The Villain's Sickly Wife Dislikes Being Overprotected - Chapter 2.15

Kyron glanced at my ankle and frowned.

“Dancing is out of the question now.”

He muttered.

The music was still playing, and Kyron and I were standing still in a corner of the banquet hall. With me in his arms, no less.

To make matters worse, instead of putting me down, Kyron started walking.

“W-wait, where are we going?”

“Leaving this untreated will only make it swell more. We need to apply a cold compress.”

Perhaps due to his experience in battles, he was decisive when it came to injuries.

“There should be a place to rest outside this hall. Let’s go there.”

We barely danced at all, and now we’re leaving? This seems like it’s going to be a terribly embarrassing incident.

As I was thinking this, I realized something. Everyone had already stopped dancing and was staring at us.

We had intended to quietly dance just one song in the corner, but in the end, we ended up making a scene in front of everyone.

People’s gazes followed us persistently until we left the banquet hall. It was as if the entire banquet had come to a halt.

Do we have to cross right through the middle of the banquet hall like this?

Kyron didn’t seem to care whether people were watching or not. Well, he was never the type to be conscious of others’ eyes.

Finally, after leaving the hall and reaching a less crowded area, I could breathe easier.

“Are you alright, Madam?”

As soon as we left the hall, an attendant who had come with us to the banquet and was waiting rushed over.

“She seems to have twisted her ankle. Prepare for a cold compress.”

“Yes!”

A short while later, I found myself receiving an ice pack in a secluded corridor next to the hall.

“You need to be careful even with small injuries like this. If you carelessly ignore it, you might suffer for days.”

He watched as the maid applied the ice pack to my ankle, but seemingly dissatisfied with something, he snatched the ice pack away.

“You don’t know how to do it properly.”

He seemed unsatisfied with how the ice pack was being applied, though I couldn’t tell what difference it would make.

He bent his knee while holding the ice pack. I was comfortably seated in a chair, and he ended up sitting at my feet. It felt like I was receiving his personal care.

The maid who had been applying the ice pack to my ankle was fidgeting uncomfortably.

Everyone in this space except Kyron was uncomfortable, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

Does he have some strong trauma about ankle injuries? Perhaps a subordinate once injured their ankle, fell behind, and died.

It was an unusually meticulous care for just a slight twist.

He gently held my foot with one hand and applied the ice.

“……”

True to our usual relationship as a couple who barely exchanged a few words, neither of us spoke further.

Sitting still with my bare foot held, without any conversation, was quite awkward.

I decided to divert my attention elsewhere.

Instead of looking at Kyron at my feet, I turned my gaze towards the far end of the corridor. But I immediately regretted it.

I made eye contact with people who were secretly watching us.

It seems they were curious about him carrying me out of the hall and following us.

Some were even covering their mouths in surprise.

The situation was already awkward enough with just the two of us, but feeling like we were on display in front of onlookers made it even more unpleasant.

It looks like there will be new rumors about the Duke and Duchess starting from today.

“Just give it to me. I can handle it myself.”

Finally losing my patience, I snatched the ice pack from Kyron’s hands.

Applying an ice pack isn’t that complicated.

I pressed the ice around my ankle much more roughly than he had been doing.

“I think this is enough. Shall we return to the banquet hall?”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

I stood up and took a few steps. Since it wasn’t severely twisted to begin with, it didn’t hurt much.

“See? I can walk fine.”

He nodded after carefully observing my ankle.

“Alright. But there’s one thing… I have something to tell you.”

“…?”

“I have someone I’m supposed to meet at the banquet today. I asked them to attend this banquet instead of postponing our meeting. I think I need to go see them.”

Then it must be an important person related to his work. It doesn’t seem like a meeting that can be postponed.

“Is that so? Then please go ahead.”

“You’ll have to be alone for a while, is that alright?”

“You’re worrying unnecessarily, it doesn’t suit you.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Take your time.”

I practically pushed Kyron away. He wasn’t moving quickly, as if something was weighing on his mind.

Being alone made me feel much more at ease. If it weren’t for Kyron, there wouldn’t have been such a fuss over a slightly twisted ankle. It’s better without him.

I went back into the hall.

The music and dancing were still ongoing, but now only couples who seemed to be aiming for the Best Couple Award remained, burning with passion.

Apart from them, most people were focusing on social conversations rather than dancing.

I didn’t come here with any intention of becoming close to anyone, and I knew that most people harbored hostility towards me anyway. So I didn’t feel the need to actively participate in conversations.

I moved to a spot where I could get a better view of the hall to watch the dancing.

I went up about half a flight of stairs to a space where people could rest or chat, and leaned on the railing to observe the hall.

The couples were moving frantically to the extremely fast-paced music. With such dazzling dance moves, they were skilled.

I leisurely watched them.

I had taken medicine to prevent coughing before leaving, so I wouldn’t cough today at least. I felt carefree.

As I was quietly enjoying the banquet, tapping my fingers to the rhythm, someone quietly approached and stood beside me.

“How is your foot, Duchess?”

When I turned my head, it was Lady Lucy Stober, with whom I had a slight confrontation in the waiting room.

***

“Have you been waiting long?”

“I’ve been waiting for quite a while. How can you be so late after calling someone here?”

Marquis Meladin was waiting in a private room next to the banquet hall. Even though Kyron was only slightly past the appointed time, the Marquis immediately grumbled.

“I apologize, Marquis.”

Kyron apologized first as he took his seat.

The Marquis was someone he needed to persuade, so today he had to handle him gently.

Moreover, they had canceled the meeting that was supposed to be held in the Marquis’s territory and hastily called him to the capital. Having made the long journey to the capital and being forced to attend a banquet he hadn’t planned on, the Marquis was likely in an irritable state.

“My wife was slightly injured earlier, which caused the delay.”

“Your wife?”

Marquis Meladin frowned as if it were a pathetic excuse.

“Anyway, I’ve read the documents I received earlier. While I tend to trust the Duke’s affairs…”

The Marquis was like a viper. In his prime, he wielded influence almost equal to that of a Duke’s family. Even in his old age, he still maintained that charisma.

“What I want to tell you today, Duke, is that this matter is not something to be taken lightly.”

“Are you refusing?”

“Well, it’s hard to say it’s exactly a refusal.”

Hinting at something close to a refusal was a tactic to gain the upper hand in negotiations.

“To be honest, I’ve also found it difficult to watch those temple folks doing whatever they please all this time.”

“Any imperial citizen would agree with those words.”

The temple, is already corrupt to the core.