Chapter 291: Lost Time
Armand took a full ten seconds to sort out what was going on.
He looked at the bruise on his forehead and heard Carle say he had “collapsed outside.” Even without thinking too hard, he could tell that his recent problem of “falling asleep too easily” had finally gotten so bad that it happened even in unsafe places.
In the past, even when he felt sleepy, he only let himself fall asleep after making sure the area was “safe to sleep,” like on a bed, a couch, or even beside a desk.
But this time, it was obvious. He had lost the ability to control when or where he fell asleep. Otherwise, he would never have collapsed like that.
“Carle.”
“Yeah.”
Carle sat on the chair next to him, looking a little nervous. His eyes didn’t leave Armand even for a second, like he was scared that Armand might suddenly collapse again at any moment.
“...What day is it today?”
More than worrying about the fall or anything else, what Armand cared about most was the date.
“The 19th,” Carle answered.
“I see.”
Carle still looked nervous, but Armand didn’t seem too concerned. His tone was more like casual chatting with a friend. “Winter’s coming soon, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Carle didn’t say anything more, just went along with Armand’s words, as if waiting for him to bring up the real issue on his own.
“Don’t worry, Carle. It’s just because the weather’s getting colder.”
Armand laughed softly, as if that worried look on his face earlier, when he saw his own nosebleed, had just been a momentary reaction.
The bloodstain on his collar was still clearly red, and there were even smudges of blood around his philtrum, but Armand didn’t care. He casually grabbed a tissue from the table, poured some water from a cup onto it, and wiped his face.
“To be honest, I’ve had this old problem for a while. I get cold very easily. So when winter comes, this sort of thing happens. It’s not a big deal, I just need to wear a bit more. Sorry for making you worry.”
Armand stood up and put on his coat, even playfully acting like he was shivering from the cold.
But to Carle, who was watching him closely, this was clearly too much. No matter how good Armand was at pretending, Carle could tell, he was obviously hiding something.
And in truth, he was.
The moment he noticed he had a nosebleed again, Armand realized things were more serious than they seemed.
Normally, nosebleeds happen from physical or natural causes. But other than that, there was only one reason something like this would happen.
—The toxins in his body had started to “reactivate” again.
And the most important clue... was the date.
Carle had no reason to lie. So if today really was the 19th, then—
Armand’s own memory only went up to the morning of the 18th.
The last thing he could remember was after he had sent out invitations for the small party, and had talked with Evelia about what kind of dishes they should prepare. Of course, Evelia gave him some confusing tomato-based recipes.
So Armand had decided he’d just go ask Carle what he wanted to eat.
And that was where his memory stopped.
It stopped at the moment when he thought, ‘I’ll ask Carle tomorrow at the knights’ headquarters.’
And now...
Looking at the current setting and listening to Carle’s words, Armand could piece it together.
Today was the day he had planned to find Carle, and just earlier he had collapsed outside.
This was exactly what Armand was worried about.
He didn’t really care about how badly he fell, poison becoming more active during winter was something he had expected. What truly worried him was the complications.
Since he was now sitting here in the knights’ medical room, and Carle was calmly sitting across from him waiting for him to speak, it meant that nothing unusual or serious had happened before this point. At least not something that he or others noticed. Otherwise, Carle wouldn’t be this calm.
Armand still trusted the bond between them. If something had seriously gone wrong, Carle would definitely not be acting like this. And Armand himself wouldn’t be here in just a regular medical room.
So that meant, up until he collapsed, everything had been more or less normal.
But... the gap in his memory felt too long.
Before, he’d only forget a few hours at most. But now, he had lost an entire day.
Rather than feeling like a “blackout,” it felt more like his mind had been set backward.
Ah—damn it, is early-onset dementia starting already?
Come on, I’m not even married yet. Can I at least have three kids before something like this happens? I don’t want to struggle remembering their names one day...
…Right?
I should at least wait until after I get married, shouldn't I?
Although he knew that, with his short lifespan, looking for a partner was an irresponsible thing to do...
Maybe it was just selfishness, but even though Armand tried to be responsible, thinking that he should stay away from others and live quietly so he wouldn’t bring trouble to anyone—
Still, he wanted to be with Evelia. That was all.
He simply, honestly wanted to be her husband, to be the most important person to each other.
He even broke the sense of justice he had held for years. He had softened his heart against an old rival he once faced without mercy.
“…Carle.”
He rubbed his nose, pulled out a tissue, and stuffed it into the still-uncomfortable nostril.
“Yeah? What is it?”
Carle was still sitting there like always. From his expression, it was clear he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Armand, but he said nothing.
Because he knew Armand well. If Armand didn’t want to talk, even if you pried his mouth open, you wouldn’t get a single useful word out of him.
“I want to go back to the estate for a bit.”
“Alright.”
Carle didn’t hesitate at all, he nodded right away.
Even though Armand was trying to act like nothing had happened, it was obvious he was forcing it. His face looked stiff, probably because too many thoughts had suddenly rushed into his mind.
Just like anyone would instinctively want to go to the safest place in their heart when they feel scared or anxious, Armand wanted to go home.
He was like a helpless child, his hands in his coat pockets already sweaty with nervousness.
“Let’s go. I’ll walk you there.”
Carle stood up and patted Armand on the shoulder. Maybe because Armand had said earlier that he “gets cold easily,” Carle didn’t even hesitate to drape his own coat over Armand.
As for himself, he just turned up his collar, zipped up his knight’s uniform, and hunched slightly, bracing himself for the wind that might chill his neck.
“Thanks for the trouble.”
Armand didn’t refuse the kind gesture. After all, he didn’t know if he might collapse again at any moment.
“No need to be polite. If you need help, you’ve got to say so.”
“…Yeah.” Armand nodded. The fringe of his hair covered his eyes, so no one could see his expression. “Thanks.”