” but refrained, since she knew he wouldn’t disappear even if she said that.
‘Just my luck.’
It had already been four days since the incident with Incan. Yelena could summarize how she spent those four days in four syllables: as a patient.
If she were to add another two syllables to prevent any misunderstandings: as a patient by force.
“Dockter,” she called as she rested at the head of the bed.
The castle doctor’s name was Dockter. People always looked at him and recommended he go into medicine after hearing his name, as if he was born to be a doctor.
As per those recommendations, he eventually did go on to actually become a doctor.
And as a doctor, he was skilled enough to be in charge of the ducal couple’s checkups, but he was a very meticulous and uncompromising one as well.
“Yes, Madam.”
“Aren’t you tired of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exchanging the same questions and answers every morning with me like this.”
“I would have to quit being a doctor if I ever got tired of checking up on patients.”
It was an exemplary answer, but there was a big problem.
“What I’m saying is, you’re treating me like a patient when I’m not…”
Yelena’s assertions had not changed since right after the kidnapping incident, up until now, four days later.
I’m not a patient.
I’m not hurt anywhere.
I’m fine.
This is nothing.
But no one believed her assertions, except for her own self.
The doctor especially did not listen to her.
Dockter looked at her with the same look he had been giving her the past four days and said, “We can’t be too relaxed yet, even though it seems that you have no immediate symptoms. We never know when or what aftereffects may occur.”
‘Those damned aftereffects.’
There was only one reason why Yelena, who had no major injuries or discomfort anywhere, was being held as a patient against her will.
Aftereffects.
Everyone around Yelena, including the doctor, was worried about any mental trauma she might have from the recent events.
‘But I’m really okay… Well, I can’t say I don’t understand why they’re worried.”
She had been kidnapped and even strangled by her kidnapper.
Rather, it would be strange if people weren’t worried about any aftereffects.
However, Yelena was really, truly, absolutely fine.
She was so fine that she even doubted herself in the back of her mind.
‘Is it because I already died once?’ Yelena suddenly thought to herself.
The kidnapping was quite intense, but she had already experienced something much more horrible.
The future’s destruction.
Monsters devouring the living and the dead.
Someone she had just been speaking to, dead in a pool of blood. A monster running over the corpse and piercing Yelena through the heart.
‘That’s right, compared to that, this is…’
The trembling Yelena calmed down.
She had been strangled, but it wasn’t exactly enough to kill her.
Even if Incan had been determined to do so, in the end, she didn’t die and was alive and well.
Contrary to the abundant worry and concern for her, Yelena could easily recall the kidnapping incident without much reaction.
In truth, the memory that remained in her mind most clearly wasn’t Incan who had been strangling her neck.
It was her maskless husband who had rushed over to save her.
When remembering that day, that was what she thought of first.
‘Hehe.’
Yelena’s face broke into a bright smile.
He didn’t know where that fullness came from, nor could he put a name to the feeling. He didn’t even know when he started feeling such an emotion.
But none of that was important. He was happy regardless.
Kaywhin needed his wife, and he now knew of that fact.
That was enough for him, since from now on, he would bend over backwards to make sure he never lets this hand go.
The person who taught him how to desire again shone brightly.
She was radiant and beautiful.
‘Rabbit.’
And she looked like a rabbit.
Kaywhin thought that to himself as he gazed at his wife, whose eyes were open wide with shock.
He broke into a smile.
Chapter 6 Always Without Warning
“Good morning, Madam.”
“It could’ve been a good morning.”
It would’ve been a good morning, if only you weren’t here, was what her response implied. The doctor paid no heed to the nuance and began examining her.
“How do you feel?”
Yelena swallowed a breath and then replied obediently, “Good.”
“How was your sleep last night?”
“Pleasant.”
“And you didn’t have any nightmares?”
“I suppose I didn’t.”
“Did you experience tinnitus or hallucinations?”
“No.”
Yelena considered adding, “I wish you were a hallucination,” but refrained, since she knew he wouldn’t disappear even if she said that.
‘Just my luck.’
It had already been four days since the incident with Incan. Yelena could summarize how she spent those four days in four syllables: as a patient.
If she were to add another two syllables to prevent any misunderstandings: as a patient by force.
“Dockter,” she called as she rested at the head of the bed.
The castle doctor’s name was Dockter. People always looked at him and recommended he go into medicine after hearing his name, as if he was born to be a doctor.
As per those recommendations, he eventually did go on to actually become a doctor.
And as a doctor, he was skilled enough to be in charge of the ducal couple’s checkups, but he was a very meticulous and uncompromising one as well.
“Yes, Madam.”
“Aren’t you tired of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Exchanging the same questions and answers every morning with me like this.”
“I would have to quit being a doctor if I ever got tired of checking up on patients.”
It was an exemplary answer, but there was a big problem.
“What I’m saying is, you’re treating me like a patient when I’m not…”
Yelena’s assertions had not changed since right after the kidnapping incident, up until now, four days later.
I’m not a patient.
I’m not hurt anywhere.
I’m fine.
This is nothing.
But no one believed her assertions, except for her own self.
The doctor especially did not listen to her.
Dockter looked at her with the same look he had been giving her the past four days and said, “We can’t be too relaxed yet, even though it seems that you have no immediate symptoms. We never know when or what aftereffects may occur.”
‘Those damned aftereffects.’
There was only one reason why Yelena, who had no major injuries or discomfort anywhere, was being held as a patient against her will.
Aftereffects.
Everyone around Yelena, including the doctor, was worried about any mental trauma she might have from the recent events.
‘But I’m really okay… Well, I can’t say I don’t understand why they’re worried.”
She had been kidnapped and even strangled by her kidnapper.
Rather, it would be strange if people weren’t worried about any aftereffects.
However, Yelena was really, truly, absolutely fine.
She was so fine that she even doubted herself in the back of her mind.
‘Is it because I already died once?’ Yelena suddenly thought to herself.
The kidnapping was quite intense, but she had already experienced something much more horrible.
The future’s destruction.
Monsters devouring the living and the dead.
Someone she had just been speaking to, dead in a pool of blood. A monster running over the corpse and piercing Yelena through the heart.
‘That’s right, compared to that, this is…’
The trembling Yelena calmed down.
She had been strangled, but it wasn’t exactly enough to kill her.
Even if Incan had been determined to do so, in the end, she didn’t die and was alive and well.
Contrary to the abundant worry and concern for her, Yelena could easily recall the kidnapping incident without much reaction.
In truth, the memory that remained in her mind most clearly wasn’t Incan who had been strangling her neck.
It was her maskless husband who had rushed over to save her.
When remembering that day, that was what she thought of first.
‘Hehe.’
Yelena’s face broke into a bright smile.
