Chapter 7

Was it just her imagination?

Kassia tilted her head and struggled to move her trembling legs forward.

It felt like climbing a mountain while carrying a boulder on her back.

“……Is this a trait of the Imperial Family? Actually, little boy, I know a member of the Imperial Family. Hah… Grand Duke Penminid. That guy is also at least a head taller than everyone else…”

She forced the words out between her irregular breaths.

Stop thinking about how heavy he is.

Clear your mind by thinking about something else.

No matter how much she kept talking and trying to hypnotize herself…

Damn it!

Heavy was heavy!

Kassia’s upper body had now bent almost in half, while her lower body was barely holding up.

And on top of that—

Scrape, scrape.

She had been hearing a creepy dragging sound from behind her for a while.

The sound grated on her nerves, making her face twist in irritation.

She was already about to die from exhaustion, and now she had to endure a mental attack too!

“……I don’t know about anything else, but little boy, a potion maker’s special talent is wisdom. Hah! I didn’t research this for a situation like this, though…”

Kassia rummaged through the leather pouch hanging from her waist.

Her trembling arms made her miss several times.

Good thing I brought this with me.

She took out a reddish-orange vial and gulped down its contents in one go.

It wasn’t something she sold. She had made the potion, called Power Surge, just for fun.

The name was childish, but its effect of temporarily increasing strength was excellent.

“Burp! I’m feeling a little better now, at least…”

But even if carrying him had become easier, the boy’s solid bones hadn’t gotten any smaller.

If he had felt like a boulder as big as a house before, he now felt like a boulder as big as a carriage.

That was all.

Her back, bent almost in half, still throbbed as if it were about to snap.

“Because of that… hah… Grand Duke bastard, why am I putting myself through all this? Hoo… I should take care of my body… and use it until I’m old enough to smear the walls with my own filth.”

Even while grimacing in pain, Kassia never stopped muttering.

No, she was desperately struggling to overcome this obstacle somehow.

She endured and endured…

By the time sweat poured down her body like rain and soaked her chemise dress, a mushroom-shaped building finally came into view.

…At last!

After overcoming all those hardships, she had finally made it home.

“……Hoo… Just a little more!”

Clenching her lower lip, Kassia moved forward with trembling steps.

Scrape, scrape.

The ominous dragging sound continued to follow right behind her.

This sound is seriously getting on my nerves.

It sounded like something being dragged in a sack used by hunters to carry their prey.

But she couldn’t exactly put the boy down just to check what was making the sound.

She was doing her best to ignore it when—

“Miss!”

The servants came rushing toward her in a panic, including her nanny, Agatha, who had come outside ahead of time.

“Hah… Nanny…”

“My goodness, there’s blood… Did you bring home another patient?”

“Y-yeah. Well…”

“You’ve been bringing people home without even checking who they are, just because they’re patients. How many times have you gotten yourself into trouble like this?”

There wasn’t much strength behind her nanny’s scolding.

She was simply too proud of Kassia for having the qualities of a proper potion maker.

“Oh my, look at all that sweat! You must be exhausted. Put him down now. We’ll carry him for you.”

The nanny and servants hurried to reach for the boy on Kassia’s back.

But Kassia struggled to take a step away from them.

“No! Y-your help… Hoo… isn’t necessary.”

She had to take responsibility until the very end if she wanted to take credit for her good deed.

She acted firmly to keep them from stealing her prey.

She had her own ulterior motives.

But the nanny and servants misunderstood her intentions as a sense of responsibility and felt deeply touched.

They even thought her refusal was an act of consideration.

Moving close behind Kassia, they tried to grab the patient’s arms.

“Come on, Miss, let us help you—Gasp!”

But just as they were fussing over her, something strange happened.

Marie, the maid, began hyperventilating, while Tommy, the footman, collapsed backward.

What was wrong with them?

Their expressions showed something beyond surprise. They looked almost horrified.

Puzzled, Kassia looked at her nanny for an answer.

“Miss, well…”

The nanny seemed troubled.

With an awkward smile, she slowly stepped backward.

Whatever. I don’t know.

Her back felt like it was about to break. This was hardly the time to ask questions.

Kassia gave her nanny a look that said, Let’s take care of the patient first.

Then she practically crawled into the guest room on the first floor.

“The finish line… hah… is right in front of me.”

There were only ten steps left to the bed.

She gradually closed the distance and finally took her last step.

The moment the soft sheets touched her damp dress—

Unable to wait another second, she practically threw the boy onto the bed.

But what happened next was truly unfortunate.

Thud! Clang!

Perhaps because she had tossed him down carelessly, the boy’s left forehead struck the bedpost with a loud bang.

“Oh, my goodness!”

Panicking, Kassia hurriedly reached out to check on the boy lying sprawled across the bed.

“My lucky charm mustn’t get hu—”

He mustn’t get hurt…

But then—

“……AAAH!”

She screamed and collapsed onto the floor.

Her eyes, nostrils, and mouth were all wide open.

……Why are you here?!

“I’m going crazy.”

Kassia grabbed her hair and pulled at it as if she were trying to make herself bald.

“What lucky charm?! My foot!”

It was early dawn, and the pale light of morning was beginning to filter in.

She had spent the entire night thinking about what had happened, but she was only getting more confused.

She had rescued a little boy…

She had definitely carried that boy home on her back…

Then why?

She stared blankly at the bed.

Why was Calix Alexevich Verbena Penminid, the Grand Duke himself, sleeping there?

Looking at the Grand Duke’s peaceful face, Kassia, who hadn’t slept a wink, felt her thoughts becoming more tangled by the minute.

The only person who could clear up her doubts was sleeping soundly…

She wanted to be understanding because he was unconscious, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

I’m going crazy over here, and you can still sleep in this situation?

That was exactly how she felt.

Annoyed, Kassia walked over to the bed and sat on its edge.

The soft mattress sank beneath her weight, making the Grand Duke’s body move slightly.

Even so, he didn’t turn over or show any sign of waking up.

“So you’re not a light sleeper.”

Perhaps he should have been sensitive to the slightest sound after living on battlefields for so long.

Perhaps he should have suffered from insomnia because of all the quiet around him.

But those cliché traits from ordinary novels didn’t seem to apply to the Grand Duke.

As Kassia looked down at him, sleeping deeply…

Wait a minute.

A mischievous idea slowly crept into her mind.

Why did she need to wait for the Grand Duke to wake up?

The idea suddenly occurred to her, and it seemed pretty good. She grinned.

All she had to do was take him near the Grand Duke’s residence and dump him there…

Ahem. She could gently leave him there.

Then everything would be settled.

She wouldn’t have any reason to get involved with the Grand Duke anymore.

“Hehehe.”

The corners of her eyes curved as she smiled with satisfaction.

It’s a perfect plan!

After praising her own genius, Kassia gave the Grand Duke one final inspection.

She had to make him look as though he hadn’t been attacked. Otherwise, he might go wild trying to find the culprit.

“Hmm…”

She could ignore his dirty, wrinkled shirt.

It wasn’t as if anyone in the Empire could beat up a war hero like him, but she had no choice.

His upper body looked fine enough. Now, let’s see…

His lower body—

“Eek!”

Kassia’s bottom shot into the air as she jumped in surprise.

His trousers were torn to shreds.

The Grand Duke’s legs were covered in wounds that looked as though a beast had scratched them.

This wasn’t something she could simply overlook.

So the thing being dragged along the ground like a sack earlier was the Grand Duke’s legs!

After witnessing the terrible sight, she frowned.

“First… I need to destroy the evidence.”

If the Grand Duke discovered that she was responsible for this, her head would be chopped off just the same.

I’ll clean things up as much as possible before dumping him!

Kassia’s golden eyes flashed as she made a new plan.

Her bright eyes were filled with determination.

She hurried out of the room, then returned just as quickly a short while later.

After all, her greatest weapon was—

“It’s not as if I’m a useless potion maker, right?”

Grinning, she shook the five healing potions in her hand.

With these potions, she should be able to make the wounds disappear without leaving a trace.

Kassia quickly climbed onto the bed and clasped her hands together solemnly.

“Please let fresh skin grow quickly, leaving not even the tiniest trace that could serve as a clue.”

After finishing her prayer, she firmly grasped the Grand Duke’s right leg with both hands.

“Oh my goodness, he’s heavy.”

It was as difficult as lifting a log.

Still, she refused to give up. She dragged his leg with great effort and somehow managed to spread his legs apart.

Excuse me~.

After politely asking for permission, she glanced at the Grand Duke.

He was still sleeping soundly.

Relieved, Kassia knelt between his spread legs.

Then she carefully poured the healing potion over his wounds.

“Ugh. That must sting.”

Whenever the wounded skin bubbled, she grimaced.

And honestly, she didn’t just close the wounds with the potion.

She also wiped away the blood with a damp towel, working carefully and thoroughly.

This was definitely not evidence destruction.

It was healing.

Because I’m a skilled and merciful potion maker.

Despite her inner thoughts, the corners of Kassia’s mouth twitched wickedly.

If she erased the traces before the Grand Duke woke up…

Then even if she got caught while dumping him somewhere, there would be less she had to confess.

“Ooh~.”

Bending over, she even gently blew on his wounds.

Heal quickly. Please, heal quickly.

That way, I can pretend nothing happened without the Grand Duke finding out…

“I see you have a hobby of throwing yourself on top of people.”