The Creditor Is My Husband? - Chapter 26

Lucas Taylor was not the type of person who needed to add an excuse to persuade someone. But…

“…When someone like that talks a lot, it makes me even more curious.”

He wondered what kind of woman could change his friend so much. Fernan thought of Lady Anticia, whom he had seen in the newspapers. Lucas had exerted pressure on all the newspapers in the capital, so the papers with her picture were all recalled shortly after being published. But here, in the Taylor household, those newspapers remained, thanks to the butler who had carefully kept them, feeling moved by the arrival of the Taylor family’s mistress.

“Anyway, I should get a grip and start looking for a romantic partner too.”

He had been complacent, thinking he would marry before his workaholic master. Fernan was lost in such trivial thoughts when he was about to yawn again.

Screech!

A harsh sound of something grinding came from outside. Fernan, startled by the loud noise he had never heard before, almost fell on his bottom but managed to get up.

“What was that? What’s going on?”

Fernan, who had been completely relaxed, suddenly became sharp. Without even fixing his disheveled appearance, he hurried to the window. He saw the car Lucas had taken out parked in front of the mansion’s entrance, with dust rising from its wheels.

“Could that sound just now be…”

It was as if the car had made an emergency stop. What could have caused Lucas’s car to stop so abruptly?

“…!”

Fernan stopped thinking and turned pale as he rushed out. The sound of his footsteps descending to the first-floor hall was loud.

* * *

“Huff, huff, where is Lucas? Is he hurt?”

The Taylor mansion was quite large. Even though he had only run down one floor, Fernan was panting as if he was about to collapse. But even then, he was scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, looking for Lucas.

“Or was there an accident…”

Fernan’s gaze, which had been moving busily, stopped at one spot. There, where the butler, head maid, and other employees were gathered. He saw a blood-stained cloth on the floor where they stood.

“Lu, Lucas!”

Fernan, forgetting his manners towards the master, called out urgently. His mind went blank, unable to think of anything. All sorts of terrible accidents flashed through his mind. His friend, who had never needed him because he was so healthy, what on earth…

“Fernan! Come quickly and look at the wound!”

“…What?”

Fernan’s expression went blank as he approached Lucas. Lucas, who was perfectly fine, was urging him.

“Lucas… no, Lucas? Are you okay…”

“Don’t just stand there blankly, come and see the patient! Have you forgotten you’re a doctor?”

Before Fernan could ask if he was okay, Lucas shouted again with a rough voice. Patient. And doctor. Hearing those words, Fernan’s eyes sharpened again. He hastened his steps towards Lucas.

The employees around Lucas stepped aside to make way.

“Patient? Who is injured…”

Once again, Fernan couldn’t finish his sentence. But this time, it wasn’t because of Lucas.

“…Haha. Hello. I apologize for causing trouble.”

It was because of the frail woman with pink hair, who was bowing her head with an awkward expression in Lucas’s arms.

‘…A woman? A woman with pink hair?’

The sight of her hair, like melted sweet cotton candy, brought Fernan back to his senses. It was Lady Anticia herself! Although he had only seen her in black-and-white newspaper photos, he knew from the articles that her hair was pink. Besides, who else would Lucas bring along?

“L-Lady Anticia, right? Nice to meet you. I am the Taylor family’s physician…”

Fernan, blinking in confusion, tried to greet her belatedly. But Lucas spoke first.

“Save the greetings for later and treat her first.”

“…What? Is the lady injured?”

Hearing Lucas’s words, Fernan’s eyes widened as he looked at Giselle. His gaze was so sharp that she flinched without realizing it.

“This isn’t just a cut… Was it a beast?”

My goodness. Being attacked by a beast in the capital, not some remote area. Fernan muttered in astonishment as he examined Giselle’s arm. She cautiously spoke up.

“Um, it wasn’t a beast, it was a cat…”

“Meow.”

The cat in the cage meowed as if protesting at her words. But Fernan, seemingly not hearing her, continued to mutter to himself and spoke again.

“Anyway, we shouldn’t stay here. Let’s go to my clinic. There’s a risk of infection from the beast’s attack.”

“I said it wasn’t a beast, it was a cat…”

“Meow.”

Giselle and the cat tried once more to correct the misunderstanding, but it was futile.

“Why on earth did you let the lady get hurt like this, Lucas!”

It was because Fernan was already scolding Lucas.

* * *

Indeed, he was Lucas Taylor’s physician.

Giselle admired the neat treatment of her arm wound. Contrary to his initial impression, which made her slightly scared, Fernan showed a perfectly professional demeanor during the treatment. …Though he did tend to exaggerate the severity of her injury.

“Look at this, Lucas. The lady’s arm was bleeding profusely. What were you doing while she got hurt like this? Can’t you even protect your future wife?”

“Um, it’s not bleeding profusely… Just a little blood that stopped quickly.”

Giselle, seeing Fernan getting excited again, spoke softly, a bit scared. Fernan, after firmly bandaging her arm, looked up at her.

Giselle flinched.

Just as she was about to turn her head to look for Lucas, startled by the gleam in Fernan’s eyes, he spoke.

“This is not something to be taken lightly, my lady. Wounds inflicted by wild beasts need to be properly treated. Moreover, since it’s a creature that lived in the wild, who knows what kind of germs it might carry.”

“It’s not a wild beast, it’s a cat. And calling it wild just because it lived on the streets is a bit…”

Giselle sighed after refuting Fernan’s words one by one and looked up at Lucas, who was standing beside her.

Say something, Senior!

As she urged Lucas with her eyes, he finally opened his tightly closed mouth.

But contrary to Giselle’s expectations, he nodded in agreement with Fernan’s words.

“It’s not just because he’s my physician, but Fernan is one of the best in the kingdom. So don’t take his words lightly and make sure to get proper treatment.”

“I will get proper treatment.”

“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with what Fernan said, is there? The creature lived outside, so it might carry germs, and it did tear your arm up pretty badly.”

Here we go again.

Giselle began to understand who might have influenced Lucas. She alternated between looking at the two men, who were so calm despite their harsh words, and then inadvertently laughed.

“Are you laughing right now?”

Lucas frowned, displeased with her reaction. But Giselle, still smiling brightly, responded to him.

“Should I cry here instead? Unlike someone, I don’t turn pale and faint over a mere scratch.”

“Who turned pale and fainted?”

Realizing that the ‘someone’ she mentioned referred to him, Lucas turned serious.

Giselle, seeing Lucas’s face turn slightly red, smiled brightly and then spoke in a serious tone.

“Thank you, Senior. For worrying about me.”

It was just a cat scratch. The wound was a bit deep, and it bled at first, but it wasn’t a severe injury.

Yet, the man beside her had turned pale and made a fuss as if he himself had been injured.

No, he was someone who wouldn’t even blink if he got hurt.

Giselle’s face turned red. Somewhere in her heart felt ticklish from his concern and worry for her.

“Ahem.”

At that moment, Fernan cleared his throat. He looked at Lucas and Giselle alternately and then spoke with a playful expression.

“I understand that you two are fond of each other. But could you save such expressions for when you’re alone? It’s making this single man feel even lonelier.”

“…No, I…”

Giselle’s face turned bright red at Fernan’s words. Lucas, also caught off guard, hesitated before letting out a small laugh.

“Fernan, what are you…”

Just as Lucas, rubbing his reddened neck, was about to speak, there was a knock on the door.

He, struggling to find the right words, quickly spoke up, feeling relieved.

“Come in.”

He didn’t even ask who it was. Of course, there were only a few people who would enter this room where Lucas was.

“You were quick, our dear Master.”

Fernan chuckled, guessing Lucas’s relief, and teased him. Lucas pretended not to hear his friend’s teasing and looked towards the door.

“Lucas.”

Entering the room were the butler, the head maid, and the cat in the head maid’s arms.

“Kitty!”

Giselle, seeing the cat clean after its bath, stood up excitedly.

But the cat, upon seeing Giselle, turned its head away.

Tap tap.

The cat’s tail tapping the head maid’s arm showed its displeasure.

Still smiling, Giselle approached the head maid. More precisely, she approached the cat showing its back to her.