~Chapter 93~
A little later.
I was washing up, wiping away all the sweat I had shed.
Eric had suddenly shown up at the Duke’s mansion.
It turned out he had come to meet my parents.
After running into him, I lost the flow of my exercise—and honestly, I couldn’t focus anymore because he was on my mind.
So while he was meeting with my parents, I quickly washed myself.
And all the while, I kept wondering:
‘Why did Eric Hedderson come to our estate?’
Except for the time we crossed paths at the imperial palace, he hadn’t shown himself once since our travels together.
The timing felt far too suspicious.
‘Could it be…?’
When I came out after washing off all the sweat, I saw him just then, stepping out of the office.
I lifted my skirt slightly and hurried toward him.
“Eric! Have you been well? What brings you all the way here?”
“Ah, My Lady. I was just about to have a word with you before leaving.”
Eric stopped in front of me with a bright grin.
His tall, broad figure—so different from the other male leads—hadn’t been this close in a long while.
…Honestly, I had half-expected it.
There was really only one possible reason he would visit my parents.
Back at the palace, I had overheard him and Albert talking about whether or not to save me.
And as I guessed, the reason spilled straight out of Eric’s mouth.
“I’ve decided to join the ‘Save Irene Project.’”
“…Eh? Eric, you too? You mean you’re joining the project as well?”
“Yes.”
Eric nodded proudly.
But the news was so sudden, far too sudden, that I stood there with my mouth hanging open.
‘Wait a minute…’
Was that really the official name—Save Irene Project?
I stared at him with wide eyes, and Eric went on.
“Actually, Albert has been persuading me for quite some time. He said he wants to save you no matter what, and since we both heard our time limits together, he asked me to join him.”
“Ahh… I see.”
So my guess back at the palace had been right after all.
“Anyway, once I decided to join, Albert encouraged me. He said I should visit your mansion, speak with your family and personal doctor about your condition, and see if, as a Holy Knight, I could be of help.”
“Ahh… so that’s why.”
“Yes. And of course, I also wanted to greet you while I was here.”
I laughed softly. So that was how it all happened…
Of course, it was an honor that my favorite male lead would take part in my treatment.
But still—
‘Seriously? All four male leads are throwing themselves into my treatment now?’
It definitely felt like things had gotten a little out of hand.
Wondering if this was really okay, I gave him a small nod.
“Thank you for wanting to help with my treatment. But… is there really anything you can do? We’re mostly following Fabian, the Tower Master’s, directions.”
“Yes, you’re right. I just spoke with your parents about your symptoms, but honestly, there isn’t anything I can do right away.”
The next moment, Eric smiled mischievously.
“But… I did notice one thing I might be able to help with.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“I heard you’ve been exercising lately. You seemed to be in the middle of it just earlier.”
“…Ah?”
I tilted my head, puzzled. Eric folded his arms and continued.
“Well… given my profession, I’ve been training physically for a long time.”
“Ahh…?”
Without thinking, my eyes dropped toward his chest—toward that well-built, powerful chest of his that seemed to twitch slightly with strength.
Eric grinned.
“So, what do you say? Would you like to build some muscles alongside me?”
There are countless romance-fantasy novels in the world, and countless people who get possessed into them.
But among them—how many have ever received personal training from a male lead?
Or rather… has there ever been anyone like that?
“Right here. That’s me…!”
“Uuugh!”
In one corner of the Duke’s garden—
I was lifting a dumbbell with all my might.
Where on earth did Eric even find these modern-style dumbbells? It felt exactly like the training I had experienced in my past life. Even the feeling of dying from exhaustion.
According to Eric, these were the very dumbbells used by Holy Knights to build muscle.
He said they were so light that hardly anyone in the temple even bothered with them…!
‘Then why does this feel so hard?! Aagh!’
As I put the dumbbell down, my muscles screaming as if about to burst, Eric spoke to me.
“My Lady, I told you before—don’t keep shouting when you exercise. It breaks your breathing rhythm. Not good.”
“Ah, I know. But I can’t help it, the cries just come out on their own when it’s this hard…”
“You’ve only just started, so of course it’s difficult. Still, let’s push through a little more.”
After encouraging me, Eric let me catch my breath, then continued.
“Alright, now the last set.”
“No way…”
I gave up completely and flopped flat on the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“Eric, can’t I rest a little first? It’s… it’s just too hard…”
At first, being taught exercise by my favorite male lead had been kind of exciting.
And every time he demonstrated a move, watching those flexing muscles of his was… let’s just say enjoyable(?).
But now—
‘Honestly, fainting from mana practice is better than this…!’
If he weren’t my favorite male lead, I definitely would’ve run away by now.
I was only enduring this much because I wanted to look good in his eyes.
Eric seemed to find me, struggling like I was dying from such a low-level workout, rather cute.
With a small laugh, he sat down next to me, his knees bent.
“Still, isn’t it nice? Once you get used to it, living without exercise will feel even worse.”
“…Yes, that’s true…”
It was hard, but because of the workouts, my stamina really was improving quickly.
And though exhausting, I did feel refreshed once the training ended.
‘Still… hard things are still hard.’
“Eric, do you want to lie down too? Come on, right beside me. The sky’s so clear.”
“…Shall I?”
I had only said it to sneak a little break, but Eric surprisingly lay down right next to me.
Side by side with him, I looked up at the blue sky spread over the Duke’s garden.
The sky was fresh and pure. So clear and clean, not a trace of rain, just a few fluffy clouds floating lazily.
A soft breeze blew, cooling the sweat on my skin, making my whole body feel lighter.
“…When we were children, Albert and I used to do this a lot.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yes. Every day, we’d lie side by side in the forest and stare at the sky.”
I glanced at him. He looked lost in thought, eyes fixed on the sky.
“After his mother passed away, Albert had to live apart from his younger sibling in the Kingdom of Harmen. It was very hard for him. So I often took him into the forest. Nature has a way of calming the heart.”
“…I see.”
“You know how he dislikes hunting tournaments? That’s because of all that time we spent in the forest.”
“Yes, it’s true. Albert is famous for never hunting animals at tournaments. So that was because of his childhood…”
As a reader, I already knew this, but I nodded anyway.
“Maybe when Albert becomes emperor, the first thing he’ll do is abolish the hunting tournaments.”
“Haha, maybe so.”
At my joking tone, Eric chuckled softly.
I quietly studied his side profile.
Oh… he had his bangs down today.
During our train trip, he had always styled his hair up neatly with pomade.
But now, with his tall, handsome looks, his lowered bangs suited him well too…
Then suddenly, a thought came to me, and I asked:
“Eric, I’m curious about something.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Why did you suddenly decide to join the project?”
