The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 43: “I’m pissed.”

"What’s wrong with you?" Irlian whispered sharply, grabbing Arctelle’s sleeve before he could walk away. The tent was thick with the scent of crushed herbs and old smoke along with the air that’s heavy and suffocating.

"Pull yourself together. We just finished punishment, don’t forget that."

Arctelle’s hands clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. Ever since he had been summoned to heal Lyric, his temper had been on edge all day, and the strong herbal’s smell only made it worse.

"That cursed commoner," he snapped. "Even when he’s nowhere near, he still worms his way into Lord Davenmore’s thoughts like a parasite."

Irlian frowned and lowered his voice, careful of who might be listening. "What did he do this time?"

"Didn’t I tell you yesterday?" Arctelle said through clenched teeth. "After healing Lord Davenmore, instead of being praised, I was compared to that bastard, Soren."

The name tasted foul as it left his mouth and a moment after, Arctelle grabbed a glass of herbs and slammed it onto the ground. It shattered with a loud crack where dried leaves spreading across the dirt floor as a bitter scent filled the tent while nearby nurses and apprentices froze and turned to stare.

Arctelle noticed and glare at them as he couldn’t contain his temper.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped. "Mind your own business!"

The onlookers quickly looked away, pretending to focus on their work, though the tension remained thick in the air that made Irlian stepped closer, his voice barely a whisper.

"Calm down," he warned. "If you keep this up, we’ll be punished again. You know they’re watching."

Hearing that, Arctelle just scoffed as he turned away, his shoulders rising and falling with uneven breaths. His jaw was clenched so tight it hurt with bitterness coating his tongue.

"Damn it..." he muttered. "I’m pissed."

Irlian hated Soren too, but Arctelle’s hatred went deeper. It was wild and consuming that at times, it unsettled him. There were moments when Irlian felt the urge to distance himself, afraid that Arctelle’s obsession would one day drag them both into trouble.

’What am I supposed to do?’ Irlian thought, glancing at the scattered herbs. ’Damn it. Tch, forget it. I’ll focus on what I can control. In two days, His Highnesses would return to the camp after all and it’s not like I can tell him what to do.’

Holding onto that thought, Irlian straightened and kept to himself, deliberately ignoring the lingering stares that followed him.

Meanwhile, back in the Northern Temple, Soren walked slowly down the quiet hallway, with Thalric by his side. They had happened to meet in the corridor just as Soren was stepping out to take a short break outside his room since tomorrow, they would be traveling back, and he wanted a moment to catch his breath.

At least, that was what Soren thought.

In reality, Thalric and Aria had been observing his movements for the past two days so their chance encounter wasn’t really by chance at all.

"So," Thalric said, keeping his voice calm, "what do you think about it? As you can see, not every healer gets an honor like this." He lifted his hand slightly, a polite gesture to show he was speaking sincerely.

Soren hesitated, his hands fidgeting slightly. "B-but... Your Excellency... meeting the High Priest himself... it’s too much pressure for me right now. I... I don’t really understand why someone as important as His Holiness would want to meet me."

Thalric smiled gently, though there was a hint of frustration behind it. "You’re being far too humble. Why not just give it a try? Meeting the High Priest is a great honor for any healer, and not everyone is offered the chance."

’Damn it... this wretch. Who does he think he is, turning this down? Just take the offer already. Why does he have to make everything difficult for me? I swear... sometimes I wish he’d just choke and drop dead right here.’

Behind the polite smile on his face, Thalric was cursing Soren nonstop in his thoughts along with his anger that’s boiling quietly where no one could see.

Soren, on the other hand just looked down while shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "I... I really don’t think today is the right time, Your Excellency. I... I have nothing to offer."

Thalric nodded slowly, accepting the answer on the surface, though inside he still felt a quiet frustration.

"I see," Thalric said smoothly, his expression gentle and understanding. "Well, it’s not as if there won’t be a next time. Still, if it were up to me, I would gladly accept the chance to meet the High Priest." He gave a small, almost regretful smile. "You see, His Holiness would not request a meeting unless he had seen something special in you, your potential."

Outwardly, he sounded sincere, even encouraging.

Inside, however, his thoughts were anything but calm.

’Fuck. Now I understand why that bastard Aria couldn’t handle this wretch on his own. If I hadn’t stepped in and insisted on speaking to him myself, he’d probably ignore me completely.’

Thalric’s jaw tightened behind his smile.

’Damn it. If only I could knock him out and drag him straight to that old geezer,’ he thought darkly. ’But I can’t risk it. There are too many people around.’

He then let out a quiet breath, disguising it as disappointment. To anyone watching, Thalric simply looked regretful that he hadn’t been able to persuade Soren.

In truth, his anger was boiling over while his hands were already itching to grab hold of Soren’s collar and strangle him on the spot.

On the other hand, Cael and Alaric were in a private room where they had received the letter earlier. The room was quiet, save for the faint sound of wind brushing against the temple walls.

"So, we’re going back there tomorrow?" Cael asked casually as he stood near the window, looking down at the priests and apprentices moving about outside the temple grounds.

The snow wasn’t as heavy as it had been in the northern fortress, but the cold still clung to the air. At the same time, a faint glow from the sun softened the chill, casting pale light over the courtyard below.

"It seems so, Your Highness," Alaric replied.

He then folded the letter neatly and set it aside before joining Cael at the window. "It looks like we haven’t gotten rid of all the beasts after all."

They were on a higher floor, high enough to see the surrounding area and even the building across the courtyard.

"Hmm, I see," Cael hummed. "Well, that’s fine. It’s not like we have any business left to take care of here." He paused, then squinted. "Anyway... is that him?"

Following Cael’s gaze, Alaric narrowed his eyes as well. Across the way, in the lower hallway of the opposite building, Soren could be seen bowing politely to someone.

"Hmm," Alaric muttered. "What is he doing this time? I hope he doesn’t get himself into trouble again and inconvenience us."

"Right, he really is a handful," Cael said with a chuckle with a smirk tugging at his lips. "But where’s the fun if he’s not as reckless as he is now?" He tilted his head slightly. "Either way, it’s entertaining to watch him get hurt and yet not show even a hint of pain in his eyes. Don’t you think?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"There you go again, Your Highness," Alaric replied flatly. "I suppose you really are a sadist."

"Haha, I didn’t know you had a talent for complimenting people, Duke," Cael said, amused.

"Pfft, that wasn’t a compliment."

"Then... are you insulting a member of the royal family?"

"That was never my intention, Your Highness."

"Pfft. I was just joking. Why are you always so serious?" Cael waved it off.

"Your jokes are terrible, so please refrain from making them, Your Highness," Alaric said without hesitation.

"Haha, you’re funny," Cael replied lightly. "Anyway, have you noticed something different about that person?"

"You mean the healer?"

"Yes," Cael nodded. "Don’t you think he’s somewhat similar to our Torin? Aside from his exceptional healing abilities, he’s also good-natured or at least that’s how I see him. Whenever I watch him work, I’m reminded of Torin. How silly of me."

Alaric’s expression hardened slightly. "I don’t see what you’re seeing, Your Highness but I’m certain that he’s not like Torin. Aside from both being commoners, Torin was Torin. There’s no one who can be compared to him." He glanced back toward the window. "And comparing Torin to him is rather insulting, don’t you think?"

"Hmm..." Cael hummed thoughtfully. "Well then, what are your plans for him once the contract ends?" His lips curved into a lazy grin. "If you plan to toss him aside, why not toss him to me instead? I wouldn’t mind taking some leftovers, you see."

"I’ll keep that in mind then. Anyway, let’s head out, Your Highness. In case you forget, we have an audience with His Holiness later after lunch so let’s go." Alaric uttered but before turning away, he looked at Soren’s direction once more where he saw Soren glancing at above and then walked towards the building where Cael and him was.

But when Cael and Alaric finally left, Caelius who had been nearby, minding his own business couldn’t help but overhear their conversation where he let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head slightly.

’How truly unlucky you are, Soren...’ he thought bitterly. ’Even I can’t help but feel a little pity for you. To them, you’re nothing more than a... hmm... I don’t even want to say it.’