Chapter 3 - [Can I Touch You?] (2/2)

I was certain that the monster’s arms had been cut off and had been overpowered and defeated right in front of my eyes. But suddenly something had hit me from behind, causing me to faint.

What hit me?

Did any other monster show up?

I couldn’t figure it out.

“You fainted after being hit by a flying fruit.”

“A flying fruit?!” Of all things to get hit by.

The tree that fell down earlier bumped into another tree, and that tree had fruit in it.”

Getting hit by a flying fruit…

I am surprised again.

I imagined myself automatically falling down after being hit by a fruit flying to my head.

How ugly and weak did I look when I was fainting?

The entire ordeal was just so embarrassing.

I wanted to hide in a rat hole.

“The doctor said that you have a bump on the back of your head, but that it wouldn’t be a big problem. If you do feel any discomfort, you can always file a claim in the Academy.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I carefully touched the back of my head after putting down the stained handkerchief. I could feel the bump on it.

Despite my embarrassment, I was also extremely grateful for how worried Theansis was about me. He was so polite to someone who was just a low-ranking aristocrat.

Theansis has been rumored to be cold-tempered. But here he is, right in front of me. Not a single part of him seems to be cold-tempered.

Every time there was a controversy about his personality, I always believed it. I feel like his care for me now was punishment for believing those kinds of rumors.

“Do you feel any pain in your ankle?” He asked me, still worried.

“My ankle?” I moved my ankle a few times.

“Oh, I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

“The doctor told me that in normal circumstances, you would have broken it.”

“What?”

“The monster’s grip on your ankle would’ve broken it, and severely affected your leg as well,” He stated. “It amazes me, especially when I remember seeing how strongly that monster was holding onto you.”

The thought that I might have broken my ankle or leg gave me chills.

I remembered the time that the monster had come towards me, and the squishy feel that I felt when the monster caught my ankle as I was trying to run away.

I got goosebumps.

“If you don’t mind, may I take a look at it myself?”

“W-what?”

Take a look at it himself?

Where?

My legs?

My ankle?

As I sat there silently with my mouth agape, Theansis came one step closer to me.

I hurriedly shut my mouth before I could drool at the weirdly sexy scene.

“May I?” He asked again.

I didn’t know if it was a reflection of light, but it seemed like his eyes were shining.

“T-That’s not it—.”

“Even though the doctor has already examined it, the Acruge family are experts when it comes to monsters. I’d better examine it just in case.”

He wasn’t wrong. He’s an expert when it comes to monsters. It really would be better for him to look at it. There could be some trace of something left behind by the monster, but . . .

“I-I am not saying that it’s not a bad idea. It’s just that it shouldn’t be something done by The Duke—.”

It would be sinful to let his pretty purple pupils see my lowly leg.

Theansis tilted his head. He looked like he was wondering about what I just said. After a silenced moment, he pointed to the bed, as if completely disregarding what I said earlier.

“If you don’t mind, sit over there.”

“What? There’s a sofa I can sit on, and I don’t think I have to sleep again—.”

I knew he didn’t have any malicious thoughts. A courteous guy like Theansis wouldn’t tell me to sit on the bed for reasons to harm me. But the bed made me embarrassed. I thought that he was old enough to understand, and couldn’t help but think a little naughtily.

“You’ve just woken up, so I thought that it would be easier for you to sit in a big bed than on a sofa. Anyways, you can sit wherever you’d like, Lady.”

I nodded and sat on the sofa with a throbbing heart at the use of “Lady” again. He kneeled with a serious face in front of me.

My face heated up. The way he was positioned made it seem as if I was receiving a vow or a proposal.

I was lucky to have met him. But I would never expect that something like this would ever happen to me.

I lifted the hem of my dress with trembling hands and raised it high enough so he could see my calves. Theansis stared at my leg with an expressionless face.

For a short while, he didn’t move and I wanted to jokingly say that his stare was going to pierce through my leg, but when I opened my mouth, I didn’t dare to say it. I wanted to tell a joke to calm my nerves. But since I didn’t say anything, my nervousness only heightened. I was unconsciously holding my breath, and my heart was pounding.

“Can I touch it?” He asked suddenly.

“What?” I didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that my face was tainted red.

I am fully aware it’s just a contact for medical treatment, but it’s because something more than that when the person doing the contact was Theansis.

“I know I am making an impolite request to you, but I’d like to confirm it myself. I’ve never seen a case like yours.”

When I didn’t say anything, he looked up at me again.

“May I?”

I wanted to refuse, but when I looked into his eyes, I nodded unknowingly.

At that moment, happiness flashed and tainted his eyes, but when I blinked, his eyes turned expressionless once more. The change was so quick that I doubted if I had truly seen his face full of happiness.

You acted kind to get my permission, didn’t you?

But then I shook my head to erase my nonsensical thoughts.

Then, Theansis reached into his pocket and pulled out gloves.

If anyone saw his gloves, they would’ve thought that he was being rude.

But I knew that no matter where he goes, he is always wearing his gloves.

There was a rumor a while ago that he had dead skin disease, where dead skin cells accumulate on your skin’s surface. But that rumor died down because men don’t wear gloves when they’re training for swordsmanship.

Even now, no one really knows why he wears them all the time. It’s still a very big mystery.

I was curious, but I didn’t want to ask him why. After all, there are always going to be one or two stories that no one wants to tell.

After he put his gloves on, he touched my leg.

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