Chapter 16
The shock was there, but it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.
Strange. I had fallen, but… it didn’t really hurt.
When I opened my eyes, it wasn’t the floor beneath me—it was a person.
Damian.
He was lying on the ground, holding me against his chest.
…Wait.
What was happening?
I wasn’t stupid, but I couldn’t make sense of the scene before my eyes. I just stared blankly down at him.
Damian frowned.
“…You really need to work on your awareness.”
Ah, right. I had to get up.
I scrambled to rise—but my hands slipped, and I toppled over again.
“Ugh!”
“…Try standing properly.”
Damian sighed, then gently pushed me upright.
And suddenly, I was dangling in his hands, swinging like a keychain.
My face burned red. Embarrassment, or something else—I didn’t even know, but my ears were hot.
“S-Sorry… I didn’t mean to—”
I started to apologize, then stopped.
I noticed Damian’s arm.
From his elbow to his forearm, it was raw and red. Blood trickled down to his hand.
“Eek!”
I shrieked.
“Your arm! You’re bleeding!”
“…Don’t shout. It’s nothing.”
Damian waved his hand as if it were trivial, splattering more blood.
Nothing? Nothing?!
I’d cried from a pinprick before.
And here he was—covered in blood, not even flinching.
And it was because of me. He had fallen trying to protect me.
“Nothing? There’s this much blood!”
“This happens all the time during training…”
“Just because it happens all the time doesn’t mean you leave it!”
My voice rose before I realized it.
Damian looked at me as if I were ridiculous. I ignored him and jumped to my feet.
“Where’s the infirmary?”
“…What?”
“Quickly!”
Instead of asking, I grabbed his wrist. Normally, I’d be careful—but not now.
Damian stared at my tiny hand clutching his wrist, utterly confused.
“Princess, did you hit your head when you fell? I thought I protected you well enough.”
“Yes. You protected me too well—I’m fine.”
“Then why—?”
“Do I have to say it again? You’re hurt. Did the Grand Duke hit his head or something?”
“I said it’s nothing—”
“I’ll decide what’s nothing myself.”
His eyes widened in surprise.
Of course—I was surprised at my own words.
“…Where is it?”
“…East end of the annex.”
Damian sighed but answered.
Ah, the east end. Last time, I had wandered the west corridor day and night. No wonder I didn’t find it before.
“Let’s go.”
I didn’t let go of his wrist as I walked.
Damian followed, still looking bewildered at being dragged along.
The infirmary was a small, quiet room.
Shelves lined with herbs.
A table with disinfectants, bandages, and basic medical supplies.
Dust sparkled in the sunlight coming through the window.
The room smelled faintly musty—the way unused rooms do.
Last time, I’d lost my temper because I couldn’t find it.
Now, it felt oddly… empty, almost calming.
“Sit.”
I pulled a chair and placed it in front of Damian.
“…Really, this isn’t necessary.”
“Sit.”
I repeated firmly.
Damian sighed and slumped into the chair, a look of annoyance plastered on his face—but I ignored it.
I rifled through the shelves.
Disinfectant here, ointment there, bandages nearby.
I laid out everything needed on the table, even found a clean cloth.
My hands moved on their own.
The motions were familiar.
I soaked the cloth in disinfectant and gently held Damian’s arm.
“…This might hurt.”
“It’s fine.”
I cleaned the wound slowly. It was scraped over a wide area—probably from falling while protecting me.
…I feel so sorry.
Damian didn’t move at all. Whether he wasn’t hurt or was just enduring it—I didn’t know.
To a sword prodigy like him, this probably was nothing.
I finished disinfecting, then applied ointment.
My hands moved without hesitation.
I was used to this.
After a while, I sensed his gaze and looked up.
Damian had been staring at me the whole time.
“For a princess, you’re surprisingly skilled. I imagine you haven’t had to treat many injuries.”
Of course, the question came.
My hands paused for a moment.
“…Just practice.”
I avoided the truth.
I couldn’t tell him it was because of bloodletting at the palace.
Every time they drew blood, I was left with wounds—needle marks, cuts, sores.
The attendants only gave minimal treatment, and no one knew I had to endure this regularly.
So I learned to take care of myself.
That’s why I was so skilled.
I didn’t say that.
Damian didn’t press further, though his eyes held a question.
He sensed something odd.
I started wrapping the bandage.
A quiet silence filled the infirmary—just the rustle of fabric.
“…Why did you run away?”
Damian spoke first.
“…Pardon?”
“From the palace.”
He looked at me seriously.
“Why come all the way to the Grand Duke’s residence just to hide?”
My hands froze.
How could I explain? That I hated the palace? That I feared the Emperor? Those words weren’t enough.
The real reason was too much to explain.
“…I thought I would die if I stayed there.”
I said it lightly, almost joking.
But my eyes didn’t smile.
It was true. Before, I had been locked in cold dungeons, bleeding, close to death.
Damian’s expression shifted subtly.
He seemed about to speak, lips moving—but said nothing.
Instead, he just stared at me, differently this time.
Not wary. Something else, but I couldn’t define it.
I swallowed the words stuck in my throat and tied the bandage.
“…Done.”
Damian looked at his arm. The bandage was neat.
He opened his mouth to speak.
“Than…k you…”
He mumbled, too softly for me to hear clearly.
“Pardon?”
I reflexively asked.
His words stopped there.
Instead, he kept staring at me with an odd expression.
After a while, he suddenly stood.
“…Grand Duke?”
“That’s enough for today. I can’t teach the princess with an injured arm.”
“I know that, but—”
Before I could finish, he opened the infirmary door and left.
I stared blankly at the closed door.
So… I’ve been abandoned again.
This disrespectful Grand Duke seemed to have a habit of leaving the princess behind.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t even say a word.
…Well, at least he treated me properly.
I stared at the bandage in my hand.
Last time, I had been annoyed at being abandoned—but this time, I didn’t feel anger.
Instead… I kept thinking about that moment.
The instant he reflexively held me when I fell.
The way he protected me, for that brief moment.
Firm. Warm.
…Weird.
That had never happened at the palace.
No one had ever protected me, ever.
I was the villain the palace created.
The Emperor, whom I called father, saw me as nothing but a tool.
The attendants only watched, no one reached out.
I had been an object of fear, not someone to protect.
If I fell, I got up alone.
If I was hurt, I treated myself.
If I was in pain, I endured it alone.
I could never appear weak to anyone.
Even until I was abandoned in the dungeon, I never bowed my head before anyone.
I thought that was normal.
But today, Damian had instinctively protected me.
Even knowing he might get hurt.
…Why?
I didn’t understand.
He said he disliked me.
He said I was just a princess, a nuisance, a burden.
He didn’t know I was his sister.
And yet he still protected me.
My mind refused to comprehend it, but my heart kept beating wildly.
A tiny drum inside me, pounding… for a long time.
