~CHAPTER 91~
Until Harvich said he would sleep more, Lincia did not feel that tired.
She had been asleep until Yulias came to find her, and because of the sleep fragrance, she had been with her eyes closed longer than she had been awake.
She thought so.
But contrary to her thoughts, she fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
When she heard a small noise, Lincia forced her reluctant eyes open halfway.
As soon as she opened them, she met Harvich’s red eyes.
He had been holding her hand the entire time she slept and had not let go.
Harvich repeatedly brushed the fourth finger, where a ring should have been, as if bothered by its emptiness.
Seeing Harvich, Lincia muttered defensively.
“…Take it off only when sleeping.”
So that’s why it’s empty.
Even Lincia did not know exactly why she wanted to soothe his heart.
“Is that so?”
Harvich’s gaze seemed to urge her to sleep more, so Lincia could not resist and closed her eyes.
That time was now over.
The carriage had come to a complete stop, and Lincia sensed they had arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle.
The man, who she had assumed would simply help her out of the carriage, picked her up in his arms.
He then covered her with blankets and various clothes.
“Put me down.”
Feeling her body float, Lincia hurriedly wrapped her arms around Harvich’s neck.
“…I can walk.”
Her voice was small and subdued, probably due to thirst, but not so faint that Harvich could not hear.
In fact, Harvich did look at Lincia.
But he walked silently without answering.
Somehow, being carried by Harvich felt unusual and embarrassing, and Lincia struggled in his arms.
“Harvich.”
Calling his name softly, she wriggled to get free, but the man only held her tighter.
“I won’t run away. Okay?”
“You’re running a fever now.”
Harvich’s body, which always felt hot, seemed cooler than usual.
“Me?”
Only then did Lincia notice the worried expression on Harvich’s face.
“Don’t you feel anything at all?”
Her body felt slightly languid and a little dazed, but she assumed it was because of the sleep fragrance.
“No, I don’t feel any pain.”
Harvich faced Lincia and slowly exhaled.
“It must be a side effect from the narcotic painkillers. So please allow me to take you to the bedroom.”
Lincia had heard that such side effects could occur, but she had never really paid much attention.
She did not fully understand why reduced sensitivity to pain could be a problem.
If anything, not feeling pain would be less of a burden, and perhaps even better.
However, seeing the pain on Harvich’s face, Lincia remained silent.
Lincia arrived at the outer castle bedroom.
The space was still barren with no furniture, but Harvich’s faint scent lingered.
“For the time being, stay here.”
“…Yes.”
“Ethan will come soon.”
Harvich said this and sat at the bedside, brushing his hand across his face.
As she lay in the calm room, she remembered the problems she had momentarily forgotten.
“By the way, didn’t you say you were leaving the Grand Duke’s castle? Is it okay for you to be here now?”
“Yes. I left it to Hyu.”
“…How did you find out?”
“Find out what?”
“Yulias tried to…”
Lincia trailed off.
Harvich swallowed.
Still uneasy, he fiddled with Lincia’s fourth finger.
“The messenger I sent to the palace informed me that the Emperor has arrived.”
“Sorry for being late.”
Harvich added a short apology.
“It’s fine.”
Lincia genuinely did not think he was late, nor did she think this was something Harvich needed to apologize for.
Who would have expected Yulias to secretly sneak into the north to abduct Lincia?
“…Thank you.”
She felt a slight regret.
If Lincia had waited just a bit longer for Harvich, Tereo, the knight, would have…
But now, Lincia no longer believed in fairy tale princes.
She no longer thought someone would save her, and simply chose the best course of action she could in that moment.
* * *
“Now, rest.”
Lincia had caught a cold, or more precisely, body aches.
Ethan had warned her strictly to be careful, as her whole body would ache and she would have a fever, but in reality, Lincia did not feel any pain.
Sweat trickled down from the fever, and sometimes she was out of breath, but it was less painful than any cold she had ever had.
“Do not move. I’m afraid it could get worse.”
Every time Lincia wandered the room, Harvich was startled.
Though she knew in her mind this was not the time, Lincia still wanted to act spoiled toward him.
Even though she knew he could not move because of her, she kept asking because she preferred choosing herself over work.
“I’m fine. What if your work can’t be done because of me?”
She worried he couldn’t do his job, but at the same time, she did not want him to leave her.
Her conflicting feelings created a mix of confusion.
“You are not fine at all right now.”
Was she really such a petty person?
Though it felt wrong to take advantage of Harvich’s worry, she also felt good because of it.
But Lincia’s fleeting indulgence in that emotion lasted only briefly.
As her body improved, she began to feel embarrassed by her earlier behavior.
Even though she was a patient, Lincia had been overly honest.
Ethan, who had come every other day, gave her a full recovery diagnosis.
“It seems the body aches have gone. However, I did not expect the narcotic painkiller side effects to appear so severely. You did not feel any pain at all…”
Ethan kept bowing apologetically.
“Had the Grand Duchess known she responds to the painkillers more than others…”
Lincia shook her head.
If the dosage had been reduced at that time, she would have suffered extreme pain.
Harvich glared at Ethan angrily, but it was already in the past.
“Do not dwell on what has already passed.”
As soon as Lincia finished speaking, Harvich issued an order to dismiss Ethan.
“There is something that requires your opinion.”
* * *
“Huh, I thought I was here to speak with the Grand Duke today.”
Hesta, first prince of Rensier, did not hide his displeasure at the Grand Duke’s sudden refusal.
Hesta had come all the way to Cassius’ territory just because the Grand Duke accepted the request for a conversation.
Even agreeing to meet them in a territory other than the Grand Duke’s castle had been accepted diplomatically.
But upon arrival, the conversation partner was nowhere to be found, only a male agent sitting in his place.
“Do you think this is funny?”
“No. The Grand Duchess has suddenly caught a cold, so the Grand Duke cannot leave the castle. We ask for your understanding.”
Hyu spoke firmly.
From the beginning, the superior party in this conversation was not the Rensier delegation.
Yet, what was this arrogant attitude?
“Prince of Rensier, it seems you are not displeased by this matter.”
Hyu expressed discomfort, but the prince kept his arms crossed.
“I am concerned about the human trafficking incident. However, I do not think all that happened in the Grand Duchy was the act of the kingdom’s people.”
“If you think so, why did you come to the negotiation table?”
Hesta did not hide his displeasure as he spoke, and Hyu’s expression grew stiffer with every word.
