“Y-Your Grace?”
I saw Ian leaning over, blocking the tea that should have spilled onto my dress. His arm and bare hand were soaked with the hot tea.
The tea seemed even hotter than expected, as I could feel its heat, even though it hadn’t touched me directly.
I was so startled that I fumbled in confusion, while Ian turned his head toward me.
“Are you hurt?”
“No…”
You idiot, is this really the time to ask me that? Your hand is literally steaming right now!
The situation happened so suddenly, and seeing him like this, my heart started pounding uncontrollably.
“No, look at yourself first. Your hand is—”
As I finally regained my senses and reached out to examine his hand, Ian was quicker. He swiftly pulled himself back, away from me.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re hurt!”
My outburst made Ian’s eyes widen in surprise.
It wasn’t just him; the audience on the first floor, who had just entered, and the nobles seated in the nearby box seats were all staring this way, clearly confused.
But I couldn’t worry about that right now.
I held my forehead in frustration as I saw Ian’s hand, now a bright, angry red.
“How can you just say you’re fine when you’re clearly hurt?”
What are you, a robot with no sense of pain?
Whether it was concern, scolding, or frustration, I couldn’t tell, but Ian, surprisingly, looked flustered.
“…I’m sorry, madam, but your voice is too loud.”
He had the nerve to speak properly despite his now bright red hand.
Instead of answering, I whipped my head around and glared fiercely at the panicked servant.
“What are you doing just standing there? His Grace is hurt, and you haven’t brought ice water yet!”
The servant seemed to snap out of it, stammering apologies before rushing out beyond the curtain.
“Sigh…”
What in the world is going on?
I held my throbbing head and motioned Ian closer with my finger.
“Let me see.”
“…”
“I said, let me see.”
Ian frowned at my almost threatening tone.
“What are you waiting for? Give me your hand.”
“There’s no need to check. I’m fine.”
“No, I need to check.”
With a mix of what seemed like consideration, he continued to hide his hand, so I grabbed his sleeve and pulled it toward me to forcefully check his injury.
As expected, his hand was much redder than it had appeared from a distance.
My face scrunched up.
“Why would you block it with your bare hand? This is going to leave a scar for sure…”
I sighed at the more serious state of his injury than I had initially thought, setting aside my gratitude for the moment.
Ian looked at me, as if he didn’t quite understand.
“And just watch it spill?”
“Do you have any idea how thick this dress is? I’m wearing a petticoat and several layers underneath. I wouldn’t have gotten hurt much!”
Just as I was about to launch into another round of scolding, the manager and the servant returned, abruptly pulling back the curtain.
“Are you all right, Your Grace?”
They must have rushed over, as their faces were pale.
The servant was holding a bucket full of ice water and towels.
“Put the bucket down here.”
I gave them a quick once-over and motioned with my chin. The servant hurriedly set the bucket down.
Without a word, I dunked Ian’s hand into the icy water.
“…Madam?”
“Hold on, you need to keep it in for at least ten minutes. Running water would be best, but…”
Well, this would have to do.
While I was submerging his hand, the manager and the servant were sweating nervously, not knowing what to do.
“We, we apologize. This employee is new and hasn’t been properly trained yet… I’ll make sure to teach them. What are you waiting for? Bow your head!”
“I-I’m sorry…! Please, forgive me just this once…”
A little earlier, I had been too shocked and angry to think straight, but now, seeing the manager and the servant, whose face was white as a sheet, made me feel bad for yelling.
“…I won’t make a big deal out of it, but make sure to be more careful next time.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you!”
“We’ve already contacted the doctor, and he’ll be here soon…”
The manager was practically on the verge of tears, but I shook my head.
“No need. We’ll head back to the duke’s residence. Prepare the carriage.”
I turned to Ian.
“Let’s head home for now.”
❖ ❖ ❖
In the end, we left the theater and returned to the duke’s residence before the performance had even started.
It was no surprise that the head butler and the servants were alarmed to see us return less than two hours after leaving, supposedly for a date.
Ian was led upstairs to his room by the butler for treatment, and I headed to my bedroom to change into more comfortable indoor clothes.
“Madam, are you all right?” Vivi, who had been pacing around the room nervously, asked as she watched me carefully.
I lifted my head from where I had been sitting on the bed, troubled, resting my chin in my hand.
“Huh? Yeah.”
“You don’t look well. Are you upset because the date was ruined?”
Now that I looked at her, Vivi’s face was even more upset than mine.
“No, it’s not really that…”
I started to answer but then shut my mouth.
‘But seriously, why did he get in the way and take the tea for me?’
Since when had he become so gentlemanly?
Of course, Ian probably reacted instinctively, but having seen his hand turn bright red, I couldn’t stop worrying about it.
As I hugged the pillow tightly and furrowed my brow, I suddenly jumped to my feet. Vivi, who had been hovering near the bed, flinched in surprise.
“M-Madam?”
“This won’t do.”
I felt too guilty to sit idly by.
No matter how many issues I had with Ian, I couldn’t just lounge around when someone had gotten hurt because of me. My conscience was pricking me.
“I’m going to check on His Grace.”
After telling Vivi, I quietly slipped out of the room.
I wandered down the hallway with no clear plan, but then I spotted a servant carrying a tray in the distance.
“You there.”
“M-Madam?”
Startled by my call, the servant bowed his head quickly.
On the tray, I saw medicine and bandages.
“Is that for His Grace?”
“Yes, that’s right, but…”
I nodded and extended my hand toward him.
“Give it to me.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll take it to him. Hand it over.”
This wasn’t because I was feeling awkward about visiting Ian. Definitely not.
The servant looked back and forth between me and the tray, clearly confused.
After a moment, he seemed to understand and quickly handed it over.
“H-Here you go!”
“All right, where is His Grace now?”
“He’s in his bedroom…”
The servant trailed off, glancing nervously at me. I flinched.
‘He’s always cooped up in the study, but now of all times, he’s in his bedroom.’
After a moment of hesitation, I cleared my throat and nodded.
“Understood, you may go now.”
“Yes, Madam.”
The servant scurried off, and I stared resolutely down the opposite corridor where Ian’s room was located.
‘I’ll just take a quick look at his condition, that’s all.’
Though I had been living at the duke’s residence for over two months, I had never once set foot in the hallway that led to Ian’s bedroom.
Even though it was just another hallway, the unfamiliarity of it made me feel awkward, and my pace slowed.
Finally, I reached the door. After a brief moment of hesitation, I knocked.
“Come in.”
It wasn’t Ian’s voice but that of the duke’s physician.
I quietly opened the door and peeked inside, only to find several pairs of eyes turning toward me at once.
“…Your Grace, the Duchess?”
The one who was taken aback by the sight was me.
‘Why are there so many people?’
I had expected the room to contain just Ian and the doctor, at most.
But along with the physician, there was his assistant and three servants attending to him.
Ian was sitting there with his arm outstretched, looking puzzled.
“…Why are you here, Madam?”
“Well, I…”
I came because I felt guilty, you idiot.
My awkward answer made the physician and the servants exchange curious glances.
After a moment, the physician seemed to understand the situation.
He began gathering up the medications and medical tools scattered around and stood up.
“The treatment is done. All you need to do is apply the ointment and wrap it with a bandage. I’ll instruct the servants to make sure His Grace keeps it dry for the time being.”
With that, he gave me a look.
“Then, I’ll leave the rest to you, Your Grace.”
…Me?
“Please, take your time to talk.”
The physician and the attendants bowed, then actually started preparing to leave the room.
Sweat began to bead on the back of my hand holding the tray.
‘Wait! Don’t leave! This is going to be so awkward!’
♧♧♧
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