Could there be anything more accurate than this to express a crush? For any woman, if she listened to Ethan, she would have no choice but to struggle.

“……”

So was Sarah. As soon as she heard Ethan’s words, her eyelashes trembled. Her slow blinking eyes and the delicately stiff corners of her mouth showed how perplexed she was now.

“But we’ll be at Pavel Estate soon, so my time to be greedy and your time to relax will be over.”

“……Yes, I think so.”

Sarah nodded awkwardly and looked at him with a thoughtful expression on her face. He wished he had shaken Sarah’s heart as much as her slightly swaying eyes.

‘Let’s stop here today.’

Ethan swallowed his regret and opened the book he was holding again. He’s been tapping Sarah’s heart more explicitly lately.

‘Her heart seems to be shaken to me.’

Ethan shook his head slightly as he pressed down the end of the book with his fingertips. It never occurred to him that Sarah would fall in love with him. There was no way someone as brilliant as her would love someone like him. Therefore, if there was anything more available, he should use it. He had to tap, hold and shake her heart as best as he could. That way, when Sarah wanted to leave in the future, the numerous shakes he had made would hold her by the ankles and drag her back.

‘Because Sarah has a lot of affection, for no reason.’

That would be the shackles he held on to her. Ethan thought so and smiled bitterly. He wanted to show Sarah a little bit more of his good side. However, as long as Ambrosia’s power existed, he must continue to seek the help of Sarah. Every time he remembered those moments when he had received so many things from Sarah, his heart raced, but his heart also tightened with anxiety. If he had done much for Sarah, she wouldn’t be able to leave because of the debt. The key to the relationship had long since left his hands. He had been like this since he realized this fact.

“……”

Every time she disappeared, the insidious mind twisted constantly inside him and opened its hideous mouth. He pretended to be relaxed, but his mind was already pushed to the limit. At any moment in his life, it seemed that someone would capture her heart and take her away from him.

‘Is it right for me to lose her? I’ve never even held her in my hand in the first place.’

Ethan was nothing to Sarah, not to dare to be wary. That forced him to become increasingly nervous. He sincerely hoped that there would be something inseparable between him and Sarah. The pages of the book Ethan was looking at did not flip over a single one.

“Duke, are you even reading that book?”

When Sarah pointed it out, Ethan smiled faintly and looked at her.

“You got me.”

Ethan felt his twisted stomach sink in an instant as he heard Sarah’s voice. But for now, because she was by his side like this. That alone was enough. He raised his hand and grabbed his throbbing head.

“I can’t concentrate because I have a little headache.”

“Oh my.”

Sarah made a fuss looking at Ethan with a worried face.

“Heaven, does it hurt a lot? Do you think you have a fever? Or is it just a simple headache?”

At Sarah’s reaction, as if something big had happened in the world, the corners of Ethan’s lips curled upward.

“I’m fine.”

“It’s not okay! Let me take a look.”

Sarah crossed over to Ethan’s side, sat down, and placed a hand on his forehead. The warmth of the warm mug remained in her hand. Ethan, who was tired at her touch, slowly blinked his eyes, then closed his eyes completely.

“Just a little longer……, if you do this, I think my headache will go away.”

“Is that so?”

Ethan nodded softly and felt Sarah’s tender touch. The insides that had been tangled up until just now melted mildly when Sarah’s warmth touched him. Was this magic?

“But you’d better ask for help just in case.”

“Um?”

At Sarah’s words, Ethan opened his eyes as if puzzled.

Whom does she ask for help?

Sarah’s actions were even faster than Ethan’s opening his mouth to ask. In an instant she lowered the window of the carriage and began to call out the knights loudly.

“Everyone! My cold must have passed on the Duke! He says he’s going to die because his head hurts so much!”

“Sarah?”

“What if the Duke gets sick and dies?”

There was no time for Ethan to respond to Sarah’s call.

“My Lord! Are you sick? Where should we go! What should we do!”

First of all, Jade opened the carriage door as if to break it and entered. And after that, even the knights who went out to check out the monsters in the distance were running at full speed, blowing dust in this direction.

“My Loooooord!!!”

“You must not dieeeee!!”

“I aaaaam, I’ll protect you!!”

It was incredible speed and loud voice. Ethan looked at Sarah with a slightly fed-up face. And he looked. The corners of Sarah’s mouth curled up mischievously.

“Bring me the fruit! When I tried it, it worked very well!”

“I understand!”

“Two, three……, no, you better bring everything you have! Because the Duke is precious!”

“Roger that!”

The knights listened to Sarah very faithfully. Everyone came with a load of fruits in their hands. Fruits and blankets and warm water and all kinds of medicine that were pushed into the carriage…… Ethan was going through the same thing that Sarah had just gone through.

“Eat this and get well soon, my Lord.”

“You mustn’t get sick.”

“Countess Millen, please save our Lord. Hic hic.”

The knights surrounded the carriage and added one word at a time. Even though she had started that, she was so distracted that her head went crazy. Then someone shouted in a loud voice.

“He’s never been sick before! It’s all because of the monsters.”

“That’s right. That could happen.”

“If the monsters didn’t come out of the monster forest, there was no reason for my Lord to come all this way.”

“This is all because of the monsters.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s kill them.”

“Wipe them all away!”

“Uoooh!”

After the knights finished talking among themselves, they ran to the other side of the carriage again.

“……”

Ethan was at a loss for words when he saw the knights that disappeared in an instant. It felt like a storm had passed. As Ethan blinked slowly, Jade, who was still in the carriage, slapped him on the chest.

“I will stand by my Lord’s side. Because someone has to be by your side.”

Ethan’s brow twitched over his proud face.

“……Get out.”

“Yes sir.”

At Ethan’s sullen command, Jade backed away neatly without saying a word. He felt like he was going to get hit if he stood there for nothing. It was very painful when Ethan hit him.

“Ahaha.”

Sarah smiled cheerfully as she hurried out of the carriage and saw Jade closing the doors and windows tightly. Ethan’s face, which had just been bewildered, was engraved in her eyes.

“Are you taking revenge on me now?”

“Did I get revenge?”

“I’d say it was great if it was your purpose.”

The embarrassment Sarah must have felt was already enough. What the knights felt was something beyond worry. It was close to madness…… It was probably him who stained his men like that.

“I’m so sorry, Sarah.”

Ethan sincerely apologized to Sarah. Then Sarah smiled benevolently and nodded her head.

“I will accept Duke’s apology.”

“Thank you.”

Ethan felt deeply sorry for Sarah, who must have been through the current situation countless times, but admired her for willingly accepting his apology. It was when Ethan decided that he would never be overprotective to Sarah to the point that she would be in trouble from now on.

“Now, then eat this now.”

“……?”

Sarah was smiling while holding the fruit that the knights frantically offered up earlier.

“Sarah?”

“There’s no harm in eating just in case, right?”

She returned exactly what Ethan had said earlier when he fed her the fruit. Only then did Ethan realize that Sarah’s revenge was not over yet.

“Now, Duke? Please say ‘Ah’.”

“……”

“Quickly.”

“……Ah.”

Ethan was just getting what he had done.