Her sudden confession threw me off balance.
I stared blankly at her, trying to understand what she meant. Trying to sit up, the girl grabbed her wounded side, but she couldn't manage it. The commoner winced in pain.
"You... Who are you?" she asked weakly, "What am I doing here?"
I cleared my throat. Honestly, this wasn't what I had prepared for when I expected her to come to. Perhaps the clouding of her mind was only a temporary side effect?..
At least, I hoped so.
"Don't worry," I decided to start by calming her down, "I'm a good person and I won't hurt you."
"Good?"
"Exactly," I nodded, "I saved you and brought you here. This is my home. Our family physician said you were poisoned with some dangerous poison."
"..."
The commoner looked at me stunned. Before she could say anything, I anticipated her:
"But don't worry! Everything is fine now. The threat to your life has passed."
The commoner stared at me helplessly. I didn't know whether there was more fear or gratitude in her gaze. But, it seemed, she still believed that I really meant her no harm.
Her bewildered expression reminded me of a child at that moment, and I smiled. After all, she really could be scared. Finding herself in an unfamiliar place with a stranger... Who wouldn't be worried?
I decided to give her time to recover.
Finally, when she had more or less calmed down, I decided to cautiously inquire:
"And you... Do you know where your family is now?"
The girl shook her head negatively.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Perhaps some acquaintances?" I didn't lose hope of finding out.
She refused again. I sighed.
Honestly, when I got involved in this matter, I didn't think much about the consequences. I assumed that the fact that I had saved her life would be enough. Her relatives could take care of her further. I hadn't imagined I would end up in such a dead end.
The girl spoke to me timidly:
"You said you saved me... So you know me?"
"Huh?" I was surprised, "No, not at all! I really met you for the first time. It's just... It so happened that I accidentally found you wounded near my house."
"Really?" her eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes..." after hesitating, I nodded.
After my words, a dejected expression appeared on the commoner's face. This answer must have disappointed her.
"You really don't remember anything?" I still couldn't believe it, "Even how you were wounded?"
"N-no... Nothing at all..."
I took a deep breath. Well, another problem had fallen on my head.
Who would have thought that after being wounded, this commoner would lose her memory? After all, she hadn't hit her head, but had been poisoned. This was the last thing I expected.
On the other hand, if Xavier said this poison was so dangerous that the girl barely survived, then perhaps this was some kind of side effect?
In that case, I hoped it was only temporary.
"I'm sorry for causing you inconvenience... If you want, I can leave right now..."
Noticing that the expression on my face was becoming more and more tense, the girl felt guilty. Clutching the folds of the blanket, she didn't dare look me in the eyes.
My heart fluttered.
Oh damn. In this situation, if I refused her, I really would look like a monster, wouldn't I?
"It's alright!" I sat down next to her and friendly took her hand, "Saving you was my decision, and you owe me nothing."
"Really?"
"Yes. You can stay here until you recover."
Uttering these words, I stepped on my own throat. This was completely not part of my plans from the very beginning. Every extra day of her stay here put my position at even greater risk. Sooner or later, the Duke would realize there was a stranger in the residence.
And what would I do then?
My initial plan — to wave goodbye to her — had failed miserably. I didn't even know where to look for her relatives, if any existed. And to put her out on the street wounded, and moreover without memory... That would be too cruel.
Left alone without help in such a state, she definitely wouldn't last long. So what was the point of saving her if, in the end, she would still die somewhere on the roadside?
After all, I had spent a legendary frost mushroom on her. It would be unforgivable if such a valuable thing went to waste. And since I am a greedy person, I couldn't allow that.
Well then, I would just take care of her as long as I could.
"You... Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?"
The curiosity in her eyes was quite understandable. After all, we hadn't known each other before. Why would I selflessly help a stranger?
I decided to answer more or less plausibly:
"You can consider it an 'investment'... If you achieve success in the future, you can repay me."