Chapter 195

Natalia gasped and quickly wrapped her arms around Callum’s neck, whispering, “Callum, there are so many people around, please put me down.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? Let them watch. You’re my fiancée, and you said your feet hurt, didn’t you? I’ll carry you back,” Callum declared without a hint of hesitation.

“But, Callum, I…”

Natalia’s words were cut short as Callum feigned annoyance. “What? Now you’re not even listening to me?”

Seeing Callum’s displeasure, Natalia gave up on arguing and allowed herself to be carried towards the castle.

Callum held Natalia and felt like a victorious king. He was light on his feet and elated. This was his girl, his to take care of, and no one could take her away. As for her background, he would tell her in time.

They walked across the lush green lawn towards the castle, eliciting a roar of applause as they passed.

However, amongst the applause, there was a resentful, envious gaze. It was Alice, and her eyes were ablaze with jealousy.

Alice watched Callum, the man she had been secretly in love with for years, carrying Natalia. This sight made her clench her fists tightly, as she struggled to restrain herself from tearing Natalia away from him.

“That shameless woman dares to let Cal carry her like that. She deserves to go to hell!” Unable to bear it any longer, Alice strode over to her brother Henry, tugging at his arm. “Henry, look at that woman.

She’s so shameless. Cal is mine!”

Henry was holding a glass of red wine, and nearly lost his grip when Alice startled him. He slowly turned his gaze towards the couple, and a smirk played at his lips. “Ms. Clarkson is Callum’s fiancée, Alice. Stop making a scene.”

“I don’t care. I hate Ms. Clarkson. Cal can’t be with her!” With that, Alice shot Natalia another spiteful glance before storming off towards the parking lot.

Henry followed Alice’s gaze and knew about her hot–headed and impulsive antics. For years, Alice had been smitten with Callum, but he had always seen her as a sister. Callum had even given the family heirloom, a pendant, to an unknown girl and was claiming her as his future wife. That girl was Natalia.

Alice knew that Callum never reciprocated her feelings, and so she had no right to be angry. However, seeing him holding Natalia like that, made her eyes turn vicious.

Seeing Alice leave, Henry lost interest and followed her, trying to reason with her as they walked. “Hey, slow down. Don’t be so reckless!”

“Shut up!” Alice flung a punch at Henry. Her fiery temper was flaring up. “Henry, Cal is mine and mine alone. No one else can have him!”

She felt annoyed, resenting the way he always tried to control her. She didn’t care about any family honor, all she wanted was Cal.

Henry rolled his eyes. “Wake up, will you? We might come from a long line of counts, but Callum, is a duke. Plus, he sees you as a sister. After all these years, how have you not figured that out?”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Alice’s mind was consumed by jealousy. She stormed to her car, slammed the door, and hit the gas. The car disappeared into the distance in an instant.

“Hey, Alice, slow down!” Alice was the apple of their father’s eye. If anything happened to her, Henry would certainly be blamed. Henry chased after the car for a bit, but he couldn’t keep up. He shook his head, acknowledging his sister’s stubborn temper. If she didn’t change, one day, she would surely cause a disaster.

Back in the castle, Callum carried Natalia up to their room, gently placing her on the luxurious leather couch. Kneeling on one knee, he began to remove her high heels. Natalia blushed and tried to pull her feet away. “Callum, I can do it myself.”

“Stop fussing, let me check how bad it is.” With that, Callum gently removed Natalia’s shoes.

Carelessly placing the shoes on the polished floor, Callum inspected Natalia’s swollen ankle, frowning in disapproval. “You’re so stubborn. Why didn’t you change into more comfortable shoes when your feet started to hurt? Look, your ankles are swollen now.” Natalia bit her lower lip. “Callum, my evening gown wouldn’t have matched any other shoes.”

Callum stared at Natalia’s swollen ankles, exasperated, “Who cares about matching? You look good in anything. Even if you went barefoot, no one would dare to criticize you.” He tenderly cradled her foot in his hand, and gently massaged it.

Natalia, accustomed to his care, let him be. Suddenly, she laughed. “Cal, you’re so cute when you’re angry.”

‘Still laughing? Look at your feet, I bet you won’t be able to walk for a few days.” Callum pretended to be angry and glared at Natalia. He then called for the maid, “Rita, Ms. Natalia is injured, come quickly.”

Jpon Callum’s command, Rita, dressed in a maid uniform, rushed over with a first aid kit, anxiously asking, “Ms. Natalia is injured? Where? Where?”

Natalia was at a loss for words at Callum’s overreaction. Her feet were just a little red and wollen, not injured!

/3 However, as Rita had rushed over, Natalla didn’t have the heart to send her away. She reluctantly pointed to her feet. “It’s nothing serious, just a little red and swollen.”

Rita knelt down to inspect it, finding only a minor swelling. She couldn’t help but feel speechless at Callum’s exaggerated reaction.

“What are you standing there for? Quickly apply some soothing ointment on her!” Callum barked at Rita, finding her lack of urgency rather frustrating.

With Callum’s orders, Rita didn’t dare slack off. She diligently opened her medical kit, pulling out a quaint little bottle. “Ma’am, this is a pain–relieving balm. It may sting a bit when applied, but please bear with it.” With these words, Rita bent her head, carefully applying the ointment on Natalia’s ankles.

The balm was evenly spread on Natalia’s ankles, providing a slight cooling sensation instead of the anticipated sting. Natalia felt immediate relief flooding her ankles. She turned to Rita with sincere gratitude. “Thank you, Rita.”