~Chapter 32~
“C-cool? You think I’m cool?”
Eugenia tried to act tough.
“Ha! You think I’ll be happy if you say that?”
She thought Camilla might be just trying to make her feel good. But without realizing it, Eugenia lowered her sword.
Camilla’s eyes stopped on Eugenia’s hand holding the sword.
“What? What is it?”
“…You’re hurt.”
Camilla reached to grab Eugenia’s hand.
“Hey!”
‘That’s dangerous!’
Eugenia quickly pulled back and set her sword down, then barked at Camilla.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“See, you’re hurt. Your hand is all blistered.”
Eugenia’s palm was covered in popped blisters and fresh new ones from swinging her sword so hard.
“Is that why you always wear white gloves?”
Eugenia flinched. Camilla sighed and pulled out a small bottle from her basket.
“Here. Use this ointment, or your hand might get worse.”
“Why should I trust you? And knights learn by hurting their hands!”
She had just repeated what she’d overheard knights say before.
“No, a knight should take care of their body. Otherwise, how will you fight when it matters?”
Eugenia couldn’t argue with that.
Camilla opened the bottle and put a little ointment on her own hand.
“Look, I’ll put it on myself first. See? If it was dangerous, I wouldn’t use it.”
Then Camilla gently spread a lot of the ointment onto Eugenia’s wounded palm.
“Ow!”
“Of course it hurts—it’s medicine.”
“…Isn’t it strange?”
“Huh?”
“A grown-up lady swinging a sword. Isn’t it weird?”
“I told you, I think it’s cool.”
Eugenia’s face turned red for a different reason now. She couldn’t believe someone who she always scolded would just compliment her like that.
“Here, you can keep the ointment.”
Camilla put the bottle firmly in Eugenia’s hand.
Eugenia gripped the bottle and shook her head.
‘She’s so strange.’
She had always thought Camilla looked sharp and unfriendly, but in the moonlight, she looked gentle and soft.
Eugenia suddenly slapped Camilla’s hand away and shouted with a red face,
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m still going to watch you—always!”
With that, she grabbed her wooden sword and ran away.
Camilla watched her go and smiled to herself.
‘She really is different from the original story.’
In the original, Eugenia decided to make Nina her “sworn sister” because Nina called her cool for using a sword.
But this was a totally different reaction, and Camilla just shrugged.
‘Well, it’s not like I wanted that anyway. At least she took the ointment.’
What Camilla wanted was for Eugenia to take care of her hands.
‘Eugenia has real talent for swordsmanship.’
Right now, she only practiced in secret, but later she would be recognized as a genius and become the head knight of the ducal family.
But in the original, she hurt her hand badly from practicing alone without proper training. That delayed her career as knight captain and her injury never fully healed.
‘That’s why she couldn’t help Dane later when he was in danger.’
So Camilla had to step in now, no matter what Eugenia thought of her.
‘I don’t care how she treats me. If she keeps taking care of her hands, she’ll learn to take care of herself too.’
But the next day, Camilla wondered if she’d misunderstood something.
“You only have those clothes?”
“Huh?”
“It’s almost Dane’s birthday party. You’re going to go as his friend in clothes like that?”
This sounded like another of Eugenia’s usual complaints. But just as Dane looked ready to protest, Eugenia snapped,
“How about going to a dress shop? My dress is done, so… we can look at yours too. That’ll be better than your sloppy style, right?”
Dane stopped. Camilla wondered if she’d heard right.
‘Isn’t she inviting me to the dress shop?’
“…I’m not saying this because I want to go with you or because you gave me medicine. I just can’t stand your outfit.”
Dane started to laugh, shaking his shoulders.
“Ha! Hahaha!”
“What? Dane, why are you laughing?!”
‘Yeah, what’s so funny?’
Camilla was confused, but Dane changed the topic.
“Tomorrow, a tailor is coming to the house to fit Camilla for a new dress.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard about it.”
“…It was supposed to be a surprise.”
“That’s too much. I already got some guest dresses as gifts.”
She’d brought little from Baron Mowin’s house, so the ducal family had already given her guest dresses. But a party dress for the duke’s birthday had to be fancier.
“Dane, you really don’t get girls, do you?”
“What do you mean?”
“These days, everyone goes to the shop, checks the fabric, and tries on styles before choosing.”
‘Really?’
Camilla didn’t know anything about society’s trends, so she just listened.
“Just have them bring samples.”
Dane sounded bored, but Eugenia stomped her feet.
“No way! The trend is to go to Madame Solik’s shop, then have pretty desserts and cold tea at the café after!”
Then she hesitated and mumbled to Camilla,
“N-not that I want to have tea and dessert with you. But if you want, I guess I could make the sacrifice.”
“Okay.”
‘So she really does want to go to the café with me?’
Now Camilla understood and hid a smile.
‘Strange. I thought she really hated me.’
But Dane stepped between them and shook his head.
“Trendy or not, do it yourself.”
He grabbed Camilla’s hand and turned away, leading her off as Eugenia shouted angrily behind them, but he didn’t look back.
Camilla was a little flustered, but as Dane’s hand gripped hers, she looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Dane.”
“What? Don’t tell me you wanted to have tea with Eugenia?”
“No, but… Can I check your pulse right now?”
Dane stopped at her unexpected words.
He turned and saw Camilla looking at his chest with bright eyes.
She could feel his heartbeat through his hand—it seemed faster than usual.
“It feels faster than usual! Maybe your heart rate is finally back to normal.”
As a healer, Camilla was excited. Dane frowned just a little.
“Aren’t you curious about dress colors, or what style the tailor is good at?”
“All I care about right now is your heart rate.”
Dane let out a small laugh at her serious tone, then gently placed her hand on his chest.
“I can’t really tell. What do you think?”
Thump.
Thump.
Camilla felt his fast heartbeat under her hand and broke into a wide smile.
Then she grabbed Dane’s wrist and started pulling him somewhere.
“Camilla?!”
“Come with me, Dane!”
Bang!
“Your Grace!”
Without even knocking, Camilla and Dane burst into the Grand Duchess’s office, making her frown.
“No knocking? What on earth—”
“Dane’s heart rate is stable!”
The Grand Duchess’s eyes widened. Camilla’s eyes sparkled.
“Ain, stethoscope!”
“Yes, Teacher!”
Soon doctors and Camilla gathered around Dane and began discussing.
“It seems much more stable than usual. How was it last night?”
“The pain was a little less, but the attacks didn’t stop.”
“With results like this, the clinical trials might finally be working!”
Dane watched everyone surround him. He was used to this, but he didn’t really like it. He spoke dryly.
“…Just check again tomorrow morning.”
“Dane, this isn’t the time to be so calm!”
“You should be happier, being the patient!”
Camilla and the Grand Duchess shouted at the same time. Dane hesitated.
‘…Why do they both seem so similar now?’
He was definitely the Grand Duchess’s son, and Camilla was supposed to be just his friend, but things were getting strange.
