TVSWHBP 12

Chapter 12

I was definitely just doing my best to exercise…

“Ahh!”

Not only Henson, but the servants who were watching also rushed over in shock.

“Your Grace!”

“Are you all right, Your Grace?”

The band that slipped from my hand struck Chiron squarely on the cheek.

No matter how much I tried to deny it, that was the truth. The fact that his left cheek was gradually turning red proved it.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind—so even someone as steel-like as him has blood flowing beneath his skin. No, wait. If someone like him turned out like that, just how hard had I hit him?

Realizing the weight of what I had just done, I covered my mouth and slowly stepped backward.

“Eket.”

My name came from his lips.

Was his voice more ferocious than usual because I was startled? My heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t even respond.

Chiron fixed his sharp, blade-like gaze on me for a few seconds before speaking.

“You really… truly have no arm strength at all.”

He brushed his reddened left cheek and let out a deep sigh.

“It’s worse than I expected.”

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this…”

But his hardened expression didn’t soften with a mere apology.

“How can you be this weak?”

He looked at my arms with a dark expression, as if he were annoyed.

Was my arm strength really the important issue here? What mattered was his reddened cheek.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”

I cautiously approached him, tense.

“Let me take a look. If it’s serious, we should treat it right away…”

What if the skin had been scraped?

I moved closer and examined his cheek. Fortunately, it seemed to be just red—no visible injury.

As I was inspecting it, I realized Chiron’s sharp eyes were watching me. And quite closely at that.

Startled, I instinctively almost leapt back like I was avoiding a predator. But at that moment… Chiron caught me by the waist.

“You were about to fall.”

It sounded like a rebuke—asking if I still hadn’t come to my senses after hitting him.

“Th-thank you… and sorry.”

“For what?”

“For the cheek… and for almost falling and making you catch me…”

I mumbled, avoiding his gaze. I wanted to apologize quickly and get out of this uncomfortable distance, but Chiron still hadn’t let go of me.

“You said we should give first aid if it’s seriously hurt. Aren’t you going to do it?”

He leaned his left cheek toward me. I quickly pulled my head back.

“Uh, it doesn’t seem bad enough to need first aid.”

“Is that so? It still hurts.”

He didn’t look particularly in pain. Rather, it felt like he was watching me and finding the situation amusing.

“Then should I call a doctor quickly?”

I looked at the servants, about to order them to fetch a doctor, but at that moment Chiron released me.

“No, a doctor isn’t necessary.”

He suddenly stood with a serious expression. Feeling an inexplicable sense of threat, I quietly stepped back.

“Forget the doctor. Henson, I’d like to hold you accountable.”

Chiron’s eyes turned to Henson. Startled, Henson widened his eyes and hurried over to him, looking extremely disciplined.

“Speak, Your Grace!”

“Did you assign the exercise without considering Eket’s level of physical strength?”

Henson lowered his head deeply. Suddenly, he looked like an innocent lamb.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace!”

It wasn’t Henson’s fault—it was my lack of arm strength. Still, the poor man’s face was turning pale.

“You can’t even handle your own field properly?”

“I-I will be more careful in the future!”

At this rate, Henson might get fired in a day.

“Reassess and analyze Eket’s current physical condition properly, then report back. Include detailed recommendations on what kind of exercise would be safe.”

“Yes! I will keep that in mind!”

Chiron gave Henson another doubtful once-over before shifting his gaze back to me. I had been watching the situation tensely with a similar expression to Henson, so I flinched when Chiron suddenly looked at me.

“You should take a rest.”

“Y-Yes! You must be in pain, so you should rest!”

“No, not me—you.”

“Me…?”

“You’d better take this opportunity to rest. It seems even this light exercise was too much for you.”

“What about your cheek…?”

I pointed at his left cheek with a trembling hand. The redness still hadn’t faded.

“Oh, this? It does hurt a bit… What, do you want to be punished?”

He touched his cheek and gave a faint smile. It was the first time I’d seen him smile, but given the situation, it felt eerie.

“Punished? Seriously?”

“You did say you were sorry.”

“….”

I was afraid of what kind of punishment he might impose.

“Judging by your silence, I assume you don’t like the idea.”

The hint of a smile that had briefly appeared on his face had already vanished. Saying I didn’t like it felt like it would get me killed.

“N-no, it’s not that I don’t like it…”

“Forget punishment. Let’s say you lost the bet instead.”

“Pardon? Wait, what?”

Hold on. What about my restaurant? The luxurious meal?

Was I going to lose my wish this easily?

“Henson, let’s count today’s bet as my win. Is that acceptable?”

“Since the lady didn’t meet the target… that seems appropriate.”

Henson, glancing at me, agreed with Chiron.

“Wait a moment!”

“Why?”

“You haven’t even properly decided what you’d wager!”

I protested with a flimsy excuse because I couldn’t just let go of my restaurant meal like this.

“I already thought of what to wager.”

When did he think of that?

“What was it…?”

“Well, I’d rather not tell you right now.”

“That’s not—!”

“Then you should rest.”

Ignoring my protest, Chiron gestured to the servants. They approached me.

“Go rest in the shade.”

I sat down on a folding chair that had already been set up.

Chiron, not wanting to interrupt his workout midway, continued.

With nothing else to do, I watched him exercise. As I observed, I had no choice but to admit I had lost the bet.

I shook my head.

There’s no way I can beat that person.

When he held the band in both hands and pulled, the band tore with a sharp rip after just a few repetitions. Even the spare bands Henson brought were all torn apart.

It tears that easily? It had seemed so durable earlier.

The intensity was clearly different from when he exercised with me. Watching his increasingly tense muscles, I shrank back.

He wasn’t getting this worked up because of the slap earlier, was he?

The more I watched, the more intimidating it became.

The first exercise session ended somewhat inconclusively. The next day.

“Madam, there’s somewhere you need to go today.”

“Somewhere? Where?”

Ria smiled brightly and began getting me ready.

“There is such a place.”

“Why won’t you tell me? What is it?”

Not knowing where I was going, I started to feel excited. I had thought I wouldn’t be able to go out for a while because of my husband, but now I was suddenly going out?

Ria carefully applied makeup to my face. Then she styled my hair and added earrings and accessories.

“Where are we going that you’re dressing me up like this?”

After the makeup, my face, previously worn out from coughing, looked refreshed. Even I thought I looked quite pretty.

“Actually, it’s not necessary to go this far, but I wanted to do it for you.”

“You? Why?”

She never explained anything, yet she kept smiling ear to ear.

After putting on a simple dress with a smooth silhouette and a pair of slightly heeled shoes, my transformation was complete.

What on earth was going on?

Still, the fact that I was going somewhere was enough to make me happy.

“Now, shall we head out? Just follow me!”

Ria led the way enthusiastically.

There were still many places in the duke’s residence I had never been to. I only knew the frequently used corridors; most areas were unfamiliar.