Chapter 8
It was because she hadn’t had the presence of mind to take a proper look earlier—his face was handsome. Too handsome.
Through the slightly wavy strands of his silver hair, his bluish-gray eyes trembled faintly. His sharply defined nose looked like it could cut, and from his red lips came a faint groan.
He was the kind of stunningly handsome man who could make anyone lose their mind. Now, with his brows furrowed deeply, he met Lucy’s eyes.
“Ugh…”
“Y-you’re bleeding…! A-are you all right?”
Even more blood than before was flowing from the man’s shoulder, the one with the arrow. Flustered and unsure of what to do, Lucy stammered and glanced around wildly.
“Right, yes—s-staunch the bleeding!”
Stopping the blood had to come first. The wound was deep enough that crimson kept spilling nonstop through his fingers as he clutched his shoulder.
Lucy hurriedly tried to tear the hem of her dress, but the fabric was far too strong to rip.
“Oh—right! I have a handkerchief!”
She remembered the one she’d been hiding in her dress all day, unwilling to give it to the duke.
“Here—use this for now…”
She tied the handkerchief tightly around his shoulder, pulling it snug, when the man spoke for the first time.
“Ah, thank you, my lady.”
His voice was a soft, gentle tenor. Lucy stopped mid-knot and stared blankly at his face.
“…My lady?”
Hearing the puzzled tone in his voice, Lucy finally lowered her gaze, realizing she’d been staring at his beautiful face like she was under a spell.
“Ah… It’s done now. You should see a doctor as soon as possible…”
“My lady, I truly appreciate it. But for now, we should get out of here.”
He stood, glancing around. Dusk had fallen before they knew it.
**
Lucy and the man were now wandering the forest at sunset.
Perfect. We’re completely lost.
Despite confidently taking the lead earlier, it turned out he didn’t know the way either.
“I’m sorry, my lady…”
In the dim light, she could faintly see him scratching his head awkwardly.
“Watch your step.”
It was still early evening, but visibility was already poor. Wearing high heels, Lucy stumbled and stepped carefully.
“Has the bleeding stopped? You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“I’ll be fine. More importantly, we should find a suitable spot before it gets too dark and wait for my men to find us.”
Lucy nodded. That did seem like the better idea.
In novels, this is usually when a nice, convenient cave just pops up.
While she was scanning the area, he pointed toward a spot with a large rock.
“This should be a good place to make a fire. The light will help people find us.”
“Wouldn’t a fire attract wild animals?”
“They’re afraid of fire. And by now, my men have surely begun searching for me.”
Soon, the two of them were gathering dry leaves to start a fire.
But soon they faced another problem.
“Um… you have made a fire before, right?”
He was banging two rocks together in an attempt to make sparks, but instead of producing fire, the stones were simply chipping apart.
“It looked easier when I saw my men do it…” he admitted sheepishly.
Sighing, Lucy glanced around, picked up a broken branch, and brought it back.
“Do you have a dagger? If we flatten this part here, it’ll work better.”
In the faint moonlight, she showed him what she meant.
A short while later—
“Like this?”
He held out the thick branch he’d shaved smooth.
“Can you also make the end a bit sharper?”
Since both of them had injured hands, Lucy held the branch while he worked the blade. He didn’t even ask why, simply carving it as she requested.
Without a word, Lucy untied the ribbon from her hair, wrapped it around the sharpened stick, and placed it on the smoothed surface. Then she bent a thin branch into a bow shape, tied the ends with the ribbon, and began moving it back and forth.
“Friction will make sparks like this.”
“Let me try. Is this the way?”
He worked the makeshift bow rapidly.
“Yes! It’s working—faster!”
Lucy had completely forgotten about his shoulder wound in her excitement. When sparks finally appeared, she quickly brought over dry leaves and blew on them.
It took longer than she expected, but in the end, they succeeded in lighting a campfire.
“Incredible! How do you know this method?”
“I read it in a book once. Never thought I’d actually need it.”
When she smiled brightly, he returned it with a gentle one of his own. In the flickering light, his features looked even more breathtaking, and Lucy found herself staring again.
“I’m Lucas Cretain. May I know your name, my lady?”
Duke Cretain. So this was the Lucas—the empire’s most beautiful man, constantly gossiped about wherever he went.
“Oh! You’re the most handsome man in the empire!”
The words slipped out before she could stop herself, and she quickly clapped her hands over her mouth.
His eyes widened briefly before he chuckled softly. Lucy’s face burned with embarrassment.
“My name is Lucy…”
Judging by his expression, it seemed he really was meeting her for the first time.
“Lucy… Lucy…” he murmured quietly.
“Lucy—meaning light. It suits you perfectly, my lady.”
Oh… so that’s what my name means. I thought the author just picked it randomly because it was common.
Thanks to Lucas, she’d learned something new about herself. And somehow, hearing her name from his lips made it feel special.
“Did you know? Lucas also means light. Strange, isn’t it? We share the same meaning.”
Lucas smiled warmly, meeting her eyes.
He really doesn’t know who I am.
It was clear from his face that he had no idea she was the Lucy Diallo, the well-known figure of the capital’s high society.
Suddenly, she felt a faint pang of bitterness and lowered her gaze.
“Oh! Blood!”
Looking down at the ground, she gasped. Fresh drops were falling from Lucas’s shoulder, staining the earth.
The bandage!
She quickly began unwinding the one around her own hand.
“Here—let me wrap this, it’ll help.”
“But your hand—”
Before he could protest, she was already wrapping the bandage around his shoulder.
He watched her quietly, noting her clumsy movements from using her injured hand. She looked almost as if she were the one hurt, her brows knit in worry.
I suppose having been hurt herself, she can empathize with another’s pain.
And… she smelled nice. Lucas caught himself wandering into strange thoughts and let out a soft laugh.
“All done. Hopefully the bleeding stops soon…”
Perhaps she noticed his gaze, because Lucy quickly looked away—only to flinch and press close to him.
“I—I think something’s moving in the bushes!”
Her voice trembled with fear. Lucas immediately stepped in front of her, drawing his sword.
“Stay behind me—it’s dangerous.”
As he approached the spot she’d indicated, Lucy grabbed a thick, still-burning branch from the fire and followed close behind.
She swallowed hard, tension coiling in her chest. Then, with a speed that belied his injury, Lucas lunged into the bushes.
Lucy shut her eyes tightly, brandishing the torch in a stiff, awkward stance.
“You can relax now, my lady. It seems what you saw was this fellow here.”
He returned, parting the bushes—holding a small rabbit in his hands.
