Ask Away, Your Majesty - Chapter 18
Whirr—! Thud!
“Ah!!”
“Gah!”
“Take a good look! These two scoundrels are the children of the Kreutz family who tried to incite a rebellion! I’ll make them forget all their days as nobility from here on in!”
As soon as they boarded the slave ship, Lorienne and Elrond faced harsher lashings than the others. It was because they were nobles and needed to be disciplined properly as slaves.
The whipping was merciless.
When the sound of the whip slashing through the air became indistinguishable after numerous strikes, Lorienne lost consciousness.
“Lofi… Please open your eyes…”
“Elrond….”
When she opened her eyes, darkness surrounded her, and she could hear only the sound of the boat cutting through the calm waves.
A gasp escaped Lorienne’s lips as she was startled by the bloodied face of her brother. Pain shot through her whipped back like a sharp skewer.
“Everyone’s asleep. You should be free to heal yourself now.”
As her brother approached quietly and spoke softly, Lorienne felt despondent once again. They had been whipped together, but Elrond’s face had been intact before she passed out. But now there were new bloodstains on top of the previous ones, indicating how many times blood had gushed from Elrond’s lips and nose. One of his eyes was so swollen that his pupil was barely visible.
Even without seeing what happened while she was unconscious, it was clear what was done to him. My brother must have been desperately trying to stop the men from pouncing on his unconscious sister.
I’m fine. Please heal yourself quickly. We don’t have much time.” Elrond urged Lorienne while comforting her.
As Lorienne activated her healing power within her body, she felt the deep wound on her back slowly begin to mend.
“It will leave a scar…”
Elrond’s face twisted as he inspected the torn blouse, revealing the deeply etched whip marks across her back. Despite most wounds being healed instantaneously with the healing magic, such deep wounds were certain to leave scars no matter the treatment.
Lorienne felt tears welling up in her eyes at the sight of her brother’s bloodied face and concern for her scars, but she held them back. This was no time to cry. She wanted to heal him, who had been hit harder than she had.
However, Elrond gently pushed away Lorienne’s hand extended for healing and shook his head.
“Why?”
“I’m fine. Don’t let people know about your healing ability. If I miraculously recover overnight, it will surely raise suspicions.”
“Still…”
Although Lorienne thought healing, even in unseen places, was necessary, Elrond continued to refuse healing. She anxiously met his gaze, but he turned his eyes towards a distant light. The ship was heading toward that light.
As Lorienne tried to convince him, Elrond lightly caressed her head, meeting her eyes. Then he reached into his arms and pulled out something—a small pouch with a long string.
Elrond muttered, “Wait,” and slipped his hand under her skirt, tying the pouch securely around Lorienne’s waist.
“W-what are you doing?”
“There are coins in the pouch. Not a lot.”
“Elrond…”
At that moment, Lorienne understood. Her brother intended to part ways with her.
As the thought of being without Elrond crossed her mind, intense fear surged within her. Lorienne desperately held onto him, but her trembling arms lacked strength.
“Elrond, please don’t leave me…!”
Elrond firmly grasped Lorienne’s shoulders, his voice wavering as he shook his head vigorously.
“Leave you? How could I leave you? I’m trying to save you, Lorienne. To… save you.”
“No! I don’t want to be separated, no matter what.”
When Lorienne attempted to hold onto her brother again, Elrond resolutely pushed her away from his embrace, as if preparing himself for what had to be done.
Then, he offered a small vial.
“It’s a potion that can withstand even in the sea.”
“What about you?”
“We can’t both escape. If we both vanish, we’ll be discovered in no time.”
Realizing that taking the potion meant parting with her brother, Lorienne clenched her lips tightly and shook her head.
“Lofi, listen to me. Just endure for 30 minutes after drinking this potion. We’ll soon enter the joint waters of Astum and Rixir. You must stay there. The Astum scouts will rescue you. Go to Astum, and I’ll come find you.”
Her twenty-year-old brother was earnestly pleading with her. Elrond glanced once more at the nearing light and firmly held Lorienne’s chin, forcing her mouth open and pouring the potion inside.
It was the first time Elrond had exerted force on his sister.
Coughing violently due to the potion forced into her mouth, Lorienne was embraced tightly by Elrond, who was patting her back.
“Sorry… I’m sorry, Lofi.”
Amidst his continuous apologies, Elrond’s tear-laden breaths mixed with each word.
It was the last time she saw her brother.
