Like a Dry Branch in the Wind

Killian returned to his bedroom. As soon as he opened the door, Rietta jumped out of the sofa. She quickly approached him as the door closed and asked.

“Did it go well?”

Killian stared at Rietta with a cold face. It was very easy to notice that she was limping even though she tried to hide it. He was not grateful, he was boiling with rage.

“Who told you to act as you please?”

Rietta’s already pale face became even paler with his cold voice.

“Did I cause any problems?”

Killian’s eyes headed to Rietta’s leg. The wound was hidden in her dark navy indoor dress, so it was not visible. Killian turned away, gritting his teeth.

“No.”

Killian replied coldly, taking off his coat and hanging it over the chair next to him.

“It worked out well.”

Only then did Rietta’s stiff expression relax a little. She pressed her trembling chest down. Barely having breathed a sigh of relief, she walked and reached for Killian’s clothes on the chair. Killian grabbed her wrist when she crossed next to him.

“What are you doing now?”

Rietta looked at him with a surprised face.

“Your clothes… I’m the only one here.”

“Hah.”

 Did I look like I threw my clothes away so she could clean them?

Killian shot back.

“Who asked you to do that?

Rietta’s eyes shook without knowing what to do.

“My, my apologies. I’m just…”

“I was not in such a troubling position that warrants you to do that. I didn’t even ask you. How dare you…!”

Killian spouted off coldly. Somehow it was not about cleaning the clothes anymore. Rietta was flustered and bowed her head in front of Killian.

“My apologies. This foolish countrywoman has done something presumptuous.”

Killian felt the anger from within. He unconsciously put strength in his hand that was holding Rietta’s wrist.

“What made you so confident to do such reckless things…!”

Rietta’s eyes trembled. Eventually, Rieta knelt down with her wrist being held.

“I was wrong. Please punish me. I will submit to any punishment.”

“Punishment? Are you kidding me?!”

Killian could not control his rage and pulled her hand to make her stand up. Rietta stood up helplessly and staggered, the moment he saw the weak woman being swayed by his strength, Killian let go of her hand out of bewilderment. Her slender wrist was bruised red as a result of being held.

Killian’s felt as if cold water had just been poured on his head. He didn’t even put much strength into his hand, only pulling her slightly, but her wrist was bruised and her feet had stumbled. And yet, this same weak woman stabbed her body with her own hand just to help him.

“Rietta.”

Killian growled in a low voice.

“This is not the kind of loyalty I want from my subordinates.”

Killian was able to protect himself, there were separate people who worked to protect him, he had all of his beloved men who were strong, loyal, and ready to throw themselves into danger, not a weak and ordinary woman

He never imagined that he would be helped at the expense of such a weak woman. When he got angry at her unauthorized action, she admitted she was wrong and asked him to punish her. Her actions seemed to make her more pathetic.

Killian clenched his fist and closed his eyes tightly. He did not know why he was so angry.

Killian murmured quietly, keeping back on the rising anger.

“Don’t make me a shameless superior.”

When he chewed his lips and opened his eyes, their eyes met. 

“You don’t have to deal with sacrifices that I didn’t even ask for.”

Rietta was bewildered. Only after a while did she vaguely think that he was angry because he felt sorry for her injury.

“Answer.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Rietta quickly nodded and replied. Killian’s face was still dissatisfied, but he slightly became relaxed. He looked at her red wrist and then looked back into her sky-blue eyes again.

“…Your wound?”

“It is fine.”

He was annoyed because he was sick of her answer that did not go beyond his expectation. However, to avoid repeating the same mistake, he barely suppressed his feelings and said.

“I will call a doctor or priest as soon as we leave this place tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Killian eventually burst into anger, overshadowing his effort to be patient.

“What are you thankful for? You got hurt because of me!”

Rietta could not find anything to answer and just shut up. Killian thought that if she spoke again, it would drive him crazy. He spouted swear words in a low voice and let out a sigh. After a while, he calmed down his anger again and continued to talk.

“I can’t call a healer right away.”

“Of course. I know.”

Killian could not hide his boiling rage and stared at her. Only much later, he sat crookedly in a foul mood on the sofa where Rietta was sitting.

Rietta had taken off her blood-stained white dress and changed into a dark navy dress that was difficult to reveal wounds or bloodstains. On the bed, there was a nightdress for Killian to change into at any time. A towel was placed on the sofa where she sat. Killian soon noticed that the towel was placed there in case blood seeped from the wound.

Killian gritted his teeth and called Rietta.

“Come here.”

“Pardon?”

“I need to see your wound. I didn’t even stop the bleeding properly and you didn’t even show it to Lana, right?”

Rietta’s eyes widened. 

“No, no. Your Grace… I mean, milord, you have tied it tightly.”

“No, I didn’t. Come here.”

Killian gestured to her. Rietta waved her hand with a reluctant face.

“It’s fine. Everything is good.”

“But I saw the blood flow with my own eyes.”

“I, I’m fine now.”

Killian frowned.

“Those who make me repeat my words…”

Rietta immediately gave in and approached him. Killian was momentarily speechless at Rietta’s quick change of stance but he was barely able to finish his sentence.

“…This will be the only time that I forgive you.”

Killian reached out and pulled the small stool attached to the sofa. He tapped it with his hand as a sign for her to raise her leg. As it was painful to lift her injured leg, Rietta’s eyelids trembled and she carefully placed her left foot on the stool.

A deep stab wound was exposed in her leg. The blood had stopped flowing to some extent, but blood was still seeping through the red, open wound. The skin around the wound was red and looked very painful. Killian frowned at her with a bitter face.

“…There was no need to make the wound this deep.”

“My apologies.”

Those damned ‘my apologies’ and the ‘it’s fine.’ I should throw away those two words from the dictionary.

Killian squinted his eyes and looked at Rietta, he let out a sigh.

“Let’s cleanse it.” 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Killian carried Rieta carefully to the bathroom so as not to open the wound. Rietta was quiet but she did not even dare to make eye contact with him.

“I… I can…”

“Put your hand away.”

Regrettably, Rietta obeyed his order and let Killian wash her wound with clean water. When she flinched after the water touched her wound, he bluntly said.

“Tell me if it hurts a lot.”

Contrary to his cold voice, his hands were cautious. Killian murmured through the sound of the flowing water.

“What would you do if they tried to do a body search?”

Her strategy worked because all the people who came were men bound by doctrine. As paladins and priests, they would not have dared to look inside a woman’s skirt. But if they pushed a priestess in, she could have noticed something suspicious.

In fact, they were able to suppress the situation that was almost dangerous because of the knight Serus with his authority and the justification she had created. They had the priestess they had placed in the temple so they were able to go through it smoothly…

But Rietta’s answer in the next moment stopped his thought.

“But then… Your Grace would stop them.”

Killian’s hand stopped.

“Because I’m…your concubine.”

Killian looked intently at Rietta’s face.

“…I mean, milord.”

Rietta thought he looked at her because she was addressing him incorrectly, so she corrected herself furtively. Killian lowered his gaze to her wound.  

I thought she would say something like ‘my apologies’ again.

“…Of course I would not just let them search your body.”

But what’s with this leg? At least take it easy.

He stood up to get a towel to wipe her wound.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After rinsing the wound with cold water, Killian wrapped it tightly with a clean cloth instead of a ripped hem. At first, Rietta did not know what to do, but as Killian was accustomed to handling wounds, she felt at ease as if she was dealing with a doctor, letting him take care of her wound.

Somehow, I always feel compelled to pay back what I owe. Perhaps doing this will also make him comfortable. No, of course, he’s different from me.

“Good job.”

“Thank you, milord.”

Her wound treatment was complete. Killian left Rietta sitting and even cleaned up the mess by himself. He turned around indifferently and pointed to his bed with his chin.

“Now sleep.”

What he meant was clear. Rietta’s eyes widened. The Archduke of Axias was heading to a chair with a backrest instead of the bed. No matter how she needed to follow his order, this was wrong. There was only one bed in this room.

“Mi… Milord, you must sleep too. You have to attend the grand blessing ceremony tonight.”

“Forget it. I think it would be more comfortable to watch you sleep.”

Killian indifferently dragged the chair to the front of the bed and sat down. Then, he glanced at Rietta who was still sitting, not knowing what to do.

“Should I lay you down?”

Rietta jumped up reflexively. Killian pointed his eyes at the bed.

“Lie down. That’s an order.”

Rietta crawled into the bed with a long face.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Morning light came through the translucent curtains, making the whole room bright. Even though Rietta stayed up all night due to the incident, she still could not sleep easily due to the bright sunlight and tension…

Besides, if you look at me like that, how am I supposed to sleep?

Killian leaned on the backrest of the chair and looked at her with his chin resting on his hand as if to see when she would fall asleep. Rietta reluctantly opened her mouth.

“…I don’t mean anything else. But, but the bed is spacious, so milord, you also will be able to lie down here.”

Even though I’m sure he won’t misunderstand anything.

Killian smirked when he saw Rietta murmuring in a faint voice with her eyes shaking.

Even though I know she’s not trying to be seductive this time, I still feel like she is. Probably because of that dull look.

Rietta took courage and spoke straightforwardly with a red face.

“Since you’re sitting down there, I can’t sleep.”

Rietta gambled on her words and met success with her daringness. Killian smiled with his eyes.

“Is that so?”

He liked an honest and direct speech and he was a generous person to accept a suggestion done that way. Killian changed into his nightdress. He went to the other side of the bed and lay down toward the window with his back to Rietta. Indeed, the bed was so wide that he still would not reach Rietta even if he rolled a couple of turns in his sleep.

Rietta sighed with relief, thinking it was fortunate that Killian’s face was invisible.

There are a lot of things related to the bed with His Lordship. Even though such a thing did not happen at all.

Rietta laughed silently as she somehow thought it was amusing.

The shadow created by the tall, broad-shouldered man on the bed did not even reach her. As if peaceful darkness had been cast, Rietta soon fell asleep. 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

When Killian heard her breathing pattern turn to one when she was asleep, he turned around and looked at Rietta. Sometimes she let out a groan as the wound started to be painful in her sleep. Perhaps because of tension or the wound, her fine face was sweating. She became heated and looked flushed. Killian looked at her sleeping face with disfavor.

He felt disgraceful and upset that she dared to leave such a sense of debt in his heart. When he put his hand on her face to cool off the heat on her cheek, his heart beat quietly.