2. Nae and My Hut (2)
Rustle… Rustle…
The sound of clothes brushing against each other, the sound of something rustling. I, who had been curling up at the familiar noise, I opened my eyes in a daze as I realized that the familiar warmth was no longer beside me.
What came into my view was not the familiar sight of the bed, but a fireplace with only faint embers remaining.
Why was I sleeping on the floor, not in the room…
As I blinked in confusion, the events of yesterday suddenly came to mind, and I abruptly rose to look for Nae.
“Nae!!”
“What do you want?”
At the calm response, I quickly turned my head. I blinked in surprise at the sight of Nae sitting by the window, where she usually sat.
Although one of her legs was wrapped in torn cloth, making it twice as thick as the other, there were no other noticeable injuries. Nae was alive.
She had made it possible for me to greet the morning with a smile, just like always. I was overwhelmed with gratitude, but also with an indescribable emotion.
I looked at Nae, unable to cry or laugh like a fool. Nae, who had been watching me, burst into a quiet laugh.
“What’s with that face? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Nae….”
As soon as I realized she was okay, my emotions welled up. I wiped my tears with my sleeve, but strangely, they wouldn’t stop.
I was happy, so happy, but strangely angry and the tears wouldn’t stop. I was glad she was safe, glad she was awake, but no matter how hard I tried, I could only stutter.
“Ah, ah…. ugh…. uh….”
“Oh dear, why are you crying again. Come here.”
I nestled into Nae’s arms as she reached out with a casual smile. As always, Nae naturally tried to sit me on her lap as she held me.
“Ah… ouch….”
“Are you okay!?”
“I’m fine, so don’t make that face.”
She chuckled and continued speaking while stroking my head.
“But I guess I can’t have you sit on this leg for a while.”
“…How did this happen?”
When I asked with a heavy voice, Nae shrugged awkwardly with a laugh.
“Haha, ran into a wild boar.”
“You were hit by a wild boar?”
“You know my hunting skills. Do you think I’d be beaten by a mere wild boar? I cleanly slit its throat and was about to come down, but the ground was frozen solid.”
And you know, she implied as she shrugged it off.
Whether she didn’t want to worry me or she really thought it was nothing, I was annoyed at her for jokingly speaking without considering my feelings.
“Thanks to that, I was pinned down by the boar, and… well, that’s what happened.”
“You should be careful… You told me it was dangerous because it was raining and slippery, but Nae got hurt even though you said that….”
The back of my head lightly bumped against Nae’s shoulder. She stroked my hair gently, shaking her head with a soft smile.
“Jeez… when you say it like that, I don’t have anything to say. I’m sorry. You were worried a lot, weren’t you?”
“…Of course.”
“Alright, I’ll be more careful from now on.”
Seeing Nae smile and speak, I couldn’t say anything more.
Yes, it was a blessing that she returned alive.
It was a blessing that she was by my side.
Yes. That was enough.
“Mm….”
I tried to suppress my trembling emotions, hugging Nae tightly, sharing our warm heat. Feeling the emotions that spoke louder than a hundred words, I closed my eyes.
Nae said it was fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, that her leg had cleanly broken. She said that a splint and bandages were enough. I asked if that was really sufficient when her leg was bent completely the wrong way, but all she responded with was that it was fine.
Was it really okay?
I didn’t voice the question that rose to my throat. I trusted Nae more than my worries, so I didn’t need to ask that question.
I had been worried about what we would eat, but thankfully, my worries were unfounded.
“For the time being, I’ve been smoking the leftover meat and drying it in the back shed. We’ll have to get by with that for a while. Considering your appetite… it should last a month or two?”
“That much?”
“Maybe it’s because the mountains are nearby, but a lot of wild animals come out. I caught one or two, and well, that’s how it happened.”
“I see…. Great! Then leave all the housework to me for a while so you can focus on recovering!”
“Really? Can I even leave the cooking to you?”
“Uh…. It should be fine!”
When I worked at the mansion, I watched the chef cook over his shoulder, so it should be okay. And it’s not like I’m making complicated dishes like the mansion’s chef.
I can definitely make a stew.
Just add water, meat, and boil it. That’s all there is to it.
Mm-hmm, as I nodded, Nae looked at me with a worried face. Her gaze seemed to say, ‘Are you really sure?’
I couldn’t help but avoid her eyes after a moment.
“…Probably.”
“You can do it. I’ll teach you from the side, let’s do it together.”
“You can’t move yourself! Got it?”
“Alright, alright, I got it.”
I grinned at Nae, who was waving her hand dismissively. After that, I took care of everything from cooking to cleaning, laundry, and nursing.
It was hard, but I could do it with Nae’s help.
“Thank you. It’s comfortable thanks to you.”
Being able to help someone else… really made me feel an indescribable sense of fulfillment. So, I worked even harder.
I learned to wash her body, to cook a stew that was tastier than the day before, and to do the housework alone so that she could rest a little more comfortably.
And I even tried to change the cloth that was wrapped around her leg, when I noticed her grunting, but…
“Ah, it’s okay. It’s better if I do this myself.”
“But… isn’t it better if I help you rather than you doing it alone?”
“‘Cause, it’s embarrassing.”
“Ah.”
I nodded at her words, stirring the air with her hand, and suddenly left the room. We shower together, but she’s embarrassed to show her leg?
At that time, I couldn’t think of such an obvious question. I was intoxicated by the fact that I was being helpful, and I couldn’t look around.
Then one day, as time passed, I woke up from sleep because the bed was unusually damp.
Could there be a crack or hole in the roof, causing water to drop? I still don’t know how to repair the roof…
With that thought, I got up from the bed. But what had soaked the bed was not the water that fell from the ceiling, but the cold sweat she had shed all night.
Wondering why she was sweating so much, I blinked my eyes blankly for a moment. A groan came from her throat.
“Uh… uh… huk…”
“Na, Nae!?”
Only then did I come to my senses, quickly got out of bed, and checked her complexion. Even considering the moonlit night, her face, sweating and groaning, was too pale.
I was flustered. She was fine until yesterday, why did she suddenly become like this?
Was there a problem with the stew I made? Or is it a cold? Did she eat something wrong without me knowing?
I was very flustered, but the thought that I had to save her was stronger. The concern about what the problem was didn’t last long.
There was only one reason why she could be like this.
I quickly threw off the soaked blanket and untied all the cloth wrapped around her leg. Her exposed leg was not healing, but rather worsening.
The other leg was twice as thick and the skin was turning blue.
“Why, why…!?”
What should I do, what should I do in this situation? Even if I asked, there was no answer.
In the end, all that was left was for me to find a way on my own.
‘Should I go to the village? No. Those people won’t do anything without money. Then should I treat her? But I don’t know how to treat such a serious wound.’
After a long time of indecision, I ran out of the hut with the thought of trying something.
“This…! Medicinal herbs! And… and this… this is also a medicinal herb…!”
I picked all the medicinal herbs I had learned while following her on hunting trips. I didn’t learn how to use them… but if I grind them and apply them, they will surely get better.
When I scraped my knee in the past, she treated me like that. So if I apply the same herbs to her leg, it will surely get better.
I put the torn herbs in a bowl, ground them roughly, and applied them to her leg as best I could. I changed the damp blanket to a new one and lit a fire in the fireplace.
I wet the cloth and wiped her body, and knelt down next to her. She was still groaning and in pain.
The only thing I could do in such a situation was to wipe the sweat she had shed…
“God… I’ll pray like this. Please… let her open her eyes safely….”
And to pray.
Still, the night was deep.
Thx.