The house was dark and dawn seemed to be far off. Having skipped dinner to take care of her unexpected guest, Laritte was quite hungry.

Ian panicked as he watched Laritte march to the kitchen to have her late night dinner. This lady had slept on the knee of a man she didnt even know, asked him if he liked stew, and was now walking away.

You would even treat a stranger so well? The sound of chopping vegetables and boiling water told him that she really was making stew. Ian could do nothing more than stay seated by the warm fireplace. Not long after, she came back with

It really is stew, Ian mumbled under his breath

The freshly-made and steaming stew looked so appetising that it nearly made him drool. She made it herself, and although it didnt look like something fit for a noble, it was still good enough. Laritte tilted her head, not understanding his words.

So that means theres such a thing as fake stew?

Thats not.

He wasnt able to keep his mouth shut. Somehow, though, he felt like he couldnt continue speaking with her attitude.

Excuse me, miss.

Im not a miss. I got married not too long ago. Laritte answered neatly.

Ian looked at the inside of the house. Thinking about it, she definitely lived alone. But she says shes married? What the hell was her husband doing then?

Since he showed no sign of taking the stew, Laritte placed his portion by the fireplace. Then, she stood back up and began eating her portion with a carefree attitude.

The meat and vegetables disappeared one by one into her small mouth.

What are you doing?

The only chair here was taken by my guest.

Thats not what I Huu, do you know where we are?

This was Duke Reinhardts last remaining property. Thats what he heard the sleazeballs in the back-alley say. So, in his opinion, the uninvited guest here was Laritte and not him.

Of course. Is this not the Dukes villa?

So you know this is a house without an owner

Sorry, but Im now the owner of this place.

His dark eyebrows raised. Laritte answered his question clearly because it seemed like he didnt understand.

Thats because I became the Dukes wife. Therefore, I am now the lady of the house.

Though it may seem like nothing to others, it was a precious title to her. As the owner with the rights to this villa, Laritte could finally relax.

It was only at that moment that Ian realized who this woman was. The nanny and his vassals had worked together to pester Ian about his marital status. Itd gotten worse as of late, especially because he had been on the battlefield most of the time.

His nanny was the worst of them all, nagging him about things like how he couldnt get married because ladies were scared of him. So, as soon as a marriage request came in, he accepted it.

was her name Rose Brumayer?

He mightve seen her once or twice, but his memory of her was blurry. Theyve never talked before so he didnt expect her to be such an oddball.

He remembered what he was thinking earlier.What the hell was her husband doing then?

Ian was the type to take care of his people with an iron fist, but gave not a single speck of mercy to his enemies. He was a man with remarkable skills on the battlefield and in academics, and was beautiful. It seemed like the world revolved around him.

It was because of these reasons that hed never really been interested in someone before. It was quite embarrassing for him to have realized this womans identity so late.

Wait a moment. That means you!

He stopped mid-sentence because as soon as he raised his head, pain erupted all over his body. Ian relaxed himself and leaned back into the chair.

Tch!

He clicked his tongue. This severe situation felt indescribable to him. The man praised for being a swordmaster, reduced to someone stuck sitting in a rocking chair!

Laritte stared at him in an obvious manner.

Her eyes that were as clear as the blue sea showed neither pity nor ridicule. He felt strange. Ian covered the site of his stab wound with his calloused hands and didnt miss the expression on her face.

you must know who I am.

He finally managed to finish his sentence. She was all alone. At first, he thought she was an ordinary miss or lady. He also thought that she was lying to kick him out of the house.

Her attitude also made it seem like she didnt know he was a traitor. But she washiswife. If that were the case, then she must know what he looked like. In addition, she likely recognized his golden eyes, proof that he had royal blood.

Laritte nodded with a wooden spoon in her mouth. Suddenly, she realized there wasnt even a drop left in her bowl! It was completely empty. When had she eaten all of her stew?

Once more, Ian furrowed his eyebrows. He noticed that the subject of the conversation was going in another direction. But the damn stew wasnt the current issue.

Arent you admitting that too easily? Youre going to end up becoming a the traitors accomplice.

I guess thats true. Would you like some stew?

why are you asking me that?

You arent going to eat what I brought you?Obviously, her stomach wasnt that big, so Laritte returned his stew to this kitchen. She then came back with a bucket and towel in hand.

Ian opened his mouth but he was tired of asking questions.

What are you going to do with that

Im pretty sure you have quite the cut on your stomach.

Like she said, fresh blood was seeping through his shirt from the cut. Laritte wished for him to live.

Even if the rumors about him being the traitor were true, it wasnt like shed be able to take back her actions and her sympathy. She hoped that when he got better, he would run away. But she wouldnt mind hiding him here either.

She just thought itd be better to heal him since he was already in this condition.

Laritte approached him and knelt down by the chair. Ian didnt stop her from rolling up his shirt.

!

Just the slightest of touches from moving his clothing was enough to make him bite down in pain. Ian screamed silently and felt that, with the severity of his wound, it wouldnt be surprising if his intestines were pouring out.

For weeks, rumour had spread that Ian had died on the battlefield.

Typically, swordmasters handled the energy in their body and healed their injuries quickly. But Ian was suffering from a deep wound that could only heal slowly

Damn it. It seemed that the sword used to injure him was no ordinary weapon. Laritte observed the affected area and carefully picked up the towel.

kuu.

Dont hold in your screams. Itll hurt less if you let it all out.

In this situation, itd be better to wipe the skin down in one go and get it over with quickly. Laritte didnt take a moment to stop and cleaned the infected site. Ians groans grew louder and louder. Eventually, the pain that felt like a knife stabbing into his skin ended.

His eyes widened and he was barely able to lift his head. A tiny and pale hand was holding his hand. Following up with that was a calm voice.

If I didnt hold your hand, youd end up clenching your fist. And then, your nails would end up digging into your flesh. Someone holding your hand would feel more comforting

Ill go and retrieve the bandages now, so stay still.

Ian clenched and unclenched his hand. He watched her back as she walked away. A few hours ago, he was climbing a mountain. Even though he fell and injured his leg, he continued to crawl up.

That wasnt all.

While on the way here, his fever had risen because of his injuries. He also had to fight against the cold and came across a dozen more problems.

He survived all thanks to his desire to take revenge on his right hand man who had betrayed him. But that wasnt the only thing driving him forward. He defended the Empire during the war and as soon as it was over, he was thrown away. As a Duke, Ian also considered the feelings of the people he was responsible for.

He had to find their whereabouts.

But here he was sitting right in front of the fireplace having a strange conversation with an even stranger woman it felt like cold water was being poured over his burning head.

He came to terms with the fact that he couldnt do anything at the moment in his current condition. Ian rested his head back and relaxed his body, feeling his eyelids slowly close. It was bizarre.

Laritte came back with some bandages a while later. She found him lying with his eyes closed and stopped midstep. Was he sleeping?

His vision was dimming but his hearing was still sharp.

Realizing that Laritte was approaching him, he mumbled, Im saying this a bit late but thank you.

You can thank me when you are properly healed.

In her eyes, it was still too difficult for her to say that she had completely healed him. He let out a laugh. He had never met this woman before, and he laughed because of her unexpectedly blunt response.

It started snowing first thing next morning, and Ian began to suffer from a high fever.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep