Yes! Did he find out about me? Oh, this is embarrassing.
I quickly hid my red face behind the book.
I heard Carlex stifle his laughter.
“Since you're staring at me so intently, even a social media failure like me has to pay attention sometimes...”
His voice trailed off at the end of the sentence.
I felt movement, and suddenly the book I was hiding behind disappeared.
Carlex elegantly grabbed the book and placed it on the table, then slowly leaned toward me.
I felt a strange heat radiating from his normally cold eyes.
“You have become much bolder than I was on the battlefield.”
“I apologize. It's just that your handsome face, Your Highness, made me do that, like looking at a piece of art, right? Ha-ha.”
I slowly started to step back, muttering my excuses.
But the further I backed away from him, the closer Carlex came.
emergency! The atmosphere keeps getting more intimate.
Let's change the topic first.
I asked with a serious expression, like an expert discussing international situations on a television program.
“What do you think about the possibility of monsters continuing to appear? The appearance of monsters even in the capital is really a serious problem. What is your view on this matter, Your Highness?”
I'm serious now.
Quite seriously.
Carlex paused for a moment before my serious question, which tore up the romantic atmosphere all at once.
He frowned and then straightened in his seat.
"If monsters appear, the Central Army must move and I, the Commander-in-Chief, will go to the battlefield as well. When I think of little Michael living alone... it's worrying."
Carlex spoke with a worried expression, then paused for a moment and looked at me thoughtfully.
“And I worry about you too.”
Yes! This guy hits straight to the heart.
I tried to respond in a cheerful mood.
“Don't worry. As you've seen, I'm good at protecting myself.”
“I didn't know that. Is that why a fool like you throws himself into danger every now and then?”
Carlex raised the corner of his mouth and smiled confidently.
My anxious heart suddenly turned to ice.
When did you show such a sacrificial spirit?
Even more importantly, he said I was clumsy!
He's really the archetypal protagonist.
He plays with people's feelings.
I turned my face and responded in a condescending tone.
“Of course, I remained unharmed even among a horde of monsters.”
“Erica”
His voice turned serious again, and I unconsciously turned my head towards him.
The moment I encountered his eyes that resembled the depths of the ocean, I lost my mind.
I couldn't even resist.
“I wish you weren't in danger anymore. Whether because of your work as a book reader, or because of the monsters, don't scare me again.”
His large hand held mine softly.
When the warmth of his touch arrived, I felt even my heart calm down.
He really honestly worries about me.
His fingers carefully touched my scar.
Thanks to the healing spell, it was almost healed, but a faint scar remained.
The image of Carlex running towards me when I faced the monster is still fresh in my mind.
A face distorted with terror and despair, a far cry from its usual calm.
Desperate movements directed towards me alone.
Suddenly, I remembered words I couldn't say.
That monster didn't attack me.
The werewolf clearly showed no hostility toward me.
What does this mean?
I felt as if there was fog in my head.
While my body began to tremble little by little. As if he was instinctively aware of something.
I felt nauseous.
I was overcome by dizziness and a cold sweat broke out.
Carlex looked at me with worried eyes.
“You haven't recovered yet, and you've exhausted yourself too much. I'll show you to your room.”
"I'm fine. I can walk on my own."
Carlex firmly ignored my refusal and picked me up again.
“You have sprained your ankle. It is best not to move lightly. You have to be careful when walking for a while.”
She came out, forced, carried into Carlex's arms.
At the door, Gilbert and servant Samuel politely greeted each other.
The servant who faced Carlex as he carried me like a baby was stunned, then stopped.
His gaze, feeling deeply wrinkled and accumulating experiences, completely changed.
The servant looked at his master so contentedly that tears appeared in the corners of his eyes.
He even wiped the corners of his eyes with a tissue and stepped aside.
Sir, what is the meaning of these tears?
It is a touching reaction to his poor son who spent his youth for the country without love for 25 years, and finally found his partner.
Gilbert's reaction was no different.
He flashed his bright eyes and clenched his fists violently, making enthusiastic gestures of encouragement.
Please, don't misunderstand.
I would like to clarify: “His Highness the Duke, unfortunately, acts as a human wheelchair.”
But the clarification seems to create a more eerie atmosphere.
I had to press my lips tight and wait to get into the room quickly.
As we headed up the stairs and the long hallway to my room, I lowered my head like someone who had committed a sin.
This is shameful and unbearably frustrating, really!
Every servant we met was either terrified, blushed, or had moving tears in his eyes.
Some even huddled together looking moved, like enthusiastic fans, and let out muffled shouts of joy.
Huh, next time, I'll crawl on all fours so I can go under my own power.
When we finally got to the room, Carlex carefully placed me on the bed, as if I were a piece of porcelain.
“Thanks for dropping me off.”
“Today, as the night is deep, I hope you sleep comfortably… I hope so, Erica.”
“Yes, and you too, Your Highness.”
When I tried to lie down on the bed without thinking, I moved my right foot.
“Oh!”
I felt the stinging pain again.
"Erica, are you okay? Is the pain still bad?"
Carlex immediately knelt down and carefully grabbed my ankle to examine it.
I tried to pull my leg out of shame and embarrassment, but he held it tightly and I couldn't get it out.
“Calm down, calm down. It's okay. Let me check.”
Carlex said gently, as if he were soothing a child, and carefully rubbed my ankle.
Then he gently pressed several places to determine the location of the pain.
“I will bring good medicine for your ankle on the battlefield. A lot of soldiers get injured this way.”
He nodded to me as if to say wait, and left.
I looked at the open door in amazement.
It wasn't long before Carlex returned to the room with an ointment.
I quickly hid my feet under the blanket.
“I will ask the maid to do it. You don’t have to treat me yourself, Your Highness.”
Carlex looked at me thoughtfully with calm eyes.
"I'm the best at dressing wounds. It's routine on the battlefield."
‘Battlefield.’ Hearing this word, strange and not-so-strange at the same time, my resistance melted away.
If the Commander-in-Chief was so accustomed to bandaging wounds, how many intense battles had he fought?
I carefully pulled back the edge of the cover and extended my right foot.
Carlex scooped the ointment into his fingers and gently applied it to my ankle, then gently spread it.
With each gentle touch of his hands, I felt a warm and cold tingling sensation at the same time that made my body shiver.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
He thought I was shaking from pain, so he continued applying the medicine more carefully.
Then he wrapped the bandage around my ankle with a skilled hand.
“Did you learn this yourself on the battlefield?”
“In the face of life and death, there is no difference between nobles and commoners to eliminate the enemy and survive. Everyone has to struggle, so they are equal in fierce battles. There are not enough healers, so everyone has to treat their minor wounds.”
However, for the Supreme Commander and Noble Duke to be skilled in first aid… I could guess what kind of leader he was on the battlefield.
He must have been a brave, upright knight who did not know how to back down, and a leader who knew how to value the lives of his soldiers.
Only now am I starting to see his little scars one by one.
On the back of his hand, there were many small scratches and cuts as if from burns.
There were hard layers of keratinized skin, probably because he never let go of his sword.
On his forearm, exposed by the sleeve of his shirt, there were old scars as well as cuts that had only recently healed.
Even above his chest, through the shirt collar, a faint scar from a sword blade could be seen.
These relics were showing how fierce his battles were to survive on the battlefield.
A knight who has never been defeated, and a Ruberia sword that has brought down many enemies and monsters.
But no one knew the wounds he had to endure for the sake of that name.
Also, no one sees the craters on the other side of the beautiful moon.
I imagined the image of him wrapping the bandage alone in the barracks, after a life-or-death battle, covered in blood and sweat, breathing hard.
Why does my heart hurt and feel so depressed?
“You too, be careful not to get hurt, Your Highness.”
Carlex was silent for a moment, as if he was hearing such words for the first time in his life.
After a moment, he gave a low chuckle as if it was funny.
“You are the only one who advises me to be careful. My knights cannot give such advice.”
“Because you are very strong. But please take care of yourself. If you get hurt, the little prince will be sad.”
“I'll be sure to remember your advice.”
Carlex tied the end of the bandage tightly and thanks to it, my ankle no longer hurt.
“The treatment is over. Rest and sleep, Erica.”
As if I were Michael, Carlex helped me onto the bed.
He covered me with the quilt and pulled the bed curtains.
I thought he was going to leave quietly, but he stopped for a moment next to my head.
“Do you have anything to say?”
He raised the curtain slightly and bowed.
Carlex's eyes were powerful, as if they were binding my entire body.
“I forgot to wish you good night.”
“Yes. Sleep tight.”
I quickly said what had to be said and gave the order to leave.
Because my heart is shaking to death, please go.
“And...”
His breath was so close I could feel it right in front of my nose.
“I should definitely say that, Erica.”
His eyes sparkled like a predatory beast slowly trying to taste the prey in front of him.
“Duke Reinhardt’s family’s way of giving back is deep and long, so I hope you can enjoy it slowly, benefactor.”
His pink lips, drawn in a curved line, rose into a dangerous smile.
My whole body instinctively froze, and a vague feeling of unease came over me.
How do you plan to return the favor so you can speak so seriously?
***
The next morning, when I woke up, the ankle sprain was completely gone.
I was preparing to suffer for two or three days, but the pain subsided as if it were a lie.
Surprisingly, I've felt better every day since I took over this body.
At the beginning of the possession, Erica's original body was tired to the point of fainting at the slightest fatigue.
But now, I don't get tired easily.
I feel as if energy is flowing from deep within my body.
“Huh, it will be difficult if I fully recover now.”
In fact, I was planning on not leaving the room using the ankle as an excuse.
Since Carlex's dangerous announcement of 'returning the favor' last night, facing him has become awkward and exhausting.
I forcibly dressed and went down to the dining room, but only Michael welcomed me warmly, and I did not see Carlex.
I felt relieved and finished my meal with the little prince quietly.
After that, I thought about reading a book in the library, but I went back to my room in fear that he was there.
As I was lying in bed, staring in amazement at the ceiling wallpaper pattern, I heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
As soon as I answered, Anne entered cheerfully and smiled.
“Madam, the little prince invites you to have tea and sweets with him. You should go to the rose garden.”
I hesitated for a moment, then asked carefully.
“Will His Highness the Duke be attending as well?”
“No. He invited you alone.”
“Really? Then let’s go quickly.”
I let out a long breath of relief in my heart and tried to go out with Anne.
But suddenly she stood in my way with a serious face.
“To be continued in the next chapter”
Loving translation