Chapter 71
Cecilia’s body wavered a beat too late as she blinked her eyes. Her voice echoed in her ears, as if filled with water.
“…Blood…!”
“Something to wipe it…!”
Before she knew it, she was cradled in Dylan’s arms.
Her vision flickered between blackness and light.
Ah, no.
Dizziness shook her head. Even amidst it, her thoughts continued, thin but unbroken.
She had assumed the heaviness in her head was simply from fatigue.
I misjudged things.
Since arriving in Lothreben, her health had improved so much that she had let her guard down.
Moreover, in the past, whenever her body showed signs of weakness, she would immediately take a rest, so experiencing something like this had been rare.
I need to tell them I’m okay so they don’t worry…
But her lips wouldn’t move.
All the while, there was a commotion around her.
“…Your Highness, we’ll escort you indoors! Everyone…”
“Call a doctor!”
She thought a short rest would help. From experience, this wasn’t the kind of situation that warranted summoning a doctor.
A mere nosebleed wasn’t enough reason for such an uproar.
Yet, her lips felt glued shut, and even the smallest movement seemed exhausting.
“Your Highness! The doctor—”
Voices echoed like they were submerged under water, then surfacing again.
Cecilia’s memory ended there.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in the room of the inn she had just checked earlier.
Perhaps someone had hurriedly prepared it; the bed and a fresh quilt were the only things laid out.
Cecilia blinked slowly, lying on the bed as she gradually grasped the situation.
It had been a long time since she had fainted.
Was it right after arriving in Lothreben the last time?
Back then, her health was worse than now, and looking back, she had likely been under a fair amount of stress, so it wasn’t surprising.
Recently, she had felt her life had stabilized.
And it’s been ages since I had a nosebleed…
She felt a twinge of embarrassment at neglecting her health. Collapsing in front of so many people was humiliating.
She wondered how she would face everyone once she went outside.
“Ma… Ma’am!”
Ellie, cautiously opening the door, froze upon seeing her wide-eyed and let out a shout.
Realizing that loud noises weren’t good for a patient, she quickly covered her mouth, but it couldn’t erase the tears glistening in her eyes.
Cecilia met Ellie’s panicked gaze and let out a small chuckle, her hoarse voice barely above a whisper.
“Well, at least I get to stay here once before leaving.”
“Do you really think now is the time for that?!”
Despite the commotion, Ellie managed to hold onto the tray in her hands, sniffling as she tried not to drop anything.
“Ah, really… you were bleeding so much, I honestly thought you were going to—well, I didn’t mean it like that, but anyway!”
“You’re exaggerating too much.”
“Everyone else probably thought so too!”
Ellie complained, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand as if to emphasize how shocked everyone had been.
Even though Ellie was usually dramatic, it had been quite a while since Cecilia had seen her this alarmed.
It seemed her condition had really been serious.
Feeling belated guilt, Cecilia gently stroked Ellie’s head as she helped her sit up.
“It’s okay now. I guess everyone responded quickly. What did the doctor say?”
“They said it’s because of accumulated fatigue.”
Ellie hesitated after that, as if something was troubling her. Cecilia patiently waited for her to continue.
“They also said your body has weakened a lot… that it might be a serious illness. But of course, we’d need more tests, and I think the chance of that is low!”
Ellie spoke quickly, seemingly worried that Cecilia would be upset. Though she said it wasn’t serious, her face clearly betrayed her anxiety.
A serious illness… Cecilia reflected on it. She had a suspicion—it was likely due to Morvena’s power.
The priest also mentioned my body weakening.
She hadn’t expected the backlash to hit like a sudden tidal wave.
She vaguely remembered being told to stay as close to her husband as possible. Just a short distance apart, and yet it had caused this much trouble.
She couldn’t fully grasp her own condition. There was only one way to find out.
I should visit the temple as soon as I return to Tishel.
Though, that would be after ensuring she returned in good health.
“…How long do I have to wait before returning?”
“Rest at least for today. They said it’s due to fatigue! Traveling a whole day by carriage would be too exhausting.”
Ellie rummaged through the tray she had set down, carefully lifting a bottle of medicine and tipping it onto a spoon to feed Cecilia syrup.
“Ugh, it’s bitter. If it’s because of fatigue, why are you making me take medicine?”
“This is for your cough. You’ve been coughing a bit at night lately.”
Pouting, Cecilia let Ellie chatter on while also feeding her the candy she had prepared. Ellie sighed heavily.
“What do we do with our lady being so fragile…”
“You’re stating the obvious,” Cecilia replied, smiling faintly. Most days, she wasn’t in perfect health anyway.
Burying herself deeper in the quilt to block out the nagging, she felt an unusually strong desire to return home.
She wanted to go home quickly. To the house where her husband was.
“…Wait, Ellie.”
Cecilia suddenly opened her eyes and turned her head sharply.
Ellie, who was about to leave after tidying up, looked back in surprise.
“Why, ma’am?”
“You haven’t sent anyone to the castle yet, have you?”
“They were about to. Everyone was on standby since they didn’t know when you’d wake, but you won’t be leaving today anyway.”
“Don’t mention my condition. Just tell them there’s an additional matter to review, so I’ll stay one more day.”
She didn’t want her husband to hear about this. He was busy enough, and she didn’t want to unnecessarily worry him.
Cecilia gave Ellie an awkward smile, her eyes pleading. Slowly, Ellie seemed to understand what she meant.
“If they haven’t left yet, I’ll let them know. You focus on resting first, ma’am!”
After Ellie left, slamming the door shut, Cecilia felt all her strength leave her body.
If the alert had been called from the border post, it meant she had spent a hectic day.
Reporting that I fainted won’t solve anything; it’ll just make everyone anxious.
She could casually mention it later, or keep it entirely secret. She preferred the latter.
I’ll have to instruct Dylan and Marcus to keep it secret too.
With immediate worries mostly resolved, she felt sleep slowly creeping over her.
Normally, she would do something to stay awake, but as a patient, she felt too languid to move.
Turning over, face buried in her pillow, she let her thoughts drift.
When I return…
First, she would visit the temple.
And then…
She thought of the border post and naturally recalled someone else.
…I need to see Berry.
Perhaps because she had been lonely lately, she felt an unusually strong desire to meet her friend.
