Chapter 46

“Haa.. haa…”

Miss Sofia suddenly fell off the trail.

It was such a sudden incident.

Almost as if a god had deliberately pushed her.

Even though it was called a trail, it wasn’t a formally constructed one.

It was truly just a path created by natural coincidence.

That’s what made it such a beautiful place.

But now, that fact was the biggest problem.

“Where are you…”

As soon as I saw Miss Sofia fall off the trail, I came down.

But Miss Sofia was nowhere to be seen.

There was no possibility she was covered by snow.

Then where had she fallen to?

Did she hit her head on a tree and fall even further down?

This wasn’t good.

If she had been an ordinary northerner, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but Miss Sofia wasn’t born in the north.

No matter how much she wore her coat, if she was exposed to the cold for an extended period, it would surely cause problems.

And if she was unconscious, it would be an even bigger issue.

“Damn it..”

I found traces of where Miss Sofia had tumbled down, but she wasn’t around.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a day with heavy snowfall, but the mountain was densely packed with trees.

How could I find Miss Sofia in a place like this?

The situation was too urgent to call for someone else.

I went down the snowy slope again.

While going down, there were some traces.

“….”

Footprints.

They weren’t human footprints.

But they weren’t the footprints of a large beast either.

“Thank goodness.”

Yes, at least they weren’t the footprints of a large beast.

I was relieved by that fact for now.

If they had been wolf tracks… I probably would have panicked.

“Not much time has passed yet.”

It wouldn’t take long to find Miss Sofia and get to the castle.

Going from this snow-covered mountain to the castle was easier than finding Miss Sofia.

That is, if I found her.

I analyzed all the remaining traces.

I never thought the lessons with Father would be useful in a place like this.

*

“Miss Sofia!”

I found Miss Sofia.

She hadn’t hit her head on a rock while tumbling down, as there was no blood flowing from her head.

But she wasn’t in good shape either.

She seemed to have injured her leg, as she sat in place, unable to move, just trembling.

“Young… master..?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

I immediately ran to Miss Sofia.

When I reached Miss Sofia, I could clearly see where she was injured.

Her arm had been cut by a branch as she fell, and her ankle was completely swollen.

“Are you alright?”

“Ha… ha… not very well..”

“Let’s go to the castle right away. I’ll carry you.”

“It’s fine. This much is…”

As soon as I said I would carry her, Miss Sofia suddenly tried to get up on her own.

She’s probably doing this because she doesn’t want to burden me.

“Ugh….”

But contrary to her will, Miss Sofia’s body did not obey her.

Having injured her ankle, it was naturally impossible to stand properly.

Even if she could, it would only make the injury worse.

“Miss Sofia, stay as you are.”

The easiest and most comfortable way to get to the castle from here right now is for me to carry Miss Sofia.

I had once lifted Miss Sofia momentarily out of curiosity.

The dumbbells I usually lifted were heavier than Miss Sofia, so there was no need to lift her…

I just wanted to try it once.

Anyway, since I had already lifted her once, it wasn’t a problem at all.

“Eek?!”

I supported Miss Sofia’s legs and back with my arms and lifted her up.

Miss Sofia was surprised, perhaps because she suddenly left the ground, but I didn’t pay attention to that.

After all, there was no other option but for me to carry Miss Sofia to the castle.

“Are you cold?”

“No… I’m not.”

For someone claiming not to be cold, her hands were trembling.

Her hands were on her stomach, so I could see it clearly, but I don’t know why she was lying.

“Miss Sofia.”

“Yes, young master…”

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized as I quickly descended the mountain.

If I hadn’t suggested coming here, Miss Sofia wouldn’t have been injured like this.

It would have been better to just view the snow field.

“Urgh…”

Miss Sofia made a sound, perhaps because her injuries were very painful.

That sound made me feel even more sorry.

Carrying Miss Sofia like this, I could see her more closely.

So I could see her injuries more clearly.

They were injuries caused by me.

I felt not only guilt but also self-loathing for the fact that I, someone who claimed to love Miss Sofia, had caused her to be in this state.

“If it wasn’t for me…”

“No… if it weren’t… for you, young master, I wouldn’t be alive like this.”

Words to reduce my responsibility.

In a way, that could also be true.

Because I found her.

Because I brought her to the mountain and barely found her halfway up.

I brought her, and I saved her.

In the end, it was my responsibility.

“How can a human predict everything in nature? I had no idea the wind would blow so strongly there.”

“But..”

If I hadn’t brought you here.

“But, didn’t you save me, young master? When I was about to give up, unable to move because of my injured leg, trembling from the cold that this cape couldn’t block, it was you, no one else, who saved me.”

“….”

“Stop blaming yourself. I, your tutor, didn’t raise you to be someone who only blames themselves, who is weak, who runs away.”

I don’t understand why she doesn’t blame me.

If I were her, I would surely have blamed myself for bringing her to a place like this.

It’s because of you I fell, it’s because of you I almost died.

I would have said anything to express my anger.

How can you…

“Young master… you’re still young. In life, you’ll face countless unfair situations.”

“….”

“Well… for example, suddenly enrolling in a boarding school, or receiving a confession from a crazy person at boarding school and having strange rumors spread, or not getting paid while working as an adventurer, anyway, there are times when such unfair things happen.”

“Yes..”

I listened to Miss Sofia’s words as we descended the mountain.

My attention was focused on just two things.

My eyes on descending the mountain.

My ears on Miss Sofia’s words.

“But… finding someone to blame for each of these incidents is quite tiring. Sometimes it’s easier to just think, ‘these things happen,’ or ‘fortunately, I didn’t die,’ and move on.”

“….”

“This time too, the wind just suddenly blew. How can one predict nature’s whims?”

This person… has always taught me something.

From the day we first met.

She taught me etiquette.

She taught me social skills.

She taught me how to have confidence.

She taught me how to smile.

She recognized her own shortcomings and asked others for help, teaching me how to protect something.

When I was young, when I met you, I had no idea it would turn out like this.

At that time, I just thought you weren’t a bad person and accepted you.

It was the decision of a clueless 12-year-old child.

But… that decision became the most important one in my life.

“Young master?”

“Yes.”

Though her body was visibly in pain, her expression didn’t show it.

Occasionally, Lady Elin would compliment me for becoming stronger.

But her words were wrong.

It was this person.

The strong one.

The person I thought I liked, I loved, was such an amazing person.

“I’m glad you answered. I was a bit scared. I wondered if you might also be injured somewhere.”

“Why would I be injured? You’re the one who’s hurt..”

“What’s wrong with a servant worrying about their master, or an older sister worrying about her younger brother?”

“….”

She really thought of me as family.

Unlike me, truly.

But I could never think of her solely as family.

Because her appearance was too beautiful, too admirable, too… lovable.

“Young master, where have we reached now?”

“We’re almost at the village.”

We had already left the mountain and were on the path to the village.

The castle was just about five minutes from here.

“You’re really fast… I wonder what you ate to develop such a strong body.”

I continued running while carrying Miss Sofia.

People around were saying something, but it wasn’t worth paying attention to.

All my attention was already focused on Miss Sofia.

“At first, I really thought I might die. It was the first time I was alone on a snow-covered mountain like that.”

Miss Sofia continued speaking nonchalantly while being carried by me.

She seemed to be trying to reduce my worry for her.

“But then… you came, young master. It was quite… a splendid sight.”

“Was it?”

“Yes. The sight of you running with a worried face, concerned if I was injured, was really nice. Am I a bit strange for thinking that?”

“No.”

“Then that’s a relief..”

“Miss Sofia.”

“Yes.”

Even though Miss Sofia told me not to, I wanted to say this again.

She might lecture me again, but I had to say it.

I couldn’t not say it.

“I’m sorry. Next time… I’ll show you a safer and better place.”

“Haha.. is there a better view than what we saw today..? I look forward to it.”

That’s how we arrived at the castle.

When I, who had gone out for leisure, brought back an injured Miss Sofia, all the servants were surprised.

We went out for fun, but one of us came back badly injured.

A knight getting injured and Miss Sofia getting injured were completely different matters.

“A doctor… call a doctor. As quickly as possible.”

We were a family with a knighthood.

So naturally, there was always a doctor residing in the family.

“Haha… we arrived much faster than I expected.”

“Miss Sofia, please stop talking… just rest for now.”

I said this because she had been talking continuously on our way from the snow-covered mountain to here.

Shortly after, the doctor arrived, and Miss Sofia was moved to the treatment room for her care.

“Haah…”

Since the incident on the snow field, not even an hour had passed.

But maybe because I was so tense.

It felt like several hours had passed.

Today… if I hadn’t found Miss Sofia there.

If Miss Sofia had suffered a more severe injury.

“…”

It was something I didn’t want to imagine.