Chapter 28
“Your Majesty? What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
When Isabel tugged at his arm, the man, who was much larger than she was, collapsed easily. Startled, Isabel quickly caught him from behind to support him. Adolf’s condition was worse than she had thought.
He clutched his chest near the heart, struggling to breathe, gasping heavily.
Since when has he been like this?
Thinking back calmly, Isabel realized that from the moment he first opened his eyes, his complexion had been poor. He had looked pale, almost terrified, with cold sweat beading on his face. She hadn’t noticed before, but even while Isabel had been lost in an unfamiliar place, Adolf’s condition must have already been strange.
Feeling that something truly serious might happen if this continued, Isabel propped Adolf up against the wall, cupped his cheeks, and made him look at her.
“Your Majesty. Can you hear me?”
His shaky, unfocused gaze settled on Isabel. Smiling gently to reassure him, Isabel spoke softly.
“Follow me. Take deep breaths in… and out. You can do that, right?”
“…I didn’t see anything.”
“Yes, that’s right. You didn’t see anything, Your Majesty. So there’s no need to be afraid.”
“No! I don’t want this anymore!”
Despite Isabel’s attempts, Adolf’s condition only grew worse. He clawed at his head and suddenly collapsed forward, unable to breathe. Isabel, pushed back for a moment, quickly rushed forward again and shook him urgently.
“Your Majesty! Breathe! Hurry!”
“Haaahk…”
Adolf groaned weakly, his eyes slowly closing. Isabel couldn’t just sit and watch him suffocate. Resolving herself, she held his face firmly.
“Your Majesty, this is only treatment. You’re not allowed to complain about this later.”
Then she pressed her lips to his and gently breathed air into him. She repeated this several times, lips meeting and parting, until at last Adolf’s breathing steadied.
When she finally drew back, Isabel gasped at the sight of his deep crimson eyes staring directly into hers. Even though it had been for treatment, the atmosphere suddenly felt charged and strange.
“Do you feel better now? You had a sudden seizure—I had no choice.”
“…”
“I know you probably want to get angry and ask what I just did, but this was an emergency. So please just let it go.”
“…”
Why isn’t he saying anything? This is embarrassing…
Flustered, Isabel turned her back to hide her reddening face.
If Adolf had acted prickly as usual, it would have been less awkward. But for some reason, he just kept gazing at her in silence.
An uncomfortable quiet settled over the blood-scented bedroom. After what felt like hours, Adolf finally broke it.
“Lady Herpheldeer.”
Isabel’s heart dropped at the sound of him addressing her. He had never called her that way before, and it made her feel strange.
She didn’t want to look back, but the Emperor’s words were absolute. Pressing a hand against her wildly beating chest, Isabel slowly turned around.
Her gray eyes, trembling with unease, met his unreadable red ones.
—Bang!
The door burst open with a crash, dust flying everywhere. Huteman kicked the door down and charged inside.
“Your Majesty! Are you unharmed?”
He looked as though he had been terribly worried about Adolf.
Huteman strode forward and bowed respectfully.
“Your Majesty, are you injured?”
“It’s nothing worth worrying about.”
“If you feel even the slightest discomfort, please let me know. No matter how small!”
“Huteman, you always exaggerate.”
Even with Adolf’s rebuke, Huteman’s fretting did not stop. His endless fussing slowly made Isabel’s expression sour.
What am I, a ghost? He doesn’t even acknowledge me.
Standing a little apart, Isabel deliberately cleared her throat loudly. Only then did Huteman’s gaze shift toward her.
“Sir Huteman. I’m here too, you know.”
“Oh, I didn’t notice.”
He replied indifferently. Clearly, he had ignored her on purpose.
At least he wasn’t glaring or insulting her as usual. Perhaps because Adolf was present, he restrained himself.
Isabel pouted irritably and happened to glance at Adolf. She flinched in surprise at his unwavering stare and quickly turned away.
Watching the two from a distance, Huteman tilted his head curiously.
“…What kind of mood is this?”
Isabel, her face blazing red, avoided eye contact by staring at empty space, while Adolf continued gazing at her as though he could melt her with his eyes.
An ordinary person would have sensed the strange tension between them. Unfortunately, Huteman, who had spent his life as a warlord, had no sense at all in such matters.
“Hey, what happened? Why’s your face red like a tomato?”
“Ahem… it’s nothing you need to know.”
Isabel yanked the hood of her robe down to cover her face. She wanted nothing more than to escape from this place as fast as possible.
“Ugh… so tired.”
At dawn, with the sun barely rising, Isabel was awakened by the noisy commotion outside. Stretching her arms, she yawned loudly.
She could barely remember how she had even returned to the inn and fallen asleep the night before. If not for the racket outside, she might have overslept.
Well, no wonder. Too much happened yesterday. My body feels stiff all over.
Her weak, frail body seemed to be crying out for mercy. She must have been exhausted to fall asleep so deeply in that creaky bed.
Isabel rolled her neck and shoulders, stretching as she rose from bed.
Part of her wanted to sleep longer, but the vision she had seen yesterday still weighed on her mind.
Whatever the reason, the ghost seemed to be calling her to its location. And if Rosy was somehow involved, Isabel couldn’t ignore it.
Strange though… In Mr. Denver’s house, it scattered chicken blood everywhere as a warning, but now it’s calling me? Why?
After a moment’s thought, Isabel shook her head. No point in worrying endlessly—her way was to face things head-on and find the answer herself.
“Kyaaah!”
While brushing her hair half-heartedly, Isabel screamed and dropped the comb.
Through the half-open door, Huteman’s half-lidded eyes were peeking at her.
