Chapter 54
Somniloquy
Such severe injuries clearly made it impossible to continue the journey.
Lucy carried the unconscious princess on her back and found a nearby cave to settle in.
As for the cave’s original owner — a two-meter-tall brown bear — it fled with a howl after receiving a blast of Mental Strength impact.
She carefully laid the princess onto a makeshift bed fashioned from her robe, meticulously checked the wounds, and only after confirming that there were no signs of worsening did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, in the haste of their escape, she only managed to bring along a set of dissection tools and a medicine box.
Lucy took down what little dry rations and water remained from the packhorse, lit a campfire with her firestone, and by the time everything was done, she was so exhausted she could barely straighten her back. After riding all day, her backside ached faintly.
"I take back what I said a few days ago," she muttered while rubbing her sore lower back, "it seems implanting a seed of life is still quite necessary."
Although witches also had methods to strengthen the body, with some schools even surpassing knights in physical prowess, the Anatomy School clearly lacked such inheritances.
"...Ugh... mmm..."
Just as peace settled, Olivia, who lay on Lucy’s outer robe, suddenly began murmuring unconsciously.
Lucy sat up helplessly.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"Mmm... mmm..."
The sounds from Olivia’s mouth were as soft as feathers. Lucy had to lean in close, and only then did she clearly hear the words spoken in her dream-like murmurs.
"Mother... mother..."
Lucy had always thought that people calling for their loved ones when injured and unconscious was something made up in films and stories. She hadn’t expected it to be true.
But Olivia had clearly said that her mother had passed away many years ago, to the point where she could no longer even recall her appearance.
Was there really no one else by her side worth relying on?
"Your Highness."
She called out softly, trying to wake her.
Olivia’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but just as Lucy was about to continue, the hand that suddenly gripped her shoulder tightened forcefully.
The strength of the pull was so great that Lucy staggered and nearly fell on top of her.
"Your Highness, I am not your mother."
Lucy tried to pull her arm free, but unfortunately, not only did Olivia show no intention of letting go, she gripped even tighter as the sense of detachment grew.
After a brief struggle, Lucy was completely defeated.
In terms of strength, Olivia, who had practiced horseback riding and swordsmanship, was clearly far stronger than Lucy, the self-proclaimed homebody.
"Forget it, let’s just sleep like this."
Exhausted, Lucy relaxed her body and lay down beside her. The peculiar warm scent, a mixture of sweat and hair fragrance, quickly lulled her into sleep.
It was already late autumn.
As the heat from the campfire gradually faded in the cave, the two on the ground also began to feel the chill.
The unconscious princess seemed unsatisfied with just the warmth of her palm. Her other hand unconsciously reached up to a soft mound, and she curled herself into a fetal position like a baby.
It was the best sleep Olivia had had since her mother’s passing. Though the bedding was rough and hard, the pillow was unexpectedly soft.
It wasn’t until the morning light stung her eyelids that the low stone ceiling pulled her back to reality.
She instinctively moved her head, and immediately, a soft moan came from beneath her.
Only then did Olivia realize in shock that the "pillow" she had been resting on all night was actually Lucy’s bosom.
"Sorry!"
She hurriedly tried to prop herself up, but a tearing pain in her back made her vision go black, and she nearly fainted again.
Lucy helplessly watched the princess fall back onto her chest once more, her face full of exasperation.
"You’ve already been lying here all night, a little longer won’t make a difference."
This remark instantly turned Olivia’s pain-paled face crimson, and she could only meekly apologize again.
After helping the princess sit up, Lucy pulled open her collar to inspect her abused "white rabbits," relieved that the natural material hadn’t become deformed.
"Ahem, Lady Lucy, I... didn’t say anything strange last night, did I?" Olivia asked nervously, vaguely recalling her dreamlike muttering.
"Not much."
Lucy fastened her collar and suddenly grinned mischievously.
"You just called me ‘mother’ for most of the night, then clung to me and started talking about reforms, your father, your stepmother, the principality, rebels, and so on..."
Olivia’s slightly cooled face instantly flushed a deep red, as if it was about to drip blood.
That was called 'not much'?
She had clearly spilled everything that should and shouldn’t be said.
For a moment, the noble Princess bit her lip with tears welling in her eyes, looking like a young beast caught by its tail.
"Ahem." Lucy coughed awkwardly and said, "How are you feeling? Can you move?"
Olivia tried to move her upper body.
The intense pain instantly shattered her will, her face turning pale as death.
Realizing something was wrong, Lucy quickly steadied her by the shoulder.
"Let me check your injuries again."
"Alright."
As Lucy carefully lifted her underskirt, the bruising under Olivia’s armpit had swollen to a glossy shine, and the angle of the two displaced ribs looked even more dangerous.
If this continued, it would surely harm her internal organs.
With her expertise in human anatomy, Lucy quickly came to a conclusion.
"We must find a way to treat this immediately. I need to remove your underskirt."
As she spoke, Lucy’s hand had already grasped the button of the pure white underskirt.
But Olivia suddenly grabbed her wrist.
The princess, drenched in cold sweat, had fingers burning hotter than expected, with a trace of pleading in her eyes.
"I am an anatomical witch. I know the human body very well. Your condition must be treated immediately," Lucy looked straight into her eyes and affirmed, "unless you want your displaced ribs to pierce your lung."
Olivia’s palm slowly loosened as she closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.
Although she had maids attending her during baths, the shame of being exposed under Lucy’s gaze at this moment felt especially intense.
"Then be quick."
Lucy gave no reply and swiftly undid several buttons.
At once, the princess’s figure was laid bare.
But Lucy paid no attention to anything else; Olivia’s injuries were even more serious than she had anticipated.
She gently traced her fingertips over the injured area.
Olivia almost fainted from the pain. Only when Lucy withdrew her hand did she speak.
"Are... are you sure you’re not taking revenge for me sleeping on your..."
"Revenge?"
Lucy opened the medicine box and took out the ‘No. 3 Alchemical Scalpel of the Midnight Dissector’ gifted by her mentor, deliberately prolonging her tone.
"If I wanted revenge, I would’ve let you keep clinging to me and calling me mother."
The tips of the princess’s ears instantly turned bright red.
While disinfecting the scalpel over the campfire, Lucy completely removed the underskirt.
"What’s this?"
A two-finger-wide scar left by a dagger marked the princess’s waist and abdomen.
"If you want to seize power from your father and brother, you have to pay a price," Olivia bit her lip and spoke calmly.
"Instigated by the Duchess?"
Lucy set aside the disinfected scalpel and took out a bottle of red liquid from the medicine box.
Olivia turned her face away, her black hair falling to cover her expression. "After my father fell ill, a maid delivering food left it with a dining knife. As for who was behind it, I don’t know."
At this point, she suddenly drew in a sharp breath.
Lucy’s thumb was steadily pressing down on the two displaced ribs.