~Chapter 5~
Snow was pouring down heavily from above.
I blinked slowly, still in his embrace. If the Duke hadn’t held me and prevented me from falling my whole body would’ve been shattered.
“…Your Grace!”
I quickly got off Cedric, who was lying beneath me. Even at a glance, his injuries looked severe.
“I’m so sorry! What should I do…! You’re bleeding!”
“…It’s fine. Just don’t shout.”
He frowned and covered his eyes with the back of his hand. I anxiously looked up.
The hole wasn’t extremely deep, but it was awkward enough that I couldn’t escape on my own.
On top of that, the Duke was injured because of me.
“I told you there were traps set for catching monsters.”
“I didn’t know it was such a basic hole in the ground.”
“A basic… ha. In snow, this is the most efficient trap.”
“I’ll call for help.”
I stood up and cupped my hands, shouting upwards. I yelled until my throat hurt, but I wasn’t sure if the sound would carry since the hole was deep.
Still, I had to keep trying. The Duke’s injuries would only get worse as time passed.
“Is anyone there?! Someone’s fallen in! Knights!”
“Please.”
He grabbed my hand and sat up. Startled, I looked at him with wide eyes.
“I told you not to shout. It’s giving me a headache.”
“Oh…”
I closed my mouth and looked over his body. I had the ability to heal, but it only worked on animals.
“Just hang in there a little longer. I need to stop the bleeding first.”
I hesitated to treat him. I’d never healed a person before, and I wasn’t sure if it would even work.
My hand, which had been reaching out to him, quickly withdrew. Noticing my unease, he steadied his breathing and said:
“It’s not that bad. The knights will notice something’s wrong and come soon.”
“But you’re hurt so badly. It’s because of me… I should do something…!”
“Claire.”
He called my name softly. His calm and warm voice drew my attention. His unwavering blue eyes were looking straight at me.
“It’s not a big deal. So, calm down.”
I slowly nodded. He finally slumped against the wall, sitting down. The snow kept falling.
Feeling cold, I wrapped my arms around myself.
Cedric stayed quiet as if he didn’t have the energy to speak. I cautiously glanced at him and spoke up.
“Your Grace.”
“…”
“Your Grace?”
“…”
There was no response. I quickly turned my head to look at him. Cedric had his eyes closed and wasn’t speaking.
“Your Grace! Please wake up!”
I shook his shoulders frantically. But he didn’t move. I put my hand under his nose, and thankfully, he was still breathing.
I’d heard that cold could make you lose consciousness, but if this kept up, he could die.
“Please wake up!”
I gently slapped his cheek to wake him up. Even shouting didn’t stir him. Desperate, I lightly patted both his cheeks, shouting louder.
“No! You can’t sleep here! If you sleep, you’ll die!”
Slap.
“…Ah.”
He slowly opened his eyes. I was still holding his face in both hands, my mouth hanging open. I didn’t mean to hit him so hard, but in my panic, I must’ve used more force.
“What are you doing?”
“You seemed like you were falling asleep, so I tried to wake you.”
“Don’t you think this position could easily be misunderstood?”
“…Huh?”
Now that I thought about it, we were very close.
Trying to wake him, I’d ended up leaning in too close.
On top of that, I was holding his cheeks with both hands, which anyone could easily misinterpret.
“First, you wanted a divorce, and now you’re trying to steal a kiss?”
“How can you joke at a time like this?”
“I’m not dead. I was just a little drowsy.”
“That’s practically the same thing.”
Things were getting worse. I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to calm myself.
I had planned to wait for the knights to come, but now I was starting to panic.
“Actually, Your Grace, there’s something I need to tell you…”
Thud.
His head suddenly dropped onto my shoulder. Surprised, I turned to look at him. He was sweating profusely.
“You weren’t just sleepy; you were in pain.”
The Duke seemed to have lost consciousness. I had planned to tell him the truth and use my ability, but maybe it was better this way.
‘I don’t know if it will work, but…’
I reached out, placed my hand on his cheek, and activated my ability.
I hoped my power to heal animals would work on him too. After all, humans are technically animals, right?
‘Please, please…’
I prayed desperately. If something happened to him because of me, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I probably won’t be able to forget this day.
After a short while, his complexion started to improve. Exhausted from using my ability to its limit, I barely managed to catch my breath in relief.
“Thank goodness.”
“There they are! We found them! Over here!”
I heard the voices of the knights. When I looked up, I saw them lowering a rope to us. Finally, I could relax.
***
Cedric opened his eyes. It had been a long time since he’d slept so soundly.
When he turned his head, he saw Claire sleeping peacefully, breathing softly.
“I don’t feel any pain at all…”
Other than a slight headache, he felt surprisingly well. As he woke up, the butler hurried over, startled.
“Your Grace…!”
Cedric raised a finger to his lips, signaling the butler to be quiet.
“Yes, Your Grace…”
The butler’s voice immediately softened. Cedric got out of bed and gently lifted Claire, placing her on the bed and covering her with a blanket. Only then did he sit at the edge of the bed.
“Are you alright?” the butler whispered. Cedric, slightly irritated by the close proximity, gestured for him to step back. The butler reluctantly retreated with a worried expression.
“Yes, but what happened?”
“Don’t even ask. You lost consciousness, and the Grand Duchess and the knights struggled to carry you back.”
“…Struggled, you say?”
“Think about it. It was snowing heavily, and they had to transport a man over 190 cm to where the horses were.”
“Alright, you can go now. I need more rest. Don’t come in until I call for you.”
“Understood.”
The butler left the room, shoulders slumped. Cedric, finally taking a moment to himself, inspected his body.
His upper body was bare, revealing some scars. But the injuries from falling into the trap were gone. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d slept so deeply.
“…I feel completely refreshed.”
It was strange. His memories were hazy, but one thing stood out clearly—her face as she held his cheeks with both hands.
He couldn’t remember the details, but that one scene left a strong impression on him. What on earth had happened?
He tried to recall more, but nothing came to mind. Confused, he absentmindedly stroked his chin.
As he ran his hand through his hair, another memory suddenly flashed in his mind—her voice.
‘You can’t sleep here! If you sleep, you’ll die!’
“…”
Cedric gave up trying to remember. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
He must be remembering it wrong, right? There was no way she would say something so crude. Cedric felt confused by the strange memories. What on earth were these memories?
He glanced over at Claire again. She was still fast asleep, completely unaware of anything. Surely his memories were wrong.
Even though he had fallen into the trap because of her, it was the knights’ delay that caused him to lose consciousness.
As the pain had overwhelmed him and he was fading out, he vaguely remembered hearing her voice.
‘Thank goodness.’
Has anyone ever worried for him with such concern before?
His curiosity about her was growing. He had only married her because he had to, without caring who she was. But now, Cedric found himself wanting to know more about Claire.
They were married, so he intended to make the best of the relationship. But he had never thought about getting to know her better. It had been a necessary marriage, and he hadn’t cared about the person on the other side.
Cedric gently pushed her hair back and smiled softly.
“She’s really a mystery.”
When she’d asked for a divorce, and then later when she’d been so desperate to save him—it was hard to reconcile the two images. He recalled her anxious expression, not knowing what to do.
Covering his face with both hands, he sighed.
‘What am I even doing?’
Cedric pulled his hand away from her hair, his face filled with confusion.
Something was definitely off. Something was seriously wrong. Cedric rubbed his face, then glanced at Claire, who was still asleep.
Her wavy purple hair cascaded around her. She had a slight frown on her face, like she was having a bad dream.
“What kind of dream are you having?”
Mumbling in her sleep, she muttered something under her breath. Cedric leaned in to listen.
“Ugh… those nasty bastards.”
“…”
He decided to pretend he hadn’t heard that.
