“Thank you.”

I didn’t need to hear his answer to my suggestion. The look on Rubenstein’s face as he looked at me was simply radiant.

We lay side by side and stared at the same patch of ceiling for a moment.

“Back then.”

The man spoke.

“Back then…… I thought killing Tito Tymveck would be the end of it.”

“…… I know.”

That I truly understood. I nodded slowly, and the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

“I’ve come to realize that Tito Tymveck was only a small mountain.”

“……”

“That makes it quite difficult.”

The low, continuing voice stretched out softly. I held his hand and listened quietly to what he was saying. It felt just like the two of us in the old library.

But. …… I let my gaze drift to the medicine bottle.

I was starting to want him to go.

I wanted to at least put on some ointment before sleeping. When would Rubenstein go back to his own room. I was fidgeting with the hand still held in his when Rubenstein noticed where I was looking and glanced at the nightstand with the medicine.

“…… Medicine?”

Rubenstein looked at me. He seemed to be asking whether it had been prescribed for me, so I gave him a firm nod.

Just him seeing that medicine made me feel oddly embarrassed. But Rubenstein seemed entirely oblivious and asked me calmly.

“Do you need to apply this?”

“Oh, yes. But please don’t worry about it. I was just about to sleep—”

“Where?”

“……”

I snapped my mouth shut.

“Well…… just give it here.”

My mind going hazy, I reached out to try to take the medicine bottle from him.

“It just needs to be applied. Show me.”

“Do you even know where it needs to go, asking me to show you like that?”

“Your arms or legs—”

“If only you hadn’t bitten and—”

We answered at the same time, and his mouth clamped shut. And the moment the words left my own mouth, I had a strong feeling I had made a mistake. An instant a look of realization crossed the man’s face.

His expression turned serious in an instant.

“So it isn’t just the arms and legs.”

“……”

Oh no.

“…… Come to think of it, you told me earlier that you couldn’t have relations because you were in pain.”

He looked back and forth between the medicine and me, then wore the expression of someone who had just understood something.

“The nurse told me to handle you carefully. I thought it simply meant the people here care about you. It isn’t common for people to speak up so readily to the lord of this region.”

“…… So. Please, could you just stop.”

“No, I won’t.”

But there was no way I, with a body too weak to even stay upright, could take the medicine bottle from him. I had only ended up practically throwing myself into his arms.

“Then all the more reason I should take responsibility.”

He said this while calmly washing his hands with the disinfectant beside him. I glared at him as he quickly picked up the medicine bottle.

“I promise. I’ll only apply the ointment.”

But he paid no mind and opened the cap anyway. Who could win against him. I sighed and held out my arm.

He slowly scooped out a generous amount of ointment and began applying it to my arm. I watched my arm being treated, then couldn’t hold back and blurted out.

“You’re the worst.”

“Me? Still, isn’t this better than you expected?”

He was right. He turned out to know how to apply the right amount of ointment. Arms, legs, thighs, all with movements that caused no discomfort, he applied the ointment smoothly.

“And accept it. There are places like your back that you can’t easily reach yourself.”

“I don’t think the person who left marks in places I can’t easily reach is in any position to say that.”

At my words, the man snickered. Naturally, I ended up showing him more and more of myself. But the man didn’t react at all and kept applying the ointment here and there.

It wasn’t long before I noticed his movements had slowed. The pace of applying the ointment had begun to slow noticeably. Why? I turned my head.

I found the man’s face had changed for the worse compared to a moment ago. He looked quite sour. Almost startled.

“…… Your Highness?”

“…… I did this.”

When I called to him, the man answered in a voice mixed with a sigh. I wondered if he had been startled seeing my body. He rubbed my back, then slowly moved down past my stomach and sides to the inside of my thigh. The hand rubbing was simply matter-of-fact.

Then the man spoke in a sincere voice.

“…… I didn’t know your body bruised this easily.”

“…… If you had known, would you have made more?”

I hadn’t meant to be that sharp. Even I was startled by my own tone after saying it.

The man was silent for a moment at my reaction, then gave a short denial.

“No.”

Still applying the ointment by touch alone, his face was utterly serious.

“No. I wouldn’t have hurt you.”

Was he sincere……?

Was it too soft of me to think there was genuine, deep regret somewhere beneath that voice.

I had thought he only knew how to say cutting things. That he was quite good at twisting meanings. And now he was suddenly acting sorry like this. I couldn’t get used to him behaving this way. The same went for him quietly applying the ointment.

In that moment, the man’s fingers reached the place where the inside of the thigh continued further. I shifted and turned to look at him.

“Oh, wait. Not there—”

“That part will hurt too. I’m not touching anything, I really am only applying the ointment.”

“But I can apply it myself—”

“Let me do at least this much.”

The man said firmly, then without hesitation began gently rubbing the inside of my thigh. I drew in a sharp breath. Around the parted gap, the man used those broad hands to slowly and carefully apply the ointment.

“…… Mmh.”

The only one growing sensitive was me. If there were a mirror in front of me, it would certainly be a sight I couldn’t bear to look at. I was nearly bare, being held from behind by the man.

“St, stop.”

When I whispered, the man removed his hand without much reaction and immediately began applying the ointment elsewhere.

“You can’t even see, and yet you’re applying it so well.”

When I whispered that, Rubenstein gave a small laugh as though to say ‘is that what you’re curious about’ and answered.

“Because I’ve already seen it.”

“……”

“All done.”

So this is what it feels like to give an inch and have a mile taken. The man smiled at me and made a show of closing the lid of the ointment.

He had treated my entire body safely.

After that, the man laid me down fully and even adjusted my pillow. He really did seem to have no intention of touching me.

I felt relieved, but was it really a relief? I received his care with an awkward expression.

My feelings were strange. These were the same two hands that had wrung the neck of his adoptive father. Hands that looked like they could take down a bear bare-handed, and yet they were being this gentle with me.

“…… Thank you.”

When I thanked him, he looked at me and gave a small smile.

“…… That’s enough. Get some sleep.”

“…… So.”

“No one will be able to touch you anymore.”

You’re the only one who needs to stop touching me, I thought……

“…… want to…… so…… here.”

The man seemed to be saying something more after that. But in that moment I let my head drop and closed my eyes. I couldn’t hold off sleep any longer. This was my limit. Today had been full of things, and I simply could not fight the sleep. Strange. I couldn’t remember being this sleepy recently. Had my stamina really gotten this weak.

The man, noticing that my breathing had evened out in just a few breaths, said in disbelief.

“Wait, Elaine. You’re sleeping?”

Yes, I am, you.

Inwardly needling the baffled duke to my heart’s content, I slipped straight into a dream.

It wasn’t a bad feeling, though. Strange. There was no way the man’s hands should feel more comfortable than Melly’s, and yet they did. If only…… if only the man were always this kind to me.

With that thought, I closed my eyes.