My body was pulled forward as he practically embraced me, plunging my vision into darkness.

With my face buried against his chest, I could only blink in bewilderment.

Carlo had wrapped one arm tightly around my shoulders, pressing our bodies closer together.

The pleasant scent of his embrace, mingled with the cold sea breeze outside, penetrated deep into my lungs.

His familiar fragrance brought inexplicable relief while simultaneously making the fine hairs on my body stand on end.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The heartbeat pounding in my ears reverberated through my entire body.

With all my senses focused on that sound, I couldn’t even tell whose heartbeat it was.

But it was clearly accelerating, as if racing out of control.

For a moment, my mind went blank, and I unconsciously clutched the sleeve of my dress.

“Why did you come here?”

Carlo’s low voice finally came from above my head.

Though he was still holding me tightly and his question was directed at Joseph, I couldn’t help but hear it too. He must have known this, so it could also be interpreted as a question for me.

His cool, calm tone conveyed no hint of pleasure, making me feel a chill even within his embrace.

“The Grand Duchess was curious about Novahans…”

“And that justifies bringing her here in the middle of the night…!”

He pulled me even closer and growled softly, as if suppressing his anger through gritted teeth.

Seeing him like this made my heart sink, instantly bringing me back to my senses.

Not wanting innocent people to take the blame, I pushed against his chest to explain quickly.

He hesitated at my touch before slowly releasing me.

“Sir Joseph and the others did nothing wrong.”

Upon hearing my words, Carlo’s gaze darkened frighteningly fast, but with the torches mounted high behind him, his face was hidden in shadow and difficult to see clearly.

“I begged to come to Novahans. I didn’t think it would be a problem. I never considered arriving at night might be an issue. I came suddenly like this because I wanted to surprise you…”

He exhaled softly with his eyes tightly closed, then looked at me again.

“You came wearing that the entire time?”

Confused by his sudden question, I belatedly nodded.

“…Yes?”

Should I have worn different clothes to Novahans?

I tried to examine my dress but realized I’d been wearing a cloak since boarding the boat, so there was no need to worry about my dress being visible.

While thinking that my attire shouldn’t be an issue, Carlo glanced at the hill I had walked up.

Then he immediately bent down.

“What are you…?”

As he knelt with one knee on the ground, his hand suddenly slipped under the hem of my dress.

“!”

I startled and moved backward, but he quickly caught my ankle.

“Hold still.”

Looking up at my startled face, he met my gaze calmly as if to reassure me, then slowly removed my shoe with the hand he had extended under my dress.

His careful touch sent shivers down my spine.

“Ah!”

As the shoe came off inside my dress and his thick thumb brushed over my swollen instep to my heel, a stinging pain struck me.

A groan escaped before I could stop it. I quickly bit my lip, and his eyebrows furrowed as he watched me.

“I’m fine…!”

His fierce reaction automatically made me insist I was fine, but then my body suddenly rose into the air.

He had immediately picked me up.

“All you know how to say is that you’re fine, don’t you?”

He coldly rebuked me as I looked up at him with wide eyes.

“It’s infuriating.”

Though his face clearly showed anger, my heart dropped for reasons other than fear.

The faint sound of waves rolling from the distant sea to the island and the damp, cold night air brushed against my skin.

“You have no idea how upset I am.”

Carlo’s unwavering gaze as he looked down at me felt like seeing the only person who truly belonged to me in an unfamiliar world.

As I watched his cool face while he carried me with long strides, a question unconsciously slipped out.

“Are you angry?”

“Wouldn’t you be?”

His sharp retort immediately silenced me.

Conscious of my legs dangling in the air, I wondered if I was truly in pain.

“……”

I only realized how rugged the island was after arriving, and I couldn’t complain about the uneven ground in front of people who had been vigilantly guarding me throughout the long journey.

While repeatedly telling Joseph I was fine whenever he asked and bravely climbing the hills, I did think my feet hurt and my ankles were on the verge of giving out.

So what if it hurt?

What difference would it make?

In my previous life, nothing was ever resolved by acknowledging pain or sadness.

Acting as I always had was simply habit, so I did the same in this life too.

No matter what happened, I believed everything would be fine and focused on moving forward.

When someone asked if I was okay, I habitually brushed it off as nothing.

“…It hurts.”

Suddenly, I clutched his shirt and spoke while fully resting my head against his chest.

His shirt swelled as if he had sharply inhaled at my touch.

The sound of his heartbeat seemed to grow stronger where my head rested against his chest.

“I think it hurts.”

When I awkwardly repeated myself, he held me even more tightly.

“You should have said that earlier.”

After the training center’s medic left, Carlo sat down across from me on the bed with tweezers in hand.

During my examination, Carlo had pressured the medic to the point of sweating, suggesting I might have suffered a fracture or ligament tear while coming to Novahans.

When the medic finished the examination and tried to treat the wounds on my instep and ankle, Carlo insisted on doing it himself and wouldn’t let the medic touch me anymore, reminiscent of his behavior during the Conz River incident.

As I watched to see what he would do, Carlo grasped my calf and placed it on his rock-solid thigh.

My dress, pulled up to my knees, brushed against my skin as it fell.

“I can do it myself!”

“Don’t move.”

Though my neck flushed hot and I wanted to pull my foot away, Carlo responded coldly and gripped my ankle more firmly—not enough to hurt, but enough to prevent me from moving.

He began disinfecting the blistered areas while looking at me.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

“It’s fi—”

His expression hardened before I could finish my response.

Feeling the sting, I moved my lips again.

“Um… it stings, but I can bear it.”

After staring at me for a moment, he sighed and continued disinfecting the cuts from the underbrush.

“Why did you come here anyway?”

His tone was gruff as he silently applied the ointment.

He no longer looked at me as he closed the ointment container and took out a compress.

It was the cold compress the medic had left for my ankle.

“…Weren’t you happy to see me at all?”

“Not at all.”

Far from being happy, he seemed thoroughly displeased that I had come.

“Ah!”

When the cold ice pack touched my skin, I instinctively flinched, but he paid no attention and firmly gripped my calf.

It was a silent pressure to stay still.

Well, expecting him to smile when he saw me was purely my imagination…

I was foolish to have rushed all the way here wanting to know his heart, wondering if he truly trusted me.

What had I expected by coming?

What I had harbored was a kind of hope, or something similar…

The immediate cold disappointment put me in a bad mood too.

Seeing his cold reaction, it seemed pointless to ask further about his thoughts.

Though he was treating me, he clearly found the situation bothersome.

“I’ll leave soon, then.”

After watching him resentfully as he applied the ice pack to my ankle, I hesitantly picked up a grape from the table, pretending to be distracted, and said:

“I’ll stay quietly and leave early in the morning without anyone noticing.”

“What…”

“Everyone must be tired, so I’ll stay just a few hours rather than leaving right now. I’ll ask if it’s okay and try to leave as early as possible.”

“……”

“I’m sorry for being a nuisance. That’s why I said I’d treat myself.”

He looked up at me while firmly pressing the ice pack around my ankle.

“So please stop being so angry. If you dislike my presence, you can go somewhere else.”

His eyes instantly darkened.

“Say that again.”

“……”

My heart sank at his cold gaze, but I tried hard not to show my intimidation.

I wanted to pull my calf from his grip, but he wouldn’t let go, so I had no choice but to sit up straight and stare back at him.

“I said you could go somewhere else.”

“You must not understand why I’m angry.”

“I do. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Go ahead, then.”

“It’s because my sudden appearance at your training site is annoying, confusing, and irritating.”

His blue eyes, staring intently at me, felt as pale as ice.

“I asked people beforehand and checked with the Center to make sure I wouldn’t be a disturbance. After confirming it would be fine, I came like this because I wanted to surprise you…!”

As I unconsciously poured out my thoughts, he approached as if he couldn’t stand it anymore and captured my lips.

Every word escaping from me was completely crushed.

Simultaneously, his fingers dug into my hair and completely enveloped the back of my head.