I glared at Ricardo with resentful eyes, but he didn’t seem to care much.
However, I didn’t back down and continued speaking.
“Is a wound like this even a big deal? Someone more hurt than me right now...!”
“It is a big deal.”
As a sharp scent spread to the tip of my nose, a calloused hand blatantly brushed down my spine.
When the cold body temperature rubbed against my back, I flinched without realizing it.
“Does it hurt?”
Unconsciously, I gripped my dress tightly.
“I-It’s not that, it just tickles...”
Then I heard laughter from behind. Strangely, my face flushed, and I hurriedly opened my mouth.
“Are you done now? I’m fine, so let’s switch places.”
“Wait until it soaks in.”
He replied stubbornly and closed the medicine bottle. Then, he began organizing the medical kit.
“Wait, why are you closing that?”
I hurriedly reached for the box. Then Ricardo pushed the medical kit far away where I couldn’t reach it.
I was dumbfounded.
“Why are you acting like a child all of a sudden?”
“...A child?”
Ricardo frowned as if he had misheard and asked again.
“A child, right. A kid who throws a tantrum because they don’t want treatment.”
“Ha, and what about you...”
At that moment, Ricardo, who had been scanning me up and down, suddenly fell silent.
“What? Are you saying I’m a kid too?”
Ricardo awkwardly avoided my eyes. Then, with a complicated expression, he swept his face with his hand.
“At least put your clothes on properly.”
And whose fault do you think it is that I’m in this state?
I sulkily pouted my lips and picked up the string. I tried to thread it through the hole in the dress, but my hands kept fumbling.
...Should I ask Simon for help?
While thinking that, Ricardo, who had come close before I noticed, snatched the string away.
Only then did I realize my situation and tried to stop him.
“T-Tasks like this, you could have Simon do it...”
“Your fiancé would be thrilled if you showed yourself like this to another man.”
He sneered as much as he could.
“What, wasn’t that guy Thomas your fiancé?”
You were the one who said he was just family before.
And you’re still another man, too?
I had plenty to argue back with, but it didn’t seem like something a proper mage would say, so I chose to keep my mouth shut.
“...”
Maybe tying the string wasn’t easy, but Ricardo’s hands were trembling oddly. I waited silently and then sighed as I spoke.
“It’s because you hurt your hand.”
“It’d be the same even if I didn’t.”
“What?”
The moment I questioned him, Ricardo’s hands moved away from me.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He stood up with the medical kit as if he was done with his work.
This man, seriously...!
I jumped up and blocked his path.
“Sit down.”
“...”
“Just sit down for now.”
As I took a step closer, Ricardo stepped back.
“If the wound gets worse, it’ll be even more painful.”
“N-No. I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine.”
As I pressed down on Ricardo’s shoulder with my hand, he collapsed weakly to the floor. I seized the moment and snatched the medical kit.
“First, give me your hand.”
“...”
Eventually, Ricardo offered his hand with a resigned look. When I took his hand to clean the wound with disinfectant, he flinched.
“See? It hurts!”
“It doesn’t.”
Then, I applied medicine and wrapped his hand with a bandage.
Now, next is...
Just as Ricardo let his guard down, I tried to take off his clothes.
Tap!
He urgently grabbed my wrist.
“...!”
It didn’t seem like Ricardo meant to do it either—his eyes widened in shock.
Unable to understand him, I furrowed my brows.
“I’m just checking the wound.”
“...I’ll handle it myself.”
“Then what about your back? Are you saying you’ll treat a wound you can’t even see by yourself, Duke?”
Ricardo nodded with difficulty.
I chuckled briefly, then climbed on top of him.
“...!”
As the strength in Ricardo’s hand that had been holding me faded, I quickly grabbed his collar. But Ricardo wasn’t an easy opponent.
In his confusion, he grabbed my hand.
“I’m barely even hurt...”
“How is that possible? You fell out of the carriage and rolled...!”
I was excessively unscathed. Which meant Ricardo had taken all the pain meant for me.
...Unless he just hated me touching him?
Because I wasn’t a trustworthy doctor.
As the thought drifted further—
“Duke, Anne! Simon’s back with food safely!”
Simon’s voice rang from outside. Ricardo, seizing the moment, pushed me away and shot up from the floor.
* * *
“It took a while to find a restaurant that’s open late.”
“......”
“......”
When no one responded to Simon’s words, he awkwardly looked between us. I absentmindedly picked at the fish bones, letting his words pass through one ear.
Then, Ricardo held out his plate to me.
It was a plate with all the bones removed.
“......You should eat it, Duke.”
“At your pace, this meal would never end.”
Ricardo replied indifferently.
When I silently glared at him, Simon opened his mouth to lighten the mood.
“S-Still, it tastes good, right?”
“It’s good. You went through a lot.”
Although I couldn’t taste anything because of what just happened.
‘I wonder if there’s a doctor nearby.’
Simon swallowed dryly and whispered quietly to me.
“......Did something happen while I was gone?”
“Haha, no.”
“It doesn’t seem like it.”
In the meantime, Ricardo finished eating and stood up. Simon asked with wide eyes.
“You’re already heading upstairs without eating more?”
“......Please eat some more.”
Unable to stand it, I added a word. Ricardo paused.
“You haven’t eaten anything since morning.”
“Eat comfortably.”
With that, Ricardo went upstairs. Only then did Simon let out a sigh of relief and picked up his fork.
“He’s more kind than he seems.”
“Sure he is.”
“You’re not eating either because of the Duke, right?”
“......”
And so, the meal ended in a blur, not knowing whether the food went in through my mouth or my nose.
I picked up the medical kit in the room and knocked on Ricardo’s door.
Knock, knock.
“I think I was out of line earlier. I apologize for the rudeness.”
“......”
“I’ll leave the medical kit in front of your room, so please make sure to treat it. I’ll find a doctor tomorrow.”
After finishing my words and turning to go back to my room, I stopped in my tracks as a thought struck me. Then I carefully added,
“......Thank you for saving me.”
* * *
“Ah, there’s the restricted area!”
Simon beamed as he looked out the wagon window.
“That’s the village I used to live in.”
Still, I wonder if we’ll be okay without Peril.
“But what happened to Thomas?”
“I’m not sure either. But Lady Lily said Thomas needs some rest for a while.”
......Rest?
There was no mention of that.
He didn’t suddenly fall ill, did he?
Meanwhile, the moving wagon came to a stop. I stretched my stiff body and noticed a dim cave.
“......Is the village inside that cave, by any chance?”
“People usually call that a tunnel.”
Simon lightly chided me. Then he pointed to what looked like the entrance of the cave.
“Once we go through the tunnel, the village will come into view.”
At that moment, Ricardo took my hand. Then, he removed the magic tool from my wrist.
“Oh, right, you have to leave behind all your magic tools.”
Simon searched every pocket and pulled out all sorts of magic tools.
“Let’s hide them under that rock over there for now.”
He groaned as he lifted the rock. Watching him indifferently, Ricardo stepped in and lifted the rock instead.
“Oh, thank you!”
Simon dug a small hole under the rock and placed all the magic tools inside. Ricardo also tossed the bracelet he was holding into the spot.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Simon hummed a tune as he stepped into the tunnel without hesitation. Watching his back, Ricardo gave me a slight nod.
“Don’t leave my side from now on.”
“......But usually, do people go this far for a mage?”
“Pretty much.”
Ricardo replied as if it was only natural.