Chapter 59
Cough, cough!
A violent coughing fit burst out first thing in the morning.
To think I'd catch a cold in midsummer.
I never thought I'd be the one to catch that summer cold dogs supposedly don't even get.
“Ugh...”
My head throbbed as if it were about to split open.
Heat surged through my whole body, cold sweat poured down like rain, and my pajamas were damp and clinging to my skin.
I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead and let out a long groan.
Why can't magic cure even a simple cold?
At times like this, I feel like being a high-ranking mage doesn't matter at all.
“Cough...!”
“I knew this would happen the moment you caused that trouble yesterday, Lady Lunaris.”
With a sigh, a damp washcloth was placed on my forehead.
“Cold...”
The damp, cool touch soothed my burning forehead.
Ah, it feels like the fever's going down a little now.
“Please use the Magic Hall annex from now on. Linea Hall is not Lady Lunaris's magic workshop.”
“Ugh... stop nagging... Ms. Odet, my head's pounding...”
“Understood. Here, Lady Lunaris. Please eat this.”
Ms. Odet propped up my favorite pillow and helped me sit up.
Then she carefully brought the soup she'd cooled by blowing on it to my lips.
Even while she nagged, every movement was full of concern and care for me.
I half-heartedly swallowed the soup, then suddenly looked up at Ms. Odet's face.
Sweat beads had formed on the head maid's forehead.
Only then did I notice what Ms. Odet was wearing.
Her usual neat maid uniform.
Just looking at it made her seem stiflingly hot.
“Ms. Odet... aren't you hot?”
My conscience pricked me a little, so I asked hesitantly.
“It feels like you're suffering because of me...”
The honest words I normally would've been too embarrassed to say blurted out.
Ms. Odet paused with the spoon in hand, then quickly wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.
“This much is nothing.”
“Still...”
“If you're going to worry about me, then hurry up and get better, Lady Lunaris.”
Ms. Odet said it as if it were no big deal.
Then, with practiced hands, she replaced the lukewarm cloth on my forehead with a cold one.
The way she carefully swept aside my bangs, matted together with sweat, was incredibly considerate.
By the time I'd finished the soup, Ms. Odet saw that my complexion had improved a little, laid me back down, and covered me with the blanket.
“Now that you're feeling a little better, don't go fooling around. Sleep quietly.”
Before leaving the room, the head maid earnestly admonished me.
“That's the one thing Lady Lunaris does best—sleeping soundly.”
Affection seeped through the sarcastic joke, and before I knew it, a snort of laughter escaped me.
Ms. Odet gave my forehead one last check before leaving the room.
-click.
The door closed, and silence settled over the room.
Maybe because my body was so drained, my eyelids quickly grew heavy.
I pulled the blanket up to my chin and burrowed into the cozy bed.
The moment I gently closed my eyes, I drifted into a deep sleep.
*
“Luna.”
...How long had I been asleep?
A soft voice tickled my ears from beyond my hazy consciousness.
“It seems you're in pretty bad shape...”
A voice both distant and familiar.
With one foot between dream and reality, I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes and only pricked up my ears.
Soon, a warm hand gently touched my forehead.
Someone removed the casually placed damp cloth from my forehead and checked my temperature with a hand warm from her body heat.
The daze of sleep slowly began to lift.
“Mm...”
When I slowly opened my eyes, a figure shimmering with golden waves came into my blurred view.
After blinking a few times, the figure gradually came into focus—
“Princess...?”
The purple eyes blinking beneath her long lashes were full of worry.
“Ah! You're awake?”
Princess Celestina smiled faintly in relief after confirming that I was awake.
“I didn't wake you, did I?”
If Claire or anyone else had asked that question, I'd have nodded without a second thought, but this was the princess.
So I only let out an awkward laugh.
I felt like just lying there wasn't right, so I tried to sit up, but my head suddenly swam.
“Don't overdo it.”
The princess quickly pressed my shoulder and laid me back down again.
She adjusted the pillow so my neck would be comfortable and straightened the rumpled blanket.
Her touch was gentle and careful.
Every time I shifted, the princess's golden hair swayed and brushed my shoulder.
A pleasant fragrance slipped through my stuffy nose and quietly calmed my heart.
“Um... Princess, when did you arrive?”
“Just now.”
Princess Celestina smiled as she gently brushed aside the hair that had fallen beside my cheek.
“I heard the news. You caused quite an incident while experimenting with magic in your room, didn't you?”
The way she snickered was mischievous.
But her voice was overflowing with concern for me.
“How do you feel? You were groaning in your sleep.”
The princess's palm was placed on my forehead once more.
The cool, soft touch felt strangely pleasant.
Feeling oddly self-conscious, I averted my gaze for no reason.
“I think I'm a little better. A little...”
Maybe it was because I'd slept soundly, or maybe because of the nursing, but I felt much more refreshed.
Of course, my body still felt sluggish and my head was still foggy.
“Still, um—my head's still a bit dull, and my throat feels rough.”
A weak, uncharacteristically feeble voice spilled out of my mouth.
Princess Celestina's eyes brightened at once.
Was she secretly happy that I was leaning on her like this?
“W-wait a second.”
With a slightly flushed face, the princess stood up and gave a small gesture to the guard knight standing by the door.
“Would you like to try this?”
“Haaah...”
The princess took the cup of water and brought it to my lips.
Leaning against the princess, I swallowed the lukewarm water down my throat.
It felt as if my tightly blocked throat was loosening little by little.
After I emptied the cup, the princess carefully wiped the corners of my mouth with the handkerchief she had prepared.
Dab, dab.
That delicate touch made my chest feel warm and fuzzy.
Within my dazed state, a very old memory faintly surfaced.
A tiny one-room apartment.
The night I finally collapsed and moaned alone.
Whenever I turned onto my side, only the moldy wallpaper shimmered before my eyes.
My throat cracked and burned, and even when I stretched my arm out, the water bottle far away wouldn't come within reach.
Even if I closed my eyes, or somehow opened them again, my surroundings were always swallowed by pitch-black darkness.
As I shivered alone, drenched in cold sweat, anxiety would suddenly creep in.
If I lost consciousness like this, would anyone even wake me up?
‘Since there was no one to wake me up, I guess that's why I'm here.’
No, would anyone even have found me after I had gone cold?
‘They'd probably only look for me when the lease is about to end.’
...I'm scared.
No, I'm lonely.
I clenched the blanket in my hands and squeezed my eyes shut.
A kind voice seeped in from beside me.
“Do you need anything else?”
When I barely managed to open my eyes, a pair of purple eyes full of worry was beside me.
There was a cool yet warm hand patting me.
Because this warmth felt so unfamiliar.
And yet, so terribly missed...
I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again.
Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I looked away.
Whether she knew what was in my heart or not, the princess only continued to gently sweep my hair aside with a tender smile.
“Still, I'm glad you're feeling a little better.”
The princess giggled softly and stood up.
“I feel like I only ended up disturbing your rest... Ahaha. Th-then I'll be going now?”
At those words, I reflexively grabbed the princess's sleeve.
“...?”
“...!”
The steps she had taken to leave the room stopped dead.
Her violet eyes widened in surprise.
In the awkward silence, I flinched a beat late.
Wow, maybe I've gone crazy. What am I doing right now?
“Uh, um, it's just...”
Before I could panic and let go, the princess quickly sat back down. This time she sat a little closer than before.
Then she caught my wrist with both hands.
“Could it be that you don't want me to go?!”
“W-well... it's not exactly that...”
I averted my gaze and moved my lips awkwardly.
“If you're busy... you can just go...”
“No, I'm not busy. Not at all.”
And with that, the princess gave the guard knight a furtive look.
The guard knight shook his head in refusal, but the princess only kept smiling brightly.
“If Luna asks me to stay, I'll stay by your side until late.”
Princess Celestina gave a soft chuckle and pulled the chair by the bedside closer.
“T-then...”
I blinked blankly, then finally said something I didn't really mean to say—no, something I had been pressing down in my heart.
“Just until I fall asleep...”
“Okay!”
The princess smiled brightly and nodded over and over.
“Should I just sleep here with you?! I can nurse you all night!”
“T-that's a little...”
I shook my head in disgust.
“More importantly, what if you stay here and catch my cold too, Princess?”
“Hehe, don't worry. I've never caught a cold even once in my life.”
The princess puffed out her chest and said proudly, “Ahem—”
“I may not look it, but I'm incredibly sturdy, you know?”
Let's just keep the thought that fools don't catch colds buried in my heart.
“And even if I did catch it.”
The princess continued with a faint eye-smile.
“Then wouldn't it just be the other way around, with Luna nursing me?”
At that innocent smile, I lost my words for a moment and just stared at the princess blankly.
“That'd be kind of... a hassle...”
“What did you say?!”
I snickered at the princess, who pouted as if offended, and slowly pulled my hand free.
Then I drew the hand that had been holding me just moments ago and brought it to my cheek.
When the cool hand touched my burning cheek, an involuntary, languid sigh escaped me.
“So cool...”
“L-Lu-Lu-Luna?!”
Steam rose in a whoosh from the princess's forehead.
See? I knew I'd end up catching your cold.
Still, just for today.
I'd decided to lean on her a little.
Using the princess's hand like a wet towel, I drifted back off to sleep.