Looking for the Villainess’s Contract Husband
Chapter 10
The single, short sentence made my heart plummet to my toes.
Gilbert, staring suspiciously at the wagon, pointed somewhere with a gesture of his hand.
“Behind that wagon, trailing along… isn’t that a bloodstain?”
“Pardon? That’s impossible!”
The driver gasped in horror. Paul and I were the same.
“……!”
Startled, Paul shifted his body slightly to check his wounded side.
Perhaps the wound had reopened; I saw dark red blood dripping through his clothes, staining a portion of the wagon bright crimson.
How could I even describe the feeling of seeing that sight?
‘Mom…….’
My mind simply went blank.
Meanwhile, the driver, unaware we were hiding in the wagon, was likely just flustered by the ominous word ‘blood,’ but his reaction seemed to be interpreted differently by Gilbert.
“……I have a hunch. Let me check for a moment.”
“O-oh, Sir Knight! You can’t do this!”
Gilbert’s gaze sharpened instantly. He signaled the other knights and whipped back the cloth covering the rear of the wagon.
Paul and I curled our bodies as small as possible, trying not to let even a single breath escape.
Was it because I was so anxious? For a split second, it felt as though time was slowing down.
The rustling sound drew closer and closer, and finally, the presence reached right in front of the crates where we were hiding.
“Whoa, damn!”
“Ugh!”
Sudden shouts rang out, and the presence abruptly moved away.
Surprised, I opened my eyes wide and exchanged a look with Paul.
“It was just rat blood.”
“Looks like it got crushed under the crates…… Ugh, disgusting.”
“……It could be carrying disease, so clean it up quickly.”
“Yes, sir!”
Soon, more rustling followed as the crates that had been moved were stacked back up, filling the gap between us and the knights.
Only then could I finally breathe properly.
Shortly after, Gilbert’s party moved away from the wagon, passed the guards, and disappeared into the Capital.
The guard shook his head and held out half of the gold coin he had received earlier to the driver.
“Sorry about that. Go on in.”
“Oh, it’s the knights who are always working harder than I am. Thank you!”
The driver waved it off, refusing the refund, and began driving the wagon again.
As we passed through the city gates, the light that had vanished poured back in once more.
At the same time, the view through the gaps in the cloth changed instantly. My mouth fell open of its own accord.
‘Wow…….’
So this is the Capital.
Even though my body felt heavy, my heart couldn’t help but flutter.
Unlike the tower, which was always quiet and surrounded by snow-covered forests, this place felt like even the buildings were bursting with life.
“Cheap, cheap! Fresh fish just brought in starting from 30 Sing!”
“Selling Temple passes! 5 Sing cheaper than anywhere else!”
Passing through the bustling main street filled with people’s voices, the wagon quickly turned into a quiet alleyway.
Paul, who had been monitoring the outside from the other side, spoke in a low voice.
“Agassi.”
Since it was a routine by now, I simply grabbed Paul’s neck and leaned into him without a word.
‘Is it because it’s dark? My vision keeps getting blurry…….’
Drawing his sword, Paul carefully tore a part of the cloth. Timing it with the wagon turning a corner, he held me tight and leaped out of the wagon.
Thump!
“Ugh…….”
Fortunately, Paul had the presence of mind to throw himself onto a pile of crates in the alley, sparing us from rolling across the stone floor, but the impact of jumping from a moving wagon was significant enough to make him groan.
‘Paul, are you okay?’
I tried to ask, but for some reason, no voice came out.
My eyelids kept trying to close against my will.
Paul’s voice ringing in my ears sounded like a hollow echo.
“……gassi?”
Paul, I think I’m getting a fever again. My body won’t listen, and my breath is hot.
I didn’t even know if I had managed to say those words properly.
All I could sense was the movement of Paul running while holding me. The hot breaths and sobs pouring over my head, as frantic as my own. The dizzying, shifting scenery.
And…….
“……Tell the, Duke…….”
Thump!
It was only the fact that Paul had finally collapsed after struggling to speak to someone.
‘Paul…….’
Through my blurred vision, I saw blood spreading across the grey stone floor.
With the final sensation of something warm on my cheek, my consciousness snapped.
Blink.
At some point, my eyes suddenly snapped open.
After blinking a few times, my blurry vision gradually returned.
‘Where am I…….’
Where is this?
The moment that thought occurred, memories flooded my mind.
[……gassi?]
[……Tell the, Duke…….]
My fever had broken, but it felt as if the blood in my entire body was turning ice-cold.
Startled, I bolted upright.
“Paul……!”
“Are you awake?”
A strange voice spoke from nearby.
My shoulders flinched, and I instinctively whipped my head around to see an elderly woman with a very terrifying impression, dressed in black, looking at me.
She looked just like the wicked witch from a fairy tale book.
“W-who are you…….”
I unconsciously squeezed my hands, then looked down, surprised by the soft texture against my palms.
There, crumpled in my grip, was a thick, fluffy duvet.
It was completely different from the ones I used in the tower.
Only then did I properly lift my head to look around the room.
A bed so wide it looked like ten people could fit on it, a fireplace with a roaring fire, and luxurious decorations scattered everywhere.
However, seeing such things made me feel more anxious than enchanted.
‘Is this the Duke’s estate……? Or could it be that I was caught and brought to the Marquis because I was injured?’
Because the memories just before I collapsed were so faint, I couldn’t be certain.
Just then, a glass of shimmering water was thrust before my eyes.
“You should drink. Your throat must be quite sore.”
“Eh? Yes……”
Her tone and expression were cold as frost, but the content of her words was reasonably kind.
Confused by the discrepancy, I took the glass, and the old woman stared at me intently.
Unable to withstand the pressure of her gaze, I took a few sips and realized my throat was parched; I emptied the glass entirely.
‘Come to think of it, the fever is completely gone.’
The old woman took the glass back as soon as it was empty.
The movement was so swift and precise that I didn’t even notice the glass disappearing from my hand for a second, which gave me chills.
“Have you finished?”
“Yes……”
“Then I shall help you change. This way.”
I hesitated before following the old woman behind a partition set off to one side.
I still hadn’t fully grasped the situation.
I wanted to ask where I was and where Paul was, but if this was the Marquis’s estate, I felt I shouldn’t bring those things up.
I was struggling with whether or not to open my mouth.
The old woman bowed her head slightly as she handed me neatly folded clothes.
“I wanted to provide clothes that fit as well as possible, but since the only children in this mansion are boys…… I ask for your understanding.”
At those words, my mind snapped back to attention.
Looking at the clothes she offered, they were shirts and shorts in sizes slightly larger than what I usually wore.
‘Boys.’
Based on the contents of the novel, there were no young boys in Marquis Diarmuid’s household.
In that case…….
“This is the Esperanza Duke’s estate…… right?”
The old woman stopped moving.
Having laid out the clothes for me to change into, she turned her head to look at me.
After a brief silence, she opened her lips.
“Yes. The Duke instructed me to bring you to him as soon as you woke up.”
The moment I heard that, I unconsciously clenched my fists against my thighs.
‘I arrived at the right place.’
As soon as I heard this was the Esperanza Duke’s estate, the strength almost drained out of my body.
But I couldn’t let my guard down yet. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to steady my heart.
‘Then this person must be one of the servants of the Duke’s estate.’
As I reached out, the old woman helped me change with swift, precise movements.
Seeing the way she folded the sleeves of the oversized shirt so my hands were visible and adjusted the pleats of the shorts with such practiced ease, the thought crossed my mind that she might be a servant of quite high rank.
Soon, the old woman pulled her hands away from straightening my appearance and asked.
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“No. Thank you.”
Thanks to her, I was able to finish grooming myself easily, even though it was the first time I had worn such clothes.
It was lucky there was a belt. Otherwise, I would have had to meet the Duke wearing a curtain instead of pants.
While the old woman turned me around once to do a final check of my appearance, I cautiously asked the question that had been weighing on my mind.
“Could I ask what happened to Paul…… I mean, the knight who came with me?”
“He has been treated, but he has not yet regained consciousness and is lying in the infirmary. You will be able to see him later.”
A sigh of relief escaped me at those words.
Thank goodness, he was treated properly.
Of course, it pained me to hear he still hadn’t woken up, but knowing his life wasn’t in danger put my mind at ease.
Then, the old woman took her hands off me and opened the door.
“Then, let us go. I will guide you to the Duke.”
“……Yes.”
I had thought the room I was in was luxurious enough, but the Duke’s estate didn’t have a single thing out of place, even in the hallways and stairs.
I followed the old woman up the stairs, constantly reciting to myself.
‘Don’t make a mistake. You have to do well, for Mom.’
I followed closely behind the old woman, scurrying after her as we traversed the long hallway.
Finally, she stopped in front of a door and knocked politely.
“Your Grace. I have brought the guest.”
“……Ah, come in.”
A low voice leaked faintly from beyond the door.
The old woman gave me a single nod and opened the door for me.
The elegant wooden door opened smoothly without a single creak.
The door opened, and the moment my eyes met the person I had wanted to meet so badly beyond it.
‘……Ah.’
Ridiculously, I felt so crushed by the other person’s overwhelming presence that I wanted to turn around and run away.
