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Chapter 19
The rain was pouring so heavily that I thought we might not be able to return to Kamar Academy. Still, hearing those very words come from Teansis’s lips made it sink in all the more.
I might end up spending the night… with Teansis.
Gulp. My throat moved on its own.
“All right.”
After a little hesitation, I nodded.
I couldn’t blame Teansis for the sudden change in weather. Besides, whether I liked it or not, there was no other choice right now.
The coachman, who had heard my answer from behind, spoke.
“Then I’ll pull the wheel free, and we’ll set out again. It’s not far, so we’ll arrive soon, but please be careful—the wheels might get stuck again.”
“Yes, I will.”
While Teansis and the coachman remained outside, I stayed inside the carriage as they pulled the wheel out of the mud.
Even though I could have lightened the weight by stepping down, neither Teansis nor the coachman seemed to mind leaving me inside.
Thanks to that, I was spared from being soaked by the rain. It was clear they had been considerate enough to shield me.
Thus, the carriage set off once more into the downpour.
Just as the coachman had advised, I gripped the seat tightly so I wouldn’t be hurt when the carriage jolted.
Watching me silently, Teansis finally said,
“Even sitting like that, if the carriage shakes, you’ll still go flying.”
“Oh, I’ll try my best to hold on. You don’t need to worry abou—”
I didn’t get to finish. Teansis suddenly extended his rain-soaked hand toward me.
I blinked in confusion, not understanding why he offered his hand. In a low voice, he explained,
“Take my hand. I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt, no matter what happens.”
Up until now, I had been trying not to look directly at him—but hearing those words, my gaze drifted toward him involuntarily.
The truth was, having Teansis seated in front of me felt uncomfortable. Completely drenched, he looked so breathtakingly handsome I didn’t know where to place my eyes.
I hesitated, unable to take his wet hand right away, and once again he spoke.
“Didn’t I say? No matter how uncomfortable the return may be, I’ll make sure you arrive safely.”
His eyes were earnest. It wasn’t that I doubted him—far from it. The problem was that in this situation, I felt as though I might get a nosebleed from sheer fluster.
I thought myself ridiculous at my age, but I couldn’t help it.
Whether intentional or not, Teansis kept paralyzing my reason.
“No, I’ll be fine—”
Just as I was about to refuse his hand—
Thud!
The carriage jolted violently again, throwing me off balance. Teansis instantly reached for me with the hand he had already extended.
Grab.
Only by clinging to his rough hand could I regain my balance.
“Ah…”
In a blink, Teansis—soaked through with rain—was even closer than before.
My heart pounded wildly, so loud I worried it might echo through his palm and reach him.
Glancing out the window to check the road, Teansis confirmed the carriage was still running steadily despite the shake, then said,
“Just endure a little longer.”
I couldn’t answer, only nodded quickly.
If I lifted my face, my flushed cheeks would surely give me away. His rain-dampened hand felt scaldingly hot against mine.
Outside, the torrential rain poured on without end.
Before long, the carriage arrived at a makeshift hunter’s lodge in the mountains.
The cabin looked so ramshackle it might collapse any moment, but with the downpour, there was no other option.
Inside, thick layers of dust covered everything, and a musty odor hung in the air, proof no one had stayed here in a long while.
Still, I didn’t complain. Just being able to stretch out my legs was something to be grateful for—otherwise, we’d have been stuck in the cramped carriage all night.
Teansis looked at me and asked,
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thanks to your care, I didn’t get very wet at all.”
Had he not draped his coat over me while we moved from the carriage to the lodge, I too would have been drenched.
Because of his thoughtfulness, I was relatively dry.
Looking relieved, Teansis said,
“Be careful not to catch a cold.”
While we exchanged brief words, the coachman—standing at the entrance and gazing at the rain—spoke up.
“It doesn’t look like it will let up soon. I’ll go gather dry branches so we can light a fire.”
Teansis glanced sideways at me, checking my condition, then nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“I’ll return shortly.”
With a polite bow to Teansis, the coachman vanished into the relentless storm.
I had already suspected he wasn’t an ordinary servant—but the more I observed him, the more convinced I became.
While I stared absently after him, Teansis dusted off a corner of the lodge and gestured.
“Sit here.”
“Oh—thank you.”
I took the seat he’d cleared. Being tucked furthest inside, it felt a little warmer.
The sun had already set, and with the rain, the wind was bitingly cold. My damp body was losing heat fast.
“And you, Your Grace… are you all right?”
At my question, Teansis looked at me.
He still looked devastatingly handsome with his clothes clinging wetly to him—but this time, worry over his condition outweighed that thought.
“I’m fine.”
He answered without the slightest hesitation. Oddly enough, that very nonchalance only made me more worried.
“If you stay like that, you’ll be the one to fall ill.”
Only then did Teansis glance down at his drenched clothes. Still, his reply was the same.
“You needn’t concern yourself.”
“How could I not? Staying soaked like that is bad for you. So… well, um…”
Not knowing how to phrase it, I waved my hands vaguely. That accomplished nothing.
Finally, I lowered my hands and mumbled,
“…It would be better if you took them off.”
The chill was seeping in steadily. It wasn’t good for him to stay in wet clothes—I truly worried for his health.
But Teansis dismissed it lightly.
“I appreciate the concern, but I rarely catch colds. You should focus on keeping warm yourself. If you fall sick here, I’ll feel responsible.”
Responsible. Hearing him say he’d feel responsible for me—it tugged at me.
“So… if I caught a cold, would you nurse me?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, straight from my imagination to my lips.
If I were lying in bed and Teansis placed a cool cloth on my forehead… maybe catching a cold wouldn’t be such a bad bargain.
Looking up at him with shining eyes, I asked.
Teansis replied with a puzzled expression,
“I’ve never nursed anyone. I doubt I’d be much help. The best thing would be to send the Acruze family’s physician.”
“Oh…”
I quickly buried my little fantasy and nodded.
As expected, that sort of happiness wasn’t mine to have. But even if it never happened, just imagining it was enough to make me smile.
Teansis was that kind of man. Someone who made me happy just by thinking of him.
Hugging my knees, I smiled faintly to myself.
It was an unfortunate circumstance to be stuck in a lodge because of the storm, but when I thought about it, sharing this moment with Teansis felt like a blessing.
I was grateful—even for this small happiness.
Cough.
A small sound woke me. I must have dozed off.
As night deepened, the air grew even colder. The coachman still hadn’t returned with firewood.
The lodge was dark, not a single light.
As my eyes adjusted, I saw Teansis seated at a distance. He was still in his wet clothes, eyes closed, but his stillness didn’t look like sleep.
“…Cough.”
Another faint cough escaped him. My worry grew stronger—he might actually catch a cold.
Even if he was a genius swordsman who could freely command aura, he was still human. No one could endure weather like this while soaked.
Chiding myself for being careless earlier, I approached him.
“Your Grace?”
He didn’t stir.
With a sinking feeling, I touched his forehead.
“Ah! You’re burning!”
His skin radiated alarming heat. He might truly fall seriously ill if left like this.
Glancing around, I realized there wasn’t even a blanket here. His clothes were soaked, and I had no real supplies.
What should I do?
Then I remembered.
Ever since I had cared for my mother with dementia, I’d always carried a medicine pouch. Just in case she hurt herself or fell sick, I wanted to be ready.
That habit had stayed with me, even at Kamar Academy.
Quickly, I dug out the small pouch I always kept on me. Thankfully, among the emergency supplies, I found fever medicine.
“Your Grace, wake up.”
At my urging, Teansis opened his eyes. His gaze was hazy with fever.
“What is it…”
Before he could finish, I pressed the medicine into his hand.
Seeing his questioning look, I explained quickly,
“Please take this. It’s for fever—you’ll feel better.”
He stared at both me and the medicine, then silently placed it in his mouth and swallowed.
Even he must have felt how unwell he was. If he had insisted he was fine again, I would have screamed.
The moment he swallowed, I reached for the buttons of his shirt.
Startled, Teansis caught my hand.
“What are you doing?”
“The medicine alone won’t be enough. You have to get out of these wet clothes.”
“I’ll be—”
“No. I won’t be. Please listen to me, Your Grace.”
Stubbornly, I undid his damp buttons.
He looked flustered but didn’t stop me again.
Taking that as silent permission, I opened his shirt, revealing his chest.
In the dim moonlight, his bare torso was flawless—taut muscles, perfect proportions. The ideal every woman dreamed of.
It was my second time seeing him like this, but now was no time for such thoughts.
Rip—
I tore the dry inner slip of my dress.
Teansis watched me with wide eyes as I used the cloth to wipe his wet hair and body. Even if I couldn’t dry him completely, I had to reduce the moisture as much as possible to preserve his body heat.
With the rest of the fabric, I twisted it into a loop and slipped it around his neck like a makeshift scarf.
He stared at me, utterly astonished.
“Lady, what are you—!”
I tugged it snugly, enough to keep it close against his skin, and explained,
“It may not look like much of a scarf, but even this will help keep in your warmth.”
He seemed ready to protest further, but I wasn’t finished.
I pulled off his shoes and clasped his bare feet in my hands. They were ice-cold.
“Lady…”
His voice was unusually urgent—perhaps the first time I’d ever heard it so.
I smiled faintly at him.
“Trust me. This will help warm you.”
Holding his freezing feet tightly, I willed my warmth into him.
I wished I could do more, but here, there wasn’t much else.
At some point, Teansis gazed at me with a strange expression I couldn’t quite read. His violet eyes gleamed faintly in the moonlight.
“You didn’t need to go this far. Even if I catch a cold, it would pass in a few days.”
“I know. But I want to do this. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“…If I asked why, would you answer?”
His question caught me off guard. The truth was, I was just one of countless ladies across the Vulcanus Empire who had admired him from afar.
Suddenly, he gripped the hand that held his foot.
I tried to pull away, embarrassed that my hands might be dirty, but his grasp only tightened.
In the darkness, our eyes met.
Flash!
A crack of thunder lit up the cabin for an instant, and I saw his face clearly—his violet eyes, dark and sharp, like a wild beast.
“Back then, you told me you wished I’d never get sick—that I’d always stay healthy.”
That had been the day at Kamar Academy when we were attacked by a monster, right before we parted. I hadn’t thought I’d ever see him again, so I’d spoken the words I most wanted to say.
“From that moment… I’ve been curious. Lady, do you know me?”
