Chapter 41
“……”
Thinking about it that way somehow made me feel sad.
I was struggling to hold back the sudden surge of emotions when a knock came from outside, followed by a businesslike voice.
“Miss, this is Semelda, the housekeeper.”
“Y-yes. Come in.”
As soon as I gave permission, the door opened.
Lady Semelda entered carrying a tray.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ve brought a simple breakfast.”
“Ah……”
Lady Semelda set the tray down on the bedside table.
Glancing at the tray holding a simple croissant, butter, and soup, I nodded slightly and expressed my thanks.
To be honest, I had no appetite.
‘But to take care of As, I have to eat and keep my strength up.’
After Lady Semelda left, I devoured the breakfast in a battle-ready manner.
By the time I finished the tea served as dessert, there was another knock at the door.
‘What now?’
Could it be to collect the empty dishes already?
Just as I tilted my head in puzzlement, the voice of the head butler came from outside.
“Miss, this is Gilbert, the head butler. May I come in for a moment?”
“Yeah, come in.”
Surely, the head butler himself wouldn’t come to collect empty dishes.
I opened the door and stared at Gilbert, guessing why he might be here.
‘Could it be he came to check on the sick master out of concern?’
Just as my thoughts were going down that hopeful path, Gilbert bowed politely and spoke.
“There is a visitor here to see you.”
“…A visitor?”
That figures.
Earlier, the doctor only briefly checked As’s condition and left, so there’s no way he’d be worried now.
Trying to hide my disappointment, I asked again, and Gilbert nodded.
“His Majesty the Emperor is currently waiting in the sitting room.”
“…Sigh.”
I let out a long sigh and pressed my forehead.
An unwelcome, influential visitor had arrived.
As Gilbert said, the Emperor was seated in the sitting room adjoining the bedroom.
When I opened the door and entered, the Emperor, idly fiddling with his hands, brightened up and called out to me.
“Einra, you’ve come.”
“What brings Your Majesty here so early in the morning?”
My anxiety to return quickly to As made my words come out harshly.
But the Emperor, as if not bothered at all, smiled with his eyes narrowed and said,
“Of course, I came to fetch you.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t I say I would personally take care of your banquet preparations yesterday? Hurry up and get ready. Today we’ll start simply with your outfit…”
A sharp headache throbbed.
I sighed deeply again and pressed my forehead.
“Your Majesty.”
“…The decorations you want… hmm?”
“Are you in your right mind?”
Such a disrespectful remark slipped out from the mouth of a mere commoner, addressed to the Emperor of a nation.
I glared at him.
The Emperor just blinked, tilting his head as if he couldn’t understand why I was angry.
His genuine confusion only fueled my rage further.
My fists trembled as I began speaking.
“You clearly saw Aches use the dispelling spell before leaving the palace yesterday.”
“That’s right.”
“You heard from Harnen that the effect only lasts 12 hours.”
“True.”
“You also know that the curse dispelling spell’s side effects appear right after the effect ends.”
“That’s so.”
“…And now, because of the side effects, Aches can’t even open his eyes, his whole body feels like it’s on fire. And you calmly come to prepare a banquet?”
I was dumbfounded.
When I glared fiercely, the Emperor finally realized and glanced at me sheepishly.
“That… wasn’t meant to be said…”
“What did you just say?”
“I said…”
“I must be hearing things wrong. If you had any empathy functioning correctly, you’d never say something like that. It’s impossible unless your brain is malfunctioning, right?”
“……”
In the end, the Emperor was chased out of the duke’s mansion, having received only curses.
My anger soars that I couldn’t immediately return to As’s room.
I gulped down the ice water on the sitting room table, took deep breaths to calm my rage, and then headed to the bedroom.
When I arrived, As sat expressionlessly on the bed, staring blankly.
His red eyes slowly fixed on me.
I was about to approach happily on seeing As awake, but I stopped short at his gaze — cold and unfamiliar, unlike that of a child.
His gaze settled on my feet.
He tilted his head and asked,
“Where did you go?”
“……”
“You promised to tell me first if you were going to leave this place.”
His gaze moved upward again, meeting my eyes.
Unlike usual, there was no trace of a smile in As’s red eyes.
“Y-You, As…?”
“Come here.”
He ordered.
I hesitated at his unfamiliar demeanor, and then suddenly noticed his pale complexion.
Without time to think of anything else, I quickly moved beside him.
“As, your complexion is…”
The hand I reached out was suddenly grabbed roughly.
Before I could react, the strong grip pushed me backward.
With a thud, my chestnut hair was wildly tousled on the bed.
“Where did you go without saying anything?”
“Uh, uh…?”
I looked up dazed, and As, straddling me, tilted his head impatiently.
“Hm? I’m asking where you went.”
From afar, his eyes had only seemed cold, but up close I noticed the heat spreading throughout his irises.
As seemed feverish, too excited by the fever to realize what he was doing.
‘Was he lonely because no one was there when he woke up?’
Is that why he was so persistently asking where I had been?
Thinking that way, the small child in front of me (though technically an adult, but for now a small child) seemed endearing.
Especially recalling the servants who treated As coldly just this morning made it even more so.
“I didn’t go anywhere.”
I raised my hand to gently cup As’s small face.
“The Emperor came looking for me. I was just talking in the sitting room next door.”
At my soothing words, some of the darkness in As’s eyes faded.
After a moment of silently looking at me, As suddenly twisted his lips.
“…Damn Emperor.”
He muttered fiercely.
It was the first time he openly showed such hostility toward the Emperor, who usually maintained strict composure, and I flinched in surprise.
“Ah, As?”
“…I found out.”
The small body softly collapsed onto me.
Thump thump, the rapid heartbeat pressed against mine.
“Since Einra wasn’t there, I thought you’d abandoned me.”
“……”
“I thought about what to do.”
Lying collapsed on me, As fidgeted with his chestnut hair and spoke slowly.
“Should I wait, or should I go look for you? If I wait and you don’t come back, what then? If I go looking and you say you won’t return, what then? If that happens, I don’t think I could bear it.”
A heavy breath escaped his small lips.
It was a little cute and pitiful to see As seriously worrying over something that would never happen in a lifetime.
Swallowing a sound that was somewhere between a smile and a sigh, I gently stroked his small head.
“That will never happen, so you don’t need to worry, As.”
“……”
“If by some chance it did, well, then you can do whatever you want.”
Suddenly, As’s movement stopped.
After a moment of silence, he slowly stood up.
His smooth black hair flowed down beneath his white shirt.
“…If you disappear again without saying anything,”
Still looking at me with those smileless eyes, As spoke.
“Then I’ll lock you up here.”
