A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father Chapter 13

Chapter 13

“W-wait… it’s fine! I can do it myself.”

But Kain ignored her protest. Calmly, he took the tweezers from her hand, caught her wrist, and began treating the wound himself.

Embarrassed, Viola lowered her gaze to his hands.

At first glance, his movements seemed rough and unrefined.

Yet they were unexpectedly careful.

He’s… surprisingly gentle.

With his Dragon Blood and perpetually firm expression, he appeared cold and distant.

But he removed each shard slowly and deliberately, making sure she wouldn’t feel unnecessary pain.

Viola held her breath.

This is so awkward…

She had never been treated by someone else before. At the estate of Marquis Deboreux, she had always taken care of her own injuries.

And now—

The Duke of the Duchy of Ashellen was tending to her.

“Bag.”

“Ah—yes.”

Startled, she handed him her bag.

He retrieved the disinfectant and cleaned the wound with practiced precision.

So skilled…

She remembered he had roamed the Empire subjugating monsters since childhood.

That explained it.

Then came the ointment.

“Oh—wait! The ointment is in my pocket.”

“Pocket?”

“Yes… here. On the left side.”

She gestured awkwardly toward her waist.

Kain’s brow twitched.

“You expect me to retrieve it?”

Her face flushed scarlet.

“No! That’s not what I meant—”

“Forget it.”

He cut her off and reached into his own inner pocket.

He pulled something out.

It was the ointment she had once given him.

The Ointment

He opened it casually.

It was half empty.

…He’s been using it.

Warmth bloomed faintly in her chest.

She had assumed he would discard it.

A swordmaster.

Dragon Blood.

Why would he need her ointment?

Yet he had used it.

Not out of politeness.

Her chest swelled slightly with pride.

Kain scooped out a generous amount and applied it to her arm.

This is embarrassing…

Being treated like this.

His calloused fingers brushed against her skin.

Slow. Intentional.

Her shoulders stiffened.

The sensation of his rough hands through the cool ointment felt unfamiliar.

Strange.

It’s just treatment.

Then why was her face so hot?

She couldn’t bring herself to look at him directly.

But when she accidentally glanced up—

His sharp profile was only inches away.

That unfairly handsome face.

She immediately turned her head aside.

Handsome faces are hazardous to the heart. You’d make a terrible doctor.

Patients required stability.

Not elevated heart rates.

Of course—

He wasn’t aspiring to be a physician.

He was a duke.

The Report Continues

“About Young Master Jaden…”

Kain gave a slight nod for her to continue.

“I’ll monitor him closely for a while. His fever may return.”

“You said his fever broke.”

“Yes. The antipyretic worked well.”

“Impressive. That should not be possible.”

“Thank you for the opportunity.”

Kain tapped the ointment container thoughtfully.

“You are aware that ordinary medicine does not work on Dragon Blood.”

“Yes, of course.”

It sounded like a disadvantage—

But it was closer to a blessing.

Poison did not affect them either.

Medicine and poison were two sides of the same coin.

Ordinarily, those with Dragon Blood simply did not fall ill.

Except Jaden.

Tamutur Disease caused the draconic power within to surge violently.

It began with coughing.

Then relentless fever.

Agony as though flesh were being torn apart.

And no conventional medicine had any effect.

Yet—

“This ointment works on me.”

“Really?”

Her smile bloomed instantly.

That explained something.

But something else felt strange.

The fever reducer had been specially prepared.

The ointment had not.

It does contain a small amount of Sharp-Leaf Herb… could that be it?

Then Kain spoke again.

“You seem unusually knowledgeable about Dragon Blood.”

“Oh—yes. There was an old text about it in the Deboreux marquisate.”

“You can read ancient script?”

She scratched her head sheepishly.

“I’m not confident about the pronunciation, but I can interpret it.”

“Self-taught?”

“Yes. I had… a lot of time.”

The estate library had been her refuge.

After the late Marquis Deboreux passed away, no one visited it anymore.

She had hidden there often.

Old memories now.

“That text is no longer with you.”

“No, but I memorized it.”

She had read it countless times.

At least fifteen.

“Write the title.”

She accepted his pen and carefully began writing in ancient script.

The characters were complex.

Intricate.

She wrote slowly, deliberately.

An Analysis of the Mechanisms and Principles of Pharmacological Reactions Acting Specifically Within Dragon Blood.