“My hand is injured.”
“Who are you worrying about getting hurt right now?”
“I’m used to getting hurt, but you’re not.”
“Seriously, man. Who gets used to getting hurt? You’re asking for trouble.”
At Alicia’s scolding, Eric smiled lightly.
It felt good that she worried, but it couldn’t be entirely a good thing.
“Let’s go quickly.”
Eric firmly grabbed Alicia’s hand and began to walk, Alicia following suit.
They walked out from the space they were lying in, into the corridor.
Suddenly, Eric stopped and stared at Alicia intently.
“Alicia. Why is your walk so unnatural?”
“It’s not unnatural.”
“······.”
“It’s because we’re holding hands.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We don’t have time for this. We need to hurry.”
Pretending to be nonchalant, Alicia boldly took the lead.
She had only taken a few steps when her pace was halted by Eric, who had not moved.
Looking back at him with a puzzled expression, she found him looking serious.
“Is something wrong with your walk? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m not in pain.”
“Let’s see your leg. Lift your skirt.”
“What’s going on?”
Frustrated, Alicia began to lift the hem of her skirt when Eric sighed.
“If you’re hurt, tell me now. It could get worse later.”
“······I scraped my knee yesterday. It’s just a bit sore.”
“Let me see.”
“That’s really not necessary······.”
Eric’s gaze fixed on the ankle visible through the tear in her skirt.
“······Here.”
Ignoring Alicia’s hand that was covering her ankle, Eric sat down and checked it out.
It was clearly swollen and looked painful.
“Sit down.”
Alicia obediently sat down, sensing some anger in Eric’s voice.
He pressed various parts of her ankle, asking if it hurt.
“How is it? Does it hurt?”
“A bit? It’s bearable, though—ow!”
“······It doesn’t seem to be broken, at least.”
“Of course not. If it were, I wouldn’t be able to walk at all.”
Eric looked up at the smiling Alicia with a furrowed brow.
“You endured until your ankle got this bad?”
“I didn’t realize it was hurting. But I can walk, see?”
Alicia stood up and confidently took a few steps.
Watching her walk, Eric sighed under his breath.
“······I’m really relieved. You’re faster than a snail, at least.”
“······.”
“Do you want me to carry you?”
“What?”
“Choose quickly. We don’t have time.”
“No, I can walk on my own—”
“That’s not an option. As you said earlier, we should get out of here quickly.”
“You’re the one who’s injured, more than me.”
“I’m not so injured that I can’t walk.”
“But still.”
“It’s fine. The bleeding stopped, I can move, and it’s bearable.”
Seeing Alicia’s hesitance, Eric grinned slyly.
“Need proof that I’m fine?”
“?”
Eric moved closer, grabbed Alicia’s waist and pulled her toward him.
“My way.”
“What are you doing?”
Blushing, Alicia turned her head in the opposite direction of Eric’s face.
Seizing the opportunity, Eric suddenly lifted Alicia up.
“Ah, Eric.”
“See? I’m fine.”
“······.”
Grinning, Eric began to walk with Alicia in his arms.
“Alicia, if you keep stretching like that, it’ll be more difficult.”
“I’m not stretching, I’m just worried I might touch your wound.”
“Your current posture will make it difficult for both of us. Even the unhurt spots will start hurting.”
“Ah. Then······may I hug you?”
“Do as you please.”
Alicia wrapped her arms around Eric’s neck and clung tightly to him.
“How’s this?”
“Much better.”
Relieved, Eric nodded, and Alicia’s cascading hair tickled his neck.
Her face was so close that he could even hear her breathing.
Recalling a dream from the night before, he felt embarrassed and took a deep breath to suppress the memory.
“We’ll speed up, so hold on tightly.”
“Okay.”
(This is a time separator.)
“Something feels strange.”
Eric mumbled.
It felt like they were circling the same space over and over.
Alicia also nodded in agreement with him.
“Hmm, a barrier?”
“So, should we look for the keystone?”
“Maybe we should.”
Eric had no experience with magicmade barriers, having never clashed with a wizard before, so he hadn’t considered that far.
“Moving like this won’t help us much.”
With a troubled look, Eric fell deep into thought.
Then he felt something unsettling.
“What is it? It feels the same as yesterday.”
“Captain!”
Kib’s voice was heard.
“Kib?”
“I’m relieved you’re safe.”
“Who?”
“Uh, a subordinate of the knight’s order.”
Alicia asked, and Eric awkwardly laughed and added, following Kib.
“Even I can’t act alone.”
“Yes, yes. But Lady Lancaster, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Ah, Eric, let me down now.”
Feeling awkward by Kib’s concerned question, Alicia spoke softly, but Eric pretended not to hear and asked Kib.
“I can’t walk because I sprained my ankle. So, what happened? Wasn’t it a barrier?”
“It was a barrier indeed. After you disappeared suddenly yesterday, we’ve been trying to find you. That is—”
As Kib glanced at Alicia, she quickly spoke up.
“See? I told you to let me down.”
“Alright, just wait a moment.”
Searching for a spot to set Alicia down, Eric saw Noah lying on a nearby rock.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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