SWNOVELS Chapter 13
"Bring me there. I need to see him immediately.” I demanded with a hurried voice.
The maid looked befuddled but still led me to Arthur's private clinic. "It's... It's here. Dr. Arthur should be treating the king now.”
"Thank you."
The maid nodded at me before leaving immediately as if she was scared of me. I did not mind her and quietly stood at the entrance to the clinic for a few seconds before knocking.
"Didn't I say I won't see anyone during treatment?" I heard Arthur's impatient and cross voice from the room. I slightly hesitated. Taking a deep breath, I announced, "It's me."
Suddenly, there was a commotion behind the door. Soon, Arthur peeked out, grinning without any trace of impatience. "Why are you here? Do you feel unwell?"
I nervously bit my lower lip and played with my fingers. "Il am here to see Blake. The maid who delivered my lunch told me he's here.”
"Oh... He... He is currently at..." Arthur stammered. He stroked his chin suspiciously and suddenly appeared to be uneasy.
"Let her in." I heard a strong and calm voice that was unmistakably Blake's. Hearing his voice made
my heart skipped a few beats.
A helpless look appeared on Arthur's face before he sighed and stepped aside to let me in. Without hesitation, I walked in the room and was instantly overwhelmed by the stench of blood. The worry that I had in my heart doubled right away.
Blake was sitting on the edge of the bed wearing a black shirt that was buttoned haphazardly. I could see his firm chest through the space between the buttons of his shirt that he had obviously put on in a hurry. On his forehead were beads of sweat.
Looking ghastly pale, Blake had some mysterious blood stain on the corner of his lips. I shifted my gaze to the wastebasket by his feet where I found a few sheets of crumpled tissue stained by dried, dark blood.
My lips trembled, feeling suffocated at the sight. Inside my chest, my heart was throbbing from great pain.
Blake's eyes followed mine and his brows instantly furrowed. He clumsily kicked the wastebasket under the bed. Then, he walked up to me as if nothing happened and asked tenderly, "What's wrong?”
I looked at Blake, noticing that he had lost a lot of weight. His eyes were sunken, his face bloodless. Even his lips were a shade of gray, which proved that he was severely poisoned.
I inhaled sharply and my entire body felt cold. Blake was such in a bad condition. How could I not notice it? How could I, someone who had studied poison since I was a little child, not see that he was still badly poisoned?
"I..." I opened my mouth only to discover that my voice was hoarse. I licked my dried lips before pressing them together. Now that I have seen Blake, I no longer know what to tell him.
Blake stopped on his track and his face changed. The tenderness in his eyes disappeared and his hands turned into fists. He frowned. "Are you here to talk about leaving me again?"
I opened my mouth to speak before looking away and avoiding his eyes. Somehow, my words were stuck in my throat. It was true that I wanted to leave because I could not forgive him for lying to me. At the same time, I wanted to stay... I could not just sit back and let Blake die from being poisoned. For a while, neither of us said anything. The silence in the air suddenly thickened. After a while, it was Blake who endured the pain and declared icily, "I will never agree to let you leave me. Just give up!"
He just said a few sentences but Blake's face immediately turned even paler. The beads of sweat on his forehead likewise visibly increased. He was clearly in so much pain.
I took in Blake's struggles and wished that I were the one going through the pain.
After a period of silence, I looked into his eyes and muttered softly, "I will stay.”