Don’t Tame It [Novel]

30.

“!”

Then, she slowly let the tension drain from her body, forcing out a breath. The heart that had been hammering against her ribs began to regain its normal pace, little by little.

It was fortunate she was wearing gloves. Irene did not want to classify Mia as a type of cnidarian, but if she was going to grab her hands like that without warning, she would have to seriously reconsider.

Irene quietly pulled her hand away, intending to say something, but tears welled up in Mia’s eyes.

“…….”

Irene wore a bewildered expression, which was unlike her—though she wasn’t sure if she had pulled it off correctly.

“I was wrong, Physician Rios. Please forgive me.”

Irene had no idea why Mia was asking for forgiveness.

Could she have read her mind? Was it because she didn’t want to be a cnidarian?

No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn’t come up with a sharp answer. Irene’s eyes took on a gloomy tint.

Or did I do something wrong again? Is that why Mia is crying?

That must be it. She was nothing but a troublemaker, a lost cause. The problem must have been with her this time as well.

“I was just nervous because it was my first time… that’s why I said that. I’m fine now. I’m really okay. I’m not scared at all, Physician. So, please don’t tell me to go back.”

Irene, who had been about to speak, shut her mouth. She didn’t have the talent to soften the mood like Duke Diego Cassis, and the more she spoke, the more she worsened the situation.

So, Irene chose silence. Mia wiped her eyes with her sleeves.

“……I’m sorry, Physician Rios.”

A polite apology fell onto Irene’s lap. Irene stared out the window without a word.

Mia didn’t open her mouth again, either. A silence heavier than ever descended inside the carriage—a silence so thick it could be cut with an axe.

To be honest, Irene didn’t dislike Mia. No, if she had to categorize it into goodwill and hostility, it was closer to goodwill.

For Irene, that was an extremely unusual occurrence. However, just like the coachman named Mario, Mia had appealed to her from the very beginning.

The moment Mia’s eyes met Irene’s, she had smiled brightly. That meant that Irene was visible to her.

Furthermore, even though Irene always wore gloves, Mia didn’t think it was strange. She hadn’t even frowned once at the unusual request to prepare a washbasin in the office.

That was why, last night, she had contemplated giving Mia the nickname “Carrot.” It wasn’t just because her hair was orange. Carrots were the vegetable Irene liked second-most after sweet potatoes.

And yet, she had made such a girl cry. Irene didn’t even know the reason.

Leticia was right. I’m a lost cause.

Her sullen gaze traced the front of the procession. She couldn’t see it from where she was, but Duke Diego Cassis would be at the lead.

At this very moment, his presence was desperate. If it were Duke Diego Cassis, he would have had a secret weapon to blow away this heavy silence in an instant.

Irene swallowed a silent sigh and closed her eyes. She intended to pretend to be asleep so that Mia, who had been glancing at her from time to time, could travel in peace.

“Haa.”

Sure enough, Mia let out a sigh of relief. Irene heard the rustling of Mia shifting her posture.

Listening to the quiet movements, Irene clasped her gloved hands together. The texture of the dry fabric, which lacked any warmth, calmed her wavering heart.

Yes, this is enough.

* * *

Upon arriving at the border, Duke Diego Cassis headed straight to his tent. The colonels and lieutenant colonels were waiting for him with grim expressions.

Niseto, the deputy commander, paid his respects to Duke Diego Cassis.

“I greet you, Grand Duke.”

Just as the officers were about to line up to greet him, Duke Diego Cassis raised a hand, as if to say they should skip the useless formalities and get to the point.

Niseto, who hailed from the second son of a Count, was a representative figure who had climbed the ranks through merit. It hadn’t taken long for him to catch the eye of Duke Diego Cassis—who valued ability above all—and take the position of deputy commander.

Yet, his face, usually full of confidence, had become gaunt since they last met.

“While Your Grace was away from the front, a long ceasefire continued.”

Duke Diego Cassis nodded.

Just because it was a border region where the military forces were in sharp confrontation didn’t mean battles took place every single day. There were days they fought fiercely, and other days where peaceful routines followed.

“However, it seems that was a strategy. Last night, while everyone was asleep, the enemy launched a surprise attack. We scrambled to respond, but….”

Niseto trailed off, uncharacteristically. Duke Diego Cassis asked with a hardened expression, “The casualties on our side?”

“There are 126 confirmed dead and 31 injured.”

“Does having more dead than injured mean you were one-sidedly beaten?”

For an instant, a chill drifted through Duke Diego Cassis’s voice. Sensing the ominous energy, Niseto straightened his back.

Niseto, who had spent a long time on the battlefield with him, knew that he was not as good-natured as he looked. Duke Diego Cassis was a man who could be crueler than anyone when the time called for it.

Though, most people probably didn’t know that.

“The Alvar Kingdom had never launched a surprise attack before, so we were completely unprepared.”

“Are you calling that an excuse?”

“I apologize, Grand Duke.”

Niseto bowed his head low, as if he had no defense even if he had ten mouths to speak with. Duke Diego Cassis, pulling his lips taut, asked again.

“The enemy’s losses?”

“……They aren’t even half of ours.”

“Ha.”

Duke Diego Cassis narrowed his eyes and laughed. Niseto unknowingly stiffened; he seemed to realize that it wasn’t actual amusement.

Sure enough, Duke Diego Cassis wiped the expression away in an instant and ordered in a cold voice.

“Prepare for an all-out war right now. I will pay them back exactly as much as I received.”

At that moment, Javier stepped forward. “Your Grace.” Duke Diego Cassis’s gaze moved slowly.

Javier knew the eyes fixed upon him were sharp beyond measure, yet he had no choice but to dissuade him.

“It seems like a very impulsive decision. First, let us reinforce our troops….”

“When they are drunk on victory, I will pay them back in the exact same way.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Niseto left the tent first to prepare for the troop deployment. The other officers, who had been gauging Duke Diego Cassis’s mood, quietly followed.

The only people left in the tent were Duke Diego Cassis and Javier. As Duke Diego Cassis took a step, Javier blocked his path once again.

“It is reckless. It would be better to reinforce the troops first.”

“In the meantime, they will regroup as well. I don’t want to give them time to prepare for war.”

“Then, Your Grace, please command from the rear.”

“Why, do you think I might die?”

Duke Diego Cassis chuckled and scoffed.

Javier couldn’t understand what Duke Diego Cassis was thinking. Although he was always relaxed and perfect, at times he was recklessly impulsive. Like a man who was desperate to die.

“Your Grace.”

“Is this insubordination?”

Duke Diego Cassis asked back in a languid tone. He was the commander-in-chief. Disobeying his word in the military was the same as insubordination.

And according to military law, insubordination was dealt with through capital punishment. That was the fundamental premise that maintained military discipline.

Javier did not deceive himself into thinking he could escape military law. Duke Diego Cassis was not a man who was bound by private sentiment.

In the end, Javier took a step back.

“I will follow your order.”

Only then did Duke Diego Cassis walk out of the tent. Then, suddenly, he stopped and stared at one place. It was another tent, not far from his own.

At a glance, a faint shadow seemed to flicker beyond the canvas.

“…….”

The next moment, Duke Diego Cassis walked away as if nothing had happened. It was not something he should be concerned about.

He hadn’t forced her to come; she had followed of her own volition. He didn’t have the luxury of taking care of other people’s lives here. One had to take care of their own life themselves.

So, it was truly not something Duke Diego Cassis needed to concern himself with.

“Damn it.”

Muttering a low curse, he hurried to prepare for battle.

* * *

“Physician Rios.”

When she looked up at the voice coming from beyond the tent, a heavy shadow flickered across the thick canvas.

It was obvious who it was. On a fierce battlefield where life and death were divided by a minor mistake, there was only one person who possessed such a sluggish frame.

Mia, who had been watching Irene, asked, “Should I tell them to come in?” Irene nodded nonchalantly.

Mia ran to the entrance and pulled back the tent flap.

“Please come in, Physician Flich.”

“Hmm.”

Having let out a haughty groan, Sir Miguel Flich looked around the tent as he entered. Then, as if something didn’t please him, he furrowed his brows.

“It’s the same size as my tent.”

Now that she thought about it, he had said the same thing when he first saw Irene’s office. Irene found it strange that Sir Miguel Flich was obsessed with size. It was even more so because Irene had never complained about the size of a room, not even once.

Ah.

Then, she nodded with an expression of understanding. It seemed Sir Miguel Flich liked big things.

That must be why he kept his own bulk so large. Then again, an ocean sunfish was large, too.

Watching Irene’s hands as she organized her luggage, Sir Miguel Flich sat down in a chair that hadn’t been offered to him and scoffed.

“If someone saw this, they’d think a blacksmith had arrived. Ah, or perhaps more like a barber.”

Irene, the one actually being insulted, was calm, but Mia’s cheeks turned red beside her. The moment she saw the face that was the same color as her hair, Irene made up her mind to give Mia the nickname “Carrot.”

“Tch.”

Sir Miguel Flich clicked his tongue and continued, his expression boastful.

“I guarantee it, Physician Rios, what you are doing right now is a useless endeavor. I’ve followed the Grand Duke to the battlefield many times, but I’ve never had a chance to step in even once. The knight named Javier is unusually loyal. Once, he even took a sword strike on the Duke’s behalf. So, you might as well pack up the luggage you just unpacked and go back.”