Chapter 6
After about thirty minutes of riding, Rubiana and Elion arrived at the Grand Duke’s mansion.
Having been caught directly in a brief shower along the way, the two of them looked like drowned rats.
“You’ve arrived, Your Highness. Oh dear… you’re completely soaked.”
The butler, Scott, glanced curiously at the sight of Elion riding with a woman.
Elion dismounted first and extended his hand toward Rubiana.
After a brief hesitation, Rubiana took his hand and dismounted.
Thanks to him holding her securely by the waist, she was able to come down from the tall horse without much difficulty.
But the problem came the moment her foot touched the ground.
“Ugh!”
It was the ankle she had twisted earlier when she fell from the horse during the monster’s attack.
The sharp pain was so intense it made her hair stand on end.
Earlier, she must not have noticed it because she’d been preoccupied with the pressure of talking to Elion and trying to persuade him.
‘Ugh… it hurts…!’
Each step sent waves of searing pain through her ankle, making it impossible to walk.
As she stood there awkwardly, Elion extended his hand again.
“You look like you need help.”
“…Thank you.”
Rubiana couldn’t bring herself to refuse the hand he offered.
The next moment, she was effortlessly lifted and found herself in Elion’s arms.
“Ah!”
She hadn’t expected the “help” he mentioned to mean being carried princess-style.
“Put your arms around my shoulders—it’ll be more comfortable.”
“…Okay.”
Her face flushed hot as she realized she was in his arms.
She was far too embarrassed to even notice the warm magic radiating from his body.
Although their position was similar to when they’d been riding together earlier, now she was entrusting her full weight to him, which made her feel even more self-conscious.
The sight of them holding each other made not only Scott but also the maids—who had hurried over with towels—open their eyes wide in surprise.
The only person unaffected by the situation was Elion himself.
He looked calmly at Scott.
Snapping back to his senses, Scott quickly spoke.
“I’ll bring the physician to the second-floor guest room. Once you’ve received treatment, we’ll prepare a bath so you can wash off the rain.”
“Ah, no, a bath isn’t really…”
Flustered by the word “bath,” Rubiana cut him off.
In her mind, it was extremely awkward to bathe first thing upon arriving at someone else’s home.
She thought to herself: I’m here to beg for my life from the villainous Grand Duke… and the first thing I do is take a bath?
‘No way, that’s far too improper for a noble lady! But…’
It was also a problem to remain in her wet clothes.
The damp fabric clung to her body, and continuing such an important, life-or-death conversation while smelling faintly of mildew wasn’t ideal.
She had no choice.
“No, you’re right. I should wash. Thank you.”
“Understood.”
Leaving the bowing butler behind, Elion strode into the building, carrying Rubiana in his arms with long, confident steps.
When he began climbing the stairs, Rubiana swallowed and shifted slightly in his hold.
Elion stopped, glanced down at her, and asked,
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“No… it’s just… I thought I might be heavy.”
“Moving around like that only makes you heavier.”
“Ah, sorry…”
“And you’re not heavy at all. So stop worrying needlessly.”
“…Alright.”
Speaking with his usual indifferent expression, Elion resumed climbing the stairs.
Rubiana, breathing shallowly, looked up at him.
Raindrops slid from his wet hair along the sharp line of his jaw and fell away.
Thick brows, a straight nose, defined eyes, and red lips—
His finely sculpted features, perfectly arranged on a small face, held her gaze captive.
As expected of a main character type… he’s really handsome. I bet he’s made plenty of women cry.
The natural ease with which he carried her made it clear this wasn’t the first time.
She recalled the details from the original story.
What was his romantic history again?
Then she remembered—there wasn’t much to think about.
Oh, right. He wasn’t interested in romance at all.
According to the setting, he had no interest in dating, marriage, or starting a family.
Considering that he hadn’t received his parents’ love and had hardly even seen their faces in childhood, it was understandable.
For nobles, there were generally two types:
Those who flaunted their youth and beauty, indulging in romance freely, or those who married a suitable partner quickly to secure an heir for the family.
Elion was neither.
Battle, monster subjugation, more battle, more monster subjugation… all he did was swing a sword endlessly. How is that face only being used for fighting?! What a waste!
She was in the middle of these trivial thoughts when she suddenly realized Elion was looking down at her.
Their eyes locked, and her heart rate spiked.
When flustered, she tended to blurt out nonsense—something she really needed to avoid.
“It’s just… you seem very used to holding people like this.”
Ah… that wasn’t what she’d meant to say! In fact, she hadn’t meant to say anything!
It was too late.
Looking ahead again, Elion replied blandly,
“I’m used to it. I’ve carried many injured people from battlefields… and corpses too.”
“O-oh, I see.”
…Corpses?
So it’s not really a princess carry… it’s just battlefield casualty transport.
While she was lost in such unhelpful thoughts, they arrived at the second-floor guest room.
Elion set her down on the sofa and stepped out, just as a woman who seemed to be the resident physician entered.
“Good day. I’m Hailey Escan, the physician here at the mansion.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rubiana Payson.”
“I heard you injured your ankle. May I take a look?”
“Yes, please.”
Hailey, her long black hair tied back in a ponytail, adjusted her round glasses and examined Rubiana’s ankle.
“Oh dear, it’s badly sprained. That must hurt a lot.”
“…Yes.”
With the practiced hands of a skilled mansion physician, Hailey began treatment.
She didn’t forget to give short explanations to put her tense patient at ease.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but all the medicines used here are top-quality.”
“…I see.”
“This ointment contains ground healing stone from the Temple. It will reduce swelling, heal the wound quickly, and also works excellently as a pain reliever.”
“….”
“And this bandage is woven with thread mixed with cooling stone powder from the Magic Tower. It will keep the heat from the injury under control.”
“Oh my, you’re right—it feels cool.”
The bandage hugged her ankle with a soothing chill.
Indeed, the medical practices of a world with spirits and magic were impressive enough to make Rubiana’s jaw drop.
Seeing her reaction, Hailey smiled smugly and shrugged.
“It’s completely waterproof, so you can bathe with the bandage on without any problem.”
“Wow… amazing! Thank you, Doctor.”
“Please, just call me Hailey.”
“Alright, Hailey.”
“Then please wait a moment until a maid arrives to assist you with your bath.”
“…Okay.”
Gathering her large medical bag, Hailey left the room.
Moments later, the head maid entered—a middle-aged woman with neatly combed short brown hair.
“Good day. I’m Jocelyn Summerville, the head maid. Welcome. I’ll guide you to the bath you’ll be using.”
“Thank you.”
Having come here to beg for her life, Rubiana was dazed by the lavish treatment she was receiving.
After finishing Rubiana’s treatment, Hailey went straight to Elion’s bedroom.
Fresh from the shower, Elion greeted her.
“I heard you were looking for me, Your Highness.”
“I called you because I’d like you to examine me.”
“What kind of examination, Your Highness?”
“The one you do every morning.”
“…Pardon?”
Hailey tilted her head in confusion.
The morning examination had already been done earlier that day.
Then why is he asking for it again?
