Leone's eyes focused on the bloodied and unconscious person they are carrying carefully and covered her mouth in surprise.
Heinrich Lesieur Nightingale, the Lord of Nightingale Dukedom.
Nightingale is a surname bestowed by the king to the first household head who was born as a commoner. It was in honor of her great contribution during the war who was a doctor back then.
It was said that she cried and sang beautifully for her lover who died on the battlefield, in woe for not being able to save him despite her ability.
The Nightingale stood next to the king and won the war together. They are one of the founding families of the kingdom.
Another set of hurried footsteps entered the living room.
Claude Heine Nightingale is the firstborn son and heir to the Nightingale Duchy. He is a handsome man with ash gray hair wearing eyeglasses.
Following after Claude is his secretary and knight. His righthand, Kiel Hirwain, second son of Earl Hirwain. His personal knight and the captain of the Mockingbird Knight Division which oversees the protection of the heir, Brix Veniga, a man fiery with his red hair and the third son from the family of swordmaster, Marquess Veniga.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Leone watched as her first brother exchanged words with the wounded knight captain.
"Bring father to the master's bedroom while the wounded to the infirmary! Contact Dr. Dan immediately! Secure the perimeter so that no one could come and go without permission. No one is to talk about this matter either!"
Leone watched as her unconscious father was brought upstairs. A wave of nausea hit her again and she staggered. Thankfully, Miki was next to her to give assistance.
"Are you alright, miss?"
"Yes. But father..."
"I'm sure the Lord will be fine as well. Come on, let's have you rest for the night."
"Okay. But let's stop by father's room first."
Leone arrived at the master's bedroom and stood by the door. She saw Claude and Kiel discussing something until they have been interrupted as a maid entered the room with a warm pail of water.
"Put it on the table. You may leave."
"But..."
"Leave."
Claude's stern voice was frightening. He kept on glaring at the poor maid until Kiel tapped him on his shoulder.
"Claude, we need the Lord cleaned so Dr. Dan could immediately treat him upon his arrival."
"I cannot just let anyone touch him. You heard what happened, right?"
"Then someone else other than the maids..."
Leone flinched when she and Kiel locked eyes. "Is there something I could help with, brother?"
Claude looked back at her. "No--"
"Come in, my lady. Your assistance is very much appreciated."
"Kiel!"
"Stop being stubborn, Claude. The Lord's well-being is at stake."
Leone hesitantly entered the room knowing that her brother is against her attendance.
"As you can see, my lady, the Lord is in delicate condition. We could not allow just anyone to attend to him for several reasons. But you are not just anyone. I hope you can understand."
"Of course. What should I do?"
"We already called Dr. Dan and he could be on his way now. While we're waiting for him, please clean the area around the wound and change the Lord's clothes."
"Alright."
She received the bucket and towel from the maid before she bowed and left the room.
"My lady..."
Leone smiled at Mimi. "I'm fine. Please wait for me here."
She approached the bed where his father lay. His face similar to that of Claude but obviously more mature was pale.
She doesn't have any sweet memory of her father. She never felt any fatherly love from him. Meeting him was hard, especially after that incident that caused her to be unconscious for more than two months. In fact, their meeting could be counted with both hands.
Her family might not say anything but she knows they are blaming her for that accident that also took the late Duchess' life away. Perhaps Claude's lack of trust stemmed from it.
It pained her to be receiving such deep resentment but she could not fight against it. She felt guilty for forgetting her own mother who died for her sake.
She sat on the chair beside the bed and removed her father's clothing. She bit her lower lip as she saw the bleeding wound that has turned violet over time.
She did as requested. Her palm was warm against her father's cold skin. She wiped the blood from her father's arm and carefully placed it down.
She squeezed the towel. The water has changed its color due to the blood and dirt.
Suddenly, a couple of knights from the Mockingbird Division whispered something to their captain, Brix, who in turn reported their message to Claude.
"Dr. Dan left for the Ulloa territory a week ago. Five of the knights left to get him. It would take until sunrise for them to be back without rest during their travel."
"Of all times!"
Claude grumbled through gritted teeth. It was then that her father coughed out blood.
"F-father!" Claude pushed Leone away.
Leone's thoughts raced. Is there something she could do? She saw Mimi peeking from the door, worried at the commotion. She could vouch for her skill but it's another story when it comes to her brother.
"U-uh. I know someone with knowledge of how to treat wounds. They know a lot about herbal medicine too."
Kiel glanced at her while Claude simply gave her a piercing glare.
"May I know who are they, my lady?"
"My maid. Her name is Aimee."
Kiel grew silent and hesitant. Annoyed at her suggestion, Claude sat up from the chair and stood before her.
"What kind of nonsense do you have in your head? Do you believe I will let a maid lay their hands on father?"
"Mimi might be young but I know she has the skills. She was the one who treated me back at the kidnapping incident."
"This is not a trifling matter that anybody with knowledge of medicine or first aid could randomly butt into."
Leone held her tears back. She already realized back then that the kidnapping incident was a small unimportant matter to them but hearing it personally hurts even more.
"But..."
"Stop it. If you don't want to be dragged out of the room, then you better shut up."
"Brother... please. I'm worried about my father, just like you. I don't wish to hurt him. If you listen to me and trust me just this once, I'm willing to accept any kind of punishment. Please allow Mimi to treat father."
"Enough. I'm warning you, don't cross the line. Take her out!"
"Brother!"
Kiel who had been contemplating at the side stepped forth to cover for her.
"Why don't we listen to her, Claude?"