Chapter 37: The Unseen Truth and a Sudden Embrace

The words ‘a woman as beautiful as you’ from Rodd drifted gently into my ears.

It felt as if a sudden bucket of ice water had been poured over me, and an inexplicable chill crept up my spine.

“‘He doesn’t think I’m a witch too, does he?'”

The thought swirled in my mind, refusing to dissipate.

Though I wasn’t sure if I truly was a witch, I was at least entangled in matters concerning them.

Once, the witch named Lulu had wielded mysterious powers upon me, and Lord Axas had even claimed I carried the scent of a demon.

Thus, even as I considered myself human, an increasing amount of evidence seemed to point towards another truth entirely…

“‘Hmm? What are you thinking about?'”

Seeing my prolonged silence, Rodd posed the question with a calm voice that, despite its tranquility, made my heart beat erratically.

I struggled to banish the distracting thoughts, only to find myself unable to maintain my usual composure. My lips began to feel parched with nervousness.

“‘No… nothing…'”

I had initially intended to deny it outright, but sensing its artificiality, I quickly concocted an excuse.

“‘I was just wondering… if that injured soldier would survive. Even though the bleeding has stopped, with such poor medical conditions, he’s very likely to develop a fever from infection and ultimately suffer a painful death.'”

This question seemed to successfully divert Rodd’s attention. He spoke to me in a reassuring tone.

“‘Don’t worry. Allen’s father is a doctor. While Allen didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps, he’s still a competent military medic. Infection is a common issue here. For that, he long ago invented a salve made from calendula, black willow bark, and honey. I’ve used it myself, and it works quite well.'”

Calendula, black willow bark…

Upon hearing the names of these two plants, I felt a sudden astonishment.

If these plants could help combat infection, then they must contain some kind of acidic substance.

In my memory, the precursor to aspirin, one of the greatest medicines in medical history, seemed to be some form of acid.

Though I couldn’t recall the specific name, it was truly amazing that the natives of this world had also discovered such a miraculous thing.

It seemed that even when the ignorance of an era obscured the sky of science, human wisdom would still twinkle like starlight.

Perhaps my answer had triggered a thought in Rodd, for his curious gaze fixed intently upon me.

“‘Heh… Speaking of which, I have a question for you too,'” he began.

“‘What question?'”

“‘Well… I was thinking, you’re just an ordinary little maid, so why do you always like to help others? Whether it’s that injured soldier, or me when I initially held you captive, or even that young mistress who abused you… You could have done nothing at all, couldn’t you?'”

‘Done nothing at all?’

Indeed, doing nothing would seemingly avert a great deal of trouble.

Yet, for this particular question, my heart seemed to hold a different answer.

“‘I just don’t want to feel… completely helpless.'”

Just then, the carriage unexpectedly lurched to a sudden stop.

Having been completely unprepared, I was violently pulled by the sudden inertia, my body tilting uncontrollably. I stumbled directly into Rodd’s arms.

Just like that night, Rodd moved with agile grace, easily steadying my body. With just one arm wrapped around my left waist, he held me firmly.

I felt vexed by my own body’s sluggishness, and even more ashamed of my renewed carelessness.

Clumsy, awkward, frail, and prone to emotional outbursts…

‘Is this what a woman’s body is like? It’s truly troublesome! If only I still had a man’s body…’

“‘I’m sorry, Master…'”

I instinctively apologized to the man who held me.

“‘I just… eh—'”

Just as I was about to use his waist for leverage to stand up, I suddenly felt a powerful force from behind me.

Under that almost irresistible pressure, I felt like a puppet that had lost its autonomy, completely falling into the embrace of the man before me.

His body pressed tightly against mine, almost crushing me. Through his firm chest, I could feel the powerful beat of his heart.

It was warm like sunlight, and seemed to emanate with that pulsating strength, causing my small frame to tremble involuntarily in response.

Even though his body was much larger, stronger, and more powerful than mine, I felt as if he was subtly leaning on me, though it wasn’t overtly obvious.

While I couldn’t see his expression from this angle, I could feel his warm, moist breath tickling my ear, growing steadily more pronounced, more ragged…

“‘Uh… Master?'”

Feeling a surge of bewilderment, I quickly whispered the question, my palms growing sweaty.

‘Hadn’t this fellow been quite proper just a moment ago? Why the sudden change?’

With decades of experience, I was not ignorant of what this situation implied. But ultimately, when actually faced with it, I found that no amount of mental preparation was effective.

‘Becoming a woman, and then being held so intimately by a man… This is no different from a lamb being caught by a big bad wolf, is it?’

“‘Ro… Rodd?'”

Seeing that my earlier address had no effect, I switched to his name and patted his back, nervously reminding him.

“‘That’s enough, isn’t it? You… you’re holding me so tightly I can barely breathe…'”

His arms loosened slightly, yet he still did not release me.

“‘Just a moment longer, I want to feel it.'”

“‘You… what are you feeling?'”

“‘The scent.'”

“‘Ah? Wh… what scent? Please don’t sniff around, okay? I’ve been sweating a lot; at least let me wash up first…'”

His words made me terribly embarrassed, and I pushed against him.

“‘Get up quickly! What if someone sees us…'”

“‘Brother! We’ve arrived, why aren’t you getting out?'”

Allen’s youthful, hoarse voice suddenly echoed from outside the carriage, and my heart leaped into my throat!

‘No, don’t open it now!’

But my hopes were ultimately dashed. With the creak of the carriage door opening, Allen’s bewildered voice sounded from behind me.

“‘Eh? Brother, what’s going on with you two?'”

‘It’s over!’

“‘Nothing. She fell asleep.'”

To my surprise, Rodd’s answer was immediate and unwavering, as if he had long prepared for such a contingency.

‘Fell asleep? Oh, my good Master, you’re quite the liar! The excuse might be plausible, but with your flirtatious nature, would your younger brother truly believe you’re so innocent?’

“‘Oh, then why is she sleeping in your arms?'”

‘Ugh!’

‘I… I’m holding him? No, you little brat, are you blind? He’s the one clinging to me, isn’t he?’

‘However, to an unknowing outsider, it certainly looked that way…’

Though I cursed Allen a thousand times and Rodd ten thousand times in my heart, on the surface, I dared not even breathe, nor move an inch.

‘Play dead, thoroughly play dead!’

“‘What of it? Didn’t you also like to sleep in my arms before?'” Rodd replied nonchalantly.

“‘Ugh! No, that’s not true! Don’t you dare accuse me falsely!'” Allen stammered in defense, though his voice sounded rather weak and unconvincing.

Rodd, however, knew when to stop, and did not mock his brother further.

“‘I’ll get off in a moment. You all go ahead and move the other things into town. Remember to properly bury our fallen brother; I’ll come help later.'”

After hearing Allen’s footsteps recede, I quickly struggled free from Rodd’s embrace.

Despite my efforts to control my emotions, I couldn’t help but complain to him, “‘Why were you holding me? I’m not your real brother…'”

Rodd smiled faintly, then personally helped me alight from the carriage.

As my feet touched the ground, I heard him softly say, “‘It’s alright, he isn’t either.'”