Chapter : 114
Sophie had forgotten.
She had forgotten that Valentis was the most authoritative warrior in the Syroc Empire. That he possessed the heart of a dragon, making him resistant to any poison and able to heal wounds instantly—a body of steel.
Her entire body ached as if she were about to die.
“…Thirsty.”
Even though they had spent the night together, Sophie, due to her work habits, had woken up at dawn.
The space beside the bed was empty. He must have gone out in a hurry for some reason. Thinking that, Sophie went downstairs to the kitchen to get some water.
“…What are you doing?”
She saw Valentis from behind. He was heating water in a kettle, busily searching for something.
“I was making tea.”
Valentis said that and smiled faintly, then coughed.
Could he have caught a cold?
Soon, Sophie received the tea from Valentis. The tea had leaves floating freely in it. He hadn’t filtered the leaves; he had boiled them all together.
“…Alright. I’ll drink it.”
Sophie drank it, sensing the care and effort of the person who had made it.
“Does it suit your taste? Of course it does. These days, I make tea like this.”
He said proudly.
“I think it’s getting better and better, to the point it worries me.”
“…This is better?”
Sophie looked at the teacup with a pale face. Even now, it wasn’t that great… How bad had it been at first?
“I suppose it’s so good that your teahouse might be at risk of going out of business.”
“Oh my… that’s dangerous. Truly dangerous.”
Thinking back, Valentis ate whatever was given to him. He wasn’t picky and had no particular tastes.
Perhaps it was because he had run through harsh battlefields that he always ate whatever was available, leaving no room to become picky.
“And it’s not a teahouse; it’s an apothecary,” Sophie said, pouting, and Valentis burst out laughing.
“Of course, I know that.”
He said that and sipped the tea he had brewed. Occasionally, he coughed.
“Did you catch a cold?”
“Seems like it.”
Valentis confirmed.
“You were the one caught in the rain all day. And yet I caught a cold.”
“Maybe it’s my cold that spread to Your Highness.”
“Did it spread to me all night?”
He asked lazily, smiling.
“…That could be. It might have spread all night.”
“Well, that’s understandable. It was a long night after all.”
Valentis said confidently.
“Oh, I see. Your Highness, you have amazing stamina. Thanks to you, my body is in a terrible state.”
“Then that’s unfortunate.”
“What is?”
“I was thinking of returning it to you. Tonight.”
“…Huh?”
What was he talking about? At first, she didn’t understand.
But then she realized and blushed.
“Ah! What do you mean by that?!”
“It was originally yours, so I should take it back. Don’t you pity me, catching a cold?”
“I don’t pity you at all. So you’re saying it doesn’t matter if I catch a cold?”
“If it’s a severe cold, I’ll have to take it back.”
Valentis spoke playfully.
“…How severe should it be for you to take it back?”
Curious, Sophie asked.
“Isn’t one cough pretty serious? That’s when I should take it back.”
“…Unbelievable.”
Valentis, who had spent the night with her, looked extremely pleased. His confidence overflowed, making him appear arrogantly proud.
Meanwhile, Sophie’s entire body ached—her waist, and other indescribable soreness.
“If it bothers you, take it now.”
“I’m having breakfast right now.”
Valentis had prepared scrambled eggs and toast for Sophie.
“…I suppose I could.”
Halfway through her toast, Sophie was so dumbfounded she couldn’t close her mouth.
Valentis couldn’t hide his smile at her reaction, though he added that he wasn’t joking.
This man, truly.
“Your Highness’ flirtatiousness is getting more serious by the day.”
“I’m aware of it.”
“Do people know that Your Highness can be such a sly one?”
“I think only you know. There’s no one else who would behave like a sly fox.”
“…I pity the citizens of the Empire, then.”
“How should I look after these poor citizens…?”
Valentis forgot about his meal and only looked at Sophie, completely distracted.
“How should I take care of you?”
“Can’t you not?”
“That’s impossible.”
Seeing his expression, Sophie felt like slapping him. She glared at Valentis for a moment and then continued eating her toast.
“I’ll skip morning care. I’m busy.”
“Because of the apothecary work?”
“Among other things. Today, I plan to do the laundry.”
Unlike yesterday, today was sunny, and the sunlight was perfect for drying clothes.
Last night had been devastatingly sad, but today, although a bit gloomy, it wasn’t so bad. Above all, she was glad Valentis was around.
“I’ll help you.”
Valentis said.
“Aren’t you busy? I also have apothecary work to do.”
Valentis had been really busy lately, with hardly any time to deal with the immature Duke Nile Dock. Gradually, Emperor Joseph was giving more tasks to Valentis, preparing him to inherit the throne as the Emperor aged.
Thus, Valentis was constantly busy, but he still did everything diligently. He traveled across the country, fulfilling his duties to the best of his ability.
“Not really busy.”
Valentis said casually.
“Really? Not busy today?”
Sophie asked, smiling. Valentis’ expression brightened as well.
“Not really. I’m not busy.”
“Then you can help me, right?”
“Of course.”
After finishing his meal, Valentis cleared his plate, approached Sophie, and kissed her.
“That way, I can return the cold vibes at night.”
“You had a plan all along.”
“Of course.”
Giggling, Sophie did the dishes with Valentis. Although he didn’t know much about cooking, he was clumsy at washing dishes too.
Valentis helped Sophie from the morning, moving heavy loads and even shaping round pills. But the pills he made were as big as his frame—far too large to eat in one bite.
“Isn’t bigger better in terms of effect?”
“Not necessarily.”
Sophie took his hands and helped divide the dough to make smaller, round pills.
When their hands touched, Valentis glanced at her subtly, a look almost like seduction.
Because they had spent the night together, even such a small touch reminded them of last night.
“No. This is an apothecary. Absolutely not.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Sophie shouted, her face flushed, and Valentis laughed.
“Do you enjoy teasing me?”
“Of course. That’s why I do it every day.”
“You’re really wicked.”
“Yes. I’ll keep being wicked, so look forward to it.”
Humming, Valentis shaped the pills, the happiest expression Sophie had ever seen on him.
“I’ll be naughty tonight too.”
Holding hands with Sophie, Valentis said.
“Eek!”
Unable to bear her embarrassment, Sophie covered her face and ran to the greenhouse. Valentis laughed, clutching his stomach.
“I’ll get my revenge,” Sophie thought, glaring at him through the translucent greenhouse.
Valentis helped with the apothecary work and even the laundry. Sometimes, when he enjoyed his time at the apothecary, he would lie down on the grass for a nap.
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, Robin’s voice rang out. He stomped toward Valentis, snorting like a rhinoceros.
Even Valentis was momentarily surprised.
“How can you be here all this time?!”
“…”
Robin shouted.
“You left the paperwork to me… Don’t you know how busy I am?!”
“It’s probably more efficient if you handle the paperwork than me.”
“That’s just an excuse…”
Robin grabbed his collar.
“There are important documents only Your Highness should see! I can’t handle those!”
“Handle them. I permit it.”
“…Ugh.”
Despite the piles of paperwork, the prince leisurely spent time with Sophie.
“What if I misuse the important documents?”
“Then, well… I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Even when Robin ordered him to return immediately, Valentis didn’t budge. He was determined to stay with Sophie, whether Robin rebelled or betrayed him.
Sophie poked Valentis.
“You said you weren’t busy.”
“I didn’t seem that busy to me.”
“I was extremely busy! I haven’t slept for more than two hours in three days!”
Robin complained in tears.
“I was only helping Sophie and planned to return soon.”
“I’m fine now. Go back quickly.”
Sophie pushed Valentis away, but he still looked reluctant.
“Robin might overwork himself or submit a resignation.”
At Sophie’s urging, Valentis climbed onto his horse.
“Thank you so much, Sophie.”
The prince, who hadn’t listened to anyone, finally yielded to Sophie’s words. Robin, moved, thanked her.
“Your Highness, please bend slightly. Your collar is a mess.”
“Collar?”
At Sophie’s words, Valentis bent his waist. She adjusted his collar quietly, so Robin wouldn’t hear.
“Do your work well. When you finish, come back.”
“…Alright. I’ll finish as quickly as possible and return.”
“Of course, you must.”
Sophie gave Valentis a bird kiss on his lips.
“And you must do your naughty deeds tonight too. Right?”
“…Ha.”
Taken aback by Sophie’s words, Valentis swallowed hard.
“Not naughty, just something pleasant.”
“…Wait.”
“Goodbye. I’ll wait for you.”
Kissing him once more, Sophie waved.
“See you next time.”
While Valentis was restless, Sophie casually exchanged greetings with Robin.
When would the work ever end? Should she escape now?
Even after parting briefly, Valentis kept looking back.
“You might fall off your horse at this rate.”
Robin’s remark made Valentis correct his posture. Even though he had just left the apothecary, he already wanted to return.
How could he wait? Valentis bit his lips.
In the end, Valentis looked back at Sophie’s apothecary with lingering longing.
