Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 7

2023.08.07.

‘I need to stop the bleeding, quickly.’

Leah grew anxious as her shoulder became soaked with his blood.

Supporting Terrence with her body, she walked only along paths thick with lush undergrowth. Fortunately, she wasn’t bad with directions and accurately remembered the path she had seen once.

“I didn’t expect there to be bandits.”

“They’re… escaped slaves.”

Terrence answered Leah’s question, even while suffering from the pain.

Then, it started to rain even harder than before. It was still early spring, so it was cold enough to make her teeth chatter.

“It’s just a little further.”

Finally, the two emerged from the forest and arrived at a wide meadow.

“Let’s go to that… hut on the hill.”

Leah’s voice trembled, as if she was out of breath. It was no wonder she was struggling, having supported a large man like Terrence with her small frame for over an hour.

Leah did her best to climb the hill with Terrence.

She was breathless, but she didn’t want him to notice, so she tried her best.

Opening the crude wooden door, they found a space where they could at least escape the rain. However, all there was inside was a wooden plank and an old blanket.

“Sit… here.”

Leah sat Terrence down on the plank and quickly took off his clothes. Soon, his bare body was revealed, and as expected, his right shoulder was covered in blood.

“The bullet went through.”

That was fortunate, at least. She wouldn’t have to dig through his flesh to remove the bullet.

Leah looked around.

‘I need a bandage.’

Of course, there was nothing like that. If only there was some cotton, she could wrap it around Terrence’s shoulder.

Then, she remembered the layers of petticoats she was wearing, and she hurriedly took off her clothes.

“What… are you doing?”

Even amidst the pain, Terrence seemed surprised by Leah’s actions.

But she didn’t answer, tearing her petticoat into strips to make long bandages.

“I’ll stop the bleeding first.”

Leah used the cloth to stop the bleeding from the wound. But Terrence’s complexion was pale, and his lips were blue, startling her.

‘His temperature is dropping.’

After stopping the bleeding, Leah took out a bottle of whiskey from the bag she had brought from the carriage.

“I’ll disinfect it before I wrap it.”

“Where… did you learn this?”

“At the girls’ school.”

“Girls’ school, did… Grace go to school?”

“I misspoke. I saw it in a book.”

Leah quickly made excuses to cover up her slip of the tongue.

Leah had attended a girls’ school run by nuns until she was fifteen, and she had learned simple first aid there.

Of course, that was Leah Hamilton who attended. She didn’t know whether Grace had gone to school or not.

‘Shut up, Leah.’

She shouldn’t make any more mistakes.

She pursed her lips and wrapped the bandaged wound.

Terrence watched Grace silently.

‘She’s a completely different person.’

The quick judgment, composure, and patience that Grace never showed.

And that wasn’t all. Her fingertips were very skillful in handling the wound. Above all, it was strange that she wasn’t crying in fear.

“Grace… give me some liquor.”

Terrence was thirsty.

“It’s not good for the wound.”

“It’s okay. On the battlefield, liquor was medicine.”

He had suffered countless injuries like this and knew he wouldn’t die easily.

Leah reluctantly handed him the bottle. Terrence soon drank the whiskey straight from the bottle.

Meanwhile, Leah looked around the hut to see if there were any tools to light a fire.

‘Of course, there wouldn’t be.’

She felt like she wanted to break down the hut and make a bonfire.

Leah hastily shook off the old blanket and wrapped it around Terrence’s body. Perhaps because of the alcohol, he fell asleep.

‘He’s asleep, but?’

His half-naked body came into view. Firm chest and clear abs [abdominal muscles].

Even in this situation, his appearance didn’t lose its brilliance, captivating Leah’s gaze.

Belatedly realizing that she was staring at him as if possessed, Leah shook her head to clear her mind.

‘I’m the problem.’

Her outer clothes were soaked and impossible to wear.

Right now, all she had was a corset and a petticoat torn to shreds. It would be better to take them off. Fortunately, she had long underpants.

‘Ugh! It’s cold.’

At this rate, she would freeze to death before Terrence did. Leah took a deep breath and looked for a way.

* * *

Allen got out of bed and put on a silk gown. He poured liquor into a crystal glass and headed towards the window.

‘Terrence Courtois, he said he collected Leah’s remains and also took her belongings.’

That was what he heard from the bishop after Terrence and Grace left on the day of the funeral.

‘The belongings must be the necklace. He needed it to completely own Hamilton Trading Company.’

‘Did he not consider me Leah’s family? That look was annoying.’

Eyes as fierce as a black panther. The oppressive feeling that made people feel intimidated was irritating.

More than anything, he read wariness towards himself in Terrence’s face.

‘Damn it! Why did the necklace have to fall into the hands of such a guy.’

Allen gulped down the liquor.

In fact, he had heard about Terrence’s reputation long ago. He was a hero of Lubek and a man from the most prestigious family with astronomical wealth.

‘Grace Bizac, I heard she’s his fiancée.’

His expression changed in an instant. From annoyance to something more suggestive….

To be honest, he was quite surprised to see Grace. She was a rare beauty, with elegant speech, rich sensibility, and her very existence was like a freesia [a fragrant flower] in full bloom in spring.

At the same time, she also had a charm that subtly stimulated a man’s instincts.

‘I need to find out more.’

It was the first time in his life that he had coveted a woman.

Leah Hamilton was smart, but somehow… too headstrong.

Her appearance wasn’t to his liking either. She had too much in her head, and she resembled her father, the head of the trading company, so she was also well-versed in the trends of the times.

‘That’s why I hated you, Leah. You presumptuously tried to surpass me.’

Allen’s gaze turned to Sarah, who was lying in bed.

‘It’s not good to have such a lowly thing as a mistress. It has to be someone like Grace Bizac to suit my dignity.’

He thought he should create an opportunity to meet Terrence and Grace again.

* * *

White gunpowder smoke rising, mountains of soldiers’ corpses piled up, and the stench of blood was very disgusting.

Terrence did not grieve even while moving the bodies of his subordinates.

‘What right do I have?’

He only felt sorry for the soldiers who had such an incompetent commander like himself.

Terrence looked at the world, which was all gray.

‘Hell is not far away.’

The place where he was standing was hell.

Then, a blood-stained hand grabbed Terrence’s foot.

‘Save me! We died because of you!’

Numerous corpses reached out and entangled Terrence’s body. No matter how much he struggled to escape, they wouldn’t let him go.

‘Why do only we have to die? Why are you sending us to hell!’

The screams of the dead soldiers mercilessly trampled on Terrence.

Then, Aiden was standing right in front of Terrence. He was covered in blood, and one leg was missing.

‘Terrence, did you deliberately drive me to my death?’

‘No! Aiden!’

Terrence screamed. Then, the corpses piled up like mountains rose up and reached out towards Terrence. They strangled Terrence.

“I didn’t mean to kill you!”

He shouted at the sky full of dark clouds. But did a miracle happen? Light began to shine through the dark clouds.

“It’s not Duke Courtois’s fault.”

The voice that shattered like sunlight was very warm.

Terrence opened his eyes dimly. But Grace was covering his face with both hands.

“It’s not your fault that your subordinates died. War is not something one person does.”

“Grace…”

“Peace came to Lubek through your sacrifice and theirs. If you hadn’t fought, more people would have died. Children, women, the elderly, and the heads of households who protect them.”

“But… Aiden because of me.”

“That was Aiden’s choice, not Duke Courtois’s fault.”

Her hand wiped away the tears that had formed in Terrence’s eyes.

“Duke Courtois fought with all his might and brought back peace. So don’t blame yourself.”

Terrence looked at Grace with a dazed face.

At first, he thought it was just a dream, but he could still hear the sound of rain outside, and she and he were wrapped in a blanket, naked.

Only then did he realize that he had been screaming in a nightmare.

It was the first time that such a weakness had been exposed to someone. He didn’t even have to look to know that he had blurted everything out in his sleep.

“I know it’s rude, but I have no choice if I want to survive tonight. Please bear with it, even if it’s uncomfortable.”

Leah wrapped the blanket around herself and Terrence and pressed her body close to him.

Currently, only the warmth of the two could save their lives. Soon, her small head gently touched his firm chest.

And that wasn’t all. She wrapped her slender arms tightly around his waist.

‘Ha!’

Terrence felt like the lump deep in his heart burst open. Soon, the lungs filled with stuffy smoke cleared up.

His soul had always been tied to the battlefield full of murky smoke, but now it seemed to have popped out.

But he didn’t know why his nose was tingling and a surge of sorrow was welling up.

This small woman was comforting him. It was a healing he had never received from anyone or anywhere.

When he thought about it, he had never wanted great encouragement.

He was just enduring it alone.

Words that no one dared to say because his existence was difficult. What he desperately wanted was, in the end, sincere comfort.

Terrence hugged the white dove that had flown into his arms with his left arm, lest it fly away.

“Duke Courtois is a good person. You haven’t harmed anyone.”

Leah inadvertently learned of his anguish. But her heart in comforting him was sincere.

Terrence had never made anyone unhappy. He was also a victim of war and a patient whose heart was very sore because of it.

‘The real sinner is Leah Hamilton, who was blinded by love and killed herself, even sending her father to hell.’

Words she couldn’t possibly say to him. Leah shed tears without realizing it.

“Don’t cry, Grace.”

Terrence’s low, cracked voice enveloped Leah.

‘I don’t even deserve to cry. But it’s too hard to endure the pain.’