•?••? ? ?••?•

It was too late to stand up and run away. Iva quickly raised her arm to cover her face.

Smack!

It wasn’t the sound of a slap. It was the sound of a fist hitting someone’s head.

…But why doesn’t it hurt at all? If I was hit by a fist, shouldn’t I feel pain?

The sound was loud, but there was no pain. Even her arm covering her face didn’t shake.

Or have I passed out already and lost my senses?

“Ow!”

As she thought about various things while curling up her body, she heard Botri groaning.

Huh? Botri’s groaning?

With her arm still raised, Iva opened one eye and saw a man blocking her path.

Is he a knight sent by the unit? But why does his back and low voice sound familiar?

“You dare to hit me?”

A man stood in front of her, and even from the back, Iva could tell he was tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular, with a large fist that was used to hit Botri.

“Ow… A mere knight like you dares to hit me!”

Even as Botri lay on the ground, he continued to mutter. Then the man slammed his foot against the ground right next to Botri’s face.

The impact was so strong that even Iva, who was standing behind him, flinched.

“Kuk!”

The blow, which was almost like a kick, knocked Botri out with foam coming out of his mouth.

“Are you okay?”

The man who had been seething with anger just a moment ago turned to Iva, treating her as carefully as if handling a fragile glass.

“…Your Grace?”

The man was none other than Ray. His neatly combed hair was a little disheveled, and he lowered himself to match Iva’s eye level to check if she was injured.

“I’m sorry. I should have come sooner.”

At eye level, the red hair that had been messed up by Botri was more visible.

He wanted to tidy it up, but his hands wandered in case even that would be a burden. Ray frowned as if he was upset about what had happened to himself.

“W-what happened? Why are you here, Your Grace? Weren’t you supposed to be by the princess’s side?”

He had gone to hold Julian, so why did he come to save her? She didn’t understand the situation.

Shouldn’t he protect her since he fell in love with her at first sight?

“The princess is being examined by a doctor. There was nothing I can do, so I came back to the party. Just when I thought the party was over and was about to leave, a female staff member asked me to help you, saying you were in danger.”

“No, what I meant was why did you come back to the party?”

He didn’t like crowds, so why did he come here without Julian?

“I came to see Miss Iva.”

“What?”

“I came back because I wanted to see Miss Iva’s face, even if it’s from afar. I wanted to see you.”

His calm tone made it even more genuine. That’s why it was even more puzzling. He came to see me even though he was next to Julian? Why?

“Let’s move first.  You’re shaking a lot right now.”

“Who? Oh, him?”

Iva pointed to the unconscious Botri.

“No, you Miss Iva.”

“Me?”

What is he talking about? Did he think I was scared of that guy? She thought.

But the finger pointing at Botri was shaking uncontrollably.

She wondered why and grabbed her hand with her other hand. Then both hands began to tremble.

“Why are my hands shaking like this?”

“It’s not just your hand.”

“Then?”

“You’re shaking all over.”

His words made her heart beat faster and she felt herself trembling.

Oh, I was scared, scared I was going to get slapped in the face.

“Are you okay?”

Ray’s voice was gentle but full of concern, and tears fell from Iva’s eyes.

“What? Why am I crying? I never thought about crying?”

“Maybe your body was shocked. Sometimes when you’re too shocked, your body reacts before your mind does.”

He tried to calm Iva down with his calm reaction.

Feeling comforted by his warmth, tears welled up more and more.

“Sniff, I don’t want to cry because of that guy. He’s not worth my tears.”

“That’s true. But sometimes you have to cry to calm down.”

“Sniff, I really don’t want to cry, sniff.”

Once the tears started, they burst out in an instant.

Yeah, I pretended not to care in front of the female staff, but I was scared.

What if the knight doesn’t come? What if it doesn’t end with just one hit? The instinctive fear caused by the difference in size had overwhelmed her.

“I should have come sooner. I’m sorry, Iva.”

“Sniff, wooo.”

Ray continued to apologize even after saving her, but he couldn’t calm Iva’s trembling body.

Her shoulders, voice, and fingertips were all shaking as she sat down and poured out tears.

It hurt so much to see her tremble so much with her fragile body.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay now.”

Ray, who couldn’t even tidy up her hair, slowly hugged Iva. Then he repeated reassuring words while gently stroking her head and back with his big hand.

Physical contact was more effective in calming the mind than words.

The touch that caressed her head and back helped to dispel the fear that had filled Iva’s body.

“Sniff.”

Ray knew it was a serious situation, but he had to force the corners of his mouth down as he watched how Iva looked so cute sobbing in his arms instead of pushing him away.

It was a brief moment when he could fully embrace Iva. Ray swept her back without stopping until she calmed down.

•?••? ? ?••?•