“Ahhhh!”

Once again, Lucy woke up screaming from a nightmare. 

Talking to the porter didn’t change her situation. 

The phantom pain from her severed limbs was relentless, and it worsened when she had nightmares. 

Ever since she was betrayed, every time she closed her eyes, the nightmares began. 

Because of this, Lucy tried her best to stay awake until exhaustion overtook her, but she’d always wake up after just a few minutes.

Nightmares, sleep deprivation, and phantom pain—these weren’t the only sources of her suffering.

“Why do I have to rely on someone like you?” she asked, her voice dripping with contempt.

“There’s no choice. Please endure it until your body is restored,” Lin replied, wrapping Lucy carefully in a cloth and strapping her to his chest for transport.

At first, Lin used a sling that only went over his arms, causing Lucy’s body to bounce against him with every step. 

“I’m going to throw up,” she groaned.

“I should wrap a belt around my waist too. How is this?” he asked.

“You stink.”

“I can’t bathe every day since we need to move quickly. How is it now? You’re not bumping into me, right?”

“You smell awful!” Lucy snapped.

She knew she was being unreasonable. 

Exhausted from pain and lack of sleep, everything about Lin annoyed her.

“Why do you dress and undress me?” she demanded.

“It’s too difficult for you to do it alone,” Lin explained calmly.

“Don’t lie. You just want to touch my chest and butt!”

“I’m being as careful as possible, but I can’t help it if I have to change your clothes.”

“Let me do it myself.”

“That would take too much time.”

Lin never changed his clothes for days, yet he insisted on changing Lucy’s daily.

“Why do you bathe me?”

“If you’re not properly cleaned, you’ll get sick.”

“My body’s strong; I don’t get sick easily!”

“You can’t underestimate germs. If an infection sets in, the situation will worsen uncontrollably. We already have little time as it is.”

Despite not bathing himself for days, Lin always found a way to clean Lucy thoroughly using water from the porter’s bag.

“Nngh…”

“I’ll wipe you down.”

“I don’t need it! I don’t need it!” she shouted, voice breaking.

The most humiliating and degrading part was Lin taking care of her after she used the bathroom. 

Though Lin had devised a support device to help her, she still had to rely on him for the aftermath. 

Lin didn’t seem to mind, but Lucy loathed being seen this way. 

Her self-esteem plummeted, and she took it out on Lin.

“I’ve set up camp. Please wait a moment; I’ll find something to eat.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat.”

“How can I even think about eating?” she snapped.

She often refused to eat, knowing it would lead to another bathroom ordeal. 

As days passed, she became more emaciated. 

Her cheeks hollowed, her cheekbones protruded. 

Lin would tirelessly search for meat, boiling it into a thin gruel and coaxing her to eat just a few spoonfuls.

“I’ll be back.”

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll just leave for good.”

“I’ll return. I promise.”

“I don’t need you!” she screamed, but deep down, she knew how devoted he was. 

She knew Lin’s neglect of himself was to avoid leaving her alone even for a moment. 

Yet, food was unavoidable. 

The porter’s bag was a vast, enchanted inventory, but it couldn’t preserve food forever. 

Before the battle with the Demon King, the porter had insisted on feeding the hero’s party well, emptying the food stores completely before the fight.

There was almost nothing left.

Lin scoured for food to sustain Lucy’s strength. 

Alone, Lucy’s guilt gnawed at her. 

Though irritable, she still cared for her companions. 

She began to recognize Lin as a companion only recently, and she knew her behavior was wrong. 

Yet, she couldn’t help herself. 

Betrayed by those she trusted, she plunged into deep mistrust of others. 

Now a cripple, carried around like baggage, her self-worth was shattered.

When she complained, Lin found ways to ease her discomfort.

When she lashed out, Lin endured it silently. 

When she raged, Lin consoled her, promising her recovery.

Lucy despised her dependency on him. 

She hated the glimmer of hope and companionship that surfaced, whispering that Lin might be different.

Despite her helplessness and her reliance on him, Lucy’s stubborn pride made her more obstinate.

No wonder her companions had betrayed her.

As she dwelled on her misery, fatigue overtook her, and her eyelids drooped shut.

“Reinhold!”

After wandering for what seemed like an eternity, Lucy finally found her fiancé. 

Despite the night, his blond hair gleamed under the moonlight, his blue eyes deep and intelligent.

“Lucy.”

“The meeting ran late. Those high-ranking people talk so much without reaching any real conclusions.”

“This time, the Crown Princess led it. She cut through all the nonsense, so we finished today.”

“Hmm.” Lucy disliked Reinhold mentioning the Crown Princess. Whenever he talked about Linachien, he wore a subtle smile. 

That smile, although charming and thrilling, was one she instinctively knew he didn’t show her.

“She seems capable.”

“Of course. She’s the future of the Empire. If she weren’t capable, she wouldn’t be the heir.”

“It’s just because her siblings are all dead, leaving no one else to succeed…”

“Lucy!”

“Okay, okay,” she conceded.

Talk about Linachien always ended like this. Reinhold would bring her up, Lucy would get jealous and sarcastic, and then Reinhold would frown. 

Not wanting to be disliked by him, Lucy would pout.

“No matter what, you need capability to be the heir.”

“I get it.”

Pouting, Lucy walked out to the terrace. 

Reinhold would follow her after a slight delay and comfort her. 

He always did.

This time was different.

Crash!

“Huh…?”

“Luciena Estelle, you’re under arrest for treason.”

On the terrace, Tigria appeared and severed her arm.

“What makes you think you can say whatever you want?”

Arsil tore off her leg with holy power and brute strength.

“Restraint is something you should practice. Though it seems it’s too late.”

An arrow flew past, followed by Naidrian’s scolding.

“Reinhold! Save me!” Lucy cried out desperately.

Again and again, she called his name. 

By now, she knew it was useless. 

She didn’t understand why she kept seeking Reinhold’s help when she only harbored hatred for him. 

It was a terrible habit. 

A deeply ingrained bad habit.

“With the Demon King gone, you’re the Empire’s only threat, Luciena Estel.”

Reinhold crushed her remaining arm with his shield.

As her limbs were torn off helplessly, Lucy thought, Oh, they’ve got the sequence right, but not the order of limbs.

She knew it all too well from its repetition. 

As she laughed bitterly, her severed left arm approached her.

“Look at her laughing. Hey, did you think I was useless from the start?”

“What do you mean…?”

“The Demon King is gone, so we’re not needed anymore,” Lucy muttered.

Her right leg interjected, “No, it’s not just that. She was abandoned by her comrades because they no longer needed her.”

“But why tear us apart if it’s her that’s useless?” the left leg complained.

“Who knows,” the left arm added. “Maybe they just hated her that much.”

Finally, her right arm chimed in, “He was never treated as a person, just a servant. Always ignored and dismissed.”

“Servant? Who?” the left leg asked.

“The porter.”

“Oh, that guy,” the right arm replied.

The dismembered limbs whispered amongst themselves. 

This nightmare had not unfolded like the others. 

Usually, after betrayal, the porter would appear, holding her as they fell from a great height, the sensation waking her up. 

But in this dream, he was absent.

“Porter!” she called out desperately.

“Wow, you’re finally calling for him now?” her limbs mocked.

“Yeah, you never called for him before.”

“Why? Is it strange that he’s not coming when he used to come on his own?”

“You’re the strange one, thinking he would come automatically.”

“Missing him now because he’s gone?”

“Just like us, you realize how precious we are when we’re gone?”

“Why did you treat him like that then?”

“Better treat him well before it’s too late,” her limbs chorused.

“He’s your only ally,” they emphasized.

“AAAAAHHHH!!” Lucy screamed, waking up in a panic.

Gasping for air, she realized she was alone. 

Soft bedding and the crackling of a fireplace were her only companions.

“Porter!” she cried, for the first time, calling out for someone other than Reinhold in her dreams or reality. 

But there was no response.

“Porter!!!” she screamed again. 

Had he disappeared? 

Left because she treated him so badly? 

No, it couldn’t be. 

No matter how poorly she acted, he had always stayed by her side.

“Porter-!!!!!!!!!!”

He really wasn’t coming. 

Her shout, mixed with a metallic edge, was met with an eerie silence that seemed to lick at her fears. 

She couldn’t breathe. 

She was terrified. 

Finally, she understood how grateful she was for his presence. 

He wasn’t someone to be taken for granted, not someone to treat so poorly.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I was wrong… Please come back….”

Lucy, shaking with panic, began to apologize.

“I never even thanked you… Please hear me say it… Please come back…!”

She felt a deep sorrow, the kind that defied explanation, that just was.

“You abandoned me…! Even you abandoned me!”

Her sharp mind quickly concluded, urging her to accept it.

“Did you leave because I was horrible? Is that it?”

Strangely, realizing he was gone brought tears to her once dry eyes. 

Hot, painful tears.

“I shouldn’t have… I was wrong…! I was wrong…! Sob… sob… sob…!”

Her beautiful face twisted as tears streamed down. 

There was no hand to wipe them away now, no legs to carry her from this place.

I’m truly alone, she realized.

“WHAAAAAA!!!”

As she cried out in anguish, a voice broke through her despair.

“I’m back.”

A strong arm lifted her small frame. 

His hands gently wiped her tears with a soft cloth. 

His legs supported her body, holding her securely.

“You had a nightmare,” he said, soothing her with gentle pats. 

Lucy exhaled a sob-filled breath.

“I’m sorry. It took longer than expected.”

“You’re lying! You left me and came back!”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You left, then felt sorry and returned!”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then why were you late?” she cried, tears flowing anew. 

She felt irrationally aggrieved.

“Why did you leave me alone for so long?”

“Because of this,” he said, showing her a honeycomb. 

Honey dripped from it as he carefully held it out.

“You have trouble eating, so I thought honey might be better. It took some time to find it. I’m sorry. I won’t leave you alone for long again.”

“What’s so special about honey,” Lucy mumbled, hating herself for her harsh words.

“I heard that eating only honey significantly reduces the need to visit the restroom.”

“…”

“I thought it might help, so I got it.”

“Why are you so good to me?” she asked, tears still falling. 

They were tears born from the melting of her frozen heart, thanks to his care and efforts.

“The world will soon need you,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Because you’re a hero.”

“So, if the world no longer needed me after killing the Demon King, would you have abandoned me like the others?”

“No, I would still have saved you.”

“Why?”

Don’t expect too much, she told herself. 

But it was futile; her heart had already warmed.

“I was abandoned once too,” he said, his arms tightening around her. 

She nestled closer, breathing in his scent, which, though she had claimed to hate it, always reassured her.

“Being alone is truly terrifying and sad. Especially when you’re left alone for no significant wrongdoing, dealing with that emptiness is cruel.”

“They said they wanted to kill me because of my many mistakes,” Lucy admitted.

“Not saying you were faultless, but they made plenty of mistakes themselves. When you stood up to the nobles, I felt relieved.”

“You’re the only one who says that.”

“I was just the one who spoke up.”

“And you’re the only one who saved me.”

“That I did.”

Closing her eyes to hide her tears, Lucy listened to his heartbeat, steady and calming. 

She felt herself beginning to accept her situation and her feelings for him.

“What’s your name?”

“Just call me the porter.”

“I can’t do that.”

So she decided to express her feelings.

“You’re my only ally.”

She didn’t know if it would work out, but she was determined to try.

“You’re my best comrade.”

Clank.

Lucy flinched. 

She had heard a metallic sound, not the heartbeat.

At the same time,

“Ah.”

He exhaled. 

Startled, she opened her eyes to see him smiling warmly.

“Lin. My name is Lin. I’m a commoner, so it’s Lin Yi.”

His eyes, slightly drooping, formed a gentle arc as he looked at her.

“Lin,” Lucy repeated. “My only ally, my best comrade… my Lin.”

She smiled back at him, though tears continued to fall.

“Thank you for saving me, Lin.”

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the tears.