Chapter 84

For the nobles who had only ever lived peaceful lives, such a bloodbath was shocking. Altair merely stared at his blood-dripping hand with a look of annoyance, without saying a word, but to his provocateur, there could be no greater threat. In fact, for someone of Altair's caliber, it was impossible to injure his hand by breaking a glass. With his aura protecting him, even steel couldn't scratch him. The fact that his hand was bleeding meant that Altair had deliberately induced this situation.

"Such people need to see blood to come to their senses."

He couldn't just punch the guy's nose, so this was his way of giving a warning. Fortunately, the warning seemed to have worked.

"I, I made a mistake..."

The person who had tried to lower Altair's rank by mentioning his wife's and mother-in-law's weaknesses was now trembling uncontrollably. The arrogant face that had mocked Altair and Nadia was nowhere to be seen. Altair, aware that everyone's eyes were on his bleeding hand, did not stop the bleeding.

"Your words. I was the one who made a mistake. To see blood on such a fine day..."

His voice was calm, but the clear message was, "I'm not a simple-minded noble from the frontier, so be careful how you act." The man swallowed hard, and Altair asked him,

"Could I borrow a handkerchief? I need to stop the bleeding."

"O-of course."

The man fumbled in his coat and pulled out a handkerchief. Altair pressed the handkerchief firmly on his wound, stopping the bleeding skillfully. The elegant handkerchief quickly turned red with blood.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I've managed to clean up."

Once the bleeding had mostly stopped, Altair handed the blood-soaked handkerchief back to the man. With a smirk, he forced the man's trembling hand to grip the handkerchief, and the man, startled by the strange sensation of the blood-soaked handkerchief, fled without even saying goodbye. The remaining nobles now only watched Altair carefully, swallowing hard. It was clear that the same thought was running through their minds.

"He's a mad dog pretending to be polite!"

And this mad dog...

"What is going on here!"

At the sight of the approaching viscountess, Altair quickly hid his injured hand behind his back, dispelling the earlier tension. The onlookers immediately understood: the viscountess was the one who tamed this mad dog! If so, the real power in Eilspord was... the viscountess! The nobles, quickly grasping the dynamics, gleamed with excitement.

The moment she saw the blood on the floor, her head spun. Her body went limp with fear, and Altair quickly reached out to catch her, still hiding his injured hand behind his back. This allowed me to quickly assess the situation.

"Are you hurt?"

"It's not a serious wound."

"But so much blood..."

I looked at the blood on the floor again to gauge the situation, then closed my eyes tightly in fear. The feeling of suffocation subsided a bit once the blood was out of my sight.

'I can't faint here.'

Moreover, I was Altair's protector. If the protector fainted at the sight of blood, what would happen to the injured person? I clung to my senses and gently pulled Altair's arm.

"Let's go get treatment."

"I've already stopped the bleeding, so it's fine."

"Stopping the bleeding isn't the same as treatment."

Ignoring Altair's protests, I politely excused myself to the gentlemen he had been talking to.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I need to treat my husband's hand, so I must leave early."

It was more of a statement than a request, but the gentlemen nodded without complaint.

"Of course! Treatment is important!"

"Don't worry about us, just go get treated!"

Their relieved expressions made me glance at Altair. How many people had he intimidated with that terrifying face to get such a reaction? I sighed inwardly and led Altair to the terrace of the grand hall. Fortunately, Altair didn't resist and followed me willingly.

During long banquets, small terraces are provided for guests to rest. A large curtain can be drawn to indicate that someone is inside and should not be disturbed. Since it was early in the banquet, the terraces were mostly empty. I chose the most secluded one, drew the curtain, and had a passing servant call for a doctor. Although a professional would arrive soon, I was worried about his condition, remembering the pale faces of the onlookers.

"Show me your hand."

Altair still kept his hand behind his back. Seeing that he wasn't going to show me the wound, I quickly moved behind him, but he turned to avoid me. Frustrated, I stared at Altair, who pretended not to understand the problem. Determined, I tried again, but he turned to face me. After several attempts, I realized it was a losing battle.

"Are you going to keep this up?"

"It's not a pretty sight. You might faint again."

"Am I that badly hurt?!"

Surprised by my reaction, Altair frowned, realizing his mistake.

"It's not that. You just get scared easily."

"..."

Unable to think of a retort, I slumped and sighed.

"How did you get hurt? I didn't think anyone could hurt you."

"I broke a glass by accident."

"An accident?"

Altair, who would never break a glass by accident. Narrowing my eyes, I saw him shrug.

"I was nervous. It's my first time in the capital's social scene. I even met the emperor."

True, for a normal person, that would be a reasonable explanation.

'Hmm...'

But Altair was not a normal person. Seeing that I was still skeptical, Altair sighed and changed the subject.

"How was your conversation with the ladies?"

"They were all curious about you and our estate."

The questions were within my expectations, so even I, who am usually timid, could answer them smoothly.

'If the conversation had gone on longer, I might have revealed my true self.'

Thanks to Altair's injury, the conversation was cut short, allowing me to leave at an appropriate time.

"How was it for you? Your conversation with the gentlemen."

"Similar. They were all very curious."

Thinking about the conversations, Altair's eyes clouded for a moment. I seized the opportunity and moved behind him again.

'Got it!'

This time, I successfully caught Altair's injured hand. Surprised, he flinched but didn't push me away. I looked at his hand with a sense of accomplishment, but my face darkened immediately.

"Goodness..."

The bleeding had stopped, but the blood was still smeared around the cut. It wasn't a pleasant sight, especially for someone with a fear of blood, but I forced myself to stay focused.

"Did any glass shards get stuck? They say that's the most dangerous when a glass breaks."

"Don't worry. I made sure no shards got stuck..."

Hearing my concerned tone, Altair answered without hesitation, then realized his mistake and clammed up. But I had already figured it out.

"So it wasn't an accident. You did it on purpose, didn't you?"

Just as I was about to confront him, the doctor arrived.

"Is there a patient here?"

Altair, who usually wouldn't even look at a doctor, eagerly extended his hand.

"Here. I hurt my hand."

"Goodness. How did this happen? Are you in pain?"

"It hurts. It hurts a lot."

Knowing it was an act to avoid confrontation, I still felt a pang of sympathy.

'...Right. Treatment is the priority.'

We can talk after the treatment. But before it was even finished, the terrace curtain was pulled back with a loud noise. Despite the "occupied" sign, someone had the audacity to barge in. Turning my head, I saw Uncle and Melissa enter without permission, their faces full of concern.

"Viscount Eilspord! Is your wound okay? I'm here, so you can relax!"

"Viscount! Does it hurt a lot?"

Uncle and Melissa loudly announced their presence, drawing attention. They seemed to be deliberately causing a commotion to show their closeness to Eilspord. Melissa, in particular, clung to Altair, her face on the verge of tears, making a fuss.

"Such a deep wound. You should go back to the mansion and rest."

Their strategy seemed to work. The nobles whispered, "The viscount is staying at the Vain family's estate," and "The viscount was treating the Vain marquis with great respect."

Uncle joined Melissa's act.

"Right. No need to overexert yourself. Even a small wound can become a big problem if not taken seriously."

But his tone was different.

"You have a meeting with the family lawyer at the mansion tomorrow. If your wound gets worse..."

'Lawyer? Family lawyer?'

It was the first I had heard of it, but Altair seemed to know.

"Yes. Don't worry. I wouldn't forget such an important matter."

"Ah, no, I just didn't want you to forget in all this commotion."

It was clear that the agreement was more important than Altair's injury.

'Altair must know that too.'

I couldn't understand why he was being so lenient with Uncle.

"By the way, Marquis. Have you prepared all the necessary documents?"

"Of course. I just need to sign."

Uncle, with a beaming face, nodded and urged the doctor.

"Be thorough. It's a precious hand."

Looking at Altair for an explanation, he caught my gaze and resumed his act.

"This part hurts. And this part too."

I was truly exasperated.