The Grand Duchess Escape

Calix looked down at Asella and cleared his throat. He couldn’t get a good look at her face because she lowered her head and avoided his gaze. However, judging from her pale face when she saw him, it was clear that she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him.

He guessed that she must have been taken aback by the unexpected situation, but he couldn’t help but feel oddly offended.

“I didn’t know you were coming here, Your Highness.”

Her voice, which seemed to barely make it out, was filled with tension. He thought that he should’ve told her in advance so she wouldn’t be so nervous. Without realizing it, Calix began to make excuses.

“You shouldn’t do this alone. Hasn’t it been too long since you last rode a horse?”

If something were to happen, her frail body would not be able to withstand it. Calix thought as he looked at his small wife, who only barely reached up to his chest.

She needed someone to support her from behind until she was more comfortable on a horse. There were plenty of excellent knights in the Grand Duchy who were skilled in horseback riding.

But letting his wife ride a horse with another man? Not a chance.

It was something that he could never allow.

He couldn’t let Asella ride alone, nor could he let her ride with someone else either. That was why, even in the midst of his busy schedule, Calix dressed in equestrian clothes and came out.

“Don’t worry about Lady Mariel. I’ll make sure she’s safe!”

“Oh! It’s Zeke-ajusshi!”

“I’m not Zeke-ajusshi!”

Asella slowly lifted her head. However, the words couldn’t come out easily, she just ended up repeatedly opening and closing her lips. Meanwhile, Calix patiently waited for her.

“So I am to be taught by Your Excellency?”

When she finally managed to speak, Calix’s lips tightened as she gave the correct answer.  For what it was worth, he was deeply satisfied to hear her speak.

“Yes.”

He could hear the sound of swallowing saliva in his ears. She seemed unsure of what to say and hesitated with her mouth slightly open before finally speaking.

“I will do my best. Please take care of me.”

The last word she added sounded cute for some reason, and he found himself smiling slightly without realizing it.

“Agh! Is the Lord smiling right now? Or am I seeing things?”

“Shut up, Zeke.”

Calix caught wind of a conversation between Zeke and Ryzen, who spoke in a hushed tone from afar. Usually, he would have punished him for his reckless words, but this time, he decided to let it slide.

This was a conversation he could hear because he had far beyond normal human hearing.

Moreover, he didn’t want to show any behavior that would make Asella scared of him which included punishing his men. She was already afraid of him, and he didn’t want to make her more scared.

Before they married, his initial plan was to use her fear to tame her according to his liking, but at some point, this plan disappeared somewhere.

“There is much to do today. Let’s go.”

Calix absentmindedly reached out his hand, but quickly withdrew it when he saw the scared expression on Asella’s face as she looked at his hand and then his face alternately.

‘It’s still too soon.’

Although her wounds had been treated cleanly, the shock of their first night had not completely dissipated.

He glanced at her wrist before turning his head away. It was a thin wrist that could easily be wrapped with one hand, and then, the memory of the bruise that had turned a deep red made him feel ashamed.

“Be careful not to fall.”

Calix had no choice but to turn around first.

He couldn’t bring himself to hold her hand, but his attention was completely focused on what was happening behind him. He could hear her footsteps as if they were right next to his ear.

Not only that, but he could also hear the rustling of her clothes, the slightest movements, and even her faint breathing.

‘Damn it.’

Calix tightened his fist. If he didn’t, he felt like he would turn around right away and grab her hand, trapping it in his own.

He still couldn’t forget the smooth texture of her hand that he had held while escorting Asella to the mansion on her first day in the Grand Duchy.