Chang Hao burst into the infirmary moments later, his face a mask of panic. His eyes widened at the sight of Bella's bruised and emaciated form. "Bella! What happened? Who did this?"
Chang Hao's gaze fell to her now flat tummy . His hands trembled as he lifted the hem of Bella's tattered shirt, revealing the brutal evidence of what had been done to her.
His breath caught in his throat, a strangled sound escaping him as his gaze fixed on the crudely stitched wounds crisscrossing her abdomen. The stitches were rough, clearly performed by someone with little regard for her well-being, and infection had already set in around some of the sutures.
"No... no, this can't be real," he whispered, his voice cracking with a horror that bordered on disbelief. He reached out a trembling hand, not to touch the wounds, but to gently stroke Bella's pale cheek. "Physician Tanaka! Tell me what you see. Tell me she will be okay."
Tanaka moved closer, his expression grim as he examined the stitches with practiced eyes.
Tanaka's face grew grave as he inspected the stitching more closely. "Your Majesty, these were performed by amateurs using improper technique. Several of these sutures are infected, and there's significant tissue damage underneath."
He gently probed around the wounds with experienced fingers, eliciting a soft moan from Bella's unconscious form. "She's running a high fever from the infection. If we don't treat this properly, she risks losing her uterus entirely."
Chang Hao's fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening with rage. "Those bastards. Whoever did this will pay with their lives." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Find out everything about what happened to her while she was gone. I want names, locations, details."
Another guard entered the infirmary urgently. "Your Majesty, we interrogated the farmer who found her. He claims he just discovered her in in our stable, he had no idea she was even in his wagon"
Chang Hao's head snapped up at the sound of Bella's weak voice as she tried to speak but nothing came out. Hiis eyes widening with relief and desperation. "Bella? Can you hear me, my love?"
He leaned closer to the cot, his usual regal composure shattered by raw emotion. "Yes, it's me. I'm here now." His voice cracked slightly as he spoke. "You're safe now. No one will ever harm you again."
Physician Tanaka cleared his throat gently. "Your Majesty, she needs rest and immediate treatment for that infection. Speaking may exacerbate her condition."
Ignoring the physician's advice, Chang Hao took Bella's trembling hand in both of his own larger ones. "I'm so sorry I failed to protect you," he whispered fervently.
"I should have searched every corner of this kingdom myself rather than relying on those incompetent fools."
My throat felt tight, but I tried to still speak. I am s.... , but I passed out before could complete the sentence.
Chang Hao's face paled with alarm as Bella's eyes fluttered closed and her hand went limp in his grasp. "Physician Tanaka! Do something!" he commanded urgently.
Tanaka immediately sprang into action, checking Bella's pulse and respiration with practiced efficiency. "Her vitals are dropping rapidly. The stress of speaking combined with the infection is pushing her system past its limits."
He began mixing a strong sedative from his medical chest while shouting orders to attending nurses. "Prepare a warm bath with antimicrobial herbs! And bring me fresh linens - we need to replace these contaminated clothes immediately."
Chang Hao refused to leave Bella's side, holding her hand tightly as if willing his own strength into her weakened body. "Don't you dare die on me," he whispered hoarsely, his usual imperial authority replaced by pure desperation.
The soft morning light filtered through the infirmary window, casting gentle shadows across Bella's face. Days had blurred into an endless cycle of unconsciousness for her, but now her eyelids fluttered open slowly, revealing eyes clouded with confusion and pain.
Chang Hao's head lifted abruptly from where it had rested against the edge of her cot. His face, once regal and commanding, was now a canvas of exhaustion - dark circles shadowed his eyes, and stubble lined his jaw. He hadn't left her side since she collapsed, subsisting on occasional sips of tea and brief naps in the chair beside her bed.
"Bella?" His voice was raw with disuse and emotion. "You're awake."
He leaned forward immediately, reaching for the water cup on her bedside table. His hands trembled slightly as he brought the straw to her lips. "Drink slowly. Physician Tanaka says you need to rehydrate carefully."
Chang Hao watched intently as Bella drank, his worried expression softening slightly at the sight of her compliance. He set the glass down carefully when she finished, his movements gentle despite the exhaustion evident in his posture.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly, adjusting the blankets covering her smaller frame. "Does anything hurt besides..." His gaze flicked briefly to her abdomen before returning to her face. "Physician Tanaka said the infection is responding to treatment, but your body needs time to heal."
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, the usually impeccable emperor looking completely undone by days spent vigilantly guarding her bedside. "I've posted guards outside this room twenty-four hours a day. No one enters without my direct authorization."
His voice lowered conspiratorially as if sharing a secret only meant for her ears. "I also sent search parties across every province. The moment we have information on who did this to you, they will answer for it."
Chang Hao's expression immediately shifted from exhaustion to concern at the pained sound Bella made. "Are you in pain? I'll call Physician Tanaka right away." He moved toward the infirmary bell pull, his hand hovering over it.
His eyes scanned her face anxiously, searching for any sign of distress. "Did something hurt when you moved? The nurses brought fresh pain medication an hour ago - perhaps it's time for another dose."
From the hallway outside, Physician Tanaka's voice called through the closed door. "Your Majesty? Is there an issue with the patient?"
Chang Hao hesitated, not wanting to overreact but also unwilling to risk her comfort. "She made a noise," he called back through the door. "A pained sound."
Tanaka's footsteps approached quickly. "I'm coming in to check on her immediately."
Tanaka adjusted his spectacles somberly, after examining her "Your Majesty, her vocal cords may have sustained damage from the prolonged screaming and fever-induced swelling. The shock to her system has affected multiple functions beyond just physical recovery."
Chang Hao's face went pale as Physician Tanaka delivered the devastating news. "What do you mean, 'temporary'? How long will this last? Will she ever speak clearly again?"
He sank back into his chair, running both hands through his hair in frustration. "She's already been through so much. First they steal our children, then they leave her for dead ... now this."
Tanaka approached Chang and gently placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "For now, we must focus on rebuilding her strength through proper nutrition and rest. The speech will come back with time and patience."
Chang Hao reached for Bella's hand again, his touch now filled with newfound tenderness mixed with grief. "Patience," he repeated quietly.
"Patience," he repeated, his voice barely a whisper. "How can I be patient when every day she lies here suffering? When I look at her and see the ghost of the woman I fell in love with?"
His free hand gripped the armrest of his chair tightly, knuckles white. "Tell me honestly, Physician. Will she ever regain her full voice? Or will this be another permanent scar from their cruelty?"