~•|•~
Dante was aware that Lennox could swim. However, if he assisted Inez, who had no swimming ability, Lennox would undoubtedly perish in the same way as Inez. Because it is difficult to save a drowning person who is unable to swim.
"Calm down, Inez!" Lennox yelled, but the young woman grabbed his collar, and they both drowned.
When Dante noticed that, he sped up his swimming even more. Dante moved to Inez's side and grabbed her arm than Lennox's.
"I assume you can swim. Move ahead!" Dante exclaimed to Lennox, who was confused. However, the red-nosed man swam over the riverside right away, leaving Dante to continue his attempt to save Inez.
"Help! Agh... help!" Inez screamed, causing more water to enter her mouth, but her hands grabbed Dante's collar, just as she had done earlier with Lennox.
"Lady! Lady!" exclaimed Dante, grasping tightly to Inez's hand that grabbed his collar. "Calm down. I'll save you," he said.
Dante knew the warning was ineffective. Inez was so timid. It was a normal reaction for someone who couldn't swim. And if left in the river for too long, Inez would develop a high fever.
Dante groaned as Inez grabbed his collar again and pulled him into the river.
'Perfect chance,' Dante thought when they were in the river. He grabbed Inez's waist and brought her to the surface.
"Puah!" Inez breathed stutteringly as she reached the surface. Only then she realize that it was no longer Lennox who was helping her, but Dante. "Sir--"
"Stay calm! Hold me tight! But don't take me to drown! I'll take you to the riverside, Lady," Dante said, looking at Inez. After that, he quickly swam and avoided the current as much as possible to the place where Lennox had almost arrived.
Inez actually hugged him. Perhaps the girl was afraid of drowning again. Occasionally, the girl coughed because a lot of water had entered her mouth and nose earlier. And Dante tried his best to reach the riverside, which was already crowded with other knights and nobles.
A knight jumped into the river when they were almost close. He wanted to help Dante by bringing Inez, but the captain refused with glaring eyes.
"Bring me a blanket or a thick towel!" Dante pleaded as his feet began to feel the ground on the riverside. He turned to Inez, who had begun sobbing. The girl must have been very surprised. "Excuse me, My Lady," Dante said before he wrapped his arms around Inez and carried her as they were about to get out of the river.
People were watching the scene, including Lennox, who was warming himself under the covers.
Water seeps out as Dante and Inez get out of the river. Dante stepped up while Inez hid in his arms. He put Inez in a safe place, then turned to Lennox, who had an unfriendly expression with him, especially toward Inez, who had made this mess.
Dante chose to ignore that expression as he heard Inez coughing again.
"Just let it out, Lady. No need to be embarrassed," said Dante, who could only do that much. He felt that Inez would not allow it if he provided other emergency help.
Inez suddenly looked at the man. Her eyes and nose turned red. She looked down afterwards and coughed again to expel the water that had previously entered.
'It's hot,' Inez thought, feeling the sensation that was now in her nose.
Pluk!
Inez looked up as a thick blanket fell over her wet body. The captain did it. The man who had stood up looked at her for a moment, then left to face Lennox before Inez could say thank you.
Inez's lips curled. Plus, she heard the people around start to mock her. Inez could only hug the blanket, which wasn't even enough to keep her warm. She was left alone.
~•|•~
"What's wrong with your expression, Your Highness?" asked Dante as he faced Lennox.
The man, who was soaking wet and surrounded by several knights, snorted harshly. He cut off his gaze from Dante.
"This news will reach His Majesty. He'll be furious if he finds out I didn't make you a priority. So, let me take care of it," Dante said first.
"Never mind," Lennox replied half-heartedly. He glanced at the place where Inez was, without anyone to accompany her. "Everyone is safe," he added.
"Yeah, but I still violated the military and royal codes of conduct," Dante said. He saw that Lennox was not responding to him, so he spoke again. "Please return to the palace. I will take care of everything here, including Lady Inez," he added.
"Can I?" asked Lennox, looking straight at Dante.
The man nodded slowly. "Leave it to me," he said confidently.
Lennox nodded. "In that case, I'll be back. Ugh, this is going to be the hot news in Beetheaven's paper tomorrow," he said, leaving Dante stunned.
Dante smiled bitterly. If Lennox was really serious, those speeches could not have come from a man in love. He glanced at the knight. "Tell everyone to disperse!" he commanded.
"Yes, Capt!" The other knights took over the task of dispersing the crowd.
Dante looked at Lennox again and nodded slowly. He turned and strode back toward Inez, who was shivering alone.
"Lady," Dante called, kneeling beside the girl and aligning himself with Inez's sitting position.
Inez turned her head with a confused look. It was as if she were asking, Why was Dante coming back to her again?
"His Highness will return to the palace. I will escort you to the Buford Mansion. Do you mind if I do that?" asked Dante.
Inez did not answer immediately. She looked at Lennox, who had given his back to her. Her face turned red quickly. She looked down, then nodded slowly.
"Can you walk by yourself?" asked Dante, not taking his eyes off of Inez.
"I can," Inez replied. She rested on her hands, then stood up on shaky legs.
Dante looked up with a wry look on his lips. He also stood up then, and he was now much taller than Inez. "Let's go to my carriage," he invited.
Inez can only give a small nod. They cut through the crowd together.
~•|•~
As expected of the Marquess's only son, Dante had a greater carriage than Buford's.
So, Inez was hesitant to get into the carriage when she was soaking wet.
Dante, noticing Inez's reluctance when she stop at the carriage door. So, he took the new coat that his servant had given to him and stepped toward Inez.
"Maybe you'll need it," Dante said as he held out his new coat.
Inez looked at that coat and Dante in turn. She took it and smiled slightly. "Thank you, Capt."
Dante nodded briefly. He glanced at the carriage door that had opened. "Get in first. I'll catch up," he said.
"Alright." Inez nodded. She used the oversized coat to cover her body, which had been covered by the blanket as well, then got into the carriage and took a position slightly to the right. She looked out the window for a moment and saw Dante, who was talking to the river guard. Soon, the conversation was over, and Dante stepped quickly towards the carriage.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Dante said as he entered the carriage and took a seat across from Inez, slightly to the left.
"Not long at all, Capt," Inez replied.
Dante nodded briefly. He tapped the carriage wall three times, and the journey back to the Buford Mansion began.
Inez occasionally glanced at Dante, who was leaning his head with his hand on the window. She moistened her dry lips. "If I had Anne, I wouldn't have bothered you, Capt," she said.
Dante turned to Inez. He raised one eyebrow. "No," she refused, straightening up. "I never told you that you were bothering me."
"But--"
"I asked His Highness to escort you," Dante interrupted, looking seriously at the girl. He and Inez fell silent after that. "You didn't bother me at all. Don't worry," he said, breaking the gaze and returning to his previous sitting position.
However, Inez's silence afterward made Dante glance at the girl several times to ensure her comfort.
"What are you thinking, Lady?" asked Dante in the end.
"Huh?" Inez turned in surprise to Dante. She shook her head. "Nothing."
"But your face says otherwise," said Dante, who was shocked by his own words. "I'm so sorry. Just forget it," he said, feeling ashamed for being presumptuous.
Inez smiled. "It's okay, Capt," she said. She was silent for a moment while watching Dante, who broke his gaze from her again. "Actually, I'm worried," she said suddenly, drawing Dante's attention again.
"Because of the accident?" asked Dante to Inez, who replied with a small nod. "You're a victim too, Lady. If they're smart, you're also someone to worry about," he added.
"Thank you, Capt. But not everyone have good-minded as you," Inez said with a wry smile. She tightened Dante's coat. "And if they look at the accident since the beginning, the boat overturned because of me. His Highness also seemed unhappy about the accident," she continued, turning her gaze away from Dante. She had a glum expression mixed with wryness now.
The corner of Dante's lips twitched slightly. He swallowed heavy saliva afterward. "Are you worried that the accident will be the headline in tomorrow's paper?"
Inez chuckled bitterly. She looked at Dante sadly. "Isn't it obvious?"
"Ah," responded Dante, who broke his gaze again from Inez and returned to leaning his hands and head on the window.
There was only the sound of horseshoes and spinning wheels after that. It lasted for a long time until Dante broke the silence again. The man glanced briefly at Inez.
"You don't have to worry, Lady. It won't be published in the newspaper," Dante said, which made Inez feel a little confused. "At least His Majesty will not allow it. Or the publisher will be forced to close forever," he added that Inez could only sigh heavily and smile bitterly afterward.
———