Chapter 84

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 84

Chapter Title: Arpad's Nursing

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"…?"

I was still having trouble clearing my head.

The situation was so utterly ridiculous that it was hard to wrap my mind around it.

'Arpad was worried about me?'

It was still unbelievable.

'And it seems like he was hurt because I didn't acknowledge it…'

Did this even make sense?

When you're too shocked, your brain just doesn't work right, apparently.

Or maybe it was because I'd been out cold for five days without eating properly, leaving my mind sluggish.

That was when it happened.

A silver spoon was thrust right in front of me.

"Ah."

A spoon filled with thin soup was held in a pale, slender hand—masculine yet elegant, marred by numerous scars.

Arpad had brought the soup bowl over and was feeding it to me.

Of course, this wasn't the first time Arpad had fed me.

'We fed each other chicken in front of the Emperor and Empress, putting on that lovey-dovey act.'

And… we'd shared dessert with a single spoon.

I'd been horrified when I realized it later.

I had hands—I wanted to say I'd eat it myself.

But right now, that wasn't possible.

'How tightly did this guy wrap me up! Why won't it loosen!'

Struggling again was pointless.

My body had no strength, and for some reason, the blanket was ridiculously sturdy.

And my stomach was completely empty, growling loudly.

'And why does this soup smell so incredibly good!'

Gurgle.

My empty stomach protested at me once more.

In the end, I gave in to temptation.

All the while, Arpad's hand had held steady without the slightest tremble.

I had no choice but to part my lips.

"…Ah."

Then, for the first time since I'd woken up, Arpad smiled.

It wasn't the sly, scheming grin I usually saw, nor the chilling smirk.

It was a pure smile that made him look like an innocent boy.

"Good girl."

Swept away by that smile, I let him feed me until the soup bowl was empty.

Arpad finally freed me from my blanket cocoon a full day later.

In truth, I'd kept attempting escapes.

But every one ended in dismal failure.

"Hey, Your Highness? Arpad? Can you loosen this now?"

"I have so much to do. I can't keep wasting time like this!"

He fed me soup and medicine, wiped my face clean.

Then he changed me into fresh, soft bedsheets and blankets, rolled me up tight again, and tucked me back in.

"Don't think about anything right now. Just sleep."

"No, you know how crucial this moment is! If I slip up even once, the Empress might seize control of the inner palace again!"

"That won't happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I'll make sure it doesn't. Don't you trust my abilities?"

"……."

"So just focus on recovering."

With that, Arpad patted the blanket over me as I lay there.

"No worrying or fretting. Sleep. Leave everything to me."

I tried to resist. My will was definitely there.

But my body betrayed me. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy.

"If I sleep now… I really shouldn't……."

"You should. Trust me and sleep."

A soothing voice echoed softly in my ears.

The body that had endured fever for five straight days could resist no longer and sank into deep slumber once more.

Unlike the past five days, it was a sweetly restful sleep.

Arpad handled the documents Yulken had brought right there at Hilia's bedside.

Of course, he couldn't manage the schemes she'd hatched without her knowledge.

But at least he could monitor trends in the capital's high society and devise responses.

Yulken, who had carried the papers all the way to the bedroom door, fidgeted anxiously.

"How is Her Highness? Is she all right?"

Arpad had observed Yulken for ten years.

He was certain that neither before nor after this would Yulken ever fret over him—the Crown Prince—like that.

He hadn't expected it. Nor was he disappointed.

He merely clicked his tongue and slammed the door shut with a bang.

From behind the closed door, Yulken's shout rang out.

"You must take good care of our Her Highness! One person's hands aren't enough for all the work! You have to nurse her properly!"

It was impossible to deny how rare this was.

She truly was a strange woman.

'She's only been in the Crown Prince's Palace for a single month, and she's already enchanted the entire staff.'

I have no idea if she actually used magic.

Arpad let out a sigh as he stared fixedly at Hilia's sleeping face, continuing to sort through the documents.

At least she looked far more at peace now than when her fever had raged, which was a relief.

Over the past five days, her whole body had burned with heat, plagued by nightmares the entire time.

Without realizing it, Arpad reached out and gently stroked Hilia's cheek as she slumbered deeply.

He was checking for any lingering fever.

Fortunately, there was none.

But then.

Tears began to well up at the corners of Hilia's eyes, even as she slept with such a serene expression.

Like a dewdrop drawing in the surrounding moisture to swell thicker and clearer, her cheek soon grew deeply damp.

Arpad had witnessed countless tears from others—and rivers of blood besides.

But feeling a pang of pity at the sight of someone else's tears? That was a first.

'Somehow, I'm experiencing so many new sensations and emotions for the first time.'

That they all stemmed from this one woman felt strange and unfamiliar.

The oddest part was that the alienation didn't feel unpleasant at all.

With a long sigh, he wiped away the tears soaking her cheek.

A single teardrop clung to his fingertip like a transparent gem.

Gazing at it for a moment, Arpad gave in to impulse and licked it away.

It felt odd that the clear liquid on his tongue wasn't sweet.

Of course, other people's tears weren't supposed to be sweet.

'This woman seems like even her tears and blood would taste sweet.'

Her skin was like marshmallow. Her hair, pink cotton candy.

Her eyes resembled violet candies.

She was the kind of woman who would melt sweetly on your tongue, no matter where you tasted her.

Yet her tears carried the salty tang of sorrow.

As an inexplicable pity, worry, and… thirst washed over him.

Hilia's pink lips parted, and a faint moan escaped.

"Sir Beltein……."

"……."

Arpad froze solid, like stone.

The next day, when I opened my eyes.

I felt incredibly light, like a weight had lifted from my body.

"Ugh―!"

As I stretched and sat up, Annie greeted me with a joyful voice.

"You're awake, Your Highness! How are you feeling?"

"Yeah. Much better. Still… a little low on energy."

In my bleary vision, I spotted a stack of documents by the bedside.

Glancing at the top sheet, I realized it was a report summarizing high society trends in the capital since the banquet.

The analysis was impeccably neat, and the countermeasures were flawless.

The handwriting—detailed instructions and signature—was one I recognized.

'Arpad did this?'

It was so perfect I was left tongue-tied in admiration.

'He handled it exactly as I would have.'

What a relief. Unlike the worries that hit me right after waking yesterday, my absence had barely registered—everything had progressed smoothly.

As I marveled at it all over again, Annie pleaded from the side, her voice thick with concern.

"Please don't start working the moment you wake up. I'm terrified you'll collapse again."

I set the documents aside and replied.

"Got it. Sorry."

"It's okay. But you absolutely can't push yourself like that ever again."

Feeling guilty for worrying her, an apology slipped out naturally.

That's when I recalled what I'd said to Arpad yesterday.

"You seem to have forgotten that I too have red blood flowing through my veins."

A little late to the realization, but the thought struck me.

"……."

If I'd apologized for making him worry, maybe Arpad wouldn't have gotten angry?

Perhaps… he wouldn't have worn that hurt expression.

As I sipped the thicker soup and medicine Annie had brought—stronger than yesterday's—I asked.

"Where's Arpad?"

The answer that came was unexpected.

"He summoned Sir Beltein. They're talking now."

"…?"