Chapter 1
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‘What am I gonna do?’
Ines, who slipped out of the grand banquet hall, looked up at Enoch with an embarrassed face.
Enoch had a stiff face the whole time.
‘The Duke, he looks angry.’
Ines, who was secretly looking at Enoch, opened her mouth carefully.
“Well, Your Excellency,”
“…….”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go back now?”
At that moment, she felt the temperature around her suddenly decreased.
‘Did I make him more angry?’
Ines was a bit nervous inside, but it didn’t seem like it was going to work like this either.
She opened her mouth cautiously.
“Today’s celebration is an important event attended by Kaldorov’s delegation. It’s better to settle the situation as quietly as possible.”
“Countess of Brierton.”
At the same time, Enoch, who had been silent the whole time, opened his mouth firmly.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of the Countess.”
“…….”
Ines was silent.
Enoch clenched his fist tightly in a barrel of anger to the tip of his head.
“Why does the Countess always worry about other things first than herself?”
He wanted Ines to put herself more first.
Looking at her worrying about the celebration rather than her safety, he kept feeling upset.
He knew it was natural for Ines to be like that rationally, but he kept getting angry…
“You hurt your wrist.”
The angry emotion filled his words.
“As the situation is, the envoys will understand.”
While saying that, his head was heated up.
‘Calm down.’
Thinking that he was too excited, Enoch closed his eyes tightly and opened them again.
Then he tried to speak in a calm voice.
“Let’s go to the lounge and treat your wrist first. Your wrist is still swollen.”
“…….”
Ines stared at Enoch.
‘I’m sure the Duke is very angry.’
‘Why do I keep feeling tight.
She suddenly realized.
‘That’s probably because the Duke is genuinely concerned about me.’
For a moment, the back of her ears became hot.
‘Even the celebration attended by Kaldorov’s delegation is not as important as me.’
Enoch’s sharp reaction was a concern for her.
Her mind kept stirring and her heart skipped a beat.
Ines bit her lower lip.
‘Honestly, I am relieved.’
Seeing Ryan, who was caught in Enoch’s grasp and being dragged out of the ballroom struggling like a bug.
Because of the pressure to behave gracefully as a lady.
Didn’t Enoch take over the things she always imagined and couldn’t bear to do?
That high-minded, elegant man…
Solely for her sake…
“…….”
Her mouth went dry.
How many people in her life had been so angry on her behalf?
Somehow, she was choked up, and Ines, who hesitated for a while, whispered as much as a mosquito.
“…thank you for your concern.”
Enoch paused.
After a moment.
He replied with a bitter smile.
“Rather than such a thank-you, I prefer the Countess to get your wrist treated quickly.”
“Yes, I will.”
Ines nodded obediently.
Whenever Enoch spoke of concern for her, her chest was tight.
But she didn’t feel bad.
No, more precisely.
‘I’m happy.’
Ines, who was walking behind Enoch, slowly smiled.
It was a happy smile.
****
The two arrived at the lounge.
The problem, however, was that it was a royal lounge, not a lounge open for ordinary nobles.
Ines, who was trying to follow Enoch without thinking much, stopped.
“This is a lounge only for the royal family, can I come in?”
“Why can’t you?”
Enoch replied sourly.
“The general lounge should be full of people by now, but I don’t intend to keep the Countess in that tumultuous place.”
“Well, still.”
“I’m a royal and I’m okay with it. What’s the problem?”
Enoch put Ines in her seat, hesitating, and asked her to close her eyes.
“Just relax.”
“…….”
Was it because Enoch told her to?
Ines felt her whole body, which had been hardened with tension, relaxed.
Enoch turned and headed to the drawer in the lounge, and skillfully took out the first aid kit.
When he opened the first aid kit, disinfectants, bandages, light abrasions and ointment applied to bruises, etc.
There was a considerable variety of drugs.
Ines, who was watching him, tilted her head.
“Do you usually have a first aid kit in the lounge?”
Besides, it’s not just a variety, but surprisingly, it’s quite serious.
Then Enoch crumpled his forehead.
“It’s because of His Majesty.”
“What? His Majesty?”
“His Majesty likes to drink, but sometimes he gets hurt because he had too much to drink.”
Then he added in a tired voice.
“Of course, I have to take care of everything after that.”
“Ah…”
“Although it is an ungodly idea to leave His Majesty behind, you know that I will clean up the mess in the first place.”
Enoch continued with a sullen face.
“I almost doubt that he drink too much only when I’m around.”
It seemed that there had been an increase in the useless knowledge of His Majesty.
Even so, it was the knowledge that the respect for His Majesty was falling.
Not knowing what to answer, Ines smiled awkwardly.
Enoch opened the lid of the ointment.
“It can sting a little.”
“Ah, yes.”
Enoch carefully applied ointment to Ines’s swollen wrist.
The touch of his fingers tickled her delicate skin.
Ines couldn’t breathe properly and stared at Enoch.
A sculptural face with long, golden eyelashes, blue eyes underneath, and smooth lines.
‘What do I do?’
Her heart pounded wildly.
Fluffy all over her body occurred, and her nerves were on edge.
‘Wake up, Ines.’
Ines rebuked herself inwardly.
‘He is helping to apply ointment, why am I so nervous?’
At least Enoch in front of her didn’t seem to be conscious of her at all.
He was just worried about her injured wrist.
‘You can’t do this.’
In order to shake off the thoughts that kept messing with her head, Ines tried to open her mouth as if nothing was wrong.
“I think I often come to the lounge when I’m with the Duke.”
“If it’s a rest room…….”
“You did that the other day. When the Duke opened the exhibition.”
Even then, Ryan tried to intimidate her, and Enoch firmly blocked Ryan.
The situation was a little similar to then.
Ines muttered to herself unconsciously.
“Your Excellency always helps me.”
Then, she closed her mouth in surprise.
‘Oh my, my heart just popped out of my mouth!’
At the words, Enoch, who had been focusing only on Ines’s wrist the whole time, raised his head for the first time.
Their eyes met.
The blue eyes were like an unknown lake.
‘There is an old saying that ‘if you look at the deep water for a long time, you will be attracted to it.’
Every time she faced Enoch’s eyes, Ines sometimes recalled the myth.
She felt like she was slowly sinking in that gaze.
She couldn’t move at all.
But the weirdest thing was…
‘But I think it’s okay.’
If the opponent was Enoch.This strange feeling of being rather charmed.
“…….”
Ines couldn’t overcome her complicated mind and pulled her lips gently and asked.
Then Enoch answered meekly.
“That’s right. I want to help the Countess as much as I can.”
“Why is that?”
“Well, why do you think so?”
Enoch snapped back in a calm tone.
Ines’ eyes shook violently.
Her heart beat like crazy.
Enoch didn’t push her any more.
He just focused on Ines’ wrist treatment as if he was asking her to think about it on her own.
“…….”
“…….”
There was a long silence.
“Well, it’s all done.”
Enoch let go of Ines’s wrist only after he had carefully bandaged it.
“Thank you.”
Ines fiddled with her bandaged wrist.
Her mind was very complicated.
‘Well, why do you think that would be the case?’
It was only a question, but she kept getting restless.
At the same time Enoch sighed.
“I was rough in the banquet hall earlier. I apologise.”
It was actually inevitable.
As soon as he saw Ryan grabbing Ines’s wrist, Enoch felt the conventional expression with his whole body.
His head was white with anger.
‘Still, the Countess of Brierton must have been somewhat troubled by my actions earlier.’
‘I can’t believe I’m considering Ines’s position only after my head cools down.’
Enoch reflected in himself, thinking he should have been more careful.