“Ha… Ha…”
Sophia suddenly fell off the walking path below.
It was so sudden.
It felt as if the gods had conspired to make her trip.
Even if we call it a walking path, it wasn’t really a proper one.
It was merely a path formed by nature’s whim.
That’s what made it a more beautiful spot.
But right now, that beauty was the least of my worries.
“Where are you…”
As soon as I saw Sophia tumble down the path, I rushed down to find her.
But Sophia was nowhere to be seen.
There was no chance she was covered in snow.
So how far had she actually fallen?
Did she hit her head on a tree and fall even farther?
Not good.
If she were just an ordinary Northerner, it wouldn’t be a problem, but Sophia isn’t from the North.
Even with her coat on, prolonged exposure to the cold would definitely be an issue.
On top of that, if she has lost consciousness, it would be an even bigger problem.
“Damn it…”
I searched for signs of Sophia rolling down, but she was absent.
Fortunately, it wasn’t snowing heavily, but the mountains were dense with trees.
How on earth would I find Sophia in a place like this?
It was too urgent a situation to call for help.
I hurriedly made my way down the snowy slope again.
As I descended, I spotted something.
“….”
Footprints.
Not human footprints, though.
But they weren’t the footprints of a giant beast either.
“Oh, thank goodness.”
At least they weren’t from some massive creature.
That fact gave me a bit of relief.
If I had seen wolf tracks here… I would probably have panicked.
“It hasn’t been long.”
It wouldn’t take too long to find Sophia and get her to the castle.
Traveling from this snowy mountain to the castle was easier than finding Sophia.
Assuming I could actually find her…
I analyzed all the remaining traces.
I never imagined my lessons with my father would be applied in a situation like this.
*
“Sophia!”
There she was.
She didn’t look like she hit her head on a rock when she rolled down, there was no blood.
But she didn’t look well at all.
Had she injured her leg? She was sitting still and trembling.
“Y-Young Master…?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
I rushed to Sophia right away.
As I reached her, the injuries on her body were clearly visible.
She must have scraped her arm on a branch during the fall, and her ankle was completely swollen.
“Are you alright?”
“Ha… Ha… Not so good…”
“We’re going straight to the castle. I’ll carry you.”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing really…”
As I offered to carry her, Sophia suddenly attempted to get up on her own.
She must not have wanted to burden me.
“Ugh…”
But despite her determination, Sophia’s body just wouldn’t cooperate.
It was impossible for her to stand properly with her injured ankle.
Even if she could, she would only hurt herself more.
“Sophia, just stay put.”
The easiest and most comfortable way to get her to the castle right now was for me to carry her.
I had once briefly gotten the urge to pick up Sophia before.
Actually, the dumbbells I usually lifted were heavier than she was, so it wasn’t even necessary…
But I just had to try it once.
In any case, having done it once, it was no problem at all now.
“Eep?!”
I hooked my arms under Sophia’s knees and back and lifted her up.
She was startled that she suddenly left the ground, but I didn’t mind.
If I didn’t carry her to the castle, there was no other way.
“It’s cold, isn’t it?”
“No… it’s… not.”
But given her assertion, her hands were still trembling.
Since I was holding her hands on my lap, I could see it all too well; why was she lying?
“Sophia.”
“Yes, Young Master…”
“I’m sorry.”
I apologized while swiftly descending the mountain.
Had I not asked her to come here, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this.
It would have been better to just enjoy the snowy plain.
“Ugh…”
Sophia winced, probably because her injuries hurt too much.
Her pained sounds only made me feel more guilty.
Holding her like this allowed me to see her up close.
And with that closeness, I could see her injuries more clearly.
It was because of me that she was hurt.
I felt not only guilt but also self-loathing that the one who claimed to like her had put Sophia in this state.
“If it hadn’t been for me…”
“It’s not your fault… Young Master, because of you, I’m alive.”
Her statement was aimed at alleviating my burden.
In a way, it could be true.
I had discovered her.
Brought her to the mountain and found her halfway up.
In the end, it was still my responsibility.
“How can a human predict everything in nature? I had no idea the wind would blow so hard like that.”
“But…”
“If I hadn’t brought you here, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“But, Young Master, you saved me. I couldn’t move because of my injured leg. Just before I was about to give up, you came along, and it was you who saved me from the cold that this cape can’t even prevent.”
“….”
“So let’s stop with the self-blame. I am your private tutor, and I never taught you to be self-pitying, weak, or to run away.”
I didn’t understand why she wasn’t blaming me.
Had I been her, I would’ve surely scolded the person who brought me to such a place.
“Because of you, I fell. Because of you, I almost died.”
I would’ve yelled any number of things while being angry.
How could she…
“Young Master… You are still young. In life, you will face countless unfair circumstances.”
“….”
“For instance, I might suddenly enroll in a dorm academy, or receive a confession from a lunatic at the academy that spreads weird rumors, or work as an adventurer and not get paid, or in any case, times when unfair things happen.”
“Okay..”
I listened to Sophia’s words as we descended the mountain.
My focus was on two places.
My eyes were set on the path going down the mountain.
My ears were trained on Sophia’s voice.
“But… trying to find someone to blame for every little thing is a real drag. Sometimes, it’s just easier to think, ‘It happens; thank goodness I’m still alive.’”
“….”
“This time, it was just the wind that blew suddenly. How could we predict the whims of nature?”
This person had always taught me something.
From the very first day we met.
She taught me etiquette.
She taught me social skills.
She taught me how to be confident.
She taught me how to smile.
She taught me how to recognize when I’m lacking and ask others for help in protecting myself.
When I met her as a child, I had no idea it would turn out this way.
At that time, I just thought she wouldn’t be a bad person.
That decision was made by a clueless 12-year-old.
But… that decision back then became the most important choice of my life.
“Young Master?”
“Yes.”
She looked like she was in great pain, but she didn’t reveal it through her expression.
There was a knight named Elin who sometimes complimented me on how strong I had become.
But she was wrong.
It was this person.
A strong person.
The one I thought I loved or liked was this truly amazing person.
“I’m glad you answered. I was a bit scared. I thought maybe you were hurt too.”
“Why would I be hurt? It’s Sophia who’s injured…”
“Is there a problem with a servant worrying about their master or a sister worrying about her brother?”
“….”
She truly saw me as family.
Unlike me.
But I could never see her as just family.
She was far too beautiful, too remarkable, too… lovable.
“Young Master, how far have we come?”
“We’re almost at the village.”
We had already left the mountains and entered the village path.
Just a five-minute walk from here, we’d reach the castle.
“Really fast. I wonder what you eat to grow such a strong body.”
I kept running while holding Sophia.
People around us were saying something, but I couldn’t be bothered.
All my attention was on Sophia.
“I really thought I was going to die at first. I had never been alone on a snowy mountain like that before.”
Sophia, nestled against me, continued speaking casually.
She seemed like she was trying to lessen my worries.
“But… at that time, you came, Young Master. It was so… magnificent.”
“Was it?”
“Yes. Your face when you rushed towards me, worried I was hurt, was really nice. Is it strange that I had such thoughts?”
“No.”
“I’m glad to hear that…”
“Sophia.”
“Yes.”
Even though Sophia told me not to, I wanted to say this again.
I knew she would lecture me again, but it had to be said.
I couldn’t hold back.
“I’m sorry. Next time… I’ll show you something safer and better.”
“Haha.. Is there a view better than the one I saw today? I’m looking forward to it.”
And just like that, we arrived at the castle.
The servants were all shocked when I brought back an injured Sophia after a fun outing.
We’d gone out for fun, yet one of us had returned injured.
The difference between a knight getting hurt and Sophia getting hurt was completely different.
“Call the physician. Quickly.”
Our family owned the knight order, so naturally, we always had a physician residing nearby.
“Haha… We arrived faster than I expected.”
“Sophia, please, stop talking and just rest for now.”
She had been talking non-stop since we left the snowy mountain, so I had to add that.
Before long, the physician arrived and proceeded to take Sophia to the treatment room.
“Ha…”
It hadn’t even been an hour since the incident on the snowy mountain.
But maybe due to all the tension, it felt like several hours had passed.
Today… if I hadn’t found Sophia there.
If her injuries had been more severe.
“…”
That was something I didn’t want to imagine.
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