People murmured and passed by, glancing at Aslan who was kneeling on the ground. The fact that he had placed Lyla’s foot on his knee drew even more attention.
Lyla, on the verge of tears, didn’t know what to do. Only Aslan remained unshaken.
“Aslan, I’m really fine. Please, just let my foot go.”
“Fine? Hardly.”
Aslan muttered coldly, his gaze fixed on Lyla’s bare foot on his knee.
“It needs to be treated immediately.”
“This is nothing. I can just put some ointment on it when we get home.”
“If you ignore it, what could have been treated with ointment now might require cutting away with a knife later.”
“……”
Seriously?
Lyla looked at him skeptically, but since he had taken off her shoe and seen her injured foot, his expression hadn’t softened even a bit as he continued.
“First, let’s find a nearby doctor and get it treated.”
Seeing that Aslan had no intention of backing down, Lyla couldn’t argue any further.
Moreover,
“What’s going on there? A man kneeling down like that, is he proposing or something?”
“Why did he put her foot on his knee? They don’t look like it, but is that guy her servant?”
Lyla couldn’t bear to keep listening to such remarks. She decided to give in to Aslan’s stubbornness to get out of the situation.
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Lyla tried to pull her foot away from Aslan’s grip. He didn’t let go.
“Aslan, I said it’s fine. Please let go. Give me my shoe.”
Aslan still didn’t release her foot or return her shoe. Holding her small foot on his knee, he said,
“If you put the shoe on like that, the wound will get worse.”
“I need to wear shoes to walk. If you want me to see a doctor, we need to leave first, right?”
“That’s true.”
“Yes, so please, just give me my shoe.”
In response, Aslan turned his back to her.
“Aslan!”
Lyla was startled, but she couldn’t stop him as he extended his hands backward.
“Get on my back. I’ll carry you to the carriage so your foot won’t touch the ground.”
“Aslan, I’m fine. I can walk.”
“Hurry up.”
Despite Lyla’s pleading, Aslan remained unmoved. He showed no intention of standing up until she climbed on his back.
“Aslan…”
Sighing as she called his name, Lyla hesitated before awkwardly bending down.
As she carefully leaned against Aslan’s broad back, he effortlessly lifted her.
“Ah!”
Lyla, who had been awkwardly resting her hands near Aslan’s shoulders, clung tightly to his neck out of fear of falling.
She was now completely pressed against Aslan. Her arms around his neck, her chest against his back, and his hands holding her legs—each point of contact felt like a wildfire.
This isn’t right.
Lyla bit her lip. However, the more she felt Aslan’s solid support, the softer her supposedly calloused heart became.
Aslan carried her to the carriage in silence.
Skillfully, Aslan hailed a carriage near the square. He seated Lyla first before conversing with the driver.
Lyla watched him absently, then looked down when the carriage door opened.
In the dark, she could make out the outline of her foot.
Having been carried by Aslan, her foot wasn’t in any more pain, but the wounds continued to throb.
For all the blisters and wounds she has had before, her feet should have developed some callouses and hurt less by now. Yet, even a small change in environment caused her tender skin to be easily wounded again.
It wasn’t just her feet.
She thought she had grown a tough skin over her heart after it had been chipped away by various hurts and disappointments. But any shift in her surroundings and her heart softened as if it had never been hurt.
She believed she had become stronger after parting from Aslan, but now that he was here, she felt weak again.
Lyla, feeling Aslan’s presence from across the carriage, swallowed a sigh and looked up.
The scenery outside was strange.
If they were heading to Ellwood, the view should have been shrouded in darkness with only natural landscapes visible, if anything at all.
But outside the window, well-lit, well-paved streets with regularly placed streetlights could be seen. The surrounding cityscape illuminated by the streetlights was clearly not Ellwood.
Startled, Lyla turned her head.
“Aslan, I think we’re going the wrong way.”
“We’re going the right way.”
Aslan’s calm response made Lyla realize something was off. She squinted her eyes and asked, “Where are we going right now?”
“Obviously, to get treatment.”
“For my foot?”
“Yes.”
“We could just go home…”
Where on earth could they be going at this hour?
“That’s not an option,” Aslan said firmly. “That house won’t provide adequate emergency care. You need more professional treatment.”
Lyla was speechless at Aslan’s resolute demeanor.
…Is all this really necessary for a few blisters on her foot?
But before Lyla could argue further, the carriage came to a stop.
“We’ve arrived!”
Hearing the coachman’s call, Aslan got out of the carriage first.
Then he lifted Lyla, who was about to get up awkwardly.
“Put me down!”
Startled, Lyla struggled. Aslan, with a slight frown, warned her, “Stay still. We might both fall if you keep that up.”
Not wanting to cause Aslan any harm, Lyla instantly calmed down.
Thanks to that, Aslan easily carried Lyla into the building where the carriage had stopped.
Lyla, already impressed by the grand entrance, was completely speechless upon seeing the luxurious lobby.
The building they entered was a hotel. It had a high ceiling adorned with crystal chandeliers, large fine art pieces on the sleek walls, and appeared to be of the highest quality, although Lyla couldn’t determine its exact star rating.
Before a hotel staff member, who had been waiting nearby, could approach them, Aslan walked further inside. Despite the complex interior layout, Aslan navigated without hesitation. He briskly walked to the elevator and immediately pressed the button for the top floor.
The entire process flowed seamlessly. Aslan moved with a familiarity that made Lyla look up at him in curiosity, wondering if he had been here before.
They reached the top floor quickly. While the other floors had multiple rooms, this floor had only one.
Aslan knocked firmly on the wide door.
Knock, knock!
When no sound came from inside, Aslan knocked again.
Knock, knock!
This time, someone inside seemed to hear it. Soon, there was a faint sound, and then the door opened with a clunk.
“Who could it possibly be at this hour—”
A young man with a timid appearance poked his head out. His annoyed questioning ceased when he saw Aslan’s face.
“…Master?”
Aslan addressed the now very cautious young man.
“Are you Gus Chester?”
“Pardon?”
“The documents given to me by Oscar Langston before he left stated that my deputy, Gus Chester, would be staying here and that I should come here if I needed anything.”
“Oh…”
Gus’s eyes rolled around nervously, trying to grasp the situation that made no sense to him.
‘I heard he lost his memories…’
He looked at Aslan’s calm face and then at Lyla’s confused expression in his arms, and quickly came to a conclusion.
‘Let’s just play along with the master’s lead.’
Once he made up his mind, his demeanor changed instantly.
“Yes, that’s correct. I am Gus Chester. Welcome.”
Gus swung the door wide open.
Aslan followed him inside without hesitation.
“Was it difficult to find your way here? The written directions alone might have caused some trouble. I should have introduced myself first, I apologize for that.”
“It’s fine. What’s more important is if you can call a doctor immediately?”
“A doctor? Yes, of course. But who is injured?”
“Not me, my wife. She hurt her foot and needs treatment urgently.”
Gus and Aslan exchanged words effortlessly.
While it made sense for Gus to be accustomed to dealing with Aslan after serving him for a long time, it was surprising how comfortable Aslan, who had lost his memory, was with Gus, whom he only knew from documents.
Moreover, Aslan had no qualms about giving orders to Gus. It was remarkable.
Lyla’s face was filled with curiosity, but with her face buried in Aslan’s chest, no one could see her puzzled expression.
