The Elusive and Enigmatic Male Protagonist (25)

Originally, Si Jiu had intended to check on Charles’s injuries, but after being so thoroughly disrupted by the black dragon, she really had no choice but to take a bath first.

She found a maid to guide her to the room that had been prepared, washed up quickly, asked where Charles was, and hurried over.

The knight she had personally acknowledged had already changed out of his bloodstained uniform. On the surface, there was no trace of his wounds, save for the pallor on his face from blood loss.

He seemed both surprised and pleased by Si Jiu’s arrival.

“Your Highness.”

Si Jiu stopped him from bowing and, after looking him over, said, “Take off your clothes.”

Charles was momentarily stunned, even though he knew she only wanted to inspect his injuries.

“Hurry up,” Si Jiu urged when he didn’t respond, reaching out herself.

The black dragon’s possessiveness and clinginess were off the charts; she worried that if she stayed away too long, it might tear the temple apart.

Faced with Si Jiu, who didn’t hesitate to undress him, Charles was at a loss. “Your Highness, I… I’ll do it myself.”

He fended off her hands, and fortunately, Si Jiu withdrew, though she still said, “Then be quick about it.”

Even in the face of thousands of enemies, Charles’s hands never trembled on his sword, but now, under her intense gaze, he nearly fumbled his buttons. With a touch of embarrassment, he removed his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt down to his waist.

His shoulders and chest were wrapped in white bandages, but the fabric had already been stained a dark red by seeping blood.

“No one managed to stop the bleeding?” Si Jiu’s pale face was stern, her brows drawn tight.

Charles’s fingers twitched. “The physicians couldn’t stop it. The priests have looked at it; the wound was tainted with necromantic poison, and at the moment, there’s nothing they can do.”

Seeing her frown deepen, Charles hastened to reassure her. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’m fine.”

But he was not fine.

He could feel his strength ebbing away as more blood was lost, and the dark energy left by the necromancy was steadily ravaging his body from within—this was the true danger.

Si Jiu glanced at his ashen face. “You call this fine?”

“I’m just tired. I’ll be all right after some rest.”

The system had not yet returned. Time flowed differently in the small world than in the main system space, and Si Jiu had no idea when the system would be back.

Until she figured out whether Charles or the black dragon was the true protagonist of this small world, she could only treat them both as such.

Besides, ever since she had taken over Jian Yu’s body, from her first meeting with Charles, he had been nothing but kind to her.

She could not simply stand by and watch something happen to him.

“Sit down,” she suddenly ordered.

Charles was puzzled, but by now, he seemed to have developed an instinctive obedience to Si Jiu and sat down immediately.

She stood before him, her hand resting on his wound, and carefully unwound the bandages, layer by layer.

The wound looked just as bad as it had before—with no sign of improvement.

Charles’s whole body tensed up as his Highness pressed her palm to his shoulder.

Her hand, light and gentle, barely exerted any force, but to Charles, its presence was overwhelming.

He could hardly control his heartbeat, especially as her hand moved restlessly over his wound, sending waves of tingling sensation wherever she touched.

This time, however, Si Jiu was not trying to tease him. She was attempting to sense the temporal energy within her, hoping to perform a proper healing spell.

Unfortunately, not only was this so-called healing spell actually a side effect of the protagonist’s golden finger, but even if Jian Yu truly had an affinity for temporal energy, she had never received any training. If she had actually managed to cast the spell, it would have been a miracle.

As expected, nothing happened. Si Jiu sighed inwardly.

Charles, meanwhile, could barely remain seated under her touch.

“Your Highness, please don’t—your hands—” He drew a shaky breath, unable to finish his sentence.

Her hair brushed the hollow of his neck, tickling him unbearably; her breath was warm on his shoulder, and her lips pressed to the wound.

She was kissing his wound!

Charles was so stunned by this realization that he even forgot he could have pulled away at any moment.