(Chapter 28 You Are My Angel)
A brief pause ensued between Furina and Tempest. Furina's heterochromatic eyes met Tempest's golden gaze, and both widened in surprise. Furina was taken aback to see Tempest in the elevator, while Tempest was equally shocked, of all people, she was the one to witness him in such an awful state. Blood seeped through the bandages covering his wounds, and he looked as though he was barely clinging to consciousness. The cat, sensing the tension, nestled closer into Tempest's arms, offering a small, comforting presence amidst the unexpected encounter.
"My Lady, I- Mmpf!"
Tempest reached out to Furina with his right hand, but quickly pulled it back as he began to cough up blood. He knelt down as his body shuddered with each violent hack, and his vision blurred momentarily. Despite the pain and weakness, he still managed to hold the cat in his left arm, while Furina watched in shock and concern, unsure of what to do next.
"H-Hey! What happened to you, Tempest?!"
Furina rushed to him, her face full of worry and concern at the sight of Tempest's deteriorating condition. She knelt beside him, her hands hovering uncertainly before she finally placed one on his shoulder, and their eyes met. His golden eyes, clouded with pain and exhaustion, locked with her heterochromatic gaze.
"My Lady... I'm fine... Please forget you saw me here... I'm... I'm- Mmpf!"
Tempest's attempt to speak was abruptly cut off by another violent cough of blood. Furina's eyes widened in alarm as she took a step back to better assess the situation. She quickly scanned Tempest's condition, his body was covered in blood-soaked bandages, each one marred with fresh crimson stains.
"No! You're not fine at all! H-Hold on okay?! I'll call for help!"
Furina turned away, her intention to call for help clear in her mind, but Tempest, despite his weakness and pain, managed to summon the strength to rise. He staggered forward and grabbed her wrist with his right hand, his grip surprisingly firm despite his condition. His eyes, though hazy, were filled with a desperate urgency as he tried to stop her from leaving.
"T-Tempest?!"
"My lady… please, don't."
Tempest gasped, his voice strained and hoarse.
"The people must not know I'm here. Please… don't tell anyone. I beg of you… Mmph!"
His words trailed off into a muffled groan as he struggled to maintain his composure.
'Father's eyes and ears are everywhere... If he finds out I was in the court while I was away, I will never get to leave the mansion again.'
Tempest thought to himself.
"W-Why Tempest?! Your already bad condition will only worsen if you don't seek help immediately!"
Furina turned around and locked her eyes with Tempest, her gaze intense and filled with both concern and determination.
"You need help, Tempest. I order you."
Furina spoke with unwavering resolve, her gaze piercing into Tempest's golden eyes.
"I can't, my Lady."
Tempest pleaded, his voice trembling with pain and desperation.
"If my Father finds out I'm here, it will be disastrous. Please, just forget you saw me like this. I promise I'll get the help I need. So, I'm begging you... turn around and pretend you never saw me. Please."
Tempest said as he bowed his head, his voice weak and strained. He then gently released the cat, which quickly darted out of the elevator, leaving Tempest alone with Furina.
Furina's mouth fell slightly agape as she heard Tempest's desperate plea. Her suspicions about his strained relationship with his Father were confirmed. After a brief pause, she spoke.
"Can you walk?"
Furina asked Tempest.
"Huh? Yes, yes I can my Lady."
Tempest replied to her.
"Good, Mmmpf!"
Furina gently wrapped Tempest's injured shoulder with her own, offering him support as he struggled to walk. Her determination to help him was evident in the firm, yet tender grip she maintained.
"My Lady? What are you doing?"
Tempest looked at Furina with a mix of confusion and disbelief on his face. His brows furrowed as he struggled to comprehend why she was helping him despite his pleas.
"I can't just leave you here, Tempest! Since you don't want help from anyone else, we're going to my room at the Palais Mermonia. You need to change your bandages at the very least. Sigewinne left some medical supplies there."
Furina said, her voice firm yet gentle, as they slowly made their way to the grand doors of the Palais Mermonia. She guided Tempest carefully, ensuring he could lean on her for support.
"Why are you doing this to me, My Lady?"
Tempest asked her.
"Why? Because anyone with a shred of decency would do the same! That's why! I don't know what happened to you, Tempest, but I expect a full explanation of how you ended up with these wounds. Understood?"
Furina said to him with a firm tone, her authority clear in her voice.
"Yes... My Lady..."
Tempest replied to her, his voice weak but resolute. Shortly after, they reached the door of the Palais Mermonia. Furina, using her free hand, pushed it open, revealing an empty and dimly lit interior. The silence of the darkened hallways was accentuated by the late hour, as it was still past midnight.
"Just a little more, Tempest, don't faint on me okay?"
Furina said to him with a reassuring tone, and Tempest, albeit weakly, nodded in response. They then made their way to the elevator, moving carefully through the darkened corridors. The silence was punctuated only by their footsteps, echoing softly as they approached the lift.
"Lady Furina? And Mister Tempest?"
A patrolling Melusine spotted them both as they entered the elevator.
There was only silence as they entered the elevator, ascending toward the top floor. Furina occasionally glanced at Tempest, her concern evident as she checked to ensure he remained conscious. The faint hum of the elevator and the soft glow of the interior lights were the only sounds, punctuated by the occasional shuffling of Tempest's labored breathing.
*Ding!*
Finally, the elevator doors slid open, revealing the softly lit interior of Furina's office. She guided Tempest inside, her steps careful and deliberate. With a gentle but firm hand, she led him to a plush couch near the window, her movements steady and reassuring as she arranged him comfortably. She glanced around the room, ensuring everything was in place before turning her full attention back to him, her concern evident in every gesture.
"H-Hold on alright? I'll go find that first aid kit Sigewinne left!"
Furina moved swiftly and with a sense of urgency around her office, searching for the first aid kit. Her hands rifled through drawers and cabinets, her face a mixture of determination and worry.
'I brought him here, but I don't know a single thing about first aid! But I couldn't just leave him there! I can't let him die! Not when there's a chance House Proudmoore might serve me again!'
Furina thought to herself, her mind racing as she scrambled through her office to find the first aid kit. Desperation fueled her movements, and she rifled through drawers and shelves, her gaze darting anxiously around the room
Tempest lay on the couch, his vision blurry as he watched Furina scramble through her office. His gaze then fell on his left thigh, where the blood-soaked bandages and painful wounds were a stark reminder of his deteriorating condition.
'I need to cauterize it... It's bleeding too much, bandages might not be enough to stop it. Thankfully, the other bullet wounds aren't bleeding much. Whoever patched me up knew what they were doing.'
Tempest thought to himself as he tore a strip from his left trousers with both hands, removing the bandages and revealing the gruesome bullet wound that Peruere had inflicted.
"Mmph!"
Tempest felt a sharp, biting pain in his left arm, where he had been shot twice. The pain was intense, making him grit his teeth in response as he tried to steady himself.
'This a million times worse, than breaking my ribs a few days ago... Huh?'
Tempest thought to himself, and suddenly his Delusion flared brightly in his pocket. Moments later, a Pyro knife manifested in his right hand.
'You know what I'm thinking huh?'
Tempest thought to himself as he stared at his left thigh, which was still bleeding, his right arm trembling slightly. He prepared himself mentally and physically, steeling his resolve as he held the Pyro knife, ready to cauterize the wound.
And shortly...
"Mmmpf!"
"Found it! W-What are you doing?!"
Furina's eyes widened with a mix of surprise and terror as she witnessed Tempest's actions. Without a moment's hesitation, she rushed toward him, clutching the first aid kit tightly in her hands.
Tempest gritted his teeth hard as he used the Pyro knife to cauterize his left thigh. The intense heat seared through the flesh, causing a sharp, excruciating pain that radiated throughout his entire body. It felt like an eternity as the sizzle of burning flesh filled the air. Finally, the wound closed up, the bleeding halted, and only a scorched, raw mark remained on his skin.
Tempest collapsed onto the sofa, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The Pyro knife vanished into thin air, its purpose fulfilled. His vision grew increasingly foggy, and his consciousness began to wane. The excruciating ordeal had taken its toll, leaving him barely able to stay awake. As the pain and exhaustion overwhelmed him, he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness, unable to keep his eyes open any longer.
"Tempest?! Tempest!"
Furina shouted at him, her voice filled with desperation, but it seemed as if Tempest couldn't hear a word she said. He was on the brink of losing consciousness, and despite her frantic pleas, he was slipping away...
*Slap!*
Tempest's eyes shot open, and the first thing he saw was Furina gripping his clothing collar with a look of intense concern and anger. Her face was close to his, her eyes locked onto his with a mix of urgency and fear.
"Don't you dare faint on me! Do you hear me?! Don't you dare!"
Furina shouted at him, her voice tinged with both anger and deep concern, as she continued to grip his collar tightly. Her face was a storm of emotions, eyes wide with desperation and frustration as she struggled to keep him awake and focused.
"I... Yes, My Lady."
Tempest replied to her, he put his left hand on his cheek where she slapped at, and Furina finally let go of his collar, after breathing a sigh of relief.
"Good, I apologize for suddenly slapping you, but it was necessary."
Furina said, her eyes darting between Tempest's pained expression and the scorched wound on his left thigh. Her gaze lingered on the wound, taking in the sight of the grim, burned flesh, and then she looked back at Tempest with a mixture of worry and frustration.
"That was stupid of you... What were you thinking?"
Furina tells him.
"I had to, My Lady, bandaged might not be able to stop it, it was the last resort..."
Tempest replied to her, and Furina sighed in response.
"I suppose you're right... But that was... Gruesome, it still hurts does it?"
"I'm used to pain, My Lady."
Tempest's eyes darted away from hers.
"I see... I'll ask you later, how you got these wounds, for now, take off your clothes."
"Mm?"
Tempest looked at her with confusion, In response, Furina swiftly turned around, after realizing what she just said, a deep red hue forming on her cheeks as she tried to compose herself, her emotions a whirlwind of concern and embarrassment.
"D-Don't misunderstand! And D-Don't you dare have indecent thoughts about your Archon!"
Furina shouted.
"I would never, My Lady, that's a taboo."
Tempest said, and Furina turned around to face him, a slight red still remaining on her cheeks.
"Good! I'm just going to change your bandages..."
Furina said, her gaze deliberately averted from Tempest's eyes. She then quickly retrieved a roll of bandages from the first aid kit.
'Augh, what does Sigewinne use for nullifying pain again?'
Furina thought to herself, as she tried to remember the syringe Sigewinne uses for her patients.
'I can't ask him, that'll make me look bad and uneducated about this when I'm clearly not...'
Furina thought to herself.
"Augh, what's the name of it again?"
Furina said while she read every description of the syringes available in the first aid kit.
"It's morphine, My Lady."
"Morphine! Yes, correct!"
Furina spoke as she took a syringe labeled "Morphine" from the first aid kit. She turned around to see Tempest without his shirt, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks. However, the color quickly faded when she saw the numerous scars covering his torso and the bandages wrapped around his right and left arms. Her expression shifted from embarrassment to a deepened concern as she took in the full extent of his injuries.
"Um, where do I inject this again?"
"Give it here, My Lady."
Tempest opened his right-hand palm, signaling for Furina to give him the morphine syringe. Furina nodded in response and gave the morphine syringe to him.
"Mm!"
Tempest without hesitation injected the morphine on his left arm, since two bullet wounds were present on it.
"I'll... I'll unwrap your bandages and replace them with new ones..."
Furina spoke quietly, her voice soft but firm, and Tempest responded with a nod. A brief silence enveloped them as Furina carefully unwrapped the bloody bandage from his left bicep. The room was filled with the soft rustling of the bandage and Tempest's shallow breaths, as Furina focused intently on tending to his wounds.
'What the? Was he shot?'
Furina thought to herself, her eyes widening at the sight of the gruesome wound.
"Tempest were you-"
*Ding!*
Both Furina and Tempest's eyes widened at the sound of the elevator dinging. Their gazes darted to the door, hearts pounding in unison as they anxiously awaited the arrival of whoever was about to enter.