Chapter-7|Echoes of Injury

Steve bowed and brought the mirror. Mark opened the front piece and saw a huge unhealed cut from his left chest to his appendix. Steve was startled and shouted, "Someone call the royal doctor again!"

Mark touched the wound to see if it hurt. He screamed, "Aah, that hurts!"

Steve screamed, "Where is the royal doctor? Tell him to hurry up! My lord, lay down on your bed or else the wound will open. It looks fresh. When did you get it?"

Mark replied, "Do I look like I know?"

Steve fell to the ground and started crying, "It's all my fault. I should have taken better care of you..."

Mark patted Steve. "No! It's not your fault. Let me tell you what happened."

Suddenly, the door burst open, and the royal doctor entered. "I heard my lord got hurt. Let me see it!"

The doctor looked at the wound and was startled. "Oh my! Lord, let me put on an antiseptic right away."

Mark nodded, not knowing that old-time antiseptics were much stronger and would sting more. The doctor opened his bag while Steve was bawling on the ground, muttering, "It's all my fault...I am responsible for this."

Steve knelt on the ground. The doctor took out the antiseptic to apply it. "My lord, it might sting a little bit," the doctor said.

Mark nodded. Steve smiled through his pain and said, "You don't know my lord well. He's the strongest one out there!"

The doctor nodded and applied the antiseptic. Mark, startled by the amount of pain, screamed his lungs out, "Arhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

In his unconscious motion from the pain, he suddenly kicked Steve's groin. Steve replied, "My-y Lor-rd!! Arhhh!!"

Steve fell to the ground, on the verge of passing out. "Don't worry, my lord! I am o-o-oka-y," he stammered.

Both of them screamed in pain simultaneously. Due to the sounds coming from the prince's chamber, the soldiers ran toward them. When they burst open the door, they saw the royal doctor treating Mark while Steve was passed out on the floor.

One of the soldiers asked, "My lord, what happened to Steve?"

Mark laughed and replied, "I accidentally kicked his groin."

The soldiers started laughing too. The same soldier asked, "Are you unwell, my lord? What's the royal doctor doing here?"

As Mark was about to reply, the doctor whispered to him, "Don't let them know about your wound, my lord."

Hence, Mark replied, "He's just here to visit me since I missed him."

The doctor turned towards the soldiers and awkwardly smiled. The soldiers awkwardly smiled too and left.

"Why can they not know about it?" asked Mark.

The doctor replied, "You should never let people know your weakness, whether it's temporary or permanent."

Mark, not understanding a bit, nodded. "Yes, yes, you are correct."

Steve slowly got up. "Was your wound taken care of, my lord?"

Mark and the doctor both nodded. Steve fell back to the ground. "Then can you please take care of mine, doctor?"

Mark didn't realize how much he had hurt Steve. He jokingly hit him in the chest. "Oh come on, it's not that serious, Steve."

Steve screamed again, "Don't, my lord! You will break my ribs."

Mark chuckled. "You are funny."

The doctor, taking a look at Steve, suddenly noticed he was bleeding. The doctor screamed, "My lord! He's bleeding from down there!!!"

Mark, shocked, stood right up, picked up Steve from the ground, and laid him on his bed. Steve tried to get up. "My lord! I dare not lay down here!"

Mark held him tight and screamed, "Doctor, please hurry up and treat Steve!"

The doctor nodded. "But my lord, we cannot do that here. He looks seriously injured. We need to take him to my home for hygienic and safe treatment."

Mark nodded and picked Steve up in his arms. "Let's go, doctor. You take the lead, and I'll follow you," he said, and they left the cabin.

Everyone around, including the king, saw Steve in Mark's arms. Mark and the doctor reached the doctor's home. The doctor bowed. "My lord, lay him here and go back to rest. His treatment may take a while!"

Mark nodded. Steve held Mark's hand. "My lord, please visit the queen. She hasn't eaten in almost four days now!"

Mark patted Steve and replied, "Okay, but you also take care of yourself." Both of them smiled at each other, and Mark left the doctor's home to visit the queen.

As the king was walking, he crossed paths with a girl dressed as a warrior. She was passing him by. She had golden hair and light brown eyes. Mark couldn't resist the urge to know her.

"Hey, excuse me?" he called out.

The girl turned around and bowed. "Yes, my lord!"

"What's your name?" Mark asked.

The girl looked at Mark, confused. "Are you kidding me right now?"

Mark, shocked, said, "Sorry, did I offend you just now?"

The girl looked pissed but replied, "Looks like you forgot me, my lord. I am Princess Berry, King Zhang's only daughter. Now don't stop me like this, asking my name and insulting me..."

Berry walked away. Mark scoffed, "Why is she so pissed at me? Oh right, I gotta meet the queen...but I don't know the way to her chamber. How do I go? Oh right."

Mark started walking towards his chamber. "I'll ask one of the servants to prepare fruits for the queen and then follow them there."