IFAHWIPUTML Chapter 24

Chayston was irritated.

Anyone could see the child was perfectly fine—not a scratch on him. An obvious result, considering Verasielle had thrown her entire body to protect him.

And yet she wasn't even checking herself for injuries—only worrying about the child.

Anger surged through him. He couldn't even understand why he felt this infuriated.

"Me? I'm fine, obviously."

Verasielle blinked her round eyes.

Why is this man suddenly annoyed?

He was clearly in a mood. The way he looked, you'd think he'd been the one rolling around with Raphel.

"Haa. Can you stand?"

Chayston suppressed his anger as much as possible and spoke with a deep sigh.

Right now, the patient in front of him took priority over his own emotions.

"Um... no."

Verasielle, who'd tried putting weight on her legs to stand, gave up immediately.

Her body refused to cooperate—like her muscles had been severed.

"Veras... hic."

Meanwhile, Raphel was still throwing a fit, insisting he wanted to go to Verasielle.

"Raphel. It's okay. Don't cry."

Even while lying down, Verasielle smiled gently at Raphel. He was crying so pitifully it broke her heart.

"Did you injure your legs?"

Chayston examined Verasielle thoroughly as she lay on the grass, unable to rise.

Checking meticulously for wounds, swelling—anything.

"It's not that. The tension released, so my body has no strength."

"Excuse me."

At those words, Chayston lifted Verasielle into his arms without hesitation.

Her low vantage point shot upward in an instant, accompanied by a floating sensation.

"Huh? No, I'm fine! I'll be able to stand soon!"

Princess carry. Again. After the library incident.

Flustered, Verasielle wanted to escape from Chayston's arms, but as usual, she couldn't move her limbs.

"Rohan. Bring the physician to the young lady's room."

Chayston glanced at Verasielle, who was looking thoroughly uncomfortable in his arms, then strode forward with long steps.

With each movement, her fragrance and the scent of grass wafted toward him. Verasielle's dress was soaked through with moisture and dirt.

As a result, even Chayston's clothes—supporting her—were getting damp, but he didn't care in the slightest.

"Ah..."

Verasielle was being carried to the manor, completely at his mercy.

She felt the sidelong glances of passing servants.

Everyone wore expressions that said they couldn't understand the current situation.

Verasielle felt the same way.

How did things end up like this...?

Embarrassment and awkwardness crashed over her.

She wanted to lift her arms and cover her face at least, but without strength in her body, even that was impossible.

Verasielle had no choice but to close her eyes while trapped in his arms.

She'd tried to escape this situation even slightly, but the stares still felt like they were burning her face.

'Ugh... I'm going to die of shame.'

Verasielle muttered inwardly with a deep sigh. She just wanted to reach her room already.

"Does this hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

The physician who'd arrived pressed various spots on Verasielle's body, asking questions.

As he examined her for bone injuries through palpation, she felt no particular pain.

"Ow! There, that really hurts!"

But the moment the physician touched her left ankle, Verasielle's eyes flew open and she cried out.

The unexpected pain nearly brought tears to her eyes.

"You mean here?"

"Ah, it hurts."

When the physician slowly rotated the ankle he was holding, Verasielle gripped the bed sheets in agony.

It felt like dozens of needles were stabbing her ankle along with a tingling pain.

The physician spent a long time examining Verasielle's ankle, pressing firmly with his hands. Each time, she had to let out sharp cries of pain.

"Is the injury serious?"

Chayston, who'd been watching from the side, stepped forward. Seeing her in pain made his expression darken automatically.

"The bone isn't fractured. You likely twisted it slightly when you fell."

After thoroughly examining Verasielle's condition, the physician delivered his diagnosis.

"Haah..."

When the physician finally withdrew his hands, signaling the end of the examination, Verasielle exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

His rough touch had hurt so much she'd nearly dislocated her ankle.

With Chayston's help, Verasielle had entered her room and was now lying on the bed.

Worried that he might interfere with the examination, Chayston had ordered Rohan to take Raphel out of the room temporarily.

"It's best if you avoid moving as much as possible."

The physician placed a cold compress he'd prepared on Verasielle's ankle.

The cool sensation spread across her ankle. It felt like the throbbing pain was subsiding somewhat.

"What about elsewhere? Everything else is fine?"

"Yes, aside from the left ankle, she's perfectly healthy. Pulse and blood pressure are both normal."

Verasielle glanced at Chayston, who kept asking whether she was all right.

His gaze as he stared at her ankle with that serious expression was so intense that despite the ice pack, her ankle felt like it was burning.

"I'm fine now, so you can leave."

Feeling self-conscious, Verasielle scratched her cheek.

It wasn't serious enough to warrant all this fuss... She found this entire situation rather uncomfortable.

"I apologize."

Chayston gazed at her with lowered eyes and apologized.

"Huh? For what?"

At the unexpected apology, a question mark appeared on Verasielle's face.

"I apologize on Worden's behalf."

He should have properly secured the leash to prepare for any possibility—this had been his oversight.

Bloodhounds had a strong sense of duty to protect their master and home, which explained why Worden had attacked the unfamiliar Raphel and Verasielle.

"Ah, so that dog was Worden. It's fine. Raphel's safe, and so am I."

So that's why there was a strange dog on the estate—it was Chayston's pet.

It really had been dangerous, though.

If the dog's sharp teeth had bitten her, she would've been seriously injured at minimum.

She might've died before really living in this world.

When Worden lunged at Raphel, her heart had truly dropped into her stomach.

Her head had been filled with nothing but the thought that she had to protect Raphel—she'd thrown herself forward without even realizing her own body might be hurt.

It had been a moment where her body reacted before her mind.

Still, fortunately Chayston had arrived in time, and everyone was safe.

Verasielle didn't want to blame his dog.

Animals couldn't speak—they bore no fault.

If you wanted to assign blame, it was Chayston's fault for letting his hunting dog roam freely.

"I will compensate you."

Unable to shake his sense of guilt, Chayston spoke up.

She was the savior who'd protected a child who might be his nephew. Moreover, his carelessness had nearly caused a disaster.

Seeing Verasielle lying in bed receiving ice treatment, he couldn't just let this go.

Because one corner of his heart kept feeling uncomfortable.

"Compensation?"

"If there's something you want, tell me. I'll provide it."

That was the best apology Chayston could offer.

Having grown up watching his father solve everything with money, this was the only method he knew.

"Uh..."

At the unexpectedly extreme proposal, Verasielle was dumbfounded.

What made him think he could just casually offer something like that without knowing what she'd ask for?

"If I asked for a manor, would you buy it for me?"

Verasielle let out a small laugh and spoke jokingly.

The tone alone made it obvious she was joking—even the physician securing a splint to her ankle showed no particular reaction.

But one person.

"Which district would you prefer?"

Only Chayston took the joke seriously. His expression was dead serious, as if he genuinely intended to buy it.

"Wait, you're joking, right?"

"What size manor would you like?"

"No! I was joking, joking!"

Verasielle frantically waved her hands.

This man was treating a comedy skit like a documentary.

Who would give someone a manor as a gift for an injury that wasn't even serious? He really was the final boss of wealth.

No matter how much she liked money, this wasn't right.

She didn't want excessive kindness or compensation. Excessive greed invited disaster.

"..."

Chayston's eyebrow twitched subtly.

Verasielle and the physician were internally struggling to hide their bewilderment, but Chayston alone seemed unaware of the situation unfolding.

"Just let me meet Worden sometime."

Watching him with his uncomprehending expression, Verasielle sighed quietly and spoke.

"...You mean Worden?"

"Yes. I should receive a proper apology."

She remembered seeing Worden tied to a tree, unable to move, when Chayston had carried her into the manor.

The dog had been whimpering and struggling, desperate to reach his master—it had looked so pitiful.

"That would be acceptable?"

"Yes. That's enough."

Verasielle's eyes were steady, showing she wasn't lying.

Chayston's red eyes flickered briefly, as if confused.

He'd thought she—who loved luxury—would demand significant compensation. Opportunities like this didn't come often.

So when she'd asked for a manor, he'd already anticipated it and accepted without concern.

But just an apology?

The more he experienced of her, the less she matched his assumptions.

She'd even thrown her entire body to protect the child from injury.

Could Rohan's words really be true—that the rumors were false?

Was everything his own misunderstanding?

He didn't know.

"Won't you be frightened?"

"If the owner watches over him properly, there's no problem."

Verasielle smiled triumphantly as if it were nothing. A roundabout way of saying it was the owner's fault.

Distracted by other thoughts, he didn't catch her implication—instead, he absorbed her bright smile and thought:

If he'd been misunderstanding her, he genuinely wanted to know more about her true nature.