Chapter 41 – A Rather Unromantic Day (3)
Geoffrey had treated countless soldiers injured on the battlefield. Usually, a physician would assist, but the Caspian Emperor never extended that courtesy to him. The reasoning was simple: those who survived were blessed by Diana, and those who died… were not.
“I will bless the soldiers who return alive with my name.”
Having fought wars without a physician, Geoffrey had naturally learned not only swordsmanship but also medicine. He brought the spout of the kettle to his lips, taking in a mouthful of water. Then, sitting on the edge of the bed, he braced one hand against the wall and lowered his head. Mio, breathing heavily, was pressing her lips together.
“She’s just a patient.”
Without a flicker of emotion, Geoffrey pressed his lips to hers. As water passed between them, her cheeks puffed slightly. Repeating this a few times, Mio’s struggling began to subside.
“Hhh… hh… that’s good.”
Satisfied murmurs escaped her lips. Thinking it was time to stop, he tried to pull away—but suddenly, his body froze.
“…!”
Mio’s soft lips gently touched his. The unfamiliar sensation struck him like a lightning bolt, making his head spin. Finding Geoffrey’s cool body appealing, Mio kept trying to nestle closer into his embrace.
“Don’t do that.”
Geoffrey whispered quietly, but her soft lips lightly bit his. Startled, he quickly tried to pull back, but Mio grabbed his neck. Her breath scattered against his ear. He could have easily shaken her off, but he didn’t—she was, after all, a patient.
“Let go.”
When he whispered this lowly, Mio again tried to crawl into his arms, just like that night before. Driven by instinct alone, she was dangerous. Geoffrey, sweating from the strain, barely freed himself from her grasp, only for Mio’s lips to brush against his cheek.
“…hh.”
His face flushed instantly. Covering it with his hand, he ran straight out of the room.
Recalling the events of the previous night, Geoffrey’s expression was distinctly uncomfortable.
“It’s best not to entertain unnecessary thoughts.”
Shaking off his distractions, he resumed polishing his sword. Though it already gleamed, Geoffrey’s hands continued their tireless movements.
Night had already fallen over the forest above the little house.
“When will we be able to go back?”
Mio asked as she watched Geoffrey clean up after the dinner he had prepared. Though they had only been together for a single day, it felt longer than ten years.
‘And now I have to spend another night here with him…’
She had slept in the same bed before, yet her nerves were still on edge. Of course, the idea of returning home didn’t even make sense.
‘Still, anywhere would be better than here.’
In response to her question, Geoffrey, who was clearing ashes from the stove, straightened. He opened the door to discard the ashes and washed his hands thoroughly in a bucket of water—but did not look back at her.
Thanks to Geoffrey’s constant work, the small house was spotless. Returning inside, he began wiping down the shelf above the stove.
“Does he even have obsessive-compulsive tendencies? And why won’t he answer?”
Mio craned her neck, waiting for a response. After some time, Geoffrey, drying his hands with a handkerchief, turned. Tilting his head slightly, he appraised her. Seeing her bedraggled, rain-soaked appearance, he sighed.
“…I suppose.”
“Um… I feel much better than yesterday.”
That was true. Her thirst and hunger had been relieved, and after lying down all day, her body felt lighter. Her wounds weren’t healed, but enduring a little pain seemed preferable to another uncomfortable night.
‘We’re not exactly alone here to have a cozy time, are we?’
She glared at Geoffrey, who responded indifferently.
“Then get down and walk.”
Rolling down his sleeves, he turned his back to her. Though expressionless, his smirk seemed evident.
‘Let’s see how far that arrogance goes.’
Despite shouting that to herself, Geoffrey remained elegant even in the old, shabby house. Meanwhile, exhausted Mio looked utterly miserable. The contrast between them only worsened her mood.
‘He’s completely devoid of human warmth. Totally.’
Annoyed, Mio bit the tender inside of her lip.
‘I’ll show him I can do it.’
Trying to move her toes, pain surged through her body. But compared to the agony of fire or being pierced by a long spear, this was nothing. As she lowered her feet from the bed, a groan escaped her lips.
“Ugh…”
Yet sheer willpower wasn’t enough.
Thud.
Mio fell to the floor, closing her eyes tightly. She hated to face Geoffrey’s likely mocking expression. If she could, she would crawl back into the bed and hide under the blankets, but that wasn’t possible.
“….”
At the sound of his approaching footsteps, her shoulders twitched. Geoffrey came to a standstill before her without a word.
‘What a humiliation.’
She braced for scathing criticism, staring at the floor. Then Geoffrey knelt, leaning forward to meet her gaze.
“You don’t need to do that. It’s just the two of us here.”
“…?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Startled, Mio stared at his face. Geoffrey extended his arms and lifted her effortlessly. The strong arms that had been secretly observed earlier touched her body, sending heat rushing through her. She tried pushing him gently, but he didn’t flinch.
“What I mean is, there’s no need to grab my attention like that.”
“…Ah.”
Mio’s face turned scarlet. She had no words to respond. Apparently, he thought she had deliberately fallen from the bed to get his attention.
‘I’m your devoted fan!’
Her words came back to her like a boomerang.
‘No wonder Geoffrey thinks that way.’
Gently laying her back on the bed, Geoffrey watched as she turned her face toward the wall, groaning. She wished she could disappear into a mouse hole.
“When you’re ready to ride, we’ll go back. Until then, stay put.”
“…Mm.”
Mio gave an ambiguous reply to Geoffrey’s unusually gentle tone.
‘Why is he suddenly acting so kind?’
“There’s a hunting tournament soon, which you were eager to attend.”
At his words, her eyes widened.
‘Right… I’d forgotten.’
Between the daring Lavinia incident and everything else, she had completely forgotten about the tournament. There, she might encounter not Geoffrey, but a man with a sweet, beautiful smile.
‘…my little fox.’
Perhaps there awaited someone who would call her that. Without such hope, enduring all that had happened would have been unbearable.
Crackling.
Geoffrey returned to the fireplace, adding logs to the fire. The warmth and sound of burning wood calmed her. The small house filled with gentle heat, and fatigue began to creep in.
“You’d be better off not liking me.”
Breaking the silence, he spoke.
Surprised, Mio turned slightly. Geoffrey, seated by the fire, looked lonely. Large hands resting on his long legs bore long scars. Hesitating, Mio cleared her throat and spoke.
“Why? Because you wouldn’t accept my feelings?”
Geoffrey was a man who didn’t know love. His blood was icy cold, incapable of containing anyone’s affection. All that mattered to him was being emperor, ruling the empire.
“…I suppose.”
He tossed a log into the fire, his expression faintly tinged with loneliness.
“Then why?”
Perhaps it was better not to press further. But Mio had never had such a conversation with him before. She wanted to know why Geoffrey could love no one.
“I am not a good person.”
“….”
Her expectations were completely off. Reflecting on his words, Mio felt that his warning not to hold him in her heart somehow came across as gentle. Gentleness didn’t suit him at all.
“Being the Duke of Caspian is just a title. I am nothing.”
Perhaps she shouldn’t have said it. But staring into the fire, the words escaped naturally. Seeing Mio, who sought his heart even at the risk of injury, irritated him in a subtle way.
‘It’s not pity… but…’
Some things were better left undone. Wasting energy on a hopeless cause drains a person’s blood. Geoffrey knew this well. Wishing for the happy days when his mother was alive was futile.
He was alive, and he had to endure the days that remained.
There were tasks that had to be done.
“But…”
Mio hesitated before speaking, wanting to convey the fox’s heart, even once. Geoffrey had never known the sincere feelings of some poor, unknown fox.
“I don’t like you because you’re a duke.”
In the storybook, the fox had met Geoffrey in the forest by chance. With injuries to her leg, she could not resist, nor escape.
‘She’s about to die.’
In the Caspian Empire, foxes were precious prey, and hunters never spared them. Moreover, being a fox demi-human, being discovered would result in something far worse than death.
Geoffrey watched her, murmuring lowly.
‘A silver fox…’
The large fox’s fur shimmered like silver waves in the light. Their eyes met. Geoffrey, holding the bowstring, let his hand fall.
‘This forest is dangerous. Leave.’
Geoffrey spared her life, and that act of kindness planted warmth in the lonely fox’s heart. It was the beginning of a sad love.
