DGMYF 9

In the front yard of the Duke of Windermere’s mansion, people, including the knights of the escort, were gathered, busily preparing for a journey.

“By the way, is the Duke’s health alright? I’m worried that the journey might be too much for him.”

Rachel Morgan, the captain of the Windermere Escort, asked the court physician, Heyworth. They were standing in the lobby, waiting for the Duke of Windermere to come out.

“It’s not bad. And since he has a new aide, the journey won’t be difficult.”

“Is that so? What kind of person is he?”

“He’s strong.”

Morgan waited for the words that would follow, but that was the end of Heyworth’s statement.

“Is that all?”

“That’s the most important thing. He looked ready to pick up the Duke and fly. Anyway, I’m more worried about myself than the Duke. I’m stuck going through hardship away from home for no reason.”

“I never asked you to come along.”

Kaiso, who had approached them at some point, retorted with an indifferent tone.

“What, so the court physician doesn’t follow when his patient goes on a long journey?”

He grumbled as he went outside and loaded his bag into the carriage.

“Let’s go now, Your Grace.”

“Alright.”

Kaiso slowly steadied his breath and rolled the wheels of his wheelchair. He was now right in front of the low threshold of the main gate. Yes, it was just a low threshold.

‘It’s okay.’

Going outside was still frightening, but because he had done it once already, it was easier to make up his mind than the first time. Unlike then, this time Kaiso rolled the wheelchair wheels himself and went outside.

A clear day, just like before, was waiting for him. He dared to come outside and was receiving such beautiful sunlight, yet no problems arose.

‘What was I holing myself up at home all this time for.’

Even though he was only in his front yard, Kaiso’s confidence swelled like never before. He had a feeling that starting with this, everything would be resolved well.

“What a relief it is that we have Troy. The carriage has always been a source of trouble, hasn’t it.”

At Gordon’s words, Kaiso looked back and forth between the carriage standing in the front yard and the escort knights on their horses. The old him would have naturally ridden a horse, but now he had to place his body in a carriage. That alone hurt his pride, but having two people stick to him and struggle to get him into the carriage was even harder to bear.

But now, he had Troy.

“Just trust me!”

Troy, who had approached at some point, lifted Kaiso into his arms very lightly. He was taller than the carriage, so he didn’t have to exert any effort at all to place Kaiso inside.

Troy tried to get into the carriage after him, but Gordon stopped him.

“Troy, don’t disturb the Duke so he can travel comfortably. You must ride a horse.”

“Then what about Dr. Heyworth?”

Troy protested, his lips pouting as if he were truly disappointed.

“Because I’m not a disturbance.”

Heyworth, who was already in the carriage, said triumphantly. Watching Troy and Heyworth bicker, Gordon continued worriedly.

“Wouldn’t it be better if I went along after all?”

“You have to guard the mansion.”

“I trust that Troy will do well, but I am still worried.”

“He’ll do well.”

At that, an expression as if he had just received a love confession appeared on Troy’s face. Kaiso didn’t have the energy to deny that that wasn’t what he meant, so he just let it be. Kaiso did not yet realize that the more he did so, the deeper Troy’s misunderstanding became.

“Troy, you should ride Valentin.”

“Is that really alright?”

Gordon asked in surprise at Kaiso’s words. Valentin, a stallion with a glossy coat and a very large build, was one of the horses Kaiso cherished the most.

“If it’s not Valentin, how could it handle that fellow’s size.”

He was originally brought in as a colt for Kaiso to ride, but the horse grew faster than his legs could heal. He couldn’t express how pitiful it felt to see the creature waiting quietly in the stable. He felt relieved, as if he had found him a proper master now.

“Are you giving him to me?”

“Yes. You do know how to ride a horse, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

Troy placed a saddle on Valentin’s back and mounted him lightly. Valentin tossed his head and neighed as if he were in a good mood.

“Shhh, good boy.”

The party, having finished their preparations, set out on the road with the escort in the lead. It was a formation where the mounted party surrounded the carriage in the middle. Troy rode his horse, sticking close to the side of the carriage. Then he chattered endlessly toward the small window in the carriage.

“I’m so nervous thinking about traveling alone with you, Your Grace.”

It seemed that in Troy’s eyes, not only Heyworth sitting right next to him but also the more than twenty members of the Duke of Windermere’s party were not even visible.

“Am I not a person either?”

Heyworth looked at him with an exasperated expression, and Kaiso shook his head from side to side. However, no one thought of stopping him.

“Looking at those eyes, I don’t think he’ll listen to a word I say.”

Even though he was being insulted right in front of him, Troy grinned goofily as if he was pleased.

From Kaiso’s territory of Tianne to the capital, Luxan, it took about three days by carriage at a leisurely pace. If Kaiso had ridden a horse alone, he would have arrived in a day or two, but he could no longer do that.

Watching Troy and Valentin gallop energetically, Kaiso could not hide his envy. Heyworth, noticing his expression, snapped his book shut and said.

“If you’re envious, work hard on your rehabilitation exercises.”

“I’m not envious.”

Embarrassed at having his inner thoughts exposed, Kaiso let out a dry cough and lowered the carriage window curtain.

“If you just work hard on rehabilitation, you can walk, Your Grace. I know it.”

“I don’t believe that anymore.”

It had been five years since he had been unable to use his legs. He had long since abandoned the hope of being able to walk.

“You have full sensation in your lower body. Medically speaking, there’s no problem. I don’t know what happened there that day, but it must be related to that incident.”

“I already told you. That’s all there is to it.”

Heyworth looked at him with a displeased expression before turning his eyes back to his book. The inside of the carriage fell silent again.

The journey was smooth. The road from Tianne to the capital was wide and well-paved. Thanks to this, the party rode across the wide fields without any hindrances. However, the weather gradually worsened, and by the afternoon, a heavy downpour began to fall.

“Your Grace, it is raining too heavily, so we must stop for a while before continuing.”

Escort Captain Morgan, drenched in rain, approached the carriage window. When he suggested that he would escort them to a small village just ahead, Kaiso nodded without a word. No matter how urgent their journey was, he couldn’t just leave his party in the rain.

Heyworth grumbled, as if he didn’t like the content of their conversation.

“Can’t we just keep going? Baisar will be just a little farther. We could rest there.”

Baisar was a large coastal city located between Tianne and the capital. According to the original schedule, they were supposed to stay one night in that city, but it seemed a change was necessary.

“It’s raining too much. Everyone must be exhausted.”

“I didn’t get wet, so I don’t care.”

“…Sometimes, you should at least pretend to think about others.”

How could a doctor be so inconsiderate and selfish. Kaiso was baffled, and he doubted his own judgment in hiring Heyworth.

Despite Heyworth’s complaints, the party soon arrived at a small, nameless village. Due to the heavy rain, the streets were deserted without a single person.

The party found the largest inn in the village and entered. The innkeeper was surprised by the sudden arrival of so many people, but he hurried to welcome his guests. The travelers, who had been on a rough journey in the foul weather, first soothed themselves by drinking warm tea and vegetable soup.

Morgan, who had finished discussing room assignments with the innkeeper, gave a key to Heyworth and said.

“You, sir, will share a room with Miss Coleman.”

“The two of us together?”

“Yes, it is a small village, so they say there are not enough rooms. The men will have to use a room in groups of three or four, so your situation is still on the better side, sir.”

Morgan pointed to the inn in the next building and explained that he should go over there. Heyworth, grumbling, ran in that direction.

Kaiso put down the tea he was drinking and asked Morgan.

“Then who will Troy share a room with?”

“Mr. Elliot is in the same room as Cole, Carter, and Evans.”

“Four of them? Then isn’t that too pitiful for Evans.”

Evans was the shortest knight in the escort. The thought of Evans sleeping squished between the big guys was just too heartbreaking.

But what if Evans and Kaiso shared a room? That fellow Evans wouldn’t even be able to breathe and would be cowering in a corner. No matter how well Kaiso treated him, a superior was a superior, so it was only natural to be uncomfortable.

‘It can’t be helped.’

In a situation where everyone had to sleep layered in narrow rooms, Kaiso could not occupy a room by himself. And among the male members of the party, there was only one servant who did not find him uncomfortable.

“Don’t do that, have Troy use the same room as me.”

“Will you be alright with that?”

Morgan said worriedly.

“It’s fine. I won’t get crushed to death.”

A strange silence flowed around them. Kaiso suddenly thought that his words might sound strange.

“That’s not what I meant….”

“What is?”

Troy, who had appeared at some point, asked with a wide grin. He was on his way back after guiding the party to their rooms, getting soaked by the rain.

“You can use the same room as me.”

“Wow, Your Grace, with me….”

“That’s enough.”

Kaiso cut off Troy’s nonsense beforehand and said that they should get going. With an excited expression, Troy lifted Kaiso into his arms. The whole time they were moving, Morgan held up an umbrella to keep Kaiso from getting wet.

Kaiso’s room was a small bungalow situated behind the inn. It was a room the innkeeper had given him separately, knowing that it was inconvenient for him to use the stairs.

“First, I will have them bring bathwater.”

Morgan gestured with his chin towards Troy, sending a signal that meant, ‘Please take good care of the Duke.’

“Hey, why are you so worried when I’m here?”

Troy shouted confidently and then kicked the door shut with his heel. Every time he took a stride, the wooden floor became wet, its color deepening.

Kaiso sat on the sofa that sank in the shape of his bottom and slowly looked around. It was a small room with old furniture and a narrow bed. It was a shabby room, incomparable to the ducal mansion, but Kaiso did not mind it much. He just warmed his hands by the roaring fireplace and rested for a moment.

Before long, an inn employee came in with hot bathwater.

“Please wait a moment!”

Troy busily prepared the bath, then lifted the naked Kaiso and put him in the bathtub.

“Is the water temperature okay?”

As if he had finally learned how to attend to a bath, Troy diligently poured water on Kaiso’s back.

“Yes, it’s warm.”

Kaiso twisted his wet hair and tied it into one. Then he leaned his weary body against the bathtub. As he let out a long breath and closed his eyes, he felt the fatigue from his body, which had been tormented by the shaking carriage all day, melt away. It had been too long since his last journey, and also, the purpose of that journey was not a very pleasant one, so Kaiso had been in a state of tension the whole time.

“Ah, just a moment!”

Troy stood up abruptly and brought a small pouch. Soon, he sprinkled the contents of the pouch into the bathwater. They were dried wildflowers. It was a mystery when he had packed something like this. A flower petal bath. They weren’t children.

“What’s the point of doing this.”

“To make you feel good!”

Troy paid no heed to Kaiso’s scolding. Instead, he grabbed another handful of dried wildflowers and scattered them in the water. He even hummed a tune the entire time.

“It seems like you’re in a better mood than I am.”

“Oops, you caught me.”

Troy poured water over Kaiso’s body. At that, wildflowers stuck here and there to his body and hair. Troy, who was staring intently at the sight, picked up a large flower and placed it behind Kaiso’s ear. At the sudden action, Kaiso just blinked his eyes.

“What is this?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. I did it without thinking.”

Troy placed another small flower behind Kaiso’s ear. Then, his face turning red, he just stared at the sight. Feeling awkward under the blatant gaze, Kaiso took the flowers out himself, and an expression of extreme disappointment was clearly visible on his face.

“It suits you well.”

“In the middle of a bath, what is this… Achoo!”

As he shook his body and coughed loudly, the flower petals attached to his body fluttered off. It was probably due to the influence of the suddenly cold weather and falling into the lake a few days ago. Troy sent a worried gaze and soaped Kaiso’s shoulders.

“You’re coughing.”

“It’ll get better after a nap. You, on the other hand, will catch a cold if you stay like that.”

Troy, despite being soaked in the rain, was attending to Kaiso without even changing his clothes. His curly hair was wet, making it even curlier, and it looked like a liter of water would come out if his shirt were wrung out.

“It’s fine. I’ve never caught a cold in my life.”

He certainly looked sturdy, but Kaiso felt rather uncomfortable being attended to by a fellow in such a messy state.

“Don’t be like that, you get in too.”

“What? How could I do that.”

“Have you already forgotten what happened on the first day you came to the mansion?”

To barge into the bathtub on their first meeting and now act distant. Kaiso was dumbfounded.

“The bathtub was incredibly wide back then. This one is very narrow….”

Kaiso folded his legs with his hands. It was a bit cramped, but it seemed Troy could fit in well enough.

“It’s because I feel uncomfortable. The water’s still warm, so get in.”

During his academy days or military service, they had to wash quickly and return quickly, so it was common to wash together. He had never gotten into such a narrow bathtub with someone else, but his companion was just a kid who hadn’t even presented. It was no different from washing Hunter, Ingrid’s friend and the son of the head maid.

Seeing Troy immediately stand up and start taking off his clothes in a flurry, Kaiso hastily added.

“But wrap a towel around your waist.”

Troy, who was about to enter the bathtub naked, paused. Following the command, he wrapped a white towel around his waist, then said in a seemingly sulky voice.

“Do people from the south normally bathe with a towel wrapped around them? That’s unusual.”

“No, normally we take everything off. But since I can’t bathe by myself.”

As Troy dipped one foot at a time slowly, the bathwater sloshed greatly.

“It’s a bit embarrassing, you know.”

Usually, even when being attended to during a bath, it was limited to just handing things over or scrubbing one’s back. However, in Kaiso’s case, he had to be held while naked, so it was quite awkward to be completely bare. That’s why he always bathed with a towel wrapped around his waist.

When Troy sat in the bathtub, Kaiso completely folded his legs with his hands so that Troy could sit comfortably.

“Is that posture not uncomfortable? Put your legs on top of mine, Your Grace.”

Troy pulled on Kaiso’s two weak legs.

“No, it’s fin—!”

At the sudden movement, Kaiso lost his balance and fell slightly, and Troy hurriedly caught him. But Kaiso’s attention was elsewhere.

‘Wait, I think it touched.’

The bathtub was much more cramped than Kaiso had calculated.

His one foot that had slipped was resting right on top of Troy’s center. He could clearly feel something like a club under his foot. He had to move his foot away in a hurry, but Kaiso could not do so.

“No, this is….”

Unlike the embarrassed Kaiso, Troy seemed to have no particular thought about it. Troy nonchalantly helped Kaiso regain his balance, then grabbed his two legs, spread them, and placed them on top of his own two thighs. Then he began to massage them diligently, but for some reason, his expression gradually hardened into a serious one. It was probably because Kaiso’s legs, held beneath his hands, were too thin. Troy, as if he was upset, made a whimpering sound, ‘Hing.’

“I will give you a massage every day from now on.”

“That’s enough.”

Kaiso told him to stop, but Troy massaged even more diligently. As he pressed down firmly with strong force, Kaiso didn’t feel bad either. A low moan escaped his lips on its own.

“Ah….”

Troy, confirming his reaction, gently moved his hands upward. Kaiso was flustered by the hands that naturally wrapped around his thighs.

“No, don’t do the thighs.”

“Why? I have to be thorough and not miss a spot.”

Troy did not stop his hands and massaged diligently. It was a pure hand movement, without a single impure intention, simply focused on its original purpose. Kaiso felt needlessly embarrassed, thinking he might be overreacting.

‘Right, he’s a guy who hasn’t even presented, so what does it matter.’

However, when Troy’s hands, which knew no bounds, pushed into his inner thighs, Kaiso hurriedly blocked them.

“What are you doing!”

“What is it?”

“…You’re not really asking because you don’t know, are you?”

If his hand had come in just a little more, it would have touched his own center hanging below his thighs.

‘Could it be he’s pretending not to know?’

As a needless suspicion bloomed, Kaiso began to slightly regret inviting Troy into the bathtub.

Completely unaware of the suspicion unfolding in Kaiso’s mind, Troy attended to him more diligently than usual. No, this was not attending, it was practically at the level of washing a small child. Watching Troy diligently cleaning between his toes, Kaiso said.

“You seem to always forget that my arms are perfectly fine.”

“I am just fulfilling my duty as an aide!”

Kaiso narrowed his eyes and observed him. But his expression, and the reaction from his lower body, were truly the epitome of innocence. Not a single bad intention or dark ulterior motive could be seen.