“…The Marquis’s birthday is in January. He plays musical instruments well and is knowledgeable about folk remedies. Also, he dislikes others touching his belongings… and he’s not proficient in lying.”

“…”

When the man showed a skeptical attitude, I tried to say more about what I knew about Roger. As I opened my lips, Roger’s arm tightly grasped my wrist.

“Roger?”

“Marquis!”

Roger had opened his eyes.

“…Jigeral.”

He realized that this was a hospital and muttered a curse softly. He rummaged through the side table, grabbed a cup, and slowly sipped it. The cup shook sweetly in his trembling hand. The water didn’t easily pass through his mouth, dripping down his chin.

I tried to take out a handkerchief to wipe his chin, but Roger turned his head away. He couldn’t drink more than a few sips before putting the cup down.

“…”

As Roger’s face regained stable breathing and color, my relieved heart slowly eased.

Roger, who had risen with difficulty, half-closed his eyes. I remembered the doctor’s advice to calm his breathing with strong medicine. Due to the side effects, Roger couldn’t easily regain consciousness, feeling exhausted.

“Are you feeling better, sir Marquis?”

“Neil.”

Roger called the red-haired man. Neil, passing by me, approached Roger.

“Do you remember why you collapsed?”

“…”

Without answering the question, Roger turned his head away.

“You collapsed after eating jam made from peanuts.”

“I didn’t know it was made from peanuts. I’ve never seen such jam before.”

“Still, you should have recognized it by the smell… It seems you were in a hurry.”

“Neil.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at their conversation.

“Yes, sir Marquis.”

“Close that damn mouth, Neil.”

“Got it.”

Neil retreated without fear. My worries lessened due to their conversation.

“For now, it’s better to rest, Roger.”

Upon my words, Roger glared at me fiercely.

“Are you going to let me speak now?”

“…”

“Go away. I’m not a person who willingly exposes myself in such an ugly state. It’s embarrassing for the lady.”

He continued to refuse until the end. I didn’t want to leave him like this; I had a responsibility for his condition. Instead of leaving his side as he avoided my gaze, I opened my mouth after calming my mind and pondering my address.

“It’s all my fault. Please let me take care of you until you’re calmer.”

” I don’t intend to entrust my care to you when there’s a competent doctor.”

“That’s true, but I…”

“Ah.”
The pain and stinging in my hand made me stop talking. As I lowered my gaze, deep cuts and freshly spilled blood were visible on the inside of my hand. The wound was surprisingly large, considering I hadn’t noticed it until now.

It was the injury when the glass jar broke.

As soon as I discovered the wound, the previously unknown pain entered through my hand and spread inside my body. The cold wind that entered through the window crevices amplified the pain as it passed through the wound.

“Why is your hand… like that?”

Roger also noticed my injury.

He shifted his waist forward, reaching out his hand to examine my wound closely. Before his hand touched mine, I took a step back. Roger slightly furrowed his brow.

As I tried to hide the wound, Roger firmly placed both feet on the ground and reached across, grabbing my arm.

“It hurts…!”

“…”

“If you’re going to look, do it gently.”

“S-Sorry.”

Roger released the grip on my hand and carefully examined the palm. His expression became noticeably tense.

“Neil, go and call the doctor immediately.”

“What? Okay!”

Following Roger’s command, Neil rushed out of the hospital room. The insolent attitude guy seemed to be a faithful person in urgent situations. He ran so fast that the curtain next to the bed moved slightly.

Even after Neil left, Roger continued to hold my hand and stared silently. Sweat appeared on his forehead as he meticulously inspected the wound.

“It might get infected like this.”

“Only now you’re concerned about the wound.”

Roger retorted without taking the joke lightly.

“This is not a big deal.”

“It’s not nothing. Miss, can’t you see the glass shards inside?”

“Oh, there are shards stuck? That explains the stinging.”

“If you didn’t know and left it alone, it would have continued to hurt. You might have torn your hand again trying to remove a small shard.”

He said with a low voice, not something to be taken lightly.

“I’ll take care of it. So please stop holding onto it.”

“I’m checking if there are other shards.”

“I’ll leave that to a competent doctor.”

Roger’s one eyebrow slightly rose.

After letting go of my hand, he lay down and closed his eyes. Roger’s slightly swollen lips were still grim. However, the hives had subsided considerably.

The sound of the ticking clock echoed clearly in the silence. Watching the time, I realized that it was well past two o’clock. The promised time with Yurik had passed. I wondered if Yune had conveyed my message properly.

“When your hand is treated… are you going to leave?”

Roger, noticing the passage of time, asked. When he said to leave, he meant anytime, but now he seemed to be implying not to leave.

“I told you. When your body is somewhat recovered and ready to go.”

“It will take another day or two for the hives to completely disappear. Until then, you should stay by my side.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

“Didn’t you say that yourself?”

He said it coldly, but it seemed like he secretly wanted it.

“Uh, I won’t bother you much. I’ll just watch a bit until you get better.”

“Your words and actions don’t match, Miss.”

“What? Suddenly saying strange things…”

“You’re very sharp. You set the boundary yourself, guard it alone, and then break it and run away.”

“…?”

“Answer me, Lize.”