“Take my hand and stand up.”
“…Thank you.”

I decided to accept his help.

Carefully using my fingers, avoiding my wounds, I grabbed his hand and stood up. For some reason, the sensation felt unfamiliar.

‘What is this?’

Startled, I belatedly noticed that Lucian was wearing snug black gloves.

‘He’s wearing gloves.’

The words of the ducal family’s physician, who had mentioned Lucian’s slight obsession with cleanliness, seemed to be true after all.

Well, last time must’ve been an unconscious reaction.

As I entertained such idle thoughts, I let go of his hand and walked out of the forest with Lucian.

The boy trailed behind us, keeping some distance, his head hung low.

“Ella, Benjamin!”

As soon as we exited the forest, a teacher with a worried expression, who had been pacing among the children, raised her voice.

Thanks to that, I finally learned the boy’s name.

‘So his name is Benjamin.’

The teacher quickly approached us, her gaze scanning us as she spoke in a flurry of words.

“I was so worried! Where on earth did you go? And what about these injuries…?”

The teacher’s face hardened as she noticed my hands, smeared with dirt and blood.

At her words, I instinctively glanced at Benjamin, who stood with an unreadable expression, his lips pressed tightly together.

Seeing him look so dejected, I let out a sigh through my lips.

‘…Well, there’s no need to make an enemy unnecessarily, is there?’

Of course, it seemed like he already considered me an enemy, but as long as he didn’t bother me further, there was no reason to deepen the hostility.

After all, once I left this place, I wouldn’t have to deal with him again.

It would be better to leave behind a sense of obligation rather than resentment.

‘Besides, he wasn’t entirely wrong.’

I organized my thoughts and took a deep breath before speaking in a calm tone.

“Benjamin was looking for a hiding spot and accidentally stepped into a pit. I helped pull him out, but I guess my hands got scraped in the process. Isn’t that right?”

“Huh? Oh….”

When I glanced at Benjamin and subtly pressured him for an answer, he stammered and his eyes wavered.

It wasn’t the most satisfying response, but at least he had some conscience left.

“……”

Meanwhile, Lucian, who was standing slightly apart from Benjamin, watched me with a peculiar expression.

Although he hadn’t witnessed Benjamin pushing me into the pit, I was worried he might say something that would escalate the situation. Thankfully, he remained silent.

I thought I even saw a faint smile flicker across his lips.

With everything adding up, the teacher seemed to trust my explanation and let out a small sigh.

“So that’s what happened….”

“It would’ve been difficult for me alone, but thankfully, this gentleman arrived just in time to help.”

I gestured toward Lucian, and the teacher quickly bowed her head in surprise.

“Oh my, where are my manners? Thank you so much. You’ve just arrived, and already you’ve had to deal with something like this….”

“It’s nothing. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Lucian shook his head quietly and gave a brief smile.

The teacher let out a sigh of relief and turned back to me.

“This time, nothing serious happened, but next time, if you find a friend in danger, you must call a teacher right away. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“But what should we do? The healer happened to go out to lunch with the director….”

The teacher frowned in concern, but Lucian stepped in to help.

“I can handle simple first aid. That’s why I’m here. Come with me, Ella.”

The teacher’s face lit up at his words.

She turned to me and said, “Would you do that? Ella, go to the infirmary with this gentleman to get your wounds treated. The rest of you, follow me.”

“Yes!”

“Benji, are you okay? See, the teacher told you not to go too deep!”

Most of the children followed the teacher into the building, while a few ran over to Benjamin, chattering around him.

As I watched Benjamin surrounded by the children, Lucian gently urged me with his soft voice.

“Shall we go?”

“…Yes.”

If I left the wound on my palm untreated and it scarred, I wouldn’t be able to face Mom later.

I tore my gaze away from Benjamin and followed Lucian.

I felt a faint sense of someone’s gaze trailing behind me.

—

“This might sting a little.”

Lucian, still wearing his gloves, brought a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant to my wounded palm.

“……!”

The sharp sting that shot through me made me squeeze my eyes shut.

It felt like my hair was standing on end, but thankfully, I managed to hold back any embarrassing groans.

“It’s okay to make noise if it hurts.”

Lucian muttered softly as he carefully disinfected the wound, his eyes calm and focused.

The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating his profile and mine.

Aside from the occasional sound of voices in the distance, the infirmary was utterly quiet, with just the two of us inside.

This seemed like the perfect time to ask about the situation.

Ignoring the pain in my palm, I cautiously opened my mouth.

“How are you here? Was it the Duke’s orders?”

Lucian answered without any hint of surprise.

“Yes.”

“I thought a knight or at least an adult would come….”

“Since this is an orphanage, sending an adult would’ve raised suspicion. Instead, I came. Coincidentally, the infirmary was short-staffed, and they had posted a job ad in the newspaper. My mentor introduced me, so no one has any reason to doubt me.”

His calm, quiet voice matched the tranquil atmosphere of the infirmary perfectly.

I carefully chose my words and asked again.

“…Did the Duke tell you anything?”

“Yes.”

“How much did he tell you?”

“He told me about the contract to rescue you and your mother from Marquis Diarmuid.”

“Just that?”

“……”

Lucian paused as he removed the cotton ball soaked in disinfectant. His silver eyes fixed on me.

Under his steady gaze, I felt strangely unsettled.

Finally, his soft voice slipped from his finely shaped lips.

“Is there something else I should know?”

“Uh….”

At his question, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Could it be that the Duke hadn’t told Lucian about the secret I knew regarding ‘Victor’?

‘…Well, it makes sense. If he knew I was aware of that, it wouldn’t sit well with him.’

Besides, neither the Duke nor Lucian could know how I came to learn such a thing.

‘By saying it’s from memories of a past life?’

Even telling Mom was something I hesitated over—how could I expect the Duke or Lucian to believe me if I said, “This is a world from a book I read in my past life”?

In that sense, it was fortunate the Duke had kept unnecessary details from Lucian. I should be grateful for his consideration.

It took less than a minute for me to reach this conclusion.

Reflecting on my careless words, I quickly changed the subject.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing.”

“I see.”

Lucian must’ve noticed how unnatural my response was. He didn’t seem like someone who’d miss such things.

But he simply nodded, as if to spare me, and resumed disinfecting the wound.

Seeing that, I felt a twinge of guilt.

‘I keep making mistakes in front of him.’

Why is that? The more I thought about it, the less I understood.

‘Is it because of his eyes?’

Lucian’s eyes didn’t look like those of a child.

When I met his calm, lake-like gaze, I felt as though he could see right through me.

…Maybe that’s why I kept faltering and making mistakes.

‘Hmm.’

While I was lost in thought, Lucian focused on my palm, removing the cotton ball and gently applying a pre-prepared herbal paste to the wound.

The soft golden sunlight illuminated his face as he worked.

Beyond the round silver frames of his glasses, his lowered eyelashes caught the light, sparkling like drops of water.

It reminded me of a scene from a fairy tale—a lake surface glistening under the sun.

‘Wow….’

My initial curiosity had turned into pure admiration as I gazed at his face.

It wasn’t deliberate—it was almost involuntary.

“……”

Perhaps sensing my stare, Lucian, who had been focused on my hand, slowly lifted his head.

Our eyes met directly, and my shoulders instinctively tensed.

“Is there something you’d like to say?”

“No, it’s just….”

I felt embarrassed to be caught staring at someone’s face so intently. Yet, his calm voice had a way of drawing out an answer.

Looking into his serene, moonlit silver eyes, I found myself murmuring, almost entranced.

“…It’s the first time I’ve seen someone as beautiful as my mom.”

I had already noticed Lucian’s striking appearance before, but seeing him up close made it undeniable.

Lucian’s beauty rivaled that of Patrick, the male protagonist described as the most handsome man in the novel.

It was certain. There couldn’t possibly be a face more perfect than his.

“……”

For the first time, Lucian’s unchanging eyes widened slightly.

He blinked a few times before a faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“I’ve been told I’m handsome before, but this is the first time someone’s called me beautiful.”

“Oh, I see….”

“You’re beautiful too.”