“You should be grateful it’s only an injured ankle.”

After gauging the height of the cliff Selina had fallen from, Calix clicked his tongue. It was a small miracle she hadn’t shattered every bone in her body.

“I’m sorry…”

Selina hunched her shoulders as though she had committed some grave offense. Of course, it wasn’t as if falling from such a height by accident was truly her fault—but Calix decided it might be a good opportunity to instill a little more caution in her.

“Make sure nothing like this happens again. If you get hurt, it won’t just be hard on you—it’ll make things harder for everyone else as well.”

“I… I really am sorry.”

She bowed her head repeatedly, apologizing over and over. Only moments ago she had been snapping at him, asking why he’d even come, and now she looked like a schoolgirl being scolded for not doing her homework.

“As long as you understand.”

He hadn’t intended to truly chastise her, so Calix ended the conversation there and lifted her easily into his arms.

“W-wait… you’re not seriously going to climb up there, are you…?”

Cradled against him, Selina glanced upward, startled. The slope was steep, yes, but with handholds on the branches, it was climbable—at least if Calix’s hands were free. Carrying her, however, meant the risk of both of them falling and suffering serious injury.

“If you try, Your Grace might get hurt too. I-I can just wait here while you go and bring people—”

“Leave you alone in a danger zone? Why not just throw you into a monster den while I’m at it?”

He had only half-believed the sign, but this proved the area really was dangerous. The thought that she could have been mauled by a monster sent a chill down Selina’s spine.

Noticing the change in her expression, Calix smirked.

“Finally realized how serious this is, have you?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s a good thing I’m a madman who follows his instincts; otherwise, you might actually have died.”

His tone was calm, but there was a faint edge in his voice, as though tinged with anger.

‘He must be furious because of me. Of course he would be… they did say that anyone who entered a danger zone would be automatically disqualified from the tournament…’

She didn’t know if Calix had killed enough monsters to win the tournament. However, given how people spoke in unison about his formidable skill, he might have placed in the top five, if not taken first place.

If so, he could ask His Majesty the Emperor for a small favour.

‘Could he have asked for another woman to replace me as his wife?’

Selina looked up at Calix with eyes clouded by a tangle of gloomy thoughts.

Sensing her gaze as he scanned their surroundings with her in his arms, Calix spoke.

“Planning to spout nonsense again about why I came here?”

“N-no. I just…”

She hesitated for a long moment, unsure how to answer, before speaking in a small, cautious voice.

“I feel bad… that coming here got Your Grace disqualified…”

“Ah.”

Truth be told, Calix had forgotten all the rules the attendant had recited. Besides, he had never cared about winning this absurd competition.

For some, the prospect of having a wish granted by the Emperor himself might have been tempting. But Calix had nothing he wanted to ask the Emperor, so it was nothing more than a child’s game to him. If they had offered a material reward instead, perhaps he would have given it a second thought.

“…Which is why it’s quite a pity. The victory this time was as good as mine.”

Seeing how remorseful she looked, he felt an urge to tease her.

And, predictably, her cheeks flushed as she floundered, clearly overwhelmed by guilt at the thought that she had cost him such an honor.

He was just about ready to stop, satisfied with the reaction, when—

“If you don’t mind, Your Grace, I’ll grant you any wish you desire!”

Calix looked at her steadily. She had her small fists clenched at her sides as she spoke.

He wasn’t sure what those tiny, sparrow-like hands could possibly offer him.

“If it’s something I can do… anything at all, I’ll give it to you.”

She wasn’t sure if he needed anything she had to offer.

As he watched her small lips murmuring the words, Calix felt a strange emotion stir within him.

Until now, he had taken it for granted that he could obtain whatever he wanted alone. Relying on others had never satisfied him before, and the things he desired were things that no one else could ever give him.

He wanted the strength to bear the crushing weight of responsibility for Thalia.

That was all Calix had ever wanted.

After his parents died in a tragic accident when he was young, he was suddenly forced to take on Thalia’s responsibilities. Although his uncle had become regent, this had only harmed the duchy.

Richard preferred to indulge in power rather than take on the responsibilities that came with it.

So Calix needed to grow stronger and build everything with his own two hands. This included reclaiming power from his uncle, the regent, and facing the Imperial army on the blood-soaked battlefield.

From the outset, there had never been anyone else who could do what he wanted. He had never needed anything from anyone else.

Surely that hadn’t changed, even now?

So why was he so aware of the absurd words Selina had just spoken?

Calix’s gaze dropped almost unconsciously to her blue-tinged, rain-stained lips.

‘…Something I want?’

“As if.”

No. There was no such thing—especially not from the daughter of a marquis whose motives were murky at best.

Carrying Selina, Calix made his way under the shelter of a large tree to keep them out of the rain.

“We’ll move once the rain stops.”

Climbing back up in the rain wasn’t impossible, but if she kept getting drenched in this cold, someone as frail as her might fall seriously ill.

Then, unbidden, he thought of Zenfri and Alter, who were probably waiting in agitation and dread. If he wasn’t careful, he could be accused of luring the Marquis’s son into mortal danger and lying to avoid investigation.

Logically, it would make more sense to return quickly.

And yet here he was, prioritising Selina’s health over everything else — a fact that felt strangely unfamiliar and oddly out of character.

‘Isn’t it obvious? If she starts coughing in front of everyone, it’ll just cause me more trouble.’

Once again, he dismissed his unease with a reasonable excuse. A faint stirring of something unresolved remained in the depths of his consciousness, but he brushed it aside without a second thought.

“Hold still.”

After setting Selina down on a rock, Calix suddenly began removing his armour. Without hesitating, he stripped off the shirt he had been wearing underneath.

Selina didn’t know where to look, feeling flustered and at a loss, as Calix suddenly stripped off his upper garments.

“Nice to see someone react so sincerely to every little thing I do.”

He murmured in a teasing tone as he lifted her again and laid his shirt over the rock.

“I-I-it’s fine, really—”

“I’m the one who’s uncomfortable.”

Brushing off her repeated protests, he seated her firmly on the shirt. No sooner had he set her down than Calix decided it was time to check what had been bothering him.

“Your ankle.”

“…What?!”

Seeing her react with such alarm, he judged she wasn’t about to offer it willingly, so he simply took matters into his own hands, lifting her foot.

Beneath the shredded, mud-stained hem of her riding trousers, her ankle was swollen enough to make him click his tongue.

No wonder she hadn’t been able to walk.

‘If I leave it like this, the inflammation might get worse—she could be unable to walk properly for some time.’

The injury was more severe than he’d expected. He needed something for first aid, but there was no chance of finding proper medicine out here.

His gaze shifted toward the dense undergrowth.

“Wait here and don’t move.”

He shot her a look so sharp that it felt threatening, making it clear that she was not to move.

At his almost menacing tone, Selina found herself nodding involuntarily.

Only when she nodded did his expression soften and he disappeared into the undergrowth.

She stared blankly at his retreating back before muttering under her breath.

“I am good at waiting, at least…”

Just as promised, she stayed still, and before long he returned—hands full of green stalks topped with small yellow blossoms.

“What’s that?”

“Herbs.”

When Selina looked at them with open curiosity, Calix replied with nonchalance, adding,

“They work well enough. The only problem is, you have to use a lot of them.”

Ugh. So she really did have to eat that herself.

The thought of how bitter it might taste gave her pause, but if it could ease the pain in her ankle, then it was worth it. After all, they said bitter medicine was good for the body.

“I-I’m ready.”

Steeling herself, Selina nodded to Calix.

But what he did next was nothing like what she’d imagined.

Calix put the herbs into his own mouth, chewed them a few times, then spat them out—lifting her ankle and applying the chewed pulp directly to the injured area.

“Ah—!”

Unable to hide her shock, Selina instinctively kicked at the arm holding the mashed herbs.