Chapter 194: Watch Your Follies!
Damon rushed from there, afraid of what would happen if he started. She could not know. She must not know or she would be more afraid.
But he barely made it past the hallway when his legs gave out beneath him. His hand caught the edge of a pillar, but his body refused to hold any longer. The pain was sharp, twisting, like a child’s hand twisting inside his chest as he collapsed with a muffled grunt onto the polished floor.
One of the guards saw him fall and cried out. Within moments, footsteps echoed through the manor as several servants rushed to his side. "Your grace."
"Call the physician. Now!"
Damon tried to push himself up, but his limbs trembled violently. Black spots danced before his eyes, and he could feel his heart stammering in his chest like a dying bird. He gritted his teeth, jaw clenched against the wave of nausea and weakness crashing over him.
"I’m fine," he rasped, but even his voice betrayed him.
The physician arrived not long after, out of breath and half-dressed, still shrugging on his robes. He knelt beside Damon, fingers pressing quickly to his wrist, then his neck, then over his ribs.
"Everyone, give us space," the physician ordered sharply. "Help me lift him to the room. Slowly!"
Damon was carried. A knight who had not fallen in battleground fell just after meeting the lady he was counting. Many exchanged glances as they carried him to his room. his vision dimmed with each step, and the last thing he saw was the ceiling of the manor swirling like a storm cloud.
The physician worked in silence for several minutes once they were inside. When the physician finally spoke, his tone was grave.
"Your pulse is faint. And there is bruising over the lower ribs which had caused internal damage, possibly to the lungs or liver. You must’ve taken a blow hours ago but the duel had prolonged my lord."