The Military Doctor Excels at Being a Contracted Duchess - Chapter 82

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 82】

So this is what it means to be speechless.

Victor looked into those clear eyes and realized that Ebel was being sincere right now.

She wasn’t playing a prank, nor was she joking.

She had truly… forgotten Lucas.

“Is he… someone I should know?”

Ebel asked cautiously. Victor fell silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

However, his conclusion was that Ebel would want to know.

Because she never backs down.

He didn’t want to deceive someone with a lion’s heart by arbitrarily judging and protecting her under the guise of care.

“Do you remember about The Twelve?”

“Um… I’m sorry, but wasn’t it The Eleven?”

Now confusion spread across Ebel’s face like a splash of water.

He seated her on the sofa to prevent her from panicking, maintaining a calm atmosphere as he continued speaking.

“We were called The Twelve. In the past, although only eleven were alive until that day, we decided to call ourselves that out of respect for Colonel Eberstain.”

“…”

“Lucas was one of the eleven. He was a man talented with bombs and explosives, and he helped us greatly in our escape.”

He took out a fountain pen from his jacket and wrote names one by one on the paper placed on the table.

Victor von Bayern.

Konrad von Eberstain.

Lucas Steiner.

Dominique Zilberfeld.

Florian Riedel.

Ernst Wolf.

Otto Krause.

Paul Eisenmann.

Dietrich Keller.

Anton Fischer.

Guevre.

‘Abel Claren’.

“Is there anyone else among these that you’ve forgotten?”

“No, I remember them all. But Lucas Steiner… I have no idea at all. It’s as if he’s been completely erased…”

Ebel was shocked that no memories related to him came to mind.

She couldn’t remember his face, nor what relationship she had with him.

Florian, Dominique, Guevre.

She remembered them all in detail… but who on earth was ‘Lucas’?

“I have all my memories. That is, it seems nothing has happened to Lucas in the present. I’ll need to confirm this, but please don’t worry for now.”

Victor tried to hide his serious expression.

Though it sounded like something from a science fiction novel, it was possible that ‘Lucas Steiner’, whom Ebel couldn’t remember, had become a person who ‘doesn’t exist’ at all in the current timeline.

Or perhaps Lucas would no longer remember Victor at all.

Or else-

“That person Lucas… he didn’t die instead, did he…?”

The way Ebel addressed him sounded strangely unfamiliar.

Victor’s steps, as he was about to leave and call Matthias, suddenly stopped.

It felt like she was addressing a complete stranger. Victor hesitated for a moment with his hand on the doorknob, feeling that awkward sense of distance.

“I sent him to the Distant Continent, worried he might get caught up in the war. I’ll check as quickly as possible, so please don’t worry too much.”

After Victor hurriedly left, Ebel stared down at her own hands.

“One newly saved life, in exchange for one memory of a person I saved before.”

It seemed like a fair trade at first glance.

Since she couldn’t remember anything at all about this person called Lucas, there was no need to feel regretful.

After all, Banya was more precious to her right now than someone she didn’t even know.

But what was frightening was, what if she forgot everything like this?

It wasn’t a power she could control.

‘Saving people is a good thing. But… but what if I forget Victor too?’

If someday, she could no longer remember him.

Ebel buried her face in her hands as a sudden wave of terror washed over her.

How long had she been like that?

A small hand opened the door and slipped in, running over with quick little steps.

Under black hair were soft, squishy cheeks. He looked exactly like a Bayern, but his actions and personality were a bit different – a child who seemed like pure innocence itself.

Damian was about to hug Ebel recklessly when he flinched.

Her breathing was different from usual.

“Ah… Damian, you’re here?”

Crying.

Had she been crying?

She was crying, so why was she smiling?

Damian, who had been staring blankly up at Ebel, only felt reassured and hugged her when he saw her spread her arms toward him.

“Ebe.”

“Hm?”

“Ebe. Wuu.”

What he wanted to say was: Ebel. Don’t cry.

But unlike Angelm, such words didn’t come out easily, which was frustrating.

“Right, come to think of it, you must have been scared too. I should have taken better care of you. Sorry, Dami.”

He liked it when Ebel affectionately called him ‘Dami’. Damian smiled brightly and gently cupped Ebel’s face with his small palms.

“Wuu.”

“Hm?”

“Wuu!”

It’s okay. You can cry.

That’s what he wanted to say.

Actually, in the past, not being able to speak hadn’t been particularly frustrating. After all, there was no one to listen to Damian’s words anyway.

With Angelm, communication worked perfectly fine even without speaking.

So it hadn’t been inconvenient before…

‘It’s frustrating.’

Damian frowned and opened and closed his mouth.

He wasn’t stupid either – he knew an arrow had flown earlier. He also knew that Banya had almost been in danger.

Angelm had explained that to him.

Angelm seemed scared because his body was weak, but Damian wasn’t like that.

Because Damian was the type to bare his teeth even more in the face of threats – that’s why he was called ‘beast-like’.

‘I’m not scared. I can protect Ebel.’

Feeling frustrated, Damian scratched his neck and thumped his chest. Though startled Ebel quickly stopped him.

“Ah, uh. Wuu.”

“Our Dami seems to have a lot he wants to say. It would be nice if you could start speaking.”

Ebel hugged the child tightly and rested her cheek against his soft hair.

Just that made her feel somewhat calmer.

Damian stayed still in her embrace with a sullen expression.

When was it?

Like that day when she had stayed with him in the rain when he was afraid.

“Thank you, Damian.”

Ebel always treats me like a little kid.

‘If I were bigger, I could protect her.’

Ebel isn’t his mother. But she said she would become one for him.

‘My real mother had a weak body and had to go to heaven soon.’

What if the same happens to Ebel?

Honestly, even now it feels like she could disappear at any moment.

After pondering, Damian pulled out a candy he had hidden in his pocket and suddenly held it out.

He had saved it to eat later, but he felt like he should give her at least this.

“My goodness, your hands are all sticky. Were you hiding candy?”

“Yes.”

“Are you giving it to me?”

At Ebel’s question, Damian nodded his head vigorously.

He looked quite proud, so Ebel smiled and accepted it.

While thinking to herself that she should prevent him from stealing candy, she decided not to scold him for now.

Because she was deeply touched by Damian’s heart.

“Thank you, Damian. I won’t tell Banya about this. Shall we keep it as our secret?”

She left a kiss on his forehead and chuckled softly at the stickiness remaining on her finger.

This small warmth would probably never be forgotten for the rest of her life.

‘I should ask Victor what memories I lost about Lucas when he comes.’

That thought was strangely light.

As if what she had truly lost wasn’t really important.

* * *

Victor von Bayern knew no fear.

However, since yesterday, he was experiencing what it meant to be afraid for the first time.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would act like a fool paralyzed by terror, but it was certainly an unpleasant sensation.

Therefore, Victor entered the Audience Chamber in a lower mood than usual.

If the Queen hadn’t done something so pointless in the first place, Banya wouldn’t have died, and time wouldn’t have turned back causing Ebel to forget Lucas.

“Grand Duchess of Bayern. I finally get to see that face.”

According to Victor’s request, the audience was conducted unofficially.

This meant it wasn’t in front of countless nobles watching.

Those present in the Audience Chamber were the House of Bayern, the King and Queen, and about the Royal Clergy and attendants who would serve as witnesses.

King Nicholas looked Ebel up and down with greedy eyes.

‘What? There was another woman as pretty as Minuette?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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