Chapter 16

— — —

There was an impact.

But it didn’t hurt as much as I expected.

That was strange.

I definitely fell—so why didn’t it hurt?

When I opened my eyes, it wasn’t the ground beneath me.

It was a person.

Damian.

Damian, lying on the ground with his arms wrapped around me.

…Wait.

What is this situation?

My mind refused to process it. I simply stared at him blankly.

Damian frowned.

“…You should improve your awareness.”

Ah—right.

I should get up.

I hurried to push myself upright, but my palm slipped. I dropped back down onto him again.

“Aah.”

“…Get up properly.”

With a heavy sigh, Damian shifted and pushed me off him.

And then—

Suddenly, my body was lifted clean off the ground.

I was dangling in the air, suspended by his hands like some useless ornament, my feet swinging.

Heat rushed to my face.

I didn’t know whether it was embarrassment or something else, but even my ears burned.

“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

I saw his arm.

From elbow to forearm, the skin was scraped raw—bright red. Blood trickled down and dripped from his knuckles.

“Eek!”

A shriek escaped me.

“Your arm—your arm is bleeding!”

“…Don’t scream. It’s nothing.”

He flicked his arm dismissively.

Blood scattered further.

Nothing?!

It was bleeding like that!

I nearly tear up when pricked by a needle—and he stood there as if it were trivial.

He had fallen because he caught me.

He shielded me.

He ended up beneath me because of me.

It was my fault.

“Nothing? It’s bleeding!”

“This happens during training all the time—”

“So because it’s common, you’ll just ignore it?!”

My voice rose without warning.

Damian stared at me as though I’d lost my mind.

I ignored him and stood abruptly.

“Where’s the apothecary?”

“…What is this, all of a sudden?”

“Now.”

Instead of explaining, I grabbed his wrist.

Normally, I would have hesitated.

Not this time.

Damian stared down at my small hand gripping him, looking utterly confused.

“Princess, did you hit your head? I caught you properly.”

“Yes, you caught me too properly, so I’m fine.”

“Then why are you acting like this?”

Do I really need to spell it out?

“You’re injured. Or did you hit your head? Why are you speaking so calmly?”

“It’s nothing—”

“I’ll decide whether it’s nothing.”

I cut him off.

Damian blinked.

He looked genuinely startled.

Honestly—I startled myself too.

“…Where is it?”

“…Eastern end of the annex.”

He sighed before answering.

So that’s where it was.

Last time, I’d wandered the western corridor like an idiot.

“Let’s go.”

I didn’t release his wrist as I started walking.

He looked incredulous—

But followed.

The Apothecary Room

The apothecary was small and quiet.

Herbs lined the shelves neatly. A side table held disinfectant, ointments, and bandages.

Sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating drifting dust. The air smelled faintly stale—like a place rarely used.

So this was what I’d failed to find last time.

Ridiculous.

“Sit.”

I pulled a chair out.

“…This is unnecessary.”

“Sit down.”

My voice was firm.

Damian exhaled and sat.

I searched the shelves.

Disinfectant. Ointment. Clean cloth.

My hands moved automatically.

Familiar motions.

I felt his gaze on me but ignored it.

I soaked the cloth and gently took his arm.

“…This may sting.”

“I’m fine.”

I cleaned the wound carefully.

The scrape was wider than I’d thought. He must have been dragged along the ground when he shielded me.

I’m sorry.

I continued disinfecting.

He didn’t flinch.

Perhaps it truly was nothing to him.

Afterward, I applied ointment.

My movements were steady.

This was something I was used to.

Then I felt his stare sharpen.

“For a princess, you’re awfully skilled. You wouldn’t have had many chances to treat wounds.”

Of course.

That question.

My hands paused briefly.

“…Just because.”

I avoided his eyes.

I couldn’t tell him the truth.

After the palace drained my blood, there were always marks—needle punctures, shallow cuts, reopened wounds.

The attendants performed the bare minimum. It was kept secret, even from most servants.

So I treated myself.

Rewrapping bandages. Cleaning reopened cuts.

It became routine.

That was why I was good at it.

But I couldn’t say that.

Damian didn’t press further.

Still, suspicion lingered in his gaze.

I wrapped the bandage carefully.

Silence settled between us.

Only the soft rustle of cloth.

Then—

“…Why did you run?”

“…What?”

“From the palace.”

He was watching me seriously.

“Why come all the way here just to hide?”

My hands stilled.

What could I say?

That I hated the palace?
That I feared the Emperor?

Those weren’t enough.

The real reason was too heavy.

“…Because I felt like I’d die if I stayed there.”

I said it lightly.

Almost jokingly.

As though it didn’t matter.

But my eyes couldn’t smile.

Because it was true.

In my previous life, I had died in a cold underground prison.

Bleeding.

“……”

Damian’s expression shifted.

He looked as if he wanted to speak. His lips parted—

Then closed again.

He simply stared at me.

Not with hostility.

Something else.

I swallowed and tied off the bandage neatly.

“…It’s done.”

He looked down at his arm.

Opened his mouth—

“Tha—”

The word barely formed before he cut himself off.

“Hm?”

I asked reflexively.

He only stared at me with a strange expression.

After a long moment—

Damian stood abruptly.

“…Young Master?”

“That’s enough for today. I can’t train you with an injured arm.”

“Well, yes, but—”

Before I could finish, he opened the door and left.

I stared at the closed door.

So… I was abandoned again?

Apparently, this insolent ducal heir had made a habit of walking away from me.

The unfortunate part was—I couldn’t even complain.

Still—

At least I treated him properly.

I looked down at the leftover bandage in my hand.

Last time, I’d been furious when he left.

This time…

Strangely, I wasn’t.

Instead—

My mind replayed a single moment.

When I fell.

The arms that wrapped around me without hesitation.

The warmth of being held.

Solid.

Safe.

It lingered.

…This is strange.

Nothing like that had ever happened in the palace.

No one had shielded me. No one had protected me.

I had been the Empire’s villain.

A tool.

A convenient antagonist.

My role was always to take the blame first.

The Emperor I called “father” saw me only as a resource.

The maids only monitored my mood.

No one ever reached out.

I was something to fear—

Not someone to protect.

When I fell, I rose alone.

When I was injured, I treated myself.

When I was in pain, I endured it.

I couldn’t afford weakness.

Even until the moment I was discarded and locked in the underground prison.

Even then, I never bowed my head.

I thought that was normal.

But today—

Damian had wrapped his arms around me without thinking.

Even knowing he would be hurt.

…Why?

I didn’t understand.

He hated me.

Called me a burden.

A hindrance.

He didn’t even know I was his sister.

He told me never to enter his sister’s room.

And yet—

My heart kept beating fast.

Like a small drum.

Again.

And again.

Long after he was gone.