“Mmm.”

Saena opened her eyes, feeling the disorientation that comes with briefly losing consciousness.

Tickle tickle. As her frozen body thawed and blood flow quickened again, it created a strange tickling sensation. Saena shook her body lightly.

“Are you awake?”

Her neck bristled at the deep voice that directly penetrated her ear. Saena blinked several times and looked around to assess the situation.

‘……A bathtub?’

She realized she was in a very large bathtub filled with hot water.

“Where is… huh?”

The issue was that she wasn’t leaning against the tub wall, but against the Duke’s chest.

When she tried to hurriedly pull away in surprise, he grabbed both her arms.

“Shh…. Stay still.”

With both arms caught, she couldn’t move at all, and he wouldn’t let go.

“Please… let me go.”

“They shouldn’t go in the water. The wounds will get worse.”

“Ah.”

Looking closer, it seemed he was directly holding and fixing her position to keep her hands from touching the water.

Wounds. The moment she recognized it, she felt pain in her hands. Outside, they had been so frozen she hadn’t really noticed.

“Yes. Hold them like that. Your body has thawed now, so we can get out.”

Come to think of it, what exactly happened?

Saena, coming to her senses, checked her condition. Thankfully, she was still clothed. It seemed they had submerged her in the state she was in her outdoor clothes.

Well, if they had undressed her… that would have been a big problem.

The Duke explained that he had gotten in with her because she was unconscious and might slip under the water. There was also the purpose of positioning to keep her hands from being submerged.

“Put your arms around my neck, yes. Hold on.”

The Duke directed her to wrap her hands well so they wouldn’t touch the water as he embraced her and came out of the tub. Swoosh. The surroundings became soaked as her clothes released the water they had absorbed.

It felt strange being pressed together with wet clothes clinging to skin. Especially since he was only wearing a white shirt on his upper body, having removed his jacket, the tightly packed muscles showed clearly through the damply clinging fabric.

Finding that sight embarrassing, Saena raised her head.

“……”

When she raised her head, this time, their gazes met directly. Her face heated up, feeling like she had been caught stealing glances at his body.

Clear eyes framed by snow-white eyelashes caught her gaze again.

Her heart fluttered as those eyes, growing deeper with every passing moment, that seemed to speak seriously to her. Unable to endure it, Saena slightly averted her gaze.

“Um… thank you.”

“……”

“I ended up receiving your help again.”

“Hmm, if you’re grateful….”

The Duke stopped mid-sentence and stayed silent for a while.

When Saena, who had been staring into space avoiding his gaze, turned to look at him, he opened his mouth again as if he had been waiting.

“Please stop doing dangerous things.”

Then he lowered his arms and set her down.

“That wasn’t my intention… Ah!”

Her dress, thoroughly soaked with water, sagged and granted Saena gravity. The weight of the dress pressing down on her body was heavier than expected, making her stagger momentarily.

If she felt this heavy just from the weight of clothes, then hadn’t she been heavy for him?

“Oh my.”

Thanks to him wrapping around her waist for support, she avoided collapsing.

…The problem was that her gaze was again drawn to his chest where the shirt clung tightly. She hadn’t known that seeing a wet body could evoke such strange feelings.

At least her dress was a dark, thick material, so fortunately her skin didn’t show through.

“I’ll call a maid. The dress seems too heavy to remove alone.”

“Yes……”

Saena answered while subtly turning her head away.

His hand brushed heavily against her cheek.

“……!”

“The thawing seems to have gone well. Wait just a moment.”

Th-thawing?

What an absurdly mundane statement that made her startled reaction seem silly.

Besides…..

‘…Isn’t he touching too freely without hesitation?’

As she had thought before, this man’s hands were surprisingly quick.

* * *

After receiving the maid’s help to undress and being (forcibly?) washed clean, Saena was guided to a room.

“You can use this room, Miss.”

Come to think of it, this was the Kramer ducal residence. Had they come here because it was closer than the Debov estate?

Even so, why a room?

“Do you mean for me to stay?”

Saena, who didn’t feel any particular need to stay despite receiving help, expressed her doubt.

When the maid was about to answer, the Duke appeared.

“Come here.”

“…Pardon?”

“Look outside once.”

Saena followed him into the room and stood by the window.

“…Oh my.”

Her mouth fell open automatically.

“It’s not a situation where we can move right now.”

“……”

Outside, snow had piled up to an enormous height. At a glance, it was higher than knee-level. Not only that, but it was still falling.

Since they’re in the same capital area, they could probably force their way back somehow, but it would undoubtedly involve tremendous hardship. Though it wasn’t a very long distance, seeing the height of accumulated snow immediately dampened her motivation.

“…They’ll be worried at home.”

“I’ve sent a letter. Don’t worry.”

A letter…? In this weather?

If they could send a letter, couldn’t she go too?

Constantine smiled lightly and answered as if he had caught her doubt.

“I sent Morev, not a person.”

“…Pardon?”

Using a Guardian Spirit as a messenger…. No doubt Count Debov’s eyes must have gone wide.

“More importantly… let’s look at those wounds.”

As if such things were no big deal, the Duke led Saena to sit on the sofa.

“Stay here for a moment. I’ll bring medicine.”

He stood up and opened a door in one wall and went out. But it wasn’t the entrance they had come through earlier, but a different door.

‘…What is that door?’

Through the briefly opened gap, the space beyond the door appeared to be another room.

‘Wait. Is that… a connected room?’

The Duke returned sooner than expected. The room she glimpsed through the opened gap was styled with abundant masculinity.

It was probably… the Duke’s bedroom.

‘No, then is this… perhaps the Duchess’s room?’

It did seem too nice for a guest room. But if it was the Duchess’s room…..

Saena felt her brain momentarily stop.

‘No, that can’t be. What family would give such a room to a guest.’

Something felt strange, but Saena forced herself to accept it. It was such an absurd thing that she couldn’t even ask about it.

While Saena deliberately ignored it, the Duke set down a box in front of her and opened the lid. It was a first aid kit.

“Show me your hands.”

A large palm extended in front of her. Saena hesitantly extended her hands to him.

Pop. A bluish-green viscous liquid flowed smoothly from the opened glass bottle. It appeared to be the same wound potion the Duke had given her before.

He gently spread the liquid that pooled in the hollow of Saena’s left palm using both his thumbs.

“Ugh.”

The sensation felt strange. Her palm that had been stinging until just now felt itchy and tingly.

“Does it hurt?”

“…No.”

The potion sank in cleanly, leaving only fair skin behind. The small wounds that had accumulated while clearing the cabin debris disappeared one by one.

Now it was the right hand’s turn.

The wounds on the right hand were quite deep and serious compared to the left. The long split wound from the hollow between thumb and index finger to the center of the palm wasn’t clean like a cut but looked more painful as if torn.

‘I didn’t know it was this bad.’

Her brow furrowed at the sharp pain from just slightly moving her fingers.

“…The wound is deep.”

As if wondering what on earth she had been doing, he let out a long sigh. That exhale touched Saena’s right hand, tickling her skin. Her fingers curled reflexively, making the wound sting again.

“Stay still.”

More potion poured out than before.

The Duke applied the potion over the wound more gently and delicately than when he had rubbed the left hand. The bluish-green liquid seeped into the laceration, gradually filling in the flesh.

Perhaps because the wound was deeper and more irregular, it healed more slowly than the left hand. Still, the stabbing pain decreased significantly, which felt fortunate enough.

He held her right hand for more than twice as long as the left. And as the pain faded, the sensation of his caressing began to give a different feeling. Though she didn’t understand why her shoulders kept flinching when he touched her hand.

Saena wanted to pull her hand away now, but seeing his serious expression as he traced her palm, she could only weakly bite her lip without speaking.

When the potion had visibly sunk completely into her palm, the Duke turned her hand over to check the back, then spread her fingers to check between them. For some reason, her spine shivered as he caressed the sensitive flesh between her fingers.

“Th-that’s enough.”

He raised his eyebrows, seemingly wondering why she said that.

“It tickles……”

Somehow feeling her cheeks heating up, Saena lowered her eyes. Though her gaze was lowered, she could clearly feel him staring at her.

The more time accumulated with him silently watching her, the more her breathing seemed to quicken. Just as her heart felt about to constrict, he turned his body and took something from the first aid kit.

Soon after, Saena’s right hand was thickly wrapped in bandages.

“…Why are you wrapping a bandage?”

“So you won’t use your hand.”

“But it’s all healed, can’t I use it?”

Though it wasn’t completely healed and the wound area still had some pinkish traces, she was satisfied that it wouldn’t leave a scar.

“It’s not fully healed. The internal tissues need several more days of absorbing medicine to heal completely.”