Melrose had never seen such violence her entire life until that day and that very moment. Earlier that afternoon she had seen dead bodies and even witnessed how a man died in front of her, but it was nothing compared to the darkness she was seeing in Lord Knight's eyes right now.
His orbs had turned really dark, which she wasn't sure was caused by the lack of light. And the way he looked at the woman, it was like a devil's gaze who only had bloodlust in his mind. Her heart was beating frantically. She felt cold, anxious, and frightened.
She wished to be in any place but in that dirty cell, with her bloodied, and witnessing Lord Knight's brutal violence. She could not bear watching the woman struggling under his power and almost could not breathe, nor could she bear the cries of the young girl who was witnessing such cruelty.
Melrose knew she had to stop him before it was too late.
"Lord Knight, please," she muttered breathlessly and leaned over him despite the pain to hold his hand that was strangling the woman's neck tightly as if he would snap it anytime soon.
It was then Reed got back to his senses. He turned to Melrose and his grip on the woman's neck loosened. His face was blank as his gaze fell to Melrose's chest and saw the blood dripping down her clothes.
"She tried to kill you," he said silently as if that was more than enough to kill the woman.
Melrose winced when she moved. She was surprised when Reed's arm was immediately around her.
"She's in shock. It was not intentional," she said and tried to get up but before she could successfully do it, she felt her feet leave the ground. Reed carried her in his arms.
She suddenly felt feverish, and she wasn't sure if it was her wound that caused heat to rise in her body, or if it was because it was the first time a man touched her in such a way. But did that matter? There was a sharp thing stuck on her chest and who knew if she would be lucky enough to still be alive tomorrow.
"It doesn't hurt that much, you know. I can still walk," she said with small shuddering breaths as Reed walked out of the dungeon.
"If you didn't insist on going back here, none of this would happen," he replied coldly, not sparing her a glance. His face was usually hard and didn't have any expression like a normal human did, but at that moment, he felt way more distant. Like even though they were so close to each other, there was that huge block of ice between them, reminding her how untouchable he was.
"If we didn't go back, they would suffer overnight. Most of them are wounded, Lord Knight. They need help-"
"At the expense of risking your life, yes?"
"The woman was-"
"Stop talking or you will bleed more," he demanded and she knew he was right.
When they arrived upstairs, some people had lit the candles. Someone in the shadows walked to them and Melrose figured it was Lord Knight's manservant, Stuart.
"Master, what happened-"
"Bring me a medicine kit upstairs."
Seeing how dark his master's face was, Stuart did not say anything and just obliged. Reed headed upstairs without another word and Melrose felt the urge to point out how dark the way was, and if he could even see anything. But it seemed like he was so sure of himself and what he was doing.
Reed opened the nearest door with a kick. It took him a few strides before he reached the four-poster bed. He put her down in a sitting position. She closed her eyes for a moment when the sharp pain kicked again, putting her hand on her wounded chest as if it would ease the pain.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Reed's silhouette walking toward the candle stands. Soon, all of the candles were lit up.
The room was not that bad, she thought to herself. There were paintings at the walls that seemed too complicated for her to understand. The things were not broken and the bed wasn't dusty. Someone must have stayed in here before the rebels attacked the village.
There was a knock and Reed allowed his servant to go inside. Stuart looked briefly at Melrose's situation before giving the medicine kit to his master, and she saw the innocent worry he had in his eyes. He seemed more human than his lord, she could not help but thought.
"Master, will you tend the lady yourself-"
"Of course not, you dumbass. Go get a female doctor."
"What, my lord? You've studied medicine, haven't you?" Melrose was worried and offended.
She had never felt so much pain before. It was making her dizzy. Even if the thing used to stab her wasn't as thick as an arrow or a knife, it was long and she could feel it almost reaching her back. Which meant the wound ran deep and if it wouldn't get immediate attention, it would worsen.
Standing three feet from the bed, Reed stared at her critically. After three seconds that felt forever, he shook his head.
"The doctors are staying at the nearest inn. I remember there was a female among them. Stuart will get her."
"But it will take hours. Do you want to kill me? You can be the doctor yourself, no need to delay this!"
"Stuart," Reed gave his servant a meaningful look and Stuart nodded before storming out of the room.
Melrose gasped and flinched in pain. It was a miracle she hadn't passed out yet. She had never tested her pain tolerance before, and she guessed Reed planned to test it tonight.
"Can you just get this thing out of me and get it done? This feels like a torture, Lord Knight." She looked at him with wary eyes.
"I studied medicine but I did not treat many people like how real doctors are, Lady Lewis, so I can't be sure what to do in your case. Besides, it's not appropriate. As of the moment, let me give you a pain reliever." He opened the medicine kit and went over to her.
Sweat trickled down her nape. Her lips were parted as if she could not get enough air. She tried to disregard the pain but she couldn't.
"If you won't do it, then I will pull this out myself and treat my own wound. I know you know what to do, Lord Knight. And didn't I tell you? In the field of medicine, there are no rules. Besides, my wound is in my upper right chest. You can tend to it without undressing me, if that is why you think it's not appropriate."