My Husband Has Changed - Chapter 142



Only Noblemtl

#142. Tight tension
2024.02.19.

Adele wrapped the wound with a clean towel and squeezed out all the pus. She

wiped the affected area clean with a hot towel and thoroughly applied an ointment made by mixing several herbs.

Miriam carefully watched Adele’s treatment and nodded.

“You have to press the wound tightly with a bandage. It’s not easy to stop the bleeding, so the blood will continue to flow, so check the bandage every hour and change it. Keep an eye

on the tongue to see if it turns purple. Healing is the last resort.” Adele wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand and listened carefully to the priests’ comments one by one.

Miriam gave her sincere advice on how to suture a torn wound and fix a fractured bone.

The soles of her feet were sore from running around the castle that they were swollen, and at night, she collapsed on the bed that was too close to her without even having the time to draw the curtains.

Every day, she had to cover herself with other people’s blood and pus, but Adele did everything without complaining.

Even though her body was tired, she didn’t even realize how hard it was because she thought she was doing her part properly.

“It’s happening again today,”

Lena grumbled and gestured toward the training grounds. It seemed like there was an argument between the knights.

Since it had been happening frequently these past few days, they all just glanced at each other while doing their own work and didn’t actively try to stop them.

“If they keep doing that and everyone sees blood, who will think they’re suffering the most?”

Lena shouted loudly as if to let them hear and then disappeared into the dining room. Adele looked at the knights with anxious eyes and followed Lena into the dining room.

The situation was the same in the dining room. Where people gather, there is bound to be a lot of noise and commotion.

Especially the knights of the South and the North, who were traditionally bad friends, would growl and show their teeth whenever they saw each other.

Although everyone was in a self-restraint mood in anticipation of the expedition, the tension was so tense that it wouldn’t be strange if they exploded at any moment.

“Your Majesty. Please sit over here.” She

was just looking around the crowded table with mashed potatoes, a slice of bread, an apple, and water.

Someone waved at her from afar. It was one of the priests whose faces she had become familiar with while working with them for the past few days.

As she approached, the priests pushed their butts to the sides to make room for Adele and Lena.

“Thank you.”

Adele smiled awkwardly and accepted their hospitality. The priest who had first called her glanced at Adele’s plate and opened his mouth wide.

“Did you bring just that? If you eat that much, you’ll really collapse.”

“I don’t have much of an appetite.”

The priest shook his head as if he didn’t understand, and placed the bacon and cheese he had brought for himself on her plate.

“Please eat more of this.”

Adele was about to refuse, but decided to accept it gratefully.

When she thanked them, the priests’ eyes lit up and asked her various questions, as if they had taken it as a signal.

“It’s the first time I’ve heard of a case where healing skills manifest late.”

“When did you start learning herbalism?”

“I wonder how you got to know High Priest Padre.”

The priests, with whom she had never spoken a word except to Miriam, suddenly began to ask her questions, leaving her completely speechless.

Some of them had even been open about their prejudices against her just two days ago.

Adele answered honestly what she could, even as she sweat profusely.

She quickly finished her meal amidst the attention, stuffing an apple into her pocket and standing up from the table.

“Are you going to go already? We have plenty of time in the afternoon… .”

“I have an appointment, so I think I have to go.”

“Then there’s nothing I can do.”

Adele quickly left the restaurant, leaving behind the regretful priests and Lena who looked at her with a puzzled look.

As soon as the restaurant door closed, all the strength left her legs. This was the first time in her life that she had received such explosive attention.

She wondered if she had made a slip of the tongue… … . Her timid heart caused unnecessary worry.

Adele shook her head vigorously and headed to the stables at a brisk pace. She planned to take advantage of the free time she had after a long time to calm Hazel down a bit.

‘I’ll practice speaking a bit with the will I’ve been putting off… … .’

Adele received the key to Hazel’s stable from the stablekeeper.

The inside of the stables was kept fairly clean, but it smelled strongly of mud and horse manure.

Among the many stables, Adele was soon able to find Hazel’s stables.

“Hazel, I’m home.”

I opened the door carefully and whispered, and Hazel came closer and nudged my nose against her chest as if complaining.

It seemed that he was really angry that he had left her alone for so long.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy lately. Are you really angry?”

Adele gently stroked Hazel’s nose and mane and soothed her.

The smart and gentle chestnut horse quickly calmed down and sniffed at her nape and pocket. It seemed that he had smelled the apples she had brought.

“That’s right. I brought this for you.”

Adele smiled faintly and took the apple out of her pocket. Hazel stamped her front paws and groaned loudly as if asking for it.

Adele carefully held the apple in her hand and held it out to Hazel.

“Eat this and forgive me? Okay?”

Hazel puffed out her chest as if she understood what she was saying and bit into the apple in Adele’s palm.

The apple’s scent was strong along with the crunching sound.

Hazel, who had eaten the apples in one go, searched Adele’s pockets here and there, as if she was looking for more.

“There’s no more. I’ll bring more next time. Really.”

Hazel hung her head sullenly at her words. At times like this, it seemed as if she understood what she was saying.

I’d heard that horses were smart animals, but somehow Hazel’s intelligence felt extraordinary.

Hazel played with Adele’s clothes, then gently pushed her toward the harness with her nose.

“… … Are you saying we should go out? Right now?”

When Adele looked back and forth between the harness and Hazel, Hazel gave a short cry as if to confirm it. Adele patted Hazel’s neck with a troubled face.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’m not confident enough to ride you yet. I don’t even know how to put on a harness… …”

“Are you even talking to horses now?”

Adele suddenly turned around in surprise at the sudden noise. It was Donovan.

He must have been taking care of his horse, with his arms rolled up and a comb in his hand.

For some reason, he was sitting cross-legged in a very bad-tempered posture, with a carrot in his mouth.

It seemed that he had brought the horse to be given to him, but I had accidentally caught him.

Adele stared at Donovan’s horse trying to kick its master’s leg with astonishment before barely answering.

“Donovan. I was surprised, you know… .”

“I should be the one to say that. I was the one who was surprised when His Majesty suddenly disappeared.”

Adele asked back with a bewildered expression at the sudden accusation.

“Disappeared? Me?”

“I went to his room, but there was nothing in his luggage. I heard he moved his quarters, but no one knows where he went. I said he turned half the castle upside down… .”

“Oh, that.”

Adele opened her mouth to make an excuse, but closed it awkwardly.

In that regard, besides Lena, she hadn’t reported much to Ansgar’s servants or knights.

It was natural since she hadn’t even seen Valentin since she entered the castle.

After all, she belonged to the Ansgar army. When she had to leave her assigned post, she should have at least reported it to Valentin.

“I’m sorry. I was short-sighted.”

“Please, just let me know in advance next time. If His Highness the Grand Duke had known that his Highness had lost his escort, we would all have been dead.”

“My escort?”

“I told you to be sorry, so I would appreciate it if you could continue to be sorry.”

Donovan added bashfully and chewed the carrot he was holding.

“Anyway, well… … It’s okay since it passed safely. The gap in the escort was only half a day.”

Adele chewed on Donovan’s words, then opened her eyes wide and asked back.

“So you mean you’ve had an escort the whole time? The whole time I was working?”

“Then you thought we’d just leave the Crown Prince alone in the middle of a war?”

Donovan asked, as if he was astonished. Adele shook her head from side to side in embarrassment.

“I didn’t notice at all. I didn’t think… … .”

“Of course. If the Crown Prince, who has no combat experience, noticed me, it would be a big deal. Even if His Highness doesn’t say anything, he’s constantly receiving reports on the Crown Prince’s movements.”

“… … Are you still busy with the meeting?”

“Well, it’s because of the power struggle. The nobles loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince are nitpicking every little thing, refusing to acknowledge His Highness the Grand Duke. I don’t know if they’re here to punish us or to kill our spirits.”

“… … .”

“Still, it seems like it’s almost over. We’ll probably have a decision by dawn today.”

Donovan added quickly, as if aware of Adele’s increasingly dark complexion.

She let out a slow, tense breath. If Donovan’s prediction was right, she would be able to meet Valentin tomorrow.

That meant the moment when she would have to face the truth she had been putting off was approaching.