CHAPTER 81…………………..
‘There’s no way a dragon would die from something like that.’
Even though she had cast an anti-magic area so magic couldn’t be used, if he struggled a little, he’d probably be able to break free.
‘Besides, the magical beasts wouldn’t even dare approach a dragon anyway.’
Esther yawned.
She suddenly heard movement outside.
Startled, she quickly dove under the blanket and sprinkled a little water into the air.
The water trickled down and beaded on her face like sweat.
Esther tugged down the corners of her eyes.
Since she had just been feigning a fever, her cheeks were naturally flushed red.
The door opened carefully.
Esther turned her head slightly to look at the two people coming in.
‘…Wait, why am I even doing this?’
Was there really any need to hide that she was perfectly fine now?
Esther’s eyes wavered just a little, even though she had been prepared for this.
“My baby…! You’re awake.”
Freya rushed to Esther and immediately pulled her into a hug.
“Ah…”
“Goodness, look at the cold sweat on your cheeks. Are you in pain? Your face is all red, too…”
Esther averted her gaze.
She couldn’t bring herself to say that it was just water she’d sprinkled. Instead, she gave an awkward smile and nodded.
“I’m fine now.”
“Fine? You call this fine? You’re sweating buckets!”
“No, really, I’m—”
“Freya, is the child all right?”
“Did you just ask if she’s all right? Do you think she looks all right right now?”
Freya shot Kaelos a fierce glare. Kaelos fell silent.
“…I’m sorry.”
He quickly offered an apology and stepped inside.
Judging by the fresh scent around him, he had probably just washed.
He strode toward Esther and placed a large hand on her forehead.
His hand was very cold—likely from washing in cold water.
“She feels like she’s burning up.”
‘No, I’m perfectly normal.’
“She’s very hot.”
‘That’s because your hands are cold.’
He spoke with a grave expression, but to Esther, the whole situation was absurd.
Of course her body would feel hot if his hand was freezing.
‘Still… the fact that he doesn’t even notice that much must mean… he’s really worried about me.’
“This is serious. I never thought our baby would be so fragile.”
At Freya’s words, Esther rolled her eyes, then let out a weak groan and buried her face deeper into her mother’s arms.
‘I can’t let them find out I’m actually fine.’
How shocked would they be if the sickly child suddenly turned out to be perfectly healthy?
“Ugh… ugh…”
And so, Esther once again began her grand performance—or rather, her desperate acting.
For three whole days.
‘…Never again. I’ll never pretend to be sick again.’
Esther vowed firmly as she finally wriggled out from under the mountain of blankets.
‘I thought I was going to die.’
She tried to recall the hazy memories.
She had only intended to say she was feeling better that evening after pretending to be sick.
“Mother, I’m fine n—”
“No, my baby. Look here. This book says even if a child seems to be better, you mustn’t be careless until you’re sure they’ve completely recovered.”
What she proudly pulled out was a book titled How to Raise a Truly Excellent Child – Royal Edition.
…It was an odd book with a pitch-black cover and letters written in an ancient script.
‘…She’s applying something written in ancient times to me right now?’
Esther went pale at her mother’s expression, who clearly didn’t see the problem.
“See, it says here you should keep the child as warm as possible.”
Of course, Esther liked being warm—within reason.
But only within reason.
“Here, I’ve gathered everything. The hide of a fire-breathing beast—it will give you good warmth.”
Saying that, she wrapped Esther tightly in layers of beast hides and then tucked her under blankets for good measure.
“M-Mother… this is… suffocating…”
At her weak protest, Freya’s eyes trembled slightly. She glanced at a passage in the book and then stroked Esther’s cheek with a pitying smile.
“It’s all right, my baby. There’s nothing to fear. Sweating like this will drive away the bad germs. My brave baby will endure it.”
No, I’m dying here.
A normal baby would already be dead.
This isn’t childcare—it’s torture!
Esther glared at the book.
She gathered magic into her eyes and looked at the cover again. The title had changed completely.
How to Effectively and Efficiently Fool Stupid Humans into Thinking They’re Nursing a Child Back to Health While Actually Training Them Without Killing Them – Demon Edition.
Esther’s eyes widened at the unbelievable title.
‘Who the hell wrote this insane book?!’
She struggled to escape the pile of hides and blankets, but she was bound too tightly to break free.
“My baby, you’re fine.”
No, I’m not fine!
“You’ll endure this bravely.”
Freya looked at Esther with deep pride as she hugged her tightly.
That affectionate touch made Esther lower her head, speechless.
Freya, it turned out, was the type to charge straight ahead like a wild boar—no, like a bull.
“Freya, I’ve brought it. The hide of a frost-breathing beast.”
Cold now?!
COLD, all of a sudden?!
Esther turned her head just as Freya examined the hide and nodded in satisfaction.
“This will suit our baby well. Alternating heat and cold, along with a special health tonic, should do the trick.”
“Indeed. As expected of you, Freya.”
Hey, hey!
Even if you’re inexperienced parents, this makes no sense!
Who puts a sick child in extreme heat and cold? Did you grow up like this?!
“Hm, the royal family’s traditional method is truly reliable. Look, our baby’s complexion already seems a little better.”
“So it does.”
“I used to recover in just a week with this treatment.”
…So you did grow up like this.
Esther shut her mouth at Freya’s words. Was this truly the royal family’s ancestral “secret manual”?
‘Do I have to be the one to tell them they’ve been scammed for generations?’
As she glared at the cover, deep in thought, Freya spoke again, her tone softening.
“I just hope our child recovers quickly. After all… this is the first time we’ve come to my homeland as a family.”
“Freya…”
Kaelos tried to slyly wrap an arm around her waist, but she batted it away with the tip of her sword sheath.
“Don’t think hiding behind excuses of ‘protecting us’ will erase the fact that you abandoned me and my child.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Kaelos carefully withdrew his hand.
“But still, I am grateful you came before it was too late.”
“…Yes. I regret it deeply.”
“You’d better. I want to give my child everything I can—down to the smallest, simplest things.”
Her cold gaze softened again. She gently wiped the sweat off Esther’s forehead.
“So endure just a little longer, my baby.”
“……”
Esther swallowed hard, sweat running down her cheek.
“M-Mother… then, how many days… will I have to be nursed like this?”
“The book says one week.”
“…A… a week…”
Esther’s face went white with shock.
‘I’ll escape… within three days, no matter what.’
From then on, she obediently did whatever her mother said.
She ate her meals diligently, let herself be wrapped in the beast hides of heat and cold, and even went for walks in Kaelos’s arms.
And on the third day, at the exact moment Freya was about to change out the hides, Esther seized the chance, leapt out of bed, and jumped around.
“M-Mother! Father! Esther’s healthy now! Look, look! Perfectly fine! Super healthy! Amazing!”
“But baby, it hasn’t been a week yet—”
“I-I’m a genius! I recover faster than other children!”
“Hmm…”
“Because I take after you, Mother! That’s why!”
Freya looked thoughtful for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“That makes sense. My baby would be exceptional, of course.”
“Yes, yes! I’m completely fine now!”
Heat she could still endure, but the cold was unbearable.
If she hadn’t secretly used magic to keep her body warm, she might have gotten frostbite already.
“Indeed, her fever seems to have gone down.”
Kaelos remarked.
Esther thought it was a blessing he hadn’t gone hunting beasts that day—and an even greater blessing he hadn’t bathed in cold water again.
“Yes!”
She quickly agreed.
Freya still looked worried for a long while, but finally nodded.
“All right, then. We can stop the nursing.”
She sounded oddly disappointed.
And the very next day was today—the fourth day.
