Grand Duke, I Like You, But Please Die! - Chapter 24

But Kaiel’s next action was unexpected.

He suddenly moved to her side, and without giving her a chance to speak, he lifted her up.

“Is this better?”

Surprised by the sudden lift, she instinctively reached out and grabbed whatever she could.

“Kaiel!”

She soon realized she was clinging to Kaiel’s neck with both arms.

‘What’s this…!’

Delia never imagined being carried like a princess in a situation like this.

She thought he had outright refused her request to carry her, but he ended up giving her something even more.

Feeling his supporting hands, his broad chest right next to her, and his breath above her, everything felt vividly real to her.

She felt like her heart would burst at this rate.

Delia’s face grew hot, and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

‘This will make the blood flow even more…!’

As she was lost in her thoughts, blood eventually trickled down her cheek.

“…Let go of your hands, you’re not going to fall.”

Kaiel’s extremely calm voice echoed nearby.

“Stop the bleeding.”

At Kaiel’s words, Delia instinctively followed his instructions.

She let go of the hands that were around his neck and brought the handkerchief back to her cheek, sneaking a glance up at him. He looked like a sculpture even from below.

It was then.

Ding.

[The villain Kaiel feels discomfort.]
[Plausibility score increases by 10 points.]

The notification sound rang without exception. Delia let out a sigh of regret.

‘This system is a master at ruining the mood!’

She directed her anger at the system and tapped Kaiel’s shoulder.

“Just put me down.”

“Only until we get down. Bear with it.”

What exactly he wanted her to bear, she didn’t know. Being held close by him was not something she should endure, it was rather pleasant.

‘You’re the one who’s uncomfortable! The plausibility score went up by 10 points…!’

Delia twisted her body.

“You’ll feel uncomfortable. Put me down.”

“……”

Whether he was agreeing or not, he didn’t answer. Instead, he tightened his grip so she couldn’t get down.

A warm sensation spread through her body.

‘Well, then…’

Delia gently rested her head against his chest.

‘Just enjoy it, enjoy!’

Despite the rugged mountain path, steep slopes, and her in his arms, Kaiel skillfully descended Fourpeak Mountain like a breeze.

Thanks to him, Delia could comfortably lean into his warm embrace as they made their way down.

‘This is true comfort…’

Even after they returned to the carriage, Kaiel carried her all the way inside. Ian, the waiting coachman, was shocked to see Delia’s face and rushed over.

“Miss! Your cheek…”

“It’s nothing. Just a scratch from a tree…”

“It was grazed by an arrow.”

Ian’s already shocked expression turned to horror at the Grand Duke’s words.

“What! An arrow? An arrow…!”

“Hurry up.”

Before Ian could react further, he quickly jumped onto the coachman’s seat and drove the horses at what was probably the fastest speed of his life.

The injured Delia, on the other hand, remained calm. If not for the sudden flood of notifications, she might have been in a pretty good mood.

Ding.

[Calculation delayed]
[Detected action to assist the villain ‘Kaiel’.]
[Significant impact on the life of the villain ‘Kaiel’.]
[Plausibility score decreases by 50 points.]
[A penalty occurs due to the decrease in plausibility score.]

‘W-wait a minute!’

Delia screamed inwardly.

50 points?

The plausibility score she had built up so far was about to evaporate in an instant. If that happened, she might not be able to help Lady Langte.

‘This isn’t right…!’

She thought rapidly.

‘If the impact on Kaiel’s life was significant, doesn’t that mean the arrow could have seriously endangered him? If Kaiel died there, my mission would fail!’

Delia desperately shouted in her mind.

‘I can’t let Kaiel die at someone else’s hands if I’m supposed to kill him myself… That’s why! System! Hey…!’

It was unexpected that the system responded to her urgent cry.

Ding.

With the notification sound, another window popped up in front of her.

[Please wait a moment.]
[Calculating…]

Delia was dumbfounded. She didn’t expect the system to respond. It had always been one-sided notifications, so she didn’t think it would listen to her.

‘Negotiating… was possible?’

After a moment, the system displayed another window.

Ding.

[The reduction in plausibility score has been adjusted.]
[50 points → 25 points]

It was quite generous.

‘The system is more flexible than I thought! Or maybe it’s sloppy…’

Delia checked her current plausibility score, breathing a sigh of relief.

[Current plausibility score is 36 points.]

It was really, really close.

Fortunately, with 36 points, she was in a safe zone where only minor penalties would occur. It was a relief that Kaiel frequently felt discomfort towards her.

If the plausibility score had dropped by 50 points without any adjustment, her current plausibility score would be 11 points.

When the plausibility score drops to the low 20s, the severity of penalties increases, often resulting in physical pain. If it drops to the low teens…

‘Oh, that’s horrifying.’

Delia’s expression naturally crumpled. Kaiel coldly threw a word.

“Bear with it.”

Kaiel’s voice calmed her chaotic thoughts. He seemed to think she was grimacing because of the pain.

‘…Bear the pain.’

Delia slowly nodded.

‘So typical of Kaiel.’

Delia smiled faintly. Kaiel’s low voice continued.

“I’ll treat you when we arrive, so just hold on a little longer.”

***

The crackling sound of the fire in the hearth was warmly heard in Delia’s ears.

Soon, Kaiel approached, holding a small box.

“Sit.”

Delia obediently sat on the chair as instructed and looked around.

The room wasn’t very large, but it wasn’t tiny either. There was a sense of warmth from people coming and going, but the lack of furniture made it feel somewhat empty. There was a small desk and chair, a long sofa, and a fireplace that gave a somewhat warm feeling.

“What kind of room is this? It’s even duller than my room… No, maybe this is better since there are spiders crawling in my room these days.”

“Turn your head.”

Kaiel placed the box on the desk and took out a rough-looking medicine bottle.

“Hmm, actually, I know without you telling me. You come here sometimes to kill time, right?”

When he returned from battle to rest, he preferred this small adjacent room over his large, grand room. Delia had written that it was to alleviate the loneliness and emptiness that came from being in a spacious place like the battlefield.

“Turn it more.”

Kaiel reached out and then withdrew his hand from her face.

His tall height made it uncomfortable for him, as her face was too low.

Eventually, he sighed and knelt on his left knee.

When his face suddenly moved below her line of sight, Delia felt a strange sensation.

Looking down at him from above when she had always looked up at him brought a different feeling.

“It will sting.”

As he spoke, a burning pain spread around the wound on her cheek. Her face naturally crumpled.

“Ugh…”

“Not yet.”

It felt like pouring hot water on a deep cut.

Delia clasped her hands tightly to endure the pain. Pressing her nails hard into the backs of her hands was an attempt to disperse the pain elsewhere.

Kaiel’s eyes briefly glanced at her hands and then returned. He paused the hand applying the medicine.

“…Grab my shoulders.”

Her tightly shut eyes opened slightly.

‘Shoulders…?’

Staring blankly at him for a moment, Delia placed her hands on her own shoulders as he instructed.

“Not there.”

Kaiel grabbed her wrist and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Hold on. I’ll finish quickly.”

Then he resumed applying the medicine to her wound. Even amidst the stinging pain, she could feel his hands moving delicately and gently.

He could have had a servant treat her, but he was probably doing it himself out of guilt.

Not to mention, he had been on the battlefield since he was young and had received numerous injuries, so he was quite skilled in treating various wounds, perhaps even better than an average doctor.

Delia, who was staring over his shoulder, subtly turned her gaze towards him. His calm, blue-gray eyes were fixed on her cheek.

Occasionally, when he lowered his gaze to scoop the medicine, his eyes would meet hers, and the deep gaze that focused on her wound would sometimes linger on her eyes before moving away.

Growing conscious of her breathing in the quiet room, Delia wanted to open her mouth instead.

“I didn’t expect you to treat me yourself.”

“……”

Even if she spoke, there was no reply.

Suddenly, she felt an urge to call his name.

“Kaiel.”

He still didn’t respond, only carefully rubbing the medicine on her wound.

“…Kaiel.”

It was only when he closed the lid of the box and put away the medicine that he slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers.

“Yes.”

It was the first time.

Delia was taken aback.

Had he ever responded when she called his name?

“Kaiel…?”

“Yes.”

Moreover, his tone seemed to have changed a bit at some point.

Kaiel continued to stare intently into her eyes, still kneeling on one knee.

‘Come to think of it, this is like the posture for a proposal…! Don’t make my heart flutter like that!’

A pleasant tickling sensation came over Delia. But it didn’t last long due to Kaiel’s announcement.

“For the time being…”

Kaiel paused for a moment before speaking firmly.