Chapter 43: Chapter 43

“What is it?”

“Could you turn around for a moment?”

On Tristan’s broad shoulders, wrapped in hunting clothes, something was glinting every time he breathed.

I narrowed my eyes to examine it and...

I jumped out of bed in surprise.

“Your Highness! Are you bleeding from your shoulder?”

The thing that had been sparkling under the light of the lantern was a bloodstain, slowly soaking into his clothes.

What on earth had he been doing?

I tried to inspect the wound, but just as I was about to jump out of bed, Tristan reached out again and gently pushed my forehead, laying me back down.

“Ah!”

“Stay in bed.”

“Your Highness!”

“You could have slept longer.”

“What do you mean? The infirmary is for patients!”

“Aren’t you a patient?”

“I’m fine now, no fever, and the pain’s gone. I think I can go back…”

I looked around for a doctor to confirm that I was indeed fine. But there was no one in the tent.

Where did the doctor go?

Tristan spoke up.

“Looking for the doctor? They’re busy in the general infirmary right now.”

“Really? What happened?”

“A seriously injured patient was found at the bottom of the valley.”

… No way, no way?

The only person who could have been found injured at the bottom of the valley was one person!

Unaware of my concern, Tristan casually responded.

“Don’t worry. His limbs were broken, but he was conscious enough to explain how he fell.”

“Why did he get hurt?”

“He tripped over my foot.”

“… Really?”

“Really.”

As Tristan poured some water, he added, “If I’d strengthened the patrols earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. I’ve learned a big lesson thanks to you.”

Can someone’s limbs break just from falling? That wasn’t the case in the original story, was it?

Not wanting to spoil Tristan’s attempt at a warm conclusion, I stayed silent and just stared at him.

Even just drinking water, he looked like a painting.

… But wait, huh?

“Your Highness, what’s that?”

“What?”

“Could you turn around for a moment?”

On his broad shoulder, something was glinting every time he breathed. It was a bloodstain slowly soaking into his clothes.

I sat up in shock.@@novelbin@@

“Your Highness! Are you bleeding from your shoulder?”

Tristan didn’t seem surprised by my reaction and simply continued drinking water.

“Don’t worry. It’s nothing.”

“You’re bleeding! That’s not nothing!”

“It’s nothing serious.”

But I could see the blood staining his clothes more and more.

I tried to get out of bed, but before I could, Tristan pushed me back gently. “Stay in bed.”

“Your Highness! You’re hurt!” I couldn’t hold back the concern anymore.

Tristan sighed lightly. “I’ll be fine. It’s just a scratch.”

“But it’s bleeding so much! You need treatment!”

He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t argue. Instead, he calmly unbuttoned his shirt.

I couldn’t help but stare, suddenly acutely aware of how little space there was between us. His shirt fell to the floor, revealing his broad, muscled back.

For a moment, I forgot the blood and the injury altogether.

“Your Highness?” I asked, still struggling to focus.

“Hmm?”

“What’s the wound?”

Tristan glanced over his shoulder, his eyes briefly meeting mine.

“I was bitten.”

“Bitten? By whom?”

“I was hunting during the competition. A wild animal probably bit me.”

“That doesn’t look like an animal bite. It’s too high for an herbivore to bite.”

“I didn’t say it was an animal. I said it was a prey.”

“Ha…”

What on earth had he been doing?

I wanted to ask more, but Tristan’s playful tone kept me silent.

“Now do you understand why I said it was just a scratch?”

“... Really, just a scratch?”

“I really was bitten by prey.”

I had no more words.

I fell silent, watching as Tristan cleaned the wound with a clean gauze soaked in water.

As the dried blood and mud were removed, the injury became clearer, and it looked painful enough that my whole body flinched in sympathy. But I couldn’t look away.

After cleaning the wound, he opened a medicine kit.

It wasn’t easy applying medicine to a wound on his shoulder, and a few times his hand brushed the wrong places. I couldn’t stand it anymore and jumped out of bed to get closer.

“Let me do it. I’ll apply the medicine.”

“I can do it myself. Don’t waste your time looking at disgusting things. Just rest.”

“It’s not disgusting. This wound belongs to my fiancé.”

“….”

Tristan fell silent.

Did I go too far?

But the other thing I wanted to say was “You keep applying the medicine to the wrong spots! It’s driving me crazy!”

But I figured a gentler response would be better.

After wiping my hands, I grabbed the medicine kit and spatula.

The area around his molars had a purple bruise, while his canines and front teeth had deep bloodstains. He really bit hard.

“I’ll go slow. Let me know if it hurts…”

“It won’t hurt…”

As I carefully touched his shoulder, Tristan flinched.

Was it hurting?

“Does it hurt?”

“No. …Keep going.”

I held the wound steady with my left hand and slowly spread the medicine with the spatula in my right hand.

Blood seeped out in spots, but he didn’t flinch. Is it really not hurting?

Then why did he flinch earlier…?

Ah.

‘Maybe it was my hands that were the problem.’

My freshly washed hands must have felt cold to him.

On the other hand, his back felt warm to me.

It made me feel... like my own temperature was rising.

After rubbing my hands together a few times to warm them up, I started applying the medicine again. He didn’t flinch this time either. His back was still warm, though.

“Your Highness, if you start feeling feverish, please tell me. For sure!”

“I’ve told you multiple times, I’m fine.”

A common joke among men is that the number one thing they say is, “I’m fine, I’m not dying,” but I didn’t say it out loud, worried it might offend him.

“I’m done applying the medicine.”

“Got it.”

“Now, let me just…”

Wait, is there no bandage in this era?

While I was wasting time looking for modern supplies, Tristan grabbed a bandage. With skilled hands, he started wrapping it around his shoulder.

I was a little surprised at his expertise.

“Your Highness, are you used to doing this?”

“I told you, I’ve learned first aid.”

“Learning it and actually doing it are different, though. You seem like you’ve had some experience treating yourself…”

Why was I thinking that?

After a brief hesitation, he replied.

“It’s from my days training in swordsmanship. I’ve been injured a lot. You might think I’m foolish, but…”

“Foolish? Quite the opposite! When learning how to fight, getting injured is normal. If you didn’t get hurt, it means either you were slacking off, or your opponent just fell down on their own.”

“You’ve really studied seriously, haven’t you?”

I was a bit surprised by Tristan’s sincerity.

I had assumed he only learned enough to look impressive with a sword, especially since he gets beaten by Seobnam in the latter half of the story.

Tristan, who didn’t know his future, seemed slightly caught off guard by my reaction. He turned his head awkwardly and continued speaking, as if shy.

“I was serious once. I grew up hearing my two older brothers won the martial arts tournament on their first try, over and over again. I wanted to be like them.”

“….”

“But when I finally got the chance to participate at twenty, I learned the truth. My brothers’ victories were nothing but decorations, set up to shine a light on the prince, a gift never meant for the youngest.”

It was like a corporate executive handing over a small project to their children to build their resumes before passing down the company.

The first and second children get the glory.

But the third doesn’t get the honor.

“When I said I didn’t need a sham, that I wanted to participate on my own merit, my mother showed reluctance. She didn’t want to see the youngest lose while the older brothers won, so she told me not to go.”

“Ah…”

“After that, I just learned how to protect myself. After all, there wouldn’t be any need for me to fight. The dangerous land of Blue Atrium would be taken over by the Duke of the North.”

As he tied the bandage, he smiled—a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

Tristan, you always smiled with confidence. Any exceptions were just mockery towards others.

But seeing you laugh at yourself doesn’t suit you at all!

“…I think you’d do fine.”

“Hm?”

“The strength you built until twenty didn’t just disappear. Plus, I heard you’ve always read the reports on the monsters coming from Frosthill, haven’t you?”

“I only read them for fun.”

“Finding enjoyment in that is a talent too. Even if you went there not knowing anything, I’m sure you’d have managed the Blue Atrium and fought monsters just fine.”

The self-deprecating smile on Tristan’s face disappeared.

It wasn’t a serious look, but a softer one, almost as if he’d been pulled out of his own mental barriers, a vulnerable… pure expression.

What did I just see?!

This expression doesn’t suit you at all!

As I recoiled inwardly, Tristan suddenly turned his head sharply, and with his usual blunt tone, said:

“You should save empty compliments. There’s value in words, and endlessly issuing empty praise might come back as a debt of distrust.”

“Empty praise? I’m being sincere. Your Highness’s abilities are much more than…”

“Enough.”

“Huh? Wait, what’s going on?”

Before I could protest, Tristan lifted me up without warning.

“Now, let’s go back to your bed.”

“I’ll walk! Put me down! I’m fine!”

Naturally, I wanted to resist, but after struggling a bit, I ended up leaning into his chest, feeling suddenly embarrassed and quickly gave up. I was just a bundle, and he was the deliveryman.

He lay me down and covered me with the blanket.

“Stop talking nonsense and just rest.”

“I’ve rested enough.”

I tried to lift the blanket, but Tristan immediately covered me again.

“If you ask the doctor, they’ll tell you to rest more. Wait until I come back.”

“But you were called to assist with the critical patients, weren’t you?”

“Then, as someone with knowledge of emergency care, I’ll decide in place of the doctor.”

“I also know my own body. And Your Highness is a patient too!”

As we exchanged words, the blanket went back and forth at least ten times.

I just want to go have dinner!

While I considered pulling the blanket off, Tristan, as if this was the final round, pressed the edges with both hands.

“Lie down.”

“Eek!”

I was completely trapped, like a fish in a mold!

I struggled, but escaping was impossible.

Looking down at me, Tristan sighed deeply.

“This way, I can rest easy too.”

Since when did I have to be comfortable for you to be comfortable?

But I couldn’t win against his stubbornness.

For now, I pretended to listen and closed my eyes.

Tristan waited a little while, then seemed to get up.

But his footsteps didn’t move away. They stopped right by my head.