CH 22

Could it be that his careless words hurt him again?

Kaidel suddenly remembered what Eleanor had said before.

[Sometimes, if you don’t express it, nothing gets conveyed. If it’s not delivered, nothing will change.]

His heart thumped loudly. If Eleanor had just heard what he said, she would have clicked her tongue. But otherwise he didn’t know what to say.

[If you reverse that remark a little bit, you can think of it like this. A sincere, properly expressed and conveyed truth, can change a lot.]

What would Eleanor have said?

Kaidel slowly closed his eyes and opened them. If it were her, she would have said something like this. His mouth opened cautiously.

“…And Demian, you’re free to trouble me and make me uncomfortable as much as you like. That’s my role. You’re my little brother, and I’m your guardian. You don’t have to feel sorry for anything. You can’t be a nuisance to me.”

It was awkward and ticklish. His face seemed to burn. Even without looking, it was clear that Demian was looking at him with a surprised expression. Yet he didn’t feel that bad.

“From now on, even if you’re having fun, pay more attention to your safety. It was really dangerous today.”

“…Yes.”

“Yes, go to sleep.”

Kaidel, who habitually greeted him bluntly, suddenly added.

“Have a nice dream.”

Contrary to what Kaidel said, Demian couldn’t sleep until late at night with his cheeks stained pink. The sound of my heart beating thump rang in his ears. It was like lying on a cloud.

It was a really strange night.

***

“Ugh…”

It’s too cold. My head hurts too.

Eleanor, who opened her eyes late at night, crouched down trembling. The sound of her teeth grinding rang loudly. As she put the blanket over her, this time the heat rose to her face and she couldn’t stand it.

The problem was that she had been shivering wildly for a long time after getting in and out of the cold water during the day. Her whole body was a ball of fire. Her vision spun around.

‘I can’t do this.’

Eleanor stretched out her arm to tug at the rope, yet she couldn’t even do that easily.

‘Please reach it.’

Clink, clank.

After several attempts, Eleanor succeeded in calling the maid. She touched Eleanor’s forehead, and turned on the lights in the room.

“Oh my, your fever is too high… You can’t go on like this. I’ll call the doctor.”

The maid once again pulled the rope and summoned other servants.

“It’s too cold. Give me more blankets.”

“You are cold. But getting off the heat is the first thing. I’ll wipe you clean. You’re sweating quite a lot.”

All morning, several of the maids stayed by her side, and, although the fainting Eleanor doesn’t remember a thing, visited the treatment. She felt much better as if the bitter pill she had swallowed had worked. She still had a slight fever, but it wasn’t to the point where she couldn’t stand it.

“You’ve been overdoing yourself lately, and since you’ve been trembling so much, how can you not get sick? You can’t even move in bed today. Have a good sleep. Did you understand?”

“Yeah.”

“Get some more sleep. I’ll make soup for you to enjoy.”

“Hmm.”

Yeah, She’s been overdoing it these days.

Eleanor nodded her head quietly and closed her eyes. Now that this had happened, it would be wise for her to empty out her thoughts of work and take a good rest.

Then there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Eleanor replied weakly. However, even after waiting for a while, the door didn’t open.

‘Was my voice too small?’

Ekhm, clearing her throat, Eleanor spoke again in her loudest and clearest voice.

“You can come in.”

Only then did the door slowly open. Kaidel was the one who cautiously stepped into her room. Standing in the doorway, he looked at his toes and said, as if it was rude to look around the room.

“Duke?”

“It might be rude for me to go in. Is it really okay?”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. Slightly taken aback, she shook her head and nodded twice in response.

“Uh… It’s okay. Come on in.”

Then Kaidel closed the door and slowly walked toward Eleanor. He seemed perfectly prepared to leave.

“You were about to leave. I’m sorry I couldn’t see you off.”

“When I asked, they said you were seriously ill. Maybe yesterday…”

“I’m fine now. My body must have been weak from overwork these days. Is Demian okay?”

“He’s okay.”

Kaidel bit his lip. As if he was feeling guilty about her being sick. She asked curiously.

“Why are you making that face?”

“You also fell into the water, yet I was so pathetic that I completely forgot about it.”

I should’ve taken off my clothes. I should have brought a warm blanket right away to wrap you in. At least I should have asked if you were okay or if there were any injuries.

Kaidel’s face contorted with regret.

“What are you saying? It was natural. Demian fell into the water and everyone was shocked.”

“But…”

“Duke, I wasn’t really upset. I’m rather sorry.”

Eleanor shook her head, wincing at the headache. Her back bone was jingling. Kaidel’s expression darkened as she tried to smile broadly, as if nothing had happened.

“If you keep apologizing even after I say it’s okay, I have no choice but to keep apologizing to you as you don’t have to be sorry.”

Kaidel said firmly. Facing his unwavering gaze, it felt that her uncomfortable feeling had eased a little.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“I also came to thank you.”

“Pardon? To me?”

Eleanor asked, tilting her head. What kind of thing he has to thank her for. No matter how much she thought about it, nothing in particular came to her mind.

“Thank you for saving my brother. It kept bothering me that I couldn’t say that yesterday.”

“That…”

It was nothing to be thankful for.

Kaidel blocked Eleanor’s words to retort.

“The ‘thank you’ is just me being thankful.”

Is it? She didn’t think so, but after hearing him, it might be like that…

Eleanor turned her eyes, organizing her thoughts. Seeing him standing upright and handsome, she suddenly had a good idea.

“Well then, Duke.”

Kaidel looked at Eleanor, wondering why. She did call him, yet when she opened her mouth, she hesitated.

“Can I ask you one favor?”

“As much as you want.”

Kaidel nodded his head willingly. Eleanor took a small deep breath and opened her mouth.

“It seems that the children feel bored as they continue to study indoors. As you know, they’re at an age where they have to run wild.”

“Yes.”

“But, obviously, when we were doing outdoor activities, it wasn’t easy for me to lead the children by myself.”

Her heart still sank when she remembered the moment Demian fell into the water. Eleanor’s expression darkened.

“That should never happen again.”

Eleanor, who had built up her will, looked directly at Kaidel and asked.

“Did you know that physical training is one of the practical subjects in the Academy?”

“I did.”

“Could the Duke be the children’s teacher?”

Kaidel’s expression twisted strangely at the unexpected words. Asking him to be a teacher, she was talking nonsense. Kaidel opened his mouth to reject Eleanor’s words with a single knife.

“Once every two weeks, no, even once a month… Can’t you?”

Sensing that, Eleanor hurriedly grabbed the hem of his sleeve. Kaidel flinched at the unexpected development.

His gaze moved slowly from her pale hand gripping his sleeve to the large, glowing green eyes.

“Will it be difficult? It’s once every two weeks, though? It’s really, really short, though?”

Eleanor stared up at him, shaking her hand around his sleeve. Kaidel’s heart, which had softened like a persimmon, fell to the floor. The nape of his neck burned red.

I can’t. I’m really busy. I’m terribly insecure about dealing with children.

Looking at Eleanor’s face, he couldn’t say no.

Kaidel’s heart thumped vigorously.

“Please? Duke…”

Duke.

An idea flashed through Kaidel’s mind the moment he heard Eleanor calling him so.

That bothered him the whole time. And what he was envious of.

There was a strange feeling in Kaidel’s eyes.

“Then let’s do this.”

“Yes?”

“If I grant your wish, in fairness, you grant one of mine.”

What kind of grandiose wish?

Though thinking so, Eleanor readily nodded her head. He has power, he has money. Could he, who has everything, have to rob her, who has nothing?

“Alright. If it’s anything I can do for you.”

“Once every two weeks, for two hours. Of course, you’ll be there to observe too.”

“Thank you, Duke!”

A word of consent fell from Kaidel’s mouth. Eleanor, who had thought he would reject, stroked her chest.

Getting rid of sweating outdoors, and preparing for practical subjects. It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

“Then what does the Duke want me to do for you?”

A promise is a promise.

Eleanor looked at Kaidel and asked. She couldn’t help but wonder how much he was going to ask for that he asked for a wish.

Kaidel, who hesitated for a moment as if he was embarrassed, carefully opened his mouth.

“I want us to call each other by our names.”

“Pardon me?”

Just like Young Marquis Blake. Kaidel, who swallowed the inner thoughts that followed him, lowered his eyelashes.

“Call me Kaidel. I will call you Eleanor.”

***

No, why would you waste a wish for names, the hell is that? After all, he’s a duke and I’m a count’s daughter, if we’re equal, only he will lose.

Days passed, yet Eleanor was still unable to escape the aftermath of his sudden wish.

“What are you thinking?”

Adrian, who was sitting side by side in the carriage, glanced at Eleanor’s side profile and asked.

“Nothing. After all, you can’t judge people just by looking at their appearances… kind of thoughts.”

A person who seems sharp and cold-hearted like a well-honed knife is, in fact, a blind man who can’t take care of his own heart. It was a shocking fact as much as the fact that the Crown Prince was a spendthrift.

Not everyone is worth their faces.

“By the way, Rian, are you better?”

Eleanor ran a quick glance at Adrian’s soft brown hair, long, full eyelashes, straight nose and pretty lips. She has seen it since she was young, but it was a really nice looking face.

Adrian laughed.

“What is?”

“No. Seeing that you can’t refuse a single word from the Marquis and you’re here, it’s similar…”

“Not that I couldn’t refuse, I didn’t refuse.”

Adrian shrugged his shoulders as he crossed his legs.

“It’s true that it’s not easy to reject my father’s words. But in this case, it’s just what I want to do.”

“The job of being my secretary?”

Eleanor let out a small laugh.

“Yeah. Don’t you think I’m doing pretty well?”

“That…”

It was true.