She entered the library with short, quick steps. She was holding a lot of books.
Did she seriously read all of them?
The collection of books in the library was begun by Ethan's father. Not only was it quite large but most of the topics and themes of the books were very hard to understand.
Just because she walked quietly didn't mean her presence would disappear, but Adelina avoided Ethan as she put the books back into the bookshelves. She returned the books to their proper places with a familiarity of someone who had been here several times before.
"Huu."
Adelina suddenly let out a heavy sigh as she put the books back onto the shelves.
Having met his wife for the first time since their wedding, Ethan noticed that she looked very thin. Although she was the one who had pushed for this marriage, when Ethan saw her like this, he couldn't help but feel concerned.
Ethan took a step towards her but stopped himself.
'A maiden of the Scarr Family.'
Having moved as the Consort's hands and feet, Scarr's wife had greeted Ethan at the Palace when he had visited after receiving his first imperial post. She treated him warmly as if he were her own son.
She said something like, 'Become the Consort's shield by becoming His Majesty's sword'.
During their conversation, she showed no guilt towards his father.
'Damn it.'
This might just be a ploy to return to the Crown Prince's side. In the end, women were creatures who only moved to protect themselves.
Now that she had managed to save her family, her next task was to return to the Crown Prince. Until then, all he had to do was figure out why the Consort was so against this marriage.
"You're not finished yet?"
"No. I'll leave soon."
After sighing, Adelina wiped the edge of her eyes with her sleeves. The frustration had surged out in the form of tears.
Was she now regretting this marriage she didn't want?
Seeing this kind of reaction from her after she had clung onto him as she asked him to save her life made Ethan feel sick to his stomach.
Ethan turned around after watching Adelina reach up to grab a book off the highest shelf.
"Ah!"
Adelina's body wavered as her arm stretched out. The precariously stacked books began to fall towards her. Adelina covered her face with her arm.
After hearing a deafening crash, Adelina opened her eyes.
She realized that the books hadn't fallen on her and felt a great sense of relief. However, the moment she saw the person who had wrapped her in his arms, her heart sank.
Her sunken heart began to beat again when her eyes met Ethan's.
"Ah…"
Drip, drip.
As a book slipped down Ethan's shoulder, Adelina froze when she saw the red blood drip down his forehead. All thoughts flew out of her head.
"Are you okay?"
With Ethan still holding onto her, Adelina burst up to her feet. Taken aback by her sudden movement, Ethan felt her push against him. He had been holding her in his arms a moment before, but their positions had flipped and she was now sitting on top of him.
Unaware of the way Ethan was looking at her, Adelina frantically looked him up and down.
"I'm sorry. If only I hadn't thought about my father… Do you feel pain anywhere? Can you move your limbs?"
The moment the books began to fall on top of Adelina, Ethan's body moved of its own accord. He had been about to reprimand her and tell her to be more careful, but the words remained stuck in his throat when he met her eyes.
He had no reason to give her any leeway. But the moment he looked into her eyes, something deep within Ethan's hardened heart caused it to shake.
"Let me call for a doctor."
Adelina's mouth went dry as she saw the blood trickle down his face. If only she had been more careful. Then this kind of accident wouldn't have occurred. Taking out her handkerchief from her breast pocket, Adelina pressed it against Ethan's wound.
"Aah!"
With a mixture of bewilderment and rage in his eyes, Ethan pushed Adelina away. Adelina collapsed onto her side. Ethan gazed at her face for a moment before turning away as if he'd seen something he shouldn't have.
Seeing the contempt in his eyes, Adelina's gaze wavered. Even though she knew Ethan felt badly about her, she couldn't hate him.
"We must treat the wound."
Her hand hesitated before grabbing Ethan as he moved to stand up. Ethan's brows twitched when he saw her hand holding onto him.
A stubborn woman was merely holding onto him with all her might. However, why did this image overlap with his young self as he held onto Consort Min on the day she left her family behind? An unknown feeling began to rage inside his hardened heart.
"Go back."
Ethan shook off her hand. Seeing him leave the library without looking back, Adelina bit her lip.
He had injured his forehead, but Adelina also saw the wound on his hands as he held her. His blood was still on the library floor.
Adelina's feelings were hurt when Ethan coldly pushed her away. However, when their eyes met, the person with the most pained eyes was not Adelina. It was Ethan.
What had he been thinking of?
Getting up, Adelina grasped her skirts and ran out after Ethan.
It might have been a mistake to get married so impulsively.
He never expected that his hatred of the Consort would end up shaking his life like this.
To think that he had exposed his emotions to the daughter of his enemy. How pathetic could he be?
"Master."
John cautiously approached Ethan, whose eyes were as sharp as a blade. Usually, Ethan would say that he was fine. However, he wasn't in the right mind to worry about John right now.
"Mistress!"
Before John could say another word, someone pulled Ethan by the hem of his clothes. With her brows furrowed, Adelina was panting for breath. Seeing this, Ethan's eyes widened.
He could clearly see her body trembling, and her watery eyes were glaring at him. Seeing such an unfamiliar sight, Ethan's brows furrowed.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Adelina finally let go of Ethan's clothes before proceeding to rip her long sleeves into strips of cloth.
In an instant, Adelina made bandages out of her own clothes. She began to wrap them around the wound on his hand.
"I know that the very sight of me makes you uncomfortable, but let's take care of our bodies."
"..."
"Don't just brush it off and say you're fine. Please have a doctor look at it."
For a man who was the master of a clan, his hands were rough and covered in scars. Unlike Adelina, who had grown up surrounded by her parents' love, she heard that this man had grown up alone.
After temporarily treating his wound, Adelina held out the handkerchief she had pressed to his forehead earlier.