Chapter 15
“A Doctor? That’s OverKill.”
“Kal.”
“……”
“Stop it.”
I told him I wasn’t hurt.
In fact, the way he kept holding and flipping me around was making me dizzy.
I glared down at him, and only then did Kal slowly lower me. His face was plastered with an inexplicable look of dissatisfaction.
“……”
Even then, the sensation beneath my feet wasn’t solid ground.
…Once again, he had placed me not on the ground but on top of his own foot.
Rolling my eyes in exasperation, Kal smirked, the corner of his lips quirking up.
“Then don’t take off your shoes and run away.”
“When did I run—?”
“You disappeared right in front of me. Isn’t that running away?”
‘How on earth does that even make sense?’
I’d noticed it before, but Kal had a habit of making wild leaps in logic.
Before I could point that out, he calmly added,
“Anyway,”
“……”
“I can’t let someone as precious as you step barefoot on the ground.”
His tone had shifted back to formal speech, as if he’d never dropped honorifics, but it felt even more arrogant than before.
Regardless, I tried to push myself off and plant my feet on the ground.
“……”
But unlike earlier, when his grip had been loose, Kal now held my waist firmly—tight enough that I couldn’t escape, but not so much that it would hurt or break me.
‘Cheating by using brute strength, huh.’
The standoff dragged on.
After stubbornly resisting for a few more minutes, I finally proposed my first compromise.
“Then just buy me shoes.”
“And in the meantime, you’ll stand barefoot on the ground again?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Do you want someone to accuse me of mistreating a noble lady?”
“So you’re seriously planning to go back like this?”
Instead of answering, Kal just smirked. It was a clear declaration that he had no intention of putting me down.
To show my disapproval, I pressed the tip of my foot firmly into his instep, but Kal didn’t even blink.
Instead, he glanced down at my slightly dirtied foot with a strange look in his eyes—almost as if he found it amusing.
“Are they a couple?”
“Looks like it.”
“But he called her ‘precious’ or something.”
“The boyfriend’s being extra.”
“Why’s he picking on the kid, though?”
“Wait, isn’t that…?”
“The kid from the back alleys?”
“Shh.”
…How did things even end up like this?
A couple?
The misunderstanding was uncomfortable, but the longer our silent battle dragged on, the more attention we drew.
At this rate, people might recognize me later when I’m officially introduced as the Duchess and start pointing fingers.
Still, I couldn’t possibly walk all the way back while standing on Kal’s foot.
With a sigh, I proposed my second compromise.
If he wouldn’t put me down…
“Then just carry me on your back.”
It was still better than being held like a princess or slung over his shoulder like a sack.
‘At least piggybacking looks less awkward than being carried bridal-style.’
At my request, Kal flinched as if caught off guard, then slowly spoke.
“…I’m a rather expensive stallion to just let anyone ride me however they please.”
It was impressive how he could say something so demeaning in such a roundabout way.
“Yeah, yeah. And bring that kid too.”
Whether he liked it or not, I jerked my chin toward the unconscious pickpocket.
Kal looked at me as if questioning whether I was serious.
‘They’ll be useful.’
When I nodded a few times with that meaning, Kal sighed as if resigning himself.
Then, he set me down on a nearby bench, bent his knee, and turned his back to me.
‘His back muscles are insane.’
As soon as I climbed onto him, the sensation of his firm, warm muscles against me was almost intimidating.
Feeling a little vengeful, I relaxed my entire body and let my full weight hang on his back.
The moment I wrapped my arms around his thick neck, Kal’s back muscles twitched slowly.
“Tch…”
“Tch?”
“…Never mind.”
Kal stood up, holding the child’s waist carelessly in one hand, and started walking.
…Who carries a kid like a sack?
‘We look so suspicious.’
In an attempt to salvage the situation, I desperately acted out an excuse.
“O-oh no! The kid suddenly… collapsed!”
“……”
“We have to take them to a doctor!”
Whether I spoke clearly or not, Kal effortlessly carried both me and the child.
People, intimidated by his imposing presence, parted ways like the Red Sea for Moses.
“If it’s a back-alley kid…”
“They don’t have anyone to protect them anyway…”
“The guards won’t even care…”
Of course, whispers about how suspicious we looked never stopped.
The moment I heard the mention of guards, I shook my head vigorously.
“Why don’t you cooperate a little?”
“……”
“You’re just walking in silence, making us look even more like kidnappers.”
Kal sighed again.
Every time his body moved, mine, perched on his back, shifted slightly up and down.
“I’m the one who wants cooperation here.”
“What kind?”
His voice was slightly lower than usual. Maybe because our bodies were pressed together, but it carried a faint, resonant hum.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“Do what?”
“What you just did.”
“Jumping down?”
I wasn’t even hurt.
‘I almost sprained my wrist from twisting midair, but…’
In the end, it was fine.
Even if I had sprained it, it would’ve been the kind of injury that healed after some rest, a compress, and a glass of wine with a dash of chili sauce.
But Kal seemed to think differently.
“If the Emperor’s bride gets injured in the Grand Duchy’s territory, it’ll make for quite the story.”
“……”
“The entire Saint Porto could be accused of treason.”
Ah. That’s what he’s worried about?
Treason was a bit extreme, but…
Considering the delicate relationship between the capital and Saint Porto, it was a sensitive issue.
‘If that’s what he’s thinking…’
No wonder he reacted so sharply to me putting myself at risk.
‘Hmm.’
Lost in thought, I silently accepted Kal’s criticism instead of arguing.
Perhaps thinking I was taking his words to heart, Kal added more sternly,
“Never again—”
“I got it. I won’t do it without warning.”
“That sounds like you will do it with warning.”
“Well…”
There was no guarantee another emergency like today wouldn’t happen.
And I couldn’t just wait around for someone to save me every time.
Especially if Kal wasn’t around, like today.
While I hesitated, Kal stared intently at my right wrist.
His gaze was so focused it sent a slight shiver down my spine.
‘Did he see which hand I used to land in that short time?’
Definitely not an ordinary fighter.
I was starting to think he might truly be at Sword Master level or higher.
After a brief pause, Kal spoke flatly.
“…I’ll call a doctor when we get back.”
His tone suggested he was holding back a lot.
I still thought a doctor was excessive, but I wasn’t going to argue now that I understood his reasoning.
The only problem was…
“I don’t know any doctors here.”
“Ah.”
As if realizing it just then, Kal made a dumbfounded sound.
“…I’ll call one.”
Well, a monster hunter working for the Grand Duke’s estate probably had a dedicated physician.
I nodded and leaned against his back.
For a while, silence lingered.
Kal seemed lost in thought about calling a doctor, while I was preoccupied with my own concerns after his earlier words.
One thought kept surfacing in my mind:
‘Would the capital really make an issue out of me getting hurt?’
After some consideration, I concluded, ‘They might.’
I had officially served in the Imperial Army for years.
Even the Temple was the state religion, and its holy knights were, on paper, classified as Imperial soldiers.
‘Of course, the knights’ direct superior was the Pope.’
But right below him was the Emperor.
Plus, given the rumors in social circles, I knew just how greedy the Emperor was.
‘Throwing accusations at another lord’s territory to extort compensation wouldn’t even be a challenge for him.’
If the other party was the Silent Grand Duke, he might tread more carefully, but…
‘He might even see it as an opportunity.’
It wasn’t easy to find a legitimate reason to protest against the Silent Grand Duke.
‘And I’m not even a foreign prisoner of war.’
As a legitimate noble from the Empire, it’d be even easier to use me as leverage.
Even though I hadn’t put much thought into coming here as a bride, I didn’t want to cause trouble for Saint Porto.
People lived here too.
I didn’t want unnecessary rumors affecting the family I’d left behind in the capital.
‘This is complicated.’
The realization that my body wasn’t just mine anymore.
Well, this wasn’t exactly a new feeling.
Strangely, it was familiar—something I’d felt before.
‘Ah.’
I quickly realized what that familiar feeling was.
…Back when I lived disguised as a boy.
My body hadn’t belonged to me then, either.
