Only for Your Well-Being - Chapter 2

Ethan kept a calm expression on his face as he waited for whoever it was to come in.

 

The blood-soaked robe that was used to wrap Ruelli was still intact, and he couldn’t let go of it.

 

He needed someone to tell him something about her, about what condition Ruelli was in, if there were any chances of reviving her, just anything.

 

For Ethan, it felt like time was flowing slowly, despite the hectic pace of the mansion.

 

“Your Excellency.”

 

The door opened and the person that entered was O’Connell, who had led the search with Ethan. He looked at his lord, who looked so emaciated only after an hour of waiting, and continued with a sigh.

 

“You’d better hurry.”

 

Without another word, Ethan left the room. He wandered down the long, dark corridor, as he tried very hard not to appear crestfallen in front of his house.

 

He followed O’Connell into the dimly lit room, he saw bloody towels lying all over the floor.

 

“Hurry up!”

 

The maids kept busy as they splashed water and scrubbed the floor, but Ethan’s gaze  remained only on Ruelli.

 

The floor was drenched in blood.

 

When Ethan walked in, a doctor, whose clothes ruined by bloodstains, bowed his head as he wiped his hands.

 

Without going into detail, Ethan understood how hard the doctor had tried to save the woman who was about to go to heaven.

 

“Your Excellency.”

 

The doctor approached, handing a towel to a maid.

 

“If you were a little late, she would be dead.”

 

“How is she now?”

 

“Fortunately, the sword narrowly missed her heart. However, she lost too much blood.”

 

The doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke again.

 

“Her hands and feet are cold, and her pulse is too slow. Her head is also injured. At this rate, she will have a hard time getting through the night…”

 

“Save her. Whatever it takes.”

 

The doctor hardened at Ethan’s cold voice.

 

“Yes, but….”

 

“I didn’t bring you here to hear you say that.”

 

Doctor Melson Xavier, a talented surgeon at Azburn School of Medicine.

 

Ethan approached the pale doctor and chanted with a low voice in his ear.

 

“You’ll risk your life. Unless you want to make your family sad.”

 

“…….”

 

“It means to use all means, legal or illegal, or even sell your soul, you have to save her unconditionally.”

 

The doctor knew Ethan’s personality better than anyone. He was a much more difficult and bizarre man than his father.

 

If he couldn’t keep the woman alive, perhaps one of his arms might really fly off.

 

The doctor, who was frightened, seemed to hesitate for a moment, then muttered.

 

“Oh, there is a certain procedure that’s still in the research stage. It’s the opposite of phlebotomy,…… it’s where you inject the missing blood into the body. However, it’s only been done successfully once with dogs and sheep, I don’t know if it’s harmless to people.”

 

“Tell me more.”

 

“It’s called blood transfusion, my lord. It’s a procedure in which a patient is infused with insufficient blood.”

 

Ethan’s brows furrowed at the doctor’s words .

 

“Insufficient blood?

 

“We need 20 drops of opium, flax oil, and someone to give blood to Miss Bedivier.”

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

“What?”

 

Ethan immediately took off his jacket and started to unbutton his shirt.

 

“No, sir! The servants and maidens are here ……!”

 

“Hurry up! Now!”

 

The doctor was bewildered when Ethan took off his shirt without hesitation.

 

“But, sir, the doctor had never tried it on people before. Can’t we find someone else….?”

 

O’Connell said with a frustrated look on his face, but he couldn’t stop Ethan. The doctor also took a step forward and waved his hand.

 

“My lord, if there’s anything wrong with you, I won’t survive!”

 

“You’re wrong.”

 

“…..Yes?”

 

“You have to worry about when Ms. Bedivier can’t wake up, not me.”

 

“Sir!”

 

At that moment, Ethan looked at O’Connell who was standing in front of the door. Then, as if he understood his lord’s intentions, O’Connell closed his eyes and drew his sword.

 

The doctor gasped and turned to Ethan.

 

“I’ll do it, my lord!”

 

“Start at once, unless you want your throat to fly open.”

 

***

 

Ruelli Bedivier was transfused with a sufficient amount of blood.

 

Ethan looked for a moment at the thick needle that was stuck in his arm. The blood came out of his vein and went directly into Ruelli’s.

 

It wasn’t very pleasant, yet he felt glad that he could help at the right moment.

 

No, he was grateful.

 

How long has it been since he followed the doctor’s instructions with a tired face.

 

Fortunately, what the doctor was worried about did not happen.

 

“I think she’s over the critical condition.”

 

“Good work.”

 

“But it’s too early to tell for sure. We need to keep an eye on her until she regains consciousness.”

 

After a while, the servants wiped Ruelli’s wounds with an antiseptic solution of coal acid and flax oil. Finally, covering the wounds with clean gauze was all the doctor could do.

 

However, that was not enough to wake the woman at the border of death.

 

Not caring that it was the time of day when all the territorial people were asleep, Ethan called in everyone with divine power.

 

Of course, he stayed by Ruelli’s side to watch over her. He had a lot of blood drained and his complexion was not good.

 

“Your Excellency, you look tired. I’ll take care of the rest, so take a break now…….”

 

Of course, nothing could stop Ethan.

 

“What happened to the job I ordered you to take care of?”

 

“We are looking for you, as you asked. We are searching everywhere around the carriage and even in the nearby towns, but it is still snowing and it is not easy to find any trace of him.”

 

At O’Connell’s words, Ethan widened his eyes.

 

“He couldn’t have gone far either because of the snow.”

 

“We are doing our best to find him.”

 

“Right.”

 

When Ethan answered briefly and closed his eyes, O’Connell hesitated, then spoke again as if he thought of something.

 

“Your Excellency.”

 

Ethan looked at him, ruffling his messy hair.

 

“I’m sorry, but if we find Lord Xenon Clarke…… What should I do?”

 

There was no change in Ethan’s expression, but O’Connell realized how much Ethan was suffering.

 

He fully understood his Lord’s anger.

 

“Shall I …… kill him?”

 

After a few moments of silence, Ethan buried his head in the backrest again and answered quietly.

 

“No, bring him to me alive.”

 

The sun began to rise, and the black Rameon turned red.

 

All the maids, doctor, and even O’Connell, who were coming and going at a rapid pace, were exhausted, and Ethan sat on a chair at Ruelli’s bedside.

 

At first glance she seemed peaceful, but Ethan’s heart was still impatient and anxious.

 

He looked at the dead asleep Ruelli and gently placed his finger under her nose. He felt relieved by the faint breathing, but her beautiful eyes wouldn’t open.

 

“Stop fretting and get up, Ruelli.”

 

Ethan carefully moved his hand and smoothed the baby hair that clung to Ruelli’s forehead.

 

He was slowly reflecting on what happened in the past.

 

Was the problem that Ruelli said she and Xenon would travel to Chemult together? Or did it go back even further and started when Ruelli said she would marry Xenon?

 

Perhaps her misfortune began when she entered Bertrand Castle.

 

“Ruelli Bedivier…”

 

Ethan was well aware that it was not all.

 

When RuelIi said she was going to marry Xenon Clarke, it was his fault for not being able to stop her. It was his mistake not to ask again if it was true when Ruelli said in a cheerful voice that she would do so.

 

“Yes, I would like to, my Lord.”

 

“What’s with the marriage all of a sudden?”

 

“I know that I’m not destined to be a socialite like the other ladies. Of course, that doesn’t mean I blame my father or hate God.”

 

“…….”

 

“I want to find happiness in the life I’ve been given. Lord Clarke is a good man. You know that better than anyone, don’t you, sir?”

 

“Ruelli.”

 

“Sir, my father had already asked Lord Clarke to take me before he died. I no longer have a choice.”

 

“If you wish, I can do everything to make you independent…”

 

“Lord Clarke thinks of me as his family. If I marry him, my life will be easier. Now that my father is gone, I need a protector.”

 

“Ruelli.”

 

“So allow me, my Lord.”

 

Like Ruelli, Ethan did not have a choice.

 

But he sincerely wished Ruelli happiness. Ruelli was too brilliant of a woman to live as the concubine of a young duke.

 

“I wasn’t enough to protect you.”

 

Fortunately, he gave Ruelli the Rameon, so if she was in danger it could save her.

 

 

He was up all night and his temples ached. But he intended to stay in place until Ruelli opened her eyes.

 

Just then, someone opened the door and walked in. Turning his head, he saw O’Connell standing there, covered with snow from head to toes.

 

“Your Excellency.”

 

“Did you find him?”

 

Xenon’s cousin was in Chemult. Before the wedding, Xenon said he would go to his cousin’s place to say hello and get some fresh air for a few days.

 

At that time, Ethan planned to sort out his feelings about Ruelli.

 

But the horseman died and Xenon disappeared without a trace. All that was left was Ruelli, stabbed and left for death.

 

“Duke Xenon Clarke was not found, and the snow has piled up and there were no footprints.”

 

If this was all Xenon’s doing, Ethan was going to find him somehow and kill him. Even if it was simply the work of bandits, he would not forgive Xenon.

 

Ethan’s heart ached when he remembered Ruelli lying alone in the snow.

 

Where in the world is Xenon Clarke, who said he would make Ruelli happy? If he couldn’t find him, Ethan thought about setting a trap for him to come.

 

“Sir, Miss Bedivier..!”

 

Turning his head at the sound of O’Connell’s imminent voice, Ethan saw Ruelli’s lips, which were tightly closed, gently opened.