Holder POV:

My fingers fanned out while I examined his body carefully. Most of his injuries had closed up, but the pressing issue at hand was his eyes. Despite the constant pain he told me he was in, they appeared to be fine; no nerve damage, no damage to the sclera or the muscles around the eye itself.

“...No luck?”

I heard the slight disappointment in Skorr's voice as I shook my head. I healed as many of his wounds as I could, but it was clear he had overexerted himself. He’d still be in pain for at least a week or more if he didn’t rest well.

“You’ll need to rest for the next couple of weeks. Try not to push yourself too hard.”

I lowered my hands while I tried to think of a solution for the strange case regarding his eyes. I felt the air move, followed by the slight squeaking sound of the bed as Skorr got to his feet.

“I have a favour to ask of you.”

I opened my eyes at the serious tone of his voice. A small number of butterflies gathered around his eyes, taking on an orange hue before burning away.

‘That's strange...’

I had plenty of time to think about what exactly these butterflies were, but I still hadn’t made any progress. Were they some kind of amalgamation between my ability and reality? Or another side effect of the KEDs? I didn’t know at all, and it scared me a little.

“It’s about Rose. Her condition... Is there anything that can be done?”

Rose was a former Royal Guard who Skorr had fought with. He had described the battle with as much detail as possible in order for me to recreate the scene in my head.

“Healing the mind is... Impossible.”

I gripped the sides of the armchair as I remembered Denise's situation. If only my ability was better, then maybe there’d be a thread of hope, but right now, there really was nothing I could do.

“...Hmm. In that case, look after her for me.”

“I can’t do that.”

The air shifted as Skorr turned around. It was clear to me that he didn’t want to meet Rose again, and that he was satisfied with keeping her at a distance.

“From what you’ve told me, she needs you. You may think she’s using you as a replacement for Alfons, but it may actually be the only way she can heal.”

I wasn’t adept at matters of the mind either. It was only due to Frida actively spending hours of her day reading various medical and psychology books to me that my own understanding began to deepen.

I felt bad. I was a cripple, yet Frida still wanted to be by my side. She could easily find another man better than me...

‘No, no, no... Be positive. Be positive.’

I dispelled those thoughts quickly and focused on the matter at hand. She had given me confidence, and I would use that to help as many people as I could.

“She doesn’t need to rely on anyone. That will only repeat the cycle she’s stuck in.”

He let out a frustrated sigh and headed towards the door.

“Thanks for the treatment, Holder.”

Skorr closed the door behind him, leaving me alone in the hospital room. A minute or two later, I heard the clicking of the side door opening when a familiar, sweet scent drifted into my nose.

“...What do you think?”

She walked forward and placed a clipboard on the desk before her gaze rested on me.

“A strange case indeed. I plan on having a session with Rose to discuss things further.”

Margaret took a seat opposite me as she folded her arms.

“Have you finished reviewing the medical forms I gave you? It’s important you become more familiar with the entire process; it may end up aiding you in some way later on.”

I let out a small sigh while I gazed at the Ki she was no longer suppressing. There was a slight, upbeat tone in her words, as if she had finally found what she was looking for.

“...You’re right. I’ll try to finish it soon.”

Margaret had directly apologized to Frida about the incident before. She also apologized to me, and soon after that, she started teaching me about the various different aspects of medicine. The knowledge she had accumulated was incredible; she was able to recite word for word whatever book she had read from start to finish.

“Is your fiancée doing well?”

The blood rushed to my cheeks as my eyes flashed open. I knew it was obvious how much I loved Frida, but... Marrying her? Did I really have a chance? She took great care of me and was often very affectionate, but marriage...

Marriage...

“How could I propose with legs like these...”

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Margaret whacked me on the head lightly with the clipboard.

“If you love her enough to want her to stay by your side forever, then tell her that. Your physical appearance has nothing to do with what’s in your heart, Holder. Or should I remind you of how many men try to get Frida's attention on a daily basis?”

“...Please don’t...”

I really didn’t want to hear about that. In many ways than one, not being able to see wasn’t so ba... I let out a helpless sigh as I realised I was running away again.

“Thank you, Margaret.”

I hardened my resolve and decided that I’d propose to Frida before the end of the week. Even if she rejects me, at least I would have gotten an answer, which was better than staying in the dark, guessing blindly.

“You’re welcome.”

The sound of her high heels slowly disappeared as she exited the room and walked down the hallway. The war was over, but we were busier than ever.

***

Margaret POV:

I sat behind the desk that had my name written in bold on a plaque facing the front of the office. I had a few minutes to spare before Rose arrived, so I recalled the moment I reunited with Jasmine.

Jasmine always had a more outgoing personality than Ness. She was bold and wasn’t afraid to try different things. It was quite cute watching her drag Ness around from one place to another. However, her bold front was just a way to protect her delicate heart.

This was further proven when the loss of her parents affected her differently compared to Ness. She smiled less and spent more time training with Sebastian. She took on dangerous jobs to get rid of troublesome people in the area; she kept herself constantly busy while spending less time with her little sister, who was also hurting just the same.

The breaking point came when I left.

However, I don’t know many of the details after that point in time as I was too preoccupied with my own... Agenda.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t find out; it’s that I chose not to. I tried to strip myself of the older sister role, but in the end, they both still saw me as that.

Jasmine’s reaction to seeing me again in Comfort was exactly the same as her younger sister's. She broke down and jumped into my arms, refusing to let go until she had cried her eyes out.

‘I’ll do better.’

I made a silent promise to myself as I shifted my gaze towards the door.

*Knock, knock*

“Come in.”

Rose opened the door and bowed her head before stepping inside. She closed the door behind her, standing beside it with a perfectly straight posture. Her hands rested on top of one another in front of her waist, and a small smile was firmly etched across her face.

“Take a seat.”

“Thank you.”

I observed her movements as she bowed her head again. She moved in an elegant manner, similar to royalty. Her slender fingers reached for her dress, holding it to avoid it rising while she lightly sat down on the chair I had pointed to.

A few minutes passed, but her posture didn’t change. There was no slouching, nor did the muscles around the smile on her face show any signs of tiring.

“I’m sure you’re aware about why I wanted to speak to you today. There are a few things I’d like to discuss. If I ask a question that makes you feel uncomfortable, feel free to refuse to answer it.”

“I understand.”

She nodded her head as the twilight rings around her pupils gave off a faint glow. I pulled out a few sheets of paper and jotted down some notes before turning my attention back towards her.

“Have you lived in District 1 your whole life?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have anyone you would consider a friend here?”

“No.”

“And why is that?”

“People only look at me with pity since my circumstances are quite well-known. They didn’t want to get close to someone like me.”

My pen moved as I examined her outer appearance. We had touched upon a sensitive topic, but there were no changes in her external behaviour.

“And how did that make you feel?”

“I felt nothing.”

Again, her smile remained steadfast while she answered smoothly, without any hesitation.

“What did you think about the former ruler Baekan?”

“A tyrant. An evil person who would harm his own to achieve his goals. His methods, his approach—they both make me sick. It’s disgusting and horrible.”

Despite her word choice, there were no fluctuations in her voice. There was, however, a slight twitch of her fingers which appeared to be restraining the urge to grip her hand.

Her feelings of disgust towards Baekan's actions were genuine. There was no trickery at play here.

“I want to talk about the abuse you suffered. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes.”

The twitching of her fingers vanished immediately.

“How long did the abuse last for?”

“15 years.”

“Was it purely physical or sexual?”

‘!’

Her eyes widened ever so slightly at my question. Rose parted her lips but didn’t speak immediately. It was only a delay that spanned a second or two, but it was rather telling.

“Mainly physical. As my body developed, he gained an interest in touching me against my will. It never went beyond that, but there were several times were he almost crossed that line.”

‘...Sounds deliberate.’

I made a few more notes about her abusive relationship before choosing to move on to the next set of questions. I would come back to this later on.

“What made you choose to fight against Skorr?”

“He was the one who chose me.”

According to Skorr, everyone had taken turns confronting the Royal Guards in order to stop them from reaching the District Leader. Using that logic, Skorr must have moved after she did to intercept her. Unless... It's as she said, and Skorr deliberately targeted her.

“Why are you so attached to Skorr?”

“I believe in love at first sight.”

Her smile deepened, and a faint shade of red graced both sides of her cheeks.

‘Hmm.’

I pondered for a while over both her reaction and her response. Skorr had saved her from her abuser; it was natural, in many cases, for her to mistake those strong feelings of relief and freedom as a deep form of love and attachment.

On the other hand, Rose appeared to be somewhat innocent despite her abusive upbringing. It was possible that she was genuinely attracted to Skorr and that the situation with her abuser just happened to overlap.

“Skorr has made it clear that he doesn’t want to see you again. What do you think about his statement?”

“The burning in his eyes will continue to get worse sooner or later, and when it does, he will come to find me.”

She smiled confidently while the twilight ring around her pupils emitted a faint glow. During my time as a Royal Guard in District 1, I had seen Rose briefly; her unique eyes were something I took note of. In other words, the connection to Skorr’s case was obvious, but that alone didn’t provide any direct explanation.

“What exactly caused the symptoms with Skorr's eyes?”

“...It is a conversation that the two of us need to have. I apologize for not being able to answer directly.”

A guarded but open response. She doesn’t seem to want him to suffer, but he pushes her away, so what can she do but wait? Based on her personality too, I couldn’t see Rose actively chasing after Skorr anymore than she already had.

I shifted my gaze to the questions I had prepared. There were only a couple more questions left to ask, but arguably they were the most important ones.

“How do you feel about Mr Alfons being permanently crippled?”

“I have no feelings other than sadness. I feel sad that I had to experience that level of abuse daily for the past 15 years.”

Her responses reverted back to normal once more. I gazed into her eyes as I asked her my last question.

“Do you hate him?”

“No. I do not hate him. If it wasn’t me who suffered by his hands, then it would have been someone else. For that reason, I am glad that I saved that person from suffering the way I did.”

Her lips spread into a bright smile while I leaned back in the chair. I couldn’t help but reflect on my previous viewpoint on life as I stared outside the window at the morning sky.