The foreign doctor added a few more instructions, then was called away for another minor procedure and hurried off down the hospital corridor. The atmosphere immediately felt much emptier.
The moment the doctor's figure disappeared, Wendy quickly stepped up to the bedside, instinctively reaching out to help Captain sit up. But before she could even touch him, Captain braced one hand against the edge of the bed and stood up on his own. His movements were decisive and cold, as if he needed no one's help at all.
He shrugged on the black windbreaker, turned his back on Wendy, and strode straight toward me.
Wendy's hand froze midair. Her expression shifted repeatedly, a flash of unwillingness and panic flickering in her eyes.
"Let's go."
Only when he stood right beside me did Captain speak, his voice low and leaving no room for refusal.
I instinctively reached out to support him and replied softly, "Okay."
The group quickly left the hospital and returned to the largest hotel in Ravenholm. Wendy followed behind as well, but the moment she stepped into the lobby, Captain suddenly stopped.
He turned around.
His gaze darkened, so cold it seemed to freeze the air around him. The way he looked at Wendy was nothing like looking at an acquaintance, it was more like staring at a sworn enemy, as if she'd be torn apart if she dared take even half a step closer.
Wendy stood there, stunned and frozen.
Captain leaned slightly forward, murderous intent radiating from him, his black eyes deep as an abyss. "Go back. Don't think I don't know why you showed up here."
"I… I really came because of a work schedule," Wendy retorted instinctively, a trace of fluster she couldn't fully hide flashing through her eyes.
Captain let out a faint, mocking laugh, the amusement icy and sharp. "I'll say it again. Go back."
He paused briefly, his voice sinking even lower. "Otherwise, everyone who leaked my whereabouts to you… will die."
The words fell like a blade.
Wendy's face drained of color in an instant. Her body trembled slightly, like a fragile flower struck by cold rain, her eyes glistening with that familiar pitiful, vulnerable look.
But Captain didn't waver in the slightest.
He took my hand and turned to leave, never sparing Wendy another glance from beginning to end.
…
Only after the two of them had gone far away did Wendy recover from her fear. She lightly pressed her full red lips together, her delicate brows knitting as confusion flickered across her face.
"Miss William, should we arrange to take you to the airport?" Ronan, standing beside her, asked tentatively.
Wendy raised an eyebrow to look at him. The pitiful fragility from moments ago had long vanished. Now she appeared gentle and noble again, like a woman stepping out of a painting something Wendy had always taken pride in. "No need. I can go by myself."
She picked up her handbag and walked away. Sunlight fell over her, making her presence even more captivating.
Only after her figure disappeared did Ronan wipe the sweat from his forehead and mutter, "I really don't get it. What exactly did that Wendy come here for? The relationship between our Captain and sister-in-law is so good, no, don't tell me she came here to wedge herself in?"
Hunter pressed his lips together, offering no opinion.
"But our sister-in-law is really incredibly strong," Ronan continued, thinking of how Rosy had run through the rain to seek rescue, branches cutting into her skin, yet she hadn't complained of pain even once. He hugged his head and blinked. "Stop making those gestures. It's disgusting," Hunter said, frowning in blatant disgust.
Ronan glanced at him, instantly losing interest.
…
In the presidential suite, I stood in front of the mirror for a long time, slowly turning around, examining every injury on my body. Along my arms and thighs, scattered across my pale skin, were countless scratches thin but long, oozing bright red blood, so conspicuous they were impossible to ignore.
Back in the forest, I hadn't felt much. Adrenaline and fear had masked everything. But now, under the bright lights of the bathroom, those wounds looked terrifyingly ugly.
Thankfully, they weren't deep. As long as I treated them carefully, they wouldn't leave scars.
I let out a soft breath, changed out of the clothes still damp with rain, and stepped outside.
Captain was sitting on the sofa, legs casually propped up, his posture lazy to the extreme. But his eyes were the complete opposite sharp, cold, keen as a freshly honed blade. I almost didn't dare look at him directly, afraid of being swallowed by that gaze.
"Tell me," he stood up and walked toward me step by step, his eyes never leaving mine, "what exactly happened that day."
I paused for a beat, then understood what he was asking. Swallowing hard, I tried to piece my memories together and spoke slowly.
"That day, after you went out, I went back to the room to rest. I was half-asleep when someone knocked on the door. I thought it was hotel staff, so I went to open it. But the moment I did, I knew something was wrong and tried to close it immediately… I didn't expect them to react so fast. They pressed a cloth soaked with anesthetic over my nose and mouth. I didn't even get a chance to cry out before I passed out. When I woke up… I was already tied up."
Even just recalling it sent a chill down my spine. It had been a brazen kidnapping, terrifyingly precise.
Captain laced his fingers together and listened in silence, his expression dark as ink.
"I've thought it over," I said, clenching my fingers, my voice lowering. "This wasn't an accident. They struck exactly when you weren't there, which means they'd been watching us beforehand. They disguised themselves, prepared the anesthetic… they didn't want money, only to take someone."
I looked up at him, my heart pounding.
"Captain… could it be one of your family's enemies?"
The moment I said it, my hands began to tremble.
What kind of man was he, ruthless, dangerous, killing without blinking. He must have plenty of enemies. And those people didn't sound like locals from Ravenholm; their accents… were very much like Alchimie. How deep would the hatred have to be to cross thousands of miles just to take his life?
Captain's expression grew even darker as he listened. There really had been a plan. A purpose. They'd been waiting for the right moment to push him toward death.
He knew there was danger, yet he still walked straight into it.
Strangely enough… thinking back, he didn't regret it at all. He even felt those days in the mountain cave hadn't been so bad. I looked fragile, but when I went out to find food, when I ran through the rain to seek rescue, I'd been tough in a way even he hadn't expected like a mountain pine, straight and resilient, unyielding to the bone.
"Captain," I tugged lightly at his sleeve, "who do you think wanted to push you into death?"
He lowered his gaze to my hand clutching his clothes, his voice sinking."I don't know."
Then he added calmly, coldly, "There are many people who want me dead."
I pressed my lips together. As expected. Thinking about it… it really couldn't have been easy for him.
"Then you should investigate quickly," I said carefully. "I have a feeling… they won't just let this go."
"Scared?" He looked at me clearly not smiling, yet there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
I shook my head immediately. "No. It's just that being watched, waiting for someone to strike at any moment… really affects one's mood."
Not long after, Ronan and Hunter came up. Within minutes, the two were already in the living room, discussing something. The soundproofing here was too good, I sat on the bed and couldn't hear a single word.
I shrugged, deciding to ignore it.
I pulled out my phone, lay back, and pretended that everything that had just happened… had never occurred at all.