Chapter 62
Alice, startled, called out to him, and Prion looked up from below.
“Your ankle… you’re injured.”
“…How did you…”
“I noticed you couldn’t put weight on your left ankle when you stood up. I know you deliberately hid it because of the child.”
“Well… I thought he might faint if I said I was hurt.”
Alice spoke lightly, trying to lighten the mood despite Prion’s serious face, but his stern expression didn’t soften.
“I’m really fine. I can treat it with my holy power.”
“One’s own holy power has little effect on their own body.”
“Oh, really?”
This was news to her.
To think that even with holy power, one couldn’t heal their own body.
It’s like the saying, ‘the cobbler’s children have no shoes,’ isn’t it?
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to treat you.”
“Ah…”
Although it felt a bit odd and uncomfortable to see Prion kneeling on one knee looking up at her, her ankle hurt too much to refuse.
She had fallen quite hard, after all.
Her back, waist, and elbows all hurt, but among them, her ankle felt properly sprained.
“…Then, please do.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Prion carefully held her ankle. Soon, a holy light spread from Prion’s hands.
The feeling of warm energy spreading into her ankle.
So this is what holy power feels like.
Alice looked down at the light with curious eyes, as she had never used it on herself before.
As the treatment seemed to end, the light flickered and Prion’s hand moved away.
“Would you like to try moving it, Duchess?”
Prion looked up at her and asked.
“It seems completely healed.”
The pain in her ankle had completely disappeared, even without checking.
But still worried, Prion said,
“Just to be sure.”
The moment she started to walk in place to show him, there was a crack, and with the sound of her shoe heel breaking, Alice’s body swayed.
“Ah.”
Thanks to Prion quickly standing up and grabbing her hand, another fall was avoided.
However, the shoe heel seemed completely broken.
“Oh my, it seems your shoe was damaged from the earlier impact.”
“Yes, but my ankle is really completely healed. Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. For overlooking the child’s rudeness as well…”
“He’s just a child, mistakes can happen.”
“…There aren’t many nobles who understand the mistakes of commoners.”
Alice spoke brightly on purpose, fearing the mood might become heavy again, but a bitter smile once more crossed Prion’s lips.
Not a child’s mistake, but a commoner’s mistake.
Unlike the world she had lived in, this was a place where class differences were clear, so Prion was right.
Moreover, Prion was from the slums, so he must have seen many cruel aspects of the nobility.
Come to think of it, the reason he came to despise Lady Quillian was because she didn’t treat the poor as humans.
Alice realized that what had just happened wasn’t a light matter for Prion.
Not knowing what he had been through, she couldn’t carelessly bring it up.
Well, this wasn’t the atmosphere she had intended.
As she silently gazed at him in the once again heavy atmosphere, Prion quickly put on a bright smile.
“It seems I’ve shown many unpleasant sides of myself today. Please forget about it.”
“Don’t worry, I’m actually quite forgetful. Um, and what important conversation were we having?”
Prion let out a small laugh at Alice’s playful response.
He let go of her arm and extended his hand again.
“Since your shoe heel is broken, I’ll escort you. Please accept my help until a servant brings new shoes.”
“Alright…”
Just as Alice was about to take his hand, a familiar deep voice was heard.
“My lady.”
Perhaps because the word ‘my lady’ had become familiar now, Alice raised her head even though her name wasn’t called.
“Duke.”
As she turned her gaze, Kylus was there.
Perhaps because Kylus had been appearing so suddenly before her here and there, his unexpected appearance wasn’t so surprising anymore.
Now, such sudden appearances even seemed welcome.
Alice looked at him with a slight smile.
However, for some reason, Kylus’s expression as he approached didn’t look very good.
There was a chill emanating from his sculptured face.
He always had a cold impression, but now there was more tension in the line of his jaw and his straight eyes.
He seems… angry?
It didn’t seem to be her imagination, as Kylus, who reached her in just a few steps, spoke coldly to Prion.
“It would be best to withdraw that hand, High Priest Prion.”
“…I was merely trying to escort the Duchess because her shoe heel broke, there was no other intention.”
“Whether the High Priest had intentions or not, this is a place with many watching eyes. The temple is no exception to unnecessary rumors spreading. Isn’t that right, High Priest?”
Kylus stared directly at Prion.
A piercing gaze and a voice low enough to be threatening.
Kylus was showing clear hostility towards Prion.
Why on earth?
Alice was extremely perplexed by Kylus’s ominous aura.
What part of this had made him angry?
It was enough to make her wonder if Kylus had always disliked Prion.
Since the two had never been involved in the original story, how could she know if there had been any past connection?
But when Kylus had just regained consciousness, he didn’t seem to dislike Prion.
And Prion wasn’t avoiding Kylus’s gaze.
Even though Kylus’s gaze was so sharp that it made her skin prickle just watching from the side.
Just as she was marveling at Prion not backing down from Kylus, sensing that something might go wrong if this continued, Alice spoke up.
“Duke, the High Priest was just treating and helping me.”
“Treatment? Where were you hurt, my lady?”
Kylus, who had seemed immovable, unexpectedly turned his head towards Alice immediately.
He narrowed his brows and quickly scanned her body.
“Your shoe heel is completely ruined. Did you fall?”
“Yes. I lost my footing…”
“You lost your footing?”
Kylus’s eyes narrowed.
He seemed to think her words weren’t true.
But if she told the truth here now, she had a strange premonition that either that child or High Priest Prion wouldn’t be safe.
Alice nodded and changed the subject.
“Yes. By the way, have you finished your business, Duke?”
“…Yes, I have.”
“Oh, you finished quickly. I was just about to leave after finishing my conversation, but then I heard the High Priest had a visitor, so I hurried and ended up losing my footing.”
“…That visitor was me. I came looking for you, but the priest misunderstood and said he was looking for the High Priest.”
“So it was you, Duke. Well, since it seems we’re all done here, shall we head back?”
Alice looked alternately at Kylus and Prion with an awkward smile.
Perhaps sensing Alice’s effort to lighten the mood, the tense atmosphere between the two men softened somewhat.
“Then I’ll take my leave as I have matters to attend to.”
“Yes, High Priest.”
Prion left first.
Although Alice was concerned about Prion turning away as if avoiding them, there was someone a hundred times more worrying by her side.
Kylus.
Why on earth had he gotten angry at Prion?
Had something upset him while talking with the high priests?
Alice spoke to Kylus.
“Shall we go too?”
“With that foot?”
“Pardon?”
Kylus’s gaze moved downward. To her completely bent shoe heel.
Following his gaze to look at her shoe, Alice let out a low sigh.
Ah…
She had momentarily forgotten about her broken shoe in the tense situation between Kylus and Prion.
That her shoe was broken.
“I think we need to call a servant.”
If this had been the world she used to live in, she wouldn’t have cared about a broken shoe and would have just walked, but now she was a noble lady.
One who had to maintain face and dignity.
If she walked limping with a broken shoe, strange rumors would surely spread.
As Kylus said, there were many watching eyes in the temple, so it would be best not to show such a sight.
There already seemed to be quite a few rumors surrounding her, so there was no need to add to them.
“There’s no way the temple would have proper shoes for a noble lady. Excuse me for a moment.”
“Excuse you? Ah, Duke!”
Just as she was wondering what he meant by ‘excuse me,’ Kylus swiftly lifted her body into his arms.
It was a light gesture, as if lifting a sheet of paper.
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
The fact that he had lifted her in what’s commonly known as a princess carry was shocking in itself.
Alice called out to him in astonishment, but Kylus’s face remained nonchalant.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“Yes. Extremely, very much so!”
“Hmm.”
When Alice spoke with wide eyes, instead of putting her down, Kylus adjusted his hold on her.
“If you put your arms around my neck, it will be more comfortable.”
No, that’s not what I meant.
Kylus was looking at her with an expression that said to hurry and put her arms around his neck.
Surely he must know that this discomfort wasn’t that kind of discomfort?
Alice looked at Kylus, who was pretending not to understand, with an incredulous expression.
“…Duke, surely you’re not planning to go like this?”
Alice looked at Kylus with eyes that pleaded for him not to do this, but…
“We’re going. Like this.”
“I’d rather walk barefoot.”
That would be better.
‘The Duchess walked barefoot without dignity.’
This rumor seemed better than ‘The Duke affectionately carried the Duchess in his arms.’
Alice wriggled her feet as if asking to be put down, but Kylus was adamant.
“Barefoot? I can’t be a heartless husband who lets his wife walk barefoot.”
“No, wait…”
“Then, shall we head back now?”
Ignoring Alice’s words, Kylus smoothly lifted the corners of his mouth and took a step.
With his quick pace, Alice had no choice but to put her arms around his neck to maintain balance.