Chapter 83

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 83

Chapter Title: He Was Worried About Me

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Arpad tilted his head slightly to the side.

And, as if he couldn't comprehend it at all, he asked again.

"What did you say?"

I repeated my apology once more.

"I'm sorry it's such an important time. I had no idea I'd be out for five whole days. But don't worry. I'll make sure everything proceeds without a hitch."

I figured that would satisfy Arpad.

No matter how ruthless and mad the crown prince was, it seemed like he was at least a little concerned about me, his collaborator.

I'd been sick for five days, after all.

Surely he'd let it slide.

But Arpad's follow-up question was completely unexpected.

"Do you think I'm worried about our plans hitting a snag?"

"...No?"

We were bound by our bride abduction marriage contract.

Naturally, we both had to provide benefits to each other.

"That's how you see me, so the first thing you say after waking up from your sickbed is that."

For some reason... a strange sense of dissonance and unease crept over me.

What was it like?

Like I'd stepped on a dangerous red button?

'But what was wrong with what I said?'

I'd apologized to my business partner in our contractual relationship for causing a delay due to personal circumstances.

And I'd even reassured him that there wouldn't be any more issues.

'What more does he want from me?'

Had something serious happened during the five days I was unconscious?

But if it had, wouldn't he have started by explaining that?

I was starting to feel a bit angry and frustrated.

Arpad was looking at me with an incredibly complicated expression.

And then he muttered something incomprehensible to himself, lost in a daze.

"That's why you had nightmares... about me......"

"What are you talking about? Did you have nightmares?"

At that, Arpad's expression grew even stranger.

I called out to him cautiously.

"Arpad?"

The man, who seemed a bit out of it, startled in an oddly exaggerated way.

And he responded immediately in that strangely soft, gentle voice.

"Yes, Hilia."

There were more than one or two suspicious things about him.

But now wasn't the time to nitpick the details.

'As long as I handle the work properly, this guy won't throw a tantrum.'

I struggled to sit up, grunting with effort.

Arpad considerately supported my shoulders.

"What's wrong?"

"Ugh! My body... it has no strength!"

"I already told you. You were unconscious for five days. You had a high fever too."

I was a little puzzled.

'Why is he being so compliant and nice? Normally he'd twist words around five times by now.'

Listing off all the damages from while I was out.

Or bragging about how hard he'd worked to prevent them.

But first things first: grasping the current situation.

"Can you tell me how things went in the imperial palace, the capital's social circles and public opinion among the commoners, and the situation in the west while I was out?"

At that, Arpad's already odd expression crumpled pathetically.

Finally, I heard the tone of the Arpad I knew well.

"Do you even understand what I just said?"

"...Yes. So I need to get a grasp on the situation right away and handle the backlog......"

Arpad snapped in anger and pushed me back down onto the bed.

"Can't you act like a proper patient for once!!"

"!"

My utterly frail body sank back into the soft, fluffy bed.

And Arpad's shadow loomed darkly over me.

Only after his uncharacteristically emotional outburst did Arpad regret his actions.

'What am I doing to a patient right now?'

And he was newly surprised.

Regret? Nothing suited Arpad Estrid less.

Lately, he'd been feeling this unfamiliar emotion far too often.

And the cause was always the same.

The woman lying beneath him right now.

Her pink hair splayed messily over the white bedsheets looked just like cherry blossoms scattered across the ground.

Even in his imagination, their fragrance seemed to brush his nose.

It was a stray thought that didn't fit the situation.

"......"

"......"

Hilia rolled her eyes.

The awkward silence stretched between them until Hilia finally parted her lips.

"...You're heavy."

"Ah."

Only then did Arpad realize he was pinning Hilia to the bed.

The very patient he'd just declared needed rest, in his fit of anger.

He awkwardly released her and shifted to sit beside her.

They were still on the same bed, but not as tangled up as before.

Only then did Arpad notice that Hilia's nightgown had ridden up, exposing her slender legs.

Before the thought could fully form, his hands moved first.

He pulled down her skirt and covered her with the blanket.

No, that wasn't enough.

'She's too defenseless!'

She was already a patient.

So he wrapped her up tightly in the blanket like a burrito.

"?"

Startled by the suddenness and dizzy from being jostled, Hilia protested belatedly.

"Wh-what are you doing all of a sudden?"

'Why turn me into a human spring roll?!'

For some inexplicable reason, Arpad looked satisfied with his blanket burrito version of Hilia.

"I told you. You had a fever."

"Then you don't wrap me up like this! Untie me!"

"Your fever's down now, but your body's weak, so wrapping you up tight is the right call."

Hilia wriggled, trying to escape her blanket cocoon.

But it was no use.

She had no strength left after being sick for so long.

"Untie me, I said!"

"No."

Arpad was firm.

Hilia finally lost her patience and snapped.

"Hey, what's with you since earlier?! What's got you so pissed off that you're being such a jerk?"

Arpad fell silent for a moment before asking.

His tone was plain, devoid of any emotion.

"Is that how you see me?"

"Huh? See you how?"

"As someone who gets mad and picks on sick people."

"Well, yeah... pretty much?"

She couldn't deny it even if her mouth twisted.

To Hilia, Arpad was the crown prince.

An employer who constantly tested her, and an arrogant employee in turn.

At the same time... an object of wariness, someone who might snap and kill her at any moment.

Obviously, 'work' came before personal feelings, goodwill, or concern between them.

Arpad must feel the same.

She believed that's what he'd want.

But his reaction was off.

Finally, Hilia could read the emotion dominating Arpad's face.

It was worry.

'Huh?'

It didn't suit Arpad at all, so it took her a moment to process and accept it.

In the meantime, the emotion Arpad was showing had advanced another step.

A voice that sounded somehow dejected flowed quietly.

"It seems you've forgotten that I have red blood flowing through me too."

Blink.

His fine eyes curved downward in a heartbreaking way. It was so strange.

The Arpad she knew would never make that expression.

She'd never seen it in any of her three regressions, anywhere.

"...Pardon?"

"Doesn't it occur to you that I just wanted you to rest because I was worried about you?"

Huh?

Wait, huh?

Hold on. Is this guy seriously hurt right now?