Chapter 25. Investment

The sudden confession of a commoner knocked me out of my rut.

I stared at her blankly, trying to figure out what she meant. Trying to sit up, the girl clutched at her wounded side, but nothing came of it. The commoner winced in pain.

— You... Who are you? What am I doing here? — she asked weakly.

I cleared my throat. To be honest, it wasn't what I was preparing for when I expected her to come to her senses. Perhaps the clouding of the mind was just a temporary side effect?..

At least, that's what I hoped.

— Don't worry, — I decided to start by reassuring her: — I'm a good person and I won't hurt you.

— Is it good?

— Exactly, — I nodded, — I saved you and brought you here. This is my home. Our family doctor said that you were poisoned with some kind of dangerous poison.

— ...

The commoner looked at me dumbfounded. Before she could say anything, I beat her to it:

— But don't worry! It's all right now. The threat to your life has passed.

The commoner stared at me helplessly. I didn't know if there was more fear or gratitude in her gaze. But it seems that she still believed that I really did not wish her any harm.

Her confused expression reminded me of a child at that moment, and I smiled. After all, she could really be scared. Finding himself in an unfamiliar place and with a stranger... Who wouldn't be worried?

I decided to give her time to recover.

In the end, when she calmed down more or less, I decided to ask carefully:

— And you... Do you know where your family is now?

The girl shook her head negatively.

— Maybe some acquaintances? — I did not lose hope to find out.

She refused again. I sighed.

To be honest, when I got involved in this case, I didn't think much about the consequences. I figured the fact that I saved her life would be enough. Then her relatives could take care of her. I didn't expect to find myself in such a dead end.

The girl spoke to me timidly:

— You said you saved me... So you know me?

— А? — I was surprised: — No, not at all! I really met you for the first time. Simply... It so happened that I accidentally found you injured near my house.

— Really? — Her eyes widened in surprise.

— yes... — I hesitated, then nodded.

After my words, a dejected expression was reflected on the face of the commoner. This answer must have disappointed her.

— You really don't remember anything? — I still couldn't believe it, — even the way you were hurt?

— N-no... Nothing at all...

I took a deep breath. So another problem has fallen on my head.

Who would have thought that after being injured, this commoner would lose her memory? After all, she didn't hit her head, she was poisoned. This is the last thing I expected.

On the other hand, if Xavier said that this poison was so dangerous that the girl barely survived, then perhaps it was some kind of side effect?

In that case, I hoped it was only temporary.

— I'm sorry for the inconvenience... If you want, I can leave right now...

Noticing that my expression was becoming more and more tense, the girl felt guilty. Clutching the folds of the blanket, she did not dare to look me in the eye.

My heart fluttered.

Damn it. In this situation, if I refuse her, will I really look like a monster?

— It's all right! — I sat down next to her and took her hand in a friendly way: — Saving you was my decision, and you don't owe me anything.

— Really?

— yes. You can stay here until you get better.

Saying these words, I stepped on my own throat. It wasn't in my plans at all from the very beginning. Every extra day she was here put my position in even greater danger. Sooner or later, the Duke will realize that there is an outsider in the residence.

And then what will I do?

My original plan to wave goodbye to her failed. I had no idea where to look for her relatives, if any. And to expose her to the street wounded, and even more so without memory... That would be too cruel.

Left alone without help in this state, she definitely wouldn't have lasted long. So what was the point of saving her if she ended up dying on the side of the road anyway?

In the end, I spent the legendary frosty mushroom on it. It would be unforgivable if such a valuable thing was wasted. And since I'm a greedy person, I couldn't let that happen.

Well, then I'll just take care of her as much as I can.

— You... Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?

The curiosity in her eyes was understandable. After all, we didn't know each other before. Why would I selflessly help a stranger?

I decided to answer more or less plausibly:

— You can consider it an "investment"... If you succeed in the future, you can repay me.

***

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