#8
The Emperor briefly explained the current situation and the reason he was going to war.
Ruslan, who had already heard this from me, wasnāt surprised.
“When are you leaving?”
“One month from now.”
“So, youāll come back after winning, right?”
“Of course. So, while Iām gone, you need to listen to your father and wait, alright?”
“Will Dad stay here?”
“Yes, until your mother comes back. And your brother will be back soon too.”
When the Emperor mentioned “brother,” Ruslanās eyes lit up. I had never seen the protagonist of the original story before. In my past lifeā¦
āI didnāt even get to see his face.ā
The crown prince had gone south to replace his mother. After the Emperor left, he returned to the palace to find his younger brother in a terrible state. I didnāt even look at him then.
Thinking about what I did in my past life, it couldnāt be helped. What worried me was that the male lead of the original story was unpredictable.
In the original, he was a cruel and violent king.
I couldnāt tell if this situation would help me or not.
āIf anything happens, tell Count Orleans first, and if heās not around, tell Danilo immediately.ā
“Yes.”
As I answered, Ruslan spoke up.
“Our brother is kind.”
“Huh?”
“Heās scary, but I like him.”
Then, he quickly ran to his mother and asked her how long it would take for him to return.
āWas he thinking about me?ā
I shook my head at the sight of young Ruslan acting childish. What was I expecting from a 10-year-old child?
The real issue wasnāt him but the appearance of the male lead.
But, as always, unexpected things happened, and this time, it was no different.
Two weeks before the Emperor left, something happened. I woke up earlier than usual that day and went over to the next room. The scent from the incense that had burned through the night was still lingering in the air.
“Ruslan?”
“Mm.”
Usually, he would have woken up before me and gotten dressed, but now, he was lying weakly on the bed.
“Are you sick?”
“Mm, no.”
I placed my hand on his forehead, but there was no fever. Still, he looked noticeably unwell.
“You should rest. Iāll go by myself today. They wonāt mind if you take a break.”
“I donāt want to. I want to go today too.”
I understood why Ruslan was being stubborn. When he was with his parents, he looked so bright and happy.
He probably wanted to spend time with his parents since the Emperor was leaving soon.
“Itās better to rest if youāre sick. Just lie down.”
“Why should I listen to you?”
“If you push yourself today, you might get worse, and it will be harder for the next few days, right?”
After thinking for a moment, Ruslan reluctantly nodded. He was listening to me more these days. I pulled his blanket up to his neck and patted him gently.
He pouted, but that wasnāt something I needed to worry about.
I stepped outside and called a few maids.
“Tell the Emperor that Ruslan canāt meet him today because he has a fever.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I sent someone to relay the message, and I told another maid to prepare for the doctor and bring him to the room.
When I entered, I saw Ruslan already asleep, and Betty, who had quietly entered and was burning incense.
Lately, she had been acting strangely quiet.
Sometimes she would come in and burn incense or bring food, but Ruslan seemed to rely on her less as I and the Count spent more time caring for him.
āBut sheās too quiet.ā
Considering the emotions I had noticed in her recently, I honestly didnāt think she would back off easily.
I closed the door and, feeling uneasy, approached the sleeping Ruslan.
“Hmm.”
I had been using holy power twice a week to treat him. The results were smooth, and while he wasnāt fully cured, the dark spots on his skin had faded a lot.
āItās still visible though.ā
I reached out and gently placed my hand on his soft cheek. The longer I spent with him, the harder it was not to feel affectionate.
Thankfully, the holy power was flowing from my fingertips into Ruslanās body.
I used the holy power to thoroughly examine his condition.
After several treatments, I could tell the state of his body by how easily the holy power spread through him.
āThis is strange.ā
The holy power spread through his body at the same rate as before. If the curse had worsened, the holy power wouldnāt have spread this easily.
āWhen I first treated him, it felt like something was blocking the flow…ā
It was slightly better than before, but it hadnāt worsened.
Perhaps he just caught a cold or was exhausted from recent activities.
After all, he had been moving around a lot lately.
Just then, the door opened, and the doctor, the Emperor, and the Count entered. The doctor carefully examined Ruslan and spoke up.
“His activity levels have been high, so heās probably just tired. Thereās no need to worry about anything else.”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
The Emperor turned to me.
“Melisa, itās still before breakfast, right?”
“Yes.”
The Empress gently patted Ruslanās head and continued.
“Then shall we have breakfast together?”
“By myself?”
“Yes, we havenāt eaten yet either.”
Since she was thinking about me, there was no reason to refuse. But I couldnāt help but glance at Ruslan. He wanted to be with his family despite being sick.
“Are you worried about Ruslan?”
I nodded slightly at the Countās question. He gently stroked my head.
“Today, I donāt have much work, so Iāll stay with him. You donāt need to worry.”
He seemed to have misunderstood my thoughts, but I didnāt correct him. Still, I was glad that Ruslan would get to spend some time with his parents.
“Shall we go eat then?”
The Emperor said this and ruffled my hair. His gaze was warm, like he was looking at a kind, cute child, which made me feel slightly embarrassed.
I heard a hearty laugh from the Emperor.
“Donāt tease her.”
“Iām not teasing her. Iām just fond of her.”
The two of them teased each other as we headed to the dining room.
I thought to myself that it was Ruslan, not me, who would truly enjoy this peaceful time.
Contrary to the doctorās expectations, Ruslan couldnāt get up easily. Days passed, and every morning, he seemed weak and unable to keep himself steady.
The Emperor and the Count, who had thought he would get better quickly, started to look more worried.
I had been using holy power to treat him, but no matter how much I tried, Ruslan wasnāt getting better.
“This doesnāt seem like a curse problem.”
The Emperor nodded as if he understood. If the curse had gotten worse, I would have noticed right away.
After briefly discussing Ruslanās health, Betty suddenly bowed in front of the Empress.
“Your Majesty!”
“Hmm? Arenāt you Ruslanās nurse?”
I had a bad feeling. She had been too quiet recently.
“Yes. I have something important to say to you, and Iāve come here risking my life.”
“Speak.”
“Please stop calling His Highness every morning.”
A sudden silence fell in the room.
“You might not know, but ever since Ruslan was little, whenever he returned from being out, he would always get sick for several days. I thought he was doing better, but now heās in this condition. Ruslan loves being with you, Your Majesty, and since the Princess insisted, I couldnāt stop him anymore.”
I looked at the Emperor in surprise. Betty seemed embarrassed, as if she realized she didnāt know her own child as well as she thought.
“I… I didnāt mean to…”
The Emperor stuttered, and Betty lifted her head, glaring at me. Her eyes were filled with resentment.
“Whatever the doctor says, I know Ruslan better than anyone. Please, donāt make him meet with you every day.”
Her words were rude.
I instinctively stepped forward, but the Emperor stopped me.
“I understand now. I didnāt think this through.”
“Your Majesty!”
I remembered the rumors I had heard in my past life. The Emperor, despite being the mother, seemed to be controlled by the nurse.
Back then, I thought it wasnāt related to me, but now, I had the feeling that it might be true.
“Weāll talk about it after Ruslan wakes up.”
She quickly left the room, and I glared at Betty as she headed toward Ruslanās side.
āSomethingās not right.ā
The curse wasnāt the issue, and the doctor had recommended light exercise for Ruslan.
But there was no way to figure out why he wasnāt waking up, which left me feeling frustrated.
“Are you just going to stand there? If youāre not going to help, please go back to your room.”
With a meaningful smile, Betty turned away, and I had no choice but to follow her.
Just as I was about to open the door and return to my room, something happened.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, my legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.
“Princess!”
“Your Highness!”
The maids rushed to help me up in panic.
I managed to get up, but my legs were still shaking.
When I turned to look at Betty, she couldnāt hide her surprised expression.
In that moment, I was certain. It was Betty who had orchestrated both Ruslanās illness and my current situation.
