Saving The Abandoned Empress

43 “Protected By Him”

Eleanora’s POV ~

The number of the people decreased as i passed by the crowd and returned to the bench where i was previously sitting.

I slightly pulled up my skirt and found that my knees are bruised.

‘As i thought, i should have let that guy do this.’

But then i was stunned again when i heard a familiar voice again.

“H-Hey, Little Lady! Why did you left me behind?”

‘This tomato stew again!’

He ran towards me and stood infront of me like a huge piller.

‘Why is this guy so tall? He is at least a feet taller then me!’

.....

I thought Cathain was the only tallest guy but seems like that he is not.

He just stared at me with his arms folded and i felt like he was a little hurt because i felt without saying a proper goodbye.

“Hey, Pretty Lady!” He called me again as i wasn’t giving any response.

“Nothing, why are you looking for me?” I asked.

“Do i really need a reason?” He said with a sad face.

But somehow he looked like a abandoned puppy to me.

I looked at him with a poker face as i wanted to say ‘Do you not?’

Both of us just stare at each other before he finally noticed the bruise on my knee.

“You are so badly hurted!” But then we both realised something.

He hurriedly looked another way where i rolled down my skirt.

His ears was red like my face.

“Well, if you don’t mind i can walk you to your home.”

I wanted to refuse but unexpectedly i agreed.

I was feeling like someone was watching me again. Unlike the stare at the resturent, it gave me a feel of danger.

He forwarded his hand towards me and i put my hands on his palm.

His hands were big. Hard, with a lot of calluses. His hair was shining like gold under the the sunlight.

‘He must use sword and good at it too.’

I couldn’t feel any mana powers in him so, he must be a commoner.

“Thank you.” I said with a polite nod to him.

“Umm...Welcome?” He replied.

‘Gosh! It’s awkward!’

We both was walking towards the road where we can hire a wagon to ride.

I looked up to see his face, when I suddenly saw him laughing, wondering what it was he found so funny, but the sound did not stop.

“Why are you laughing so suddenly?”

He didn’t replied and kept on laughing; which made me think... am i really safe with this madman?

But at some point, the laugh sounded a little strange. As if he was laughing out loud on purpose.

“What’s wrong with you?”

When I looked up at him again with a strange look, he glanced at me, put a finger to his lips as if telling me to shush, and still laughed hard.

‘Something is wrong...’

Because, amid his loud laughings, his eyes were busy moving, and he turned around while wrapping one arm around my shoulder.

Thanks to the spinning movement, I felt like a paper doll.

Semi-forced into his arms, I raised my head and looked back.

“What is it?”

“Gangsters.”

“Gangsters?”

‘Gang- why would gangsters be here?! I should have cheaked my horoscope today before i went out.’

As if answering my innermost thoughts, a muscular man with an iron rod over his shoulder chuckled and opened his mouth.

“Looking at it earlier, I saw that you had a lot of money... Why don’t you donate some money to us too?”

It looked like the scene that impressed him the most amid all that chaos was when I handed over the pocket with gold to the kid.

I turned my head back to see him smirking and smirking.

‘Well... It’s a lot more burdensome than I thought.’

Taking off their tops because they didn’t know how to wear them properly...

I glanced up, and a clean jaw caught my eye.

‘Isn’t there a big difference even between the commoners...?’

Since there was no single gangster, laughter was heard from many places.

The blonde boy turned my body, looking at the thugs, and pulled me to his chest.

“Don’t wrap your arms around my back, hold them tight in front of you.”

“Y-Yes?”

I listened obediently as i had no other choice.

I can’t fight them in an open space and am also hurt now.

I didn’t want to die in the hands of others again, less be slugged by a nameless gangster.

‘However... when protecting someone, don’t you usually send the person you want to protect to the back?’

I thought as i was held in front of him like a baby Kangaroo in a Kangaroo pocket.

The position was quite fishy...

“By any chance... I’m not a shield, right?”

“You’re too weak to be used as a shield.”

“...”

Luckily, it wasn’t a shield. That was good enough.

The boy with blonde hair’s left arm was wrapped around my back.

There was a huge height difference, so I had to bury my face in his chest without moving.

‘His chest is sturdy... he must be very muscular...’

During their conversation, I wondered if they were waiting for us...?

The people who were still giggling with each other started attacking only after blonde tomato stew adjusted our posture and even drew his sword.

He held me in his arms and moved lightly.

‘Thanks to you... Instead of helping me, It feels like i am going to die! Uhk- Uhk!!’

Every time the boy with blonde hair took a light step back, he gave strength to the arm wrapped around my back in order not to drop me.

The movement was not a big deal, but every time he applied force, my ribs were pressed.

‘Who will die at the hands of gangster?... If the power of his arm is increases, there is a high probability that I will just die here!’

Several people were heard shouting and swearing around as if they had fallen out.

The gangsters were on alert while maintaining a distance, perhaps realizing that their opponent was unusual.

Apparently now was the time to catch our breath.

I didn’t even fight, but I had to catch my breath with them.

.....

Blonde, who was actually facing them, didn’t seem to be exhausted.

‘I should have asked for his name.’

‘When will this situation end...?’

I put my head out a little and saw his condition behind him. Several people were rolling around.

‘Serves them right!’

I felt a bit better after that.

At that moment, a human jumped out of the alley in the back and swung his iron rod towards this side.

“Tomato Stew! behind you.”

“I know.”

He pulled his body aside and knocked over the huge man at a speed fast enough to make me feel embarrassed for trying to alert him.

It was the first time I saw it with my head raised, but his skills were truly amazing.

“Wow... you fight really well.”

“Is that what you want to say now?”

He asked me with a dejected smile, as if he was dumbfounded.

“...Can’t I?”

“Did you call me Tomato Stew?”

“...”

Even during conversations with me, I admired his ability to move neatly without any disturbanc-

‘Ahk!’

“It looks like you are very exhusted.”

“Well, it’s not wrong... the luggage in front of me is a little heavy.”

‘Ugh, this blonde tomato stew!’

But now the safety of my head depended on him, so I just bit my tongue.

He pulled me more closer and i could hear his heart beats.

It was beating unusually fast, maybe because he was fighting or exhusted?

His face was red, and a few drops of sweat was dropping down from his hair.

I felt my own heartbeat faster too.

‘Is it how it feels like when someone protects you?’

The sound of bangs and the harsh breathing of the gangsters were still playing harmoniously like background music.

It was actually a terrible melody.

“Um, i can’t focus if you stare at me like that. Can you close your eyes?”

And then i realized that i was actually staring at him!

I hurriedly closed my eyes and burried ny face into his chest.

‘That was embarrassing!’

His arms loosened a little and then grabbed me tight again, as if he was adjusting the posture to find some kind of comfort and stability.

When he stopped moving and I couldn’t hear any sound, I gently moved away from him.

When I looked around, I saw muscular men scattered all over the place.

‘It seems that no one is dead...’

Honestly, I wasn’t worried, but I turned to him just in case.

Then i noticed a slight cut in his hand and i pulled down and untied the ribbon of my tied hair.

As soon as the light blue ribbon was loosened, the hairs that had been combed in a clean braid, loosened.

I roughly ruffled my hair a couple of times and held out the hairband to him to tie it around his wound to prevent any infection.

He, who was looking at this side silently, raised his hand towards me.

‘Huh? Does he want me to do it?’

I unconsciously tied it around his hands. I was feeling embarrassed as he was staring at me.

I felt my cheeks was buring so i hurriedly tied it before we start to head towards the wagon station.

My heart was beating faster.