Chapter 34
“Ah, sorry. I slipped…”
Originally, her plan was to push Raynier’s hand and make him drop both the teaspoon and the teacup containing the medicine.
However, because their arms crossed awkwardly, she only ended up slipping into his chest and couldn’t manage to do anything.
As she slowly backed away, she looked at him with a regretful expression.
“Here. Your medicine.”
“…Fine.”
Seeing how red his face was and how deeply furrowed his brows were, Leyla thought she really shouldn’t joke around with him anymore.
“But the medicine Rain gives always feels a little different. Is there anything strange in it?”
“It’s just medicine.”
“Alright, I’ll drink it.”
He handed her the medicine with an even deeper scowl and looked away. She assumed it was because, just like in the original story, he hated being touched by others.
In the original novel, he was a very particular person—he didn’t like anyone touching him, except for the female lead, Siever.
Understanding his reaction, she took the teacup from him. She didn’t want to drink it at all, and as her gaze dropped, she looked back at him.
His face was still flushed with anger. His expression looked as though he was suppressing his rage—his brow furrowed, the corners of his eyes raised, and his vivid red eyes stared straight at her.
Whenever he looked at her with those eyes, she always felt like he could read her mind, and it made her uncomfortable.
Besides, she was already thoroughly addicted to the mermaid’s tears. It couldn’t get any worse than it already was.
If she was lucky enough to obtain the voluntarily given blood of a royal, she would recover.
And maybe—just maybe—because he now thought she was useful, he was neutralizing the effects of the drug. Maybe this time the medicine would actually be helpful?
Sighing at the thought, she muttered:
“Why aren’t you drinking it?”
“…Because you’re too handsome. I keep forgetting I need to take my medicine every time I look into your eyes.”
She smiled slightly as she said it, trying to deflect.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”
His voice was far lower than usual, and realizing that provoking him any further would be a bad idea, she quickly drank the medicine.
She winced at the fishy, nauseating smell that made her want to gag.
Once she had finished drinking it, Raynier’s expression turned calm again—as if he had never been angry at all. He wore his usual fake smile so naturally that one might think he had never been upset.
“You’re going to the plaza today, right?”
“Yes.”
Leyla was relieved that he didn’t reject her proposal.
“Do you have a plan once you’re there?”
“I suppose I’ll have to come up with one.”
Leyla already knew that the Crown Prince Anasis had planned this to try to kill him.
But calling him out to the plaza seemed odd—it was still a busy place even at night.
“I think he’s trying to test my abilities by calling you out there.”
“I agree.”
“Then how about not going?”
At first, she had considered going along with the Crown Prince’s plan. It was Raynier’s issue, after all—she only planned to deliver the information and benefit from it.
But to prove her usefulness to him, she thought there might be a better approach.
“But that would be dangerous for you.”
“Then I just won’t let it get dangerous. Will you come if I’m in danger?”
Raynier looked at her blankly, showing no expression.
“No need to answer. I get it. So let’s play it fair. They need to know I’m not a usable bait, and I need to prove I’m still useful.”
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to do.”
Raynier chuckled as he spoke, but Leyla thought even though he still wore that sly smile, it wasn’t a sincere one. Still, seeing him return to his usual fake expression made her feel a little better.
“I’ll pretend to fail a few times.”
“Then Anasis will just torment you.”
“It’s better than succeeding on the first try. I should struggle a bit before finally getting it right.”
When Raynier looked at her in confusion, she met his gaze and smiled. He always seemed suspicious whenever she avoided eye contact, so this time she didn’t look away.
“That way, they’ll think I’m useless for luring you out.”
“…I see.”
“Yep, and since I still made the attempt, I’ll get some recognition for my skills too.”
When she didn’t look away, this time he did. Seeing him frown again as if he were displeased brought her a bit of relief. It felt like he might actually believe her.
“Alright. Let’s do it your way.”
And just like that, Raynier didn’t go to the plaza.
The next morning.
Crown Prince Anasis once again visited Count Abierre’s estate for breakfast.
Leyla came down looking deliberately haggard and unkempt.
“Good morning, Lady Leyla?”
“Agh… It’s the Empire’s little sun… what an honor to see you…”
She spoke weakly and gloomily, sounding completely drained. She hadn’t even bothered to warm up her voice, so she sounded husky like someone with a cold.
“Oh my, Leyla. You caught a cold again?”
“Yeah… I left the window open overnight…”
When Siever commented mockingly on her hoarse voice, Leyla drooped her shoulders and acted even more downcast.
“Ah, I see.”
Crown Prince Anasis forced a smile, clearly holding back his irritation.
“I’ll summon the royal physician.”
“Wh-What? No! There’s a family doctor here at the Abierre estate!”
The countess hurriedly waved her hands in refusal at the mention of the royal physician.
If a palace doctor saw that Leyla had been consuming mermaid’s tears over a long period, they might discover the truth—something an ordinary doctor wouldn’t.
“Doesn’t the young lady being sick so often mean your physician is incompetent?”
“We already fired that incompetent one and got a new one, Your Highness! He hasn’t been here long, so the effects haven’t kicked in yet!”
Countess Carmen Abierre added hastily, eyes darting nervously between her husband and the crown prince.
Leyla found her stepmother’s panicked eye-rolling amusing, but she didn’t let it show.
“I promised you something yesterday, didn’t I? I’m sorry. I was just so sick I fell asleep…”
“No, no. Your health is far more important.”
“No! Today, I will definitely—Cough, cough, cough! Definitely keep…! Kehh, kehhh!”
Leyla began coughing uncontrollably as if she had choked. What started as a fake cough quickly turned into a real one, and soon she was coughing as if her lungs were tearing apart.
“Huuk…”
“I understand. No need to speak further.”
Crown Prince Anasis looked visibly alarmed. Just a few days ago, she had been healthy enough to accompany him to a ball.
Could a simple cold really make someone look this bad?
“So…rr… guhk…”
“Yes, yes. It’s okay.”
He stopped her from speaking again, fearing she might collapse mid-sentence.
Tears welled up in Leyla’s eyes from the pain in her lungs.
As she calmed down, the crown prince began to look at her with suspicion.
But her pale cheeks, reddened eyes from the coughing, and watery blue irises made it hard to believe she was faking it. Her lips were practically white.
So he decided to try a different approach.
“May I meet Count Abierre’s personal physician? It’s unacceptable that Lady Leyla is this sick and not recovering.”
“…Ah, well…”
“I just want to give him a stern warning.”
Leyla wondered if it would be okay to summon Raynier now and reached out to grab the crown prince’s sleeve.
“It’s… meal… time… ugh…”
She barely managed to suppress another cough.
“Let’s eat first, then,” he said with a sigh.
With no other choice, the crown prince stayed for breakfast. Seeing Leyla nibble at her food like a bird and struggling even to hold her fork, his suspicion began to wane.
The awkward meal dragged on, and Crown Prince Anasis ultimately convinced himself that Leyla wasn’t faking it—she was truly ill.
If this was acting, she shouldn’t be a noble lady but a professional stage actress.
After the meal, the prince did something unusual: he personally escorted Leyla to her room and even helped her lie down with Catherine’s assistance.
Then, left alone with Leyla, Catherine, and himself, the crown prince gave an order.
“Bring the family’s physician.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Catherine glanced at Leyla in panic. Leyla, thinking he had given up, was also flustered when he asked for Raynier.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yes.”
Soon, as Catherine returned—
Knock knock.
“I’ve brought the physician.”
“Come in. Now.”
Following the crown prince’s command, Catherine entered the room with the physician in tow.
