Theor called out Maxton’s name, but he didn’t say another word until Maxton was dragged away by the knights.
I realized for the first time today that having your name called in such a chilling voice, only for the person to fall into a dead silence, was far more terrifying than a direct threat of murder.
The people around me seemed just as intimidated by Theor.
“Let’s get you treated first.”
When I heard a young, nameless noble whisper behind Theor’s back as he took my hand and led me toward the rear of the barracks—asking if Maxton was about to be executed in secret—the area went deathly quiet.
Once Theor led me into the Eterzan family’s private barracks, I couldn’t help but let out an “Ooh” of admiration. The interior was just as spacious and comfortable as the communal ones.
At the hunting festival, there was a large barracks where all participants could stay, and behind it were individual tents reserved for the imperial family, Grand Dukes, and Dukes.
An empire that strictly discriminated based on rank.
This was exactly why those with the rank of Marquess tried so desperately to attain the status of a Duke; there were simply too many privileges that even a Marquess couldn’t enjoy.
“No one is allowed in here, so please, feel free to get treated.”
Theor said this as he sat me down on the sofa.
*Huh? Wasn’t he going to treat me himself?*
Perhaps my expression asked that very question, because Theor looked at me and said, “It would be better to heal yourself with your own healing abilities rather than applying medicine.”
Well, I suppose that’s true, but…
“Then, turn around.”
I told Theor not to look because using black magic meant I had to let the black “caterpillars” wriggle across my cheek. For some reason, I didn’t want him to see it—unlike anyone else.
As I watched Theor turn his back and prepared to heal myself, the image of Pere-unni foaming at the mouth in fury at Maxton flashed through my mind.
“Ah, actually, I think I’ll just apply some medicine.”
Since black magic would heal it perfectly, I decided it was better to keep the swelling so that Maxton would face the consequences of hitting me.
Theor furrowed his brows, looking frustrated.
“I will ensure that man pays for his crimes in the name of Eterzan; please, just heal yourself.”
“No, why involve the Grand Duke’s name for something like this?”
“It means you need not worry about his disposal. Now, heal yourself.”
I hesitated for a moment, but since I still wanted to catch Pere-unni’s attention by remaining injured, I shook my head.
“No, I want to stay like this.”
“Why?”
No sooner had I spoken than Theor asked, his brow furrowed. I looked at him for a moment and told him the truth.
“I want to see Pere-unni get angry when she sees this face.”
“…Pardon?”
To Theor, who looked as if he had absolutely no idea what I meant, I spoke with a serious expression.
“I want her to see my cheek, hit by that bastard Maxton, so she can get furious and vent her anger at him. Do you understand what I mean?”
“…I do not understand. Why on earth would you do that?”
“You don’t know how pretty my sister is when she’s angry, do you?”
“Pardon?”
I explained how her sharp, beautiful nose would crinkle and her expression would sharpen when Pere-unni was angry, adding that I couldn’t bring myself to heal the swelling because I wanted to see that look on her face.
“I cannot understand it at all.”
As expected, even with my detailed explanation, Theor seemed unable to grasp my logic.
“You’re still young, that’s why. You don’t know how joyful it is to have someone you love get angry on your behalf…”
“I am two years older than Ellinea. And I still cannot understand why you would endure pain just to see someone you like get angry.”
“But according to Imperial law, those within a two-year age gap go through the coming-of-age ceremony together.”
At my words, one of Theor’s eyebrows twitched.
“Well, Theor, you’ll know when you eventually find someone you love. You’ll know how joyful it is to have that person get angry for you.”
“If they were suffering in my stead, perhaps, but I have no intention of enduring pain just to see someone get angry.”
Theor insisted that others would surely think the same.
“You are in pain right now. Every time you speak, this spot twitches.”
Theor tapped his own cheek with his index finger and continued.
“If it were me, I would treat the wound first and make the pain disappear. Treating the wound doesn’t change the fact that I was hit by a bastard who wouldn’t be able to pay for his sins even if he died.”
*No, he just slapped my cheek once; why go that far…*
I stared blankly at Theor, who had called Maxton a bastard whose life wasn’t worth the price of his crimes, then let out a short sigh. “It doesn’t actually hurt that much, and it’s not severe enough to use black magic for, so I’ll just apply some medicine.”
At my words, Theor’s brows furrowed even more severely.
“Just what on earth are you…”
Theor, who looked as if he were about to snap, let out a short sigh and strode toward the cabinet with his long legs. He brought out a medicine box, sat down next to me, and opened it.
“It is quite swollen. Even if you apply medicine, the pain will not subside easily.”
“It’s fine, I can handle this much.”
As Theor applied ointment to my cheek, he sighed in frustration.
“I truly do not understand why you refuse to heal yourself when you have the power to do so. I never knew it would be this frustrating that my own darkness element lacks healing powers.”
“Oh my, you wanted to have healing powers? Since when?”
Theor had rarely even tried to use Caroline’s healing powers in the original story, so I was surprised to hear that he desired them. However, what he said next made me feel strange.
“Since today.”
“Since today” surely meant he wanted them because of me. It meant he was bothered by my injury and wished he could heal it himself.
My face grew hot at the fluttering sensation in my chest. I struggled to avoid meeting Theor’s eyes.
Every time Theor’s hand brushed against my cheek to apply the ointment, the spot he touched burned.
*This emotion is a bit troublesome…*
I swallowed dryly, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.
Since he was so much my “type,” I seemed to keep falling for him against my will. Even though I knew he was the sub-male lead who was supposed to fall for Caroline, my heart kept pounding for him.
Since this was clearly a bad sign, I thought I must regain my senses and correct this feeling of being swayed.
Now that I knew that Lloyd and Caroline must never end up together—for the sake of Pere-unni’s smooth sailing—it would be best to set Caroline up with Theor. That was the only way to ensure Caroline wouldn’t have a chance to flirt with Lloyd.
Even though, right now, she was wearing a custom hunting outfit with the exact same design and embroidery as mine.
The matching outfits Theor and I wore had been designed by Endiewon, the designer of the Ducal household; they had a slightly different vibe from the ones made for Lloyd and Pere-unni.
At first, I had planned to meet Theor in town to go to a tailor shop, but when Pere-unni found out, she told us not to waste our time with other designers and summoned us both to the Ducal mansion.
Though Endiewon had designed both pairs of hunting outfits, the style of our couple and Pere-unni’s couple felt distinctly different.
Pere-unni and Lloyd’s outfits were designed with a luxurious, elegant feel, while the outfits Theor and I wore were simple and clean, highlighting the uniform style Theor usually preferred.
To get rid of the void, I had embroidered my entire outfit with the same small pattern found only on the chest of Theor’s hunting gear. It matched so perfectly that anyone could tell at a glance that we were a couple.
“All done.”
Theor said as he closed the ointment lid, and I bowed my head slightly to thank him.
“Thank you.”
Theor just stared at me for a moment, then asked with a displeased expression.
“Are you sure you can go to the hunting grounds? If it’s too much, you can rest here instead…”
“Oh, what are you saying? Do you really think I’d skip the Hunting Festival just because I got slapped on the cheek once?”
There was no way I was going to miss the chance to watch Pere-unni take down monsters with her fire magic up close.
After finishing my sentence, I jumped to my feet.
“Let’s go! This *nuna* will catch ten monsters for you!”
I spoke gallantly and started walking toward the tent entrance, but Theor muttered quietly as he followed behind me.
“I’ve said this before, but I’m two years older than you, Ellinea.”