The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 66: “Yes, please!”

Never in his life had Soren imagined that someone would one day serve him. He was a commoner, and one who had been left behind early by his parents.

From a young age, he learned the things adults were supposed to know.

He learned how to work for money, how to cook for himself, and how to stand on his own. Survival came early to him, and the world showed its harshness without mercy.

When his mother was still alive, Soren never truly had a childhood.

He saw how his father treated both him and his mother violently, without restraint. His mother was beaten nearly to death more than once, often because she tried to protect him. She would grow angry whenever his father hurt Soren, especially because Soren could not feel pain, something he himself never understood.

Because of that, hearing Gideon speak of giving him a servant and even calling it a gift left a bitter feeling in his chest.

A life should not be treated that way.

Not as something to be offered, traded, or bargained with.

And Soren had even believed that Gideon was different from other nobles.

Perhaps he had been wrong.

The young woman whose no more than her early twenties was the one Gideon had given to him and Soren couldn’t help feeling conflicted.

Just moments ago, Gideon had been pouting over the matter, and yet he still left her behind. Soren regretted, even briefly while thinking that Gideon was different from the other nobles he had known.

Now, inside the tent, only the two of them remained.

The woman stood stiffly near the entrance with her head bowed and hands folded as if afraid to move while Gideon had gone to meet Alaric and Cael, who had just returned from scouting the area.

With the silence stretching on, Soren felt a quiet sense of pity rise in him so he poured a cup of tea and held it out to her.

"Please, sit here," he said gently. "How long are you planning to keep standing? Your legs will hurt. Have some lemon balm tea, it helps you relax and eases tension."

"O-oh... thank you, sir," she replied, startled but still accepted the cup with both hands. "Please don’t be too kind to me. I am meant to serve you from now on."

"Don’t speak like that," Soren said. "I didn’t agree to this in the first place."

She hesitated, then bowed again with her grip tightening around the cup as she walked towards the chair. "I understand, sir. But... please forgive my boldness. I was already given to you by the Young Master. If you could only take me in... I would be truly grateful."

Her voice was quiet, but the weight of her words lingered heavily in the tent.

Once they were both seated, Soren let out a quiet sigh. Then his gaze shifted to the woman across from him who was holding her cup of tea with both hands with her posture stiff and uncertain.

"Haa... Alia, was it?"

Alia lifted her head and met his eyes.

’What a beautiful person... I didn’t expect someone like him to be my new master. His features are so delicate and calm. I could almost stare at him forever. And he’s a healer, too. Even as a commoner, I’ve heard whispers that the nobles favor him though I don’t know if it’s true but I hope it is. Maybe... maybe serving him won’t be as unbearable as I feared. Still... I have to be careful. I can’t let him see how nervous I am, or how much I’m watching him.’

"Miss Alia," Soren said, breaking the silence, "what would you like to do?"

The question caught her off guard.

’Eh? What does he mean...? I was already given to him, so shouldn’t he... use me, or? Why is he asking me what I want? This is... confusing.’

She then tightened her grip on the cup while feeling her fingers tremble slightly, and swallowed hard. ’I don’t understand... what am I supposed to say?’

"W-what do you mean, sir?"

"What I mean is this," Soren replied evenly. "Do you want me to send you back to the capital? When His Lordship handed you over, he also said I could decide what to do."

"T-that’s true, sir..." Alia said, shrinking slightly in her seat.

"As you already know, I’m a commoner," Soren continued. "I may be a healer here, but I can take care of myself. I don’t need someone to serve me." He paused, then added, more gently, "So I’m asking if would it be all right if I sent you back? I doubt you agreed to be given away to someone like me anyway."

The words hung between them, quiet but sincere.

Alia, who had expected him to simply accept her, now found herself deliberately holding back.

It wasn’t as simple as choosing where to go.

Though she had no desire to go to the cold, harsh north, Gideon had already made arrangements for her. He had gone so far as to pay off the debts left behind by her parents after their deaths, a debt that had forced her into a life she had never wanted.

The truth was far harsher than Soren could know.

Alia had never been a servant of the Hawthorne family in the first place. She had been saved by Gideon from a life she could barely survive while working as a hostess in a brothel, selling her body for mere pennies just to survive.

She was grateful for him, truly, for offering a way out. Yet she hadn’t expected her path to lead here, to be handed over as if she were some object to be given away.

And the gratitude she felt was tangled with fear, confusion, and a strange reluctance she could not yet name.

Now, seated across from Soren, cup trembling slightly in her hands, she realized how complicated her emotions had become. Loyalty and fear towards her former master named Gideon, gratitude and hesitation to the stranger across all pressed against her while leaving her uncertain, yet quietly resolute.

’If I’m sent back to the capital... maybe I could start over. But how?’ She swallowed hard. ’I spent so long in the brothel, living one day at a time, and now... to be a servant to a master who doesn’t even want me without seeing what I can do... And the world outside... I don’t really know it. All I know is that it’s cruel. What if those debtors find me again? What if they use the excuse of repayment to take my body and do whatever they want again...? What should I do? I’m too scared to go back.’

Her head bowed, and her hands fell into her lap. She could even feel the tremor in her fingers as a quiet testament to the fear twisting her chest something Soren noticed immediately.

"Would you rather stay here, then?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, please!" The words spilled out before she could stop them. She looked up in alarm, realizing how loud she had been. "I-I’ll do anything!" Then, flustered, she bowed again. "I’m sorry, sir. Was I too loud?"

"That’s fine," Soren replied calmly. Then his tone turned firm not harsh, but unmistakably clear. "But let me be clear about one thing. I’m not accepting you as my servant, and you are not to act as though I’m your master."

Alia froze, listening closely.

"Act according to your own will," he continued. "And I’ll inform His Lordship that I’m granting you your freedom of my own accord."

The words settled slowly, almost unreal while leaving Alia staring at him in quiet disbelief.

She couldn’t believe it.

Aside from Gideon, someone like Soren and someone who wasn’t obligated to care for her would treat her kindly. He didn’t look at her as if she were dirty or worthless and that realization was overwhelming.

Hearing his words, Alia couldn’t hold back.

Sniffling, tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried openly in front of him, letting all the tension and fear of the past spill out.

Then, seeing her like that, Soren rose from his seat and gently patted her back. "There, there. You’ll be fine. You don’t have to do anything for me. Starting today, just live for yourself. Ah... and I’ll ask His Highness or His Grace to give you something to do, since you don’t want to return to the capital."

Alia wiped at her tears while still sniffing, and bowed her head slightly. "T-thank you so much, sir. You’re... you’re so kind. I... I’m really grateful."

Soren smiled softly while crouching slightly to meet her gaze. "Please, just call me Soren. It’ll feel more comfortable that way. And if you like, I can call you Miss Alia."

Her hands trembled slightly as she nodded. "Y-yes... si—I mean, alright, Soren. Thank you. I... I don’t know how I could ever repay you."

"You don’t need to," Soren said gently. "Just... live your life. That’s more than enough for me."

Meanwhile, something was happening inside the healer’s tent.

"What’s all the commotion about?" Caelius asked, staying calm as he looked around.

"Oh, it’s Lord Vensworth and the new healer," a nurse said, stepping forward.