Who Did You Say My Father Is? - Chapter 16

As I fell, a lifetime of memories flashed before my eyes, and despair overwhelmed me at the thought that Celeste’s life might end here.

I had no idea how painful it would be to be crushed under a collapsing building. Holding my breath, I curled up as tightly as possible and tightly closed my eyes, hoping at least the child would not be hurt…

How much time had passed when I regained consciousness?

It was the sharp cries of the child that pierced the stillness.

“Uh…”

Whether my eyes were open or closed, there was only darkness, and my body felt pinned down.

I initially thought my eyes were damaged by the explosion, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case. The darkness was because someone was lying on top of me.

The warm weight on my chest felt both familiar and strange.

“Are you okay? Are you conscious?”

“……Ugh.”

The person who had been lying on top of me was none other than Carl.

“Aren’t you going to ask if I’m okay? Countess!”

“Uh, yes… I seem to be fine. Just don’t shout, please.”

Every time he raised his voice, my head throbbed. I quietly murmured this last part to myself while moving my fingers and toes. Everything seemed intact; at least I hadn’t lost any limbs.

Wait, Valery!

I hurriedly looked at the child in my arms. Between Carl and me, the child, though crying and startled, seemed unharmed.

Phew, that’s a relief.

Now that I think about it, didn’t this man call me ‘Celeste’ just before? Did I hear that wrong?

“Your Grace, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. First, check if there are any other injured.”

“Aron has a minor injury, but there are no other casualties.”

Footsteps approached, and when Carl slightly lifted himself, my view cleared. Escaping the darkness, I first encountered Carl’s furrowed face.

“Your Grace, you’re bleeding…!”

“It’s nothing serious. I can move. But first, could you clear some of this debris?”

So it was Carl who had pulled my shoulder just before the ceiling collapsed.

He had shielded both the child and me from the falling debris by lying on top of us. As a result, he was pinned and injured, with blood dripping from his shoulder.

“Are you really… alright, Countess?”
Carl’s face was too close. As the knights rushed in and started removing the wooden planks piled on his back, he bit his lip, enduring the pain.

“……You should take care of yourself first.”

It was sincere. Even a three-year-old would know it was reckless to shield oneself from explosives and a pile of wood with one’s body. No matter how robust one is.

“If you’re not hurt, that’s all that matters.”

A groan escaped Carl when the largest plank was removed. Who was worrying about whom here? Supported by his knights, Carl slowly got up, his uniform marred with blood stains and ash.

“Clovis, take the child.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

As he handed the child to me and then to a knight, blood that had trickled down his shoulder dropped onto me. The warm droplets, carrying body heat, seemed to affirm that this was not a dream.

“Can you stand?”

Carl, full of concern, kept checking on me. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had suspected me of murder and looked at me with disdain before the explosion.

“Slowly.”

I didn’t seem to be injured, but my limbs were weak and unresponsive. Frustrated by my body’s refusal to obey, I reluctantly leaned on Carl’s support and slowly rose.

“Just because you don’t seem injured on the outside doesn’t mean you haven’t sustained internal injuries. Moving rashly could be dangerous.”

“……You speak as if you’ve experienced such situations before.”

“Well, I’ve encountered explosives countless times in battle.”

The child, who had been crying as if about to have a fit, gradually calmed down in the arms of Clovis, the tall knight who had skillfully comforted the child earlier. The knight himself looked disheveled but not injured.