A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father Chapter 45

Chapter 45

“Kyaaah…!”

Marie clapped a hand over her mouth and shrieked.

“My goodness, Lady Viola! It suits you so well! How should I say it… you look like a princess hiding her identity!”

“Ah! You should really wear your hair down more often. How can you be this beautiful even without dressing up properly…?”

“That’s right! It’s just everyday clothes, but your elegance is overflowing. Don’t tell me you’re actually royalty?”

“B-Becky! What if it’s true? W-We said we’d pretend we didn’t know…!”

“Ah! Right!”

Just listening to them, it sounded like they had already decided I was some runaway princess living incognito.

Where do they even come up with such dramatic flattery?

True to girls their age, both of them had wildly overactive imaginations.

My face burned hot. I fanned myself awkwardly.

This is too embarrassing…

Still, seeing them so excited didn’t feel bad.

After quite some time, we finally finished sorting the mountain of clothes.

“Thank you both so much. You seriously saved me.”

“Not at all! It’s only natural!”

“How is it ‘natural’? Honestly… I should at least give you something. Snacks, maybe…”

There weren’t just one or two outfits—there were dozens. If I’d done it alone, I would’ve collapsed halfway through.

But unfortunately, my room contained nothing edible. Just herbs and medicine.

“I don’t have snacks right now. Would you like supplements instead? The kind that help with fatigue.”

“Waaah, something like that exists?”

“Of course. I made them as my secret weapon for pulling all-nighters.”

Both of their eyes sparkled.

“I’d love some!” Becky answered immediately.

Marie hesitated, then cautiously raised her hand.

“Um… Lady Viola. Instead of supplements… do you happen to have an ointment that works well for cuts or bruises?”

“Ointment?”

That, I had plenty of.

“Of course. But why? Are you hurt?”

I quickly scanned her in concern, but she didn’t appear injured.

Marie lowered her gaze slightly.

“Well… there’s someone among the trainee knights. His name is Eric. He’s from my hometown. He said he needs medicine, so…”

“The knight order?”

I tilted my head.

Marie and Eric had grown up in the same village. She came to Winterwald first and became a maid at the ducal estate. Later, Eric enlisted in the Silver Dragon Knights of Ashellen.

They were practically siblings.

But recently, every time she saw him, he had fresh bruises. Small cuts. A strained expression.

“Is he being bullied?” she had once asked anxiously.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Still, Eric’s explanation hadn’t eased her worry.

“Aren’t they taking me too lightly? I may look like this, but I’m a trainee of the Silver Dragon Knights, you know.”

“Then why—?”

“The healer assigned to the order quit fifteen days ago. There’s still no replacement.”

Eric had laughed it off.

Marie couldn’t.

Because of the knight-commander—Morden Barnes.

He had been appointed by the previous duke. One of the empire’s strongest warriors.

But his personality was… extreme.

Was it excessive loyalty to Dragon Blood?

He lived as though dying in service to Dragon Blood was the highest honor imaginable.

The problem was—he expected the same from everyone else.

Marie once heard from Becky what had happened during a subjugation mission years ago.

A brutal battle.

Knights returned shattered—barely alive.

Naturally, they needed treatment.

But Commander Morden had done something unimaginable.

He dismissed the healers assigned exclusively to the order.

The reason?

“Delaying missions for treatment? You have your priorities wrong. Would you stop mid-battle because your shield paint chipped?”

“C-Commander…”

“You are consumables for Dragon Blood. If you break in service, consider it an honor.”

When injured knights requested time to recover before the next mission, he removed the doctors entirely.

A display of twisted loyalty.

…Though I heard he’s restrained himself lately.

After Kain Ashellen inherited the ducal title, Morden’s extremism had quieted somewhat.

He was watching the new duke. Measuring him.

But still—

What if something’s happening again?

Marie finally gathered her courage.

“A while ago, the order’s healer quit. Everyone’s struggling. Treatment has been… lacking.”

She trailed off, then suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.

“I—I’m sorry! You’re Young Master Jaden’s personal healer. I shouldn’t ask something like this. Please forget I said anything.”

Before she could withdraw the request—

My eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, I stood and marched to my drawer.

Marie and Becky blinked.

When I returned, my arms were full.

“I grabbed everything I could think of. Will this be enough? Or should I add more?”

Clatter.

Onto the table spilled high-grade ointments, painkillers, disinfectants, bandages.

Marie’s jaw dropped.

“L-Lady Viola… this is too much…”

“Knights get hurt often. It’s better to have more than not enough, right?”

“My goodness…”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“Th-Thank you!”

“I hope it helps. Take all of this to the order.”

I packed everything neatly into a bag and handed it over.

Then I held out something else.

“And this is for you, Marie.”

It was the fatigue supplement I’d prepared earlier.

“Huh? I don’t need—”

“The medicine is for the knights. This is for you.”

I gently wrapped her hands around it.

“You worked hard too. You deserve to be taken care of.”

“…!”

Her eyes reddened further.

Even just helping the knights would have been enough.

But this—

“If the knights ever run short again, tell me. No healer? That’s unacceptable.”

“N-No! You’re already busy. I can’t trouble you again.”

“Trouble? It’s fine.”

I smiled.

She nodded instinctively.

But she sincerely hoped she’d never need to ask.

Unfortunately—

The world rarely follows what we hope.

A Few Days Later

Bang! Bang!

The door burst open with frantic knocking.

Marie stumbled inside, pale as a sheet.

Her face was streaked with tears.

“L-Lady Viola! Hic—something terrible happened!”

“Marie? What is it?”

“The training grounds—someone is badly hurt. Please… just this once… please help us!”

Her hands were trembling.

And the fear in her eyes—

Was real.