The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 163: Help

Chapter 163: Help

Ernest took a deep breath to calm his emotions, his eyes still cold as they looked at the motionless tiger. He then walked over to his bag, which had been dropped at some point during the fight.

As expected, his men had placed medicine for injuries inside the bag. He placed the medicine back and looked around. Although he had unconsciously walked into the deep forest, after looking around carefully, he knew his way out. It was almost morning, and after killing a tiger, there was no reason to remain in the forest.

He began to walk away but, turning to look at the tiger again and thinking of its value, he looked for wood nearby, created a crude cart, and placed the carcass inside. It was already morning by the time he finished making preparations.

He then pushed the cart to a water source.

After arriving, Ernest, out of habit, first took a bath, then cleaned his injury and applied the medicine. After taking a short break, he was ready to leave when he noticed movement on the other side of the river. Maybe because he had just been attacked by a tiger, his senses felt sharpened. He immediately turned to look.

Under a tree, he saw something moving with great difficulty. It was still the earliest hour, and the sun was not yet bright, so he could not see clearly.

After careful observation, he could tell there was someone lying under the tree.

"Why would there be a person sleeping so close to the river early in the morning?" Ernest wondered. Usually, he would have looked away, as he did not have the habit of prying into other people’s lives, but for some reason, he continued to observe and noticed that the person might be a woman.

He frowned. There had been no movement during the funeral of the king. He could not understand why a woman would show up near the river at such an hour.

He debated with himself for a while. Ultimately, he decided to go and check on the person, suspecting she might be injured.

Ernest told himself he was merely caring for the weak. As he got closer, he noticed the person was dressed like a man. He hesitated, but his feet kept moving forward.

The person lying under the tree raised their head, likely because of the approaching steps. Ernest could tell that even that simple action was extremely difficult for the person.

"Are you okay?" Ernest asked, stopping a few steps away, noticing the burned ashes close to the other person.

"Help," the person whispered. The other person was Anastasia. She could not see the face of the person clearly. Her entire body felt hot, and the fever was blinding her. She did not know whether it was sickness or the venom from the snake.

After arriving at the river and having a drink the previous day, she had no strength to continue her journey. Moreover, she did not have a water bag to store water. She had also abandoned her heavier clothes earlier when she woke up. She was very hungry and bitterly regretted never studying medical books left behind by her mother; perhaps she could have found a solution to her problem.

Anastasia felt her head thumping as she tried her best to remember anything useful from the books she had read, but nothing came to mind.

She moved a distance away from the river. While looking around for something to eat, she noticed a yellow herb not far away. She suddenly remembered seeing a picture of it somewhere. She could not remember what it was used to treat, but she was sure it was not harmful to the body.

Feeling she was at death’s door, Anastasia crawled toward the small yellow-flowered plant. Only then did she notice small yellow fruits growing from it. Having been hungry for so long, she picked a few and threw them into her mouth.

The taste was sour, but to Anastasia at that moment, it was better than nothing.

Unfortunately, there were not many fruits. They did not fill her stomach, but she no longer felt so painfully hungry.

Seeing that it was already evening and knowing she could at best manage to walk back to the main road before nightfall, she hesitated.

Without a water bag, moving forward might not be a solution. Moreover, she was still haunted by the memory of the snake encounter earlier.

So she gathered a few dry leaves and sticks using the branch she had been using to support herself. Though limited, these supplies allowed her to start a small fire.

For the first time, she was grateful for her sorry situation at the Duke’s residence, it had forced her to learn how to manage with little.

With limited resources, the fire was weak but enough to warm her hands and feet just by sitting near it.

She added dry leaves and sticks in small quantities and decided to rest, regaining her strength before continuing her journey the next day.

Folding her legs to her chest, she hugged them tightly and tried to sleep.

She never expected her entire body would feel so sore when she woke up, making even simple movements difficult.

Even her mouth felt glued together.

It had taken all her strength just to say the word "help."

"What is wrong?" Ernest asked.

Although the other person’s voice sounded dry, he could still tell she was a woman, even though she had not revealed her entire face.

Anastasia opened her mouth to speak, but her head was pounding and her throat dry.

She did not even know if this man was a friend or a foe.

But she did not want to die deep in the bush.

Unable to speak clearly, she tried her best to sit up, hoping to explain her situation.

At that point, she could only trust that this stranger was a good person, someone who had simply come to the river to drink.

As she moved, her face became visible to Ernest.

For a moment, Ernest thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Although the woman looked different from the few times he had met her before, he still recognized her instantly.

Despite her pale face and dry lips, such a contrast from the noble lady he had seen at the royal celebration and her wedding there was something about her gaze that he could not forget.

Anastasia had her eyes half-open. She could barely see the man before her.

"Help me, please," Anastasia managed to whisper after a long moment.