“Yelena?” Her gestures could be seen as a signal to come closer, or perhaps a request to lift her. Kaywhin first inclined himself towards Yelena. Then Yelena tightly pulled Kaywhin’s neck towards her, pressing their lips together.

“…!” Their lips lightly met and then parted. Once. They met again and then separated. Twice. Then they gently came together once more. Thrice. Four times…

“Wait, Yelena.” As they were about to kiss for the fifth time, Kaywhin called her name in a flustered voice. His call seemed to refuse her kiss, causing a displeased crease to form between Yelena’s eyebrows. Why? Did he think she was still… inadequate? Even if he were to fill her ten times over, it might just barely fit.

At the moment, when she was about to grumble her innermost thoughts, something entered Yelena’s field of vision, albeit belatedly. Right behind Kaywhin, people were standing in the bedroom, arranged along one side. Servants with lowered heads, a doctor, and…

“Ahem.”

“Hmm.”

*COUGH*

Count Pernel was there with his son and daughter. The awkward clearing of throats from these three distinct individuals shattered the silence of the room.

“…”

Yelena quietly looked at them, then released her arms embracing Kaywhin’s neck. After that, she lay down on the bed again and closed her eyes. A moment later, Yelena tossed and turned, then opened her eyes. ”

Hmm… where am I?” The eyes of the people gathered in the bedroom wavered for she was trying to act as if nothing had happened! They had agreed to play along.

“Are you awake, My Lady? Look here, quickly. Since the Duchess has regained consciousness, examine her.”

“Yes, my lord.” The doctor came forward and helped Yelena sit up. Except for the slightly injured ankle, there seemed to be no significant harm. Yelena’s gaze finally reached her ankle. A white bandage was tightly wrapped around her left ankle, which had been firmly secured with a splint. “It was twisted in an opposite direction.”

Thinking about it now was quite dreadful. Her left ankle had twisted in a direction it shouldn’t have. At that time, the situation had been so tense that she hadn’t had the luxury to worry about injuries.

“I’m glad you’re safe. How is the ankle injury? Will it recover soon?”

“Well, that’s…” The doctor adjusted his glasses and cautiously began to speak. “The recovery doesn’t seem to be an issue, but there might be some lingering effects…”

“No.” Elena interrupted the doctor. He must have been about to say that her ankle might remain permanently damaged! Yelena glanced at Kaywhin. She put effort into her voice, wanting to avoid worrying him unnecessarily. “I’ll recover without any issues. So, please don’t bring up unnecessary concerns.”

“Oh, yes.” The doctor immediately fell silent. He had the intention of reassuring her husband, but it was sincere as well.

‘I think it can be fixed.’

Yelena inwardly thought as she looked at her left ankle wrapped in bandages. She had saved people on the brink of death, even those whose hearts had stopped beating. Fixing an injured ankle seemed as easy as blinking. Of course, she had no intention of trying it right away. She couldn’t afford to lose consciousness again as soon as she opened her eyes.

“More importantly, why is the Count here?”

At Yelena’s question, Count Pernel opened his mouth in a fluster.”Oh, well, it’s just that I wanted to express my gratitude as soon as the Duchess woke up…”

“Gratitude?”

“Thank you very much.”

The Count suddenly and awkwardly bowed his head. “For protecting the Earldom… I’m truly, sincerely grateful to both of you.”

In an instant, a faint voice overlapped with the Count’s words. “To the Duchess. Thank you so much for protecting the Earldom.”

“What about the deceased?”

“Yes?”

“What happened to those who sacrificed themselves? About their treatment.”

The Count raised his head and responded immediately. “All the bodies have been taken care of, and once the situation was sorted, we plan to hold a collective funeral service. We’ll provide compensation to the families, as well.”

“I see.”

Yelena fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

“Could you give us some space? I want to be alone with my husband.”

“Oh, yes. My apologies for not realizing this… Please rest comfortably.”

Count Pernel quickly withdrew from the bedroom with his son and daughter. After sending away the doctor and the maid, Yelena and Kaywhin were left alone.

“Kaywhin.”

“Yes, Yelena.”

“Come over here and hold me.”