The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 62: “Ah, I’m so excited!”

Bored after checking through all the gifts and even trying out the fountain pen by doodling aimlessly on a piece of paper, Soren eventually stepped out of his tent, intending to find the Duke and personally express his gratitude.

After all, as people of higher status, they could have easily taken advantage of offerings given by other nobles yet the Duke had never done such a thing.

Instead, he had made sure everything was properly delivered to Soren.

For someone who was constantly putting his life in danger, waking up to an abundance of gifts wasn’t such a bad feeling.

What truly surprised him, however, was the sight of the Duke and the twins locked in a heated argument.

Hearing Lyric’s voice at first made Soren feel a little lighter as he was defending him but the rest of what was said only left him feeling more pathetic and hopeless.

’Give people another chance? Let them into my heart and accept them? No way,’ Soren thought bitterly. ’I’m just making a fool of myself. So now I know that everything they did to comfort me was a lie. All of it.’

His chest tightened.

’Did they even consider how small the encampment is? Anyone could hear them. Maybe not everyone would care... but I did.’

Soren then took a quiet step back. ’There’s no point thanking them now.’

Just then, Lyric stormed away from the twins with expression dark with anger.

Fortunately, he headed in the opposite direction from where Soren stood, unseen and allowing Soren to retreat without being noticed.

That same day, knowing that the heir of House Hawthorne would be arriving, Soren deliberately kept himself busy for a while, doing what he always did.

He attended to the knights as they returned from scouting, carefully checking wounds earned from encounters with the berserk beasts and making sure each injury was fully treated before sending them back out.

He then organized herbs with practiced precision, bundling them into pouches and filling empty bottles to be distributed as makeshift first aid, just in case a knight was wounded when no healer could reach them in time.

"Hey, Soren," Becky called out, her tone light as she worked beside him. She was sorting herbs into small cloth bags. "Are you sure you’re fully healed?"

Soren turned his head toward her and toward Bella, who stood nearby while smiling knowingly as if already anticipating his answer.

"Of course," Soren said. "I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry about me."

"Hmm." Bella tilted her head. "Are you really sure you can work like this after sleeping for so long? If I remember correctly, you were out for four days, right?"

"I’m really fine..." Soren insisted, his voice gentle but firm.

Becky and Bella exchanged a glance.

Then, after quickly scanning the tent to make sure no one else was around, they both leaned in, one on each side of Soren.

"Anyway," Becky whispered conspiratorially, "how come His Highness isn’t bothering you anymore? Did you two have a fight?"

Soren paused.

’Come to think of it... I haven’t seen His Highness since we ate after I woke up,’ he thought. ’What is he doing now? Not that it’s my business anyway.’

"Ah no, it’s not like that," Soren replied aloud. "His Highness has been quite busy. As you can see, the beasts have been unusually rampant these past few days. I heard he’s been personally leading the scouting efforts."

The two nurses nodded, glancing at each other before turning back to him.

"Hm, then it must be Lord Rennovar this time," Becky said with a grin. "How did you even let someone like that get so close to you, Soren? I’m jealous." She leaned closer, pouting playfully. "And I heard Lord Hawthorne even sent you gifts. Can we at least get some leftovers?"

"Hm... I’ll think about it," Soren replied, deadpan.

Becky burst into laughter. "You’re really funny. I’m just kidding, you know." She patted his back lightly as Bella chuckled beside her.

"Oh, honestly," Bella said fondly. "What are we going to do with you, Soren? Remember, you can’t give away gifts from nobles to other people. If you do, it could be seen as an insult to the one who gave them."

"Ah, oh." Soren blinked. "I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that."

Bella smiled. "It’s fine. Just... be careful."

Soren nodded, returning to his work with hands steady while his thoughts remained quietly elsewhere.

That day, everyone seemed occupied with their own duties.

Cael was out scouting the area alongside Theron with their boots crunching softly against the snow as they moved with practiced vigilance.

Alaric, meanwhile, remained behind while fully focused on administrative work, carefully drafting reports and ensuring they were sent back to the palace without delay.

Irlian, on the other hand, accompanied Cael as the designated healer.

However, he received little attention from the knights especially those whose lives Soren had personally saved.

Knowing that Irlian had been involved in plans that could have harmed Soren left many of them quietly furious. While a few knights chose not to take sides, the majority who were with Cael that day had been treated by Soren himself and owed him their lives.

Kent, Louie, and Justin were among those present as well.

Lyric, meanwhile, requested Alaric’s permission to head toward the northern fortress.

His task was to escort the Marquis’s son, Gideon, to the encampment while Sylas remained distant as his principles no longer aligned with Lyric.

Despite this growing indifference, Sylas made no move against Soren.

And finally, Gideon arrived at the northern fortress.

Along the way, they had encountered a few beasts but nothing serious that no one had been even injured during the journey.

"Ah, I’m so excited!" Gideon exclaimed while his eyes are sparkling as he was served tea. "Anyway, how’s the girl I brought with me? Please make sure she’s treated gently, okay? I hope that Soren person will be pleased." He giggled lightly, clearly delighted by the thought.

"Of course, Young Master," came the calm reply. "She’s being handled with care so you have nothing to worry about."