Chapter 20.
“Dry towels alone won’t dry him right away.”
I had a feeling a situation like this would come up eventually.
The most frustrating part was that even knowing it, I couldn’t prepare for it.
“Your Highness?”
Everyone seemed to expect me to use magic, of course. For Rene, this would be as easy as pie.
“…”
I hardened my face, stood up, and looked at Elsa.
“Why should I do that?”
“…Pardon?”
Elsa looked at me with a rare flustered expression at my cold voice.
The other maids were the same. As if they’d assumed I’d naturally use magic.
“I’m tired. I don’t want to use magic on something like this. Call the physician.”
I waved my hand dismissively as if it were a hassle and immediately left Friedrich’s room.
“Oh, and bring the cocoa too.”
As soon as I got to my room, Elsa brought a rich cocoa with four marshmallows floating in it. I drank it in one go and lay down on the bed.
“The prince is being treated by the physician.”
“Good. I’m going to sleep now, so don’t disturb me.”
Elsa quietly withdrew, and as soon as I was alone, I let out a silent scream.
‘Wow, there’s no trash like this in the world…!’
I wallowed in self-loathing.
‘It probably didn’t seem weird. Rene has plenty of magic, but activating it is quite tiring.’
For now, relief washed over me that I’d safely navigated the crisis.
‘…Still, I feel like trash.’
Above all, I felt so sorry for Friedrich. He must have been really hurt…?
‘He seemed to be opening up to me lately. Is it all for nothing now?’
The thought of rebuilding our rapport felt daunting. Honestly, my future felt just as daunting.
‘What if this happens again? This is driving me crazy, for real.’
It hit me anew how dangerous my situation was.
‘I need to either find my magic quickly or retire to the countryside.’
After a sigh-filled nap, I woke up to evening. Rain was still falling outside the window.
‘I wonder if Friedrich is okay now.’
I thought about asking Elsa, but figured showing my face might help salvage things, so I went to his room.
Quietly opening the door and entering, I heard ragged breathing.
Approaching closer, I saw Friedrich asleep, his face slightly flushed from the fever.
‘If I’d used drying magic earlier, he might not have caught this cold.’
It really bothered me.
‘But why was he collapsed there earlier?’
Before I could mull over the sudden question.
Friedrich suddenly opened his eyes. Remembering what happened before, I felt awkward and reflexively stood up.
That’s when something urgently grabbed my sleeve.
“…Don’t go.”
Turning my head, I saw Friedrich looking at me with poignant eyes.
With a sickly handsome man pleading like that, I couldn’t bring myself to leave.
“I just came for a bit.”
Feeling embarrassed, I said something I didn’t mean. Still, Friedrich kept holding my sleeve.
“…I won’t bother you.”
He said in a hoarse voice.
“I won’t presumptuously ask Your Highness to use magic either. So just…”
“…”
“If you could just… stay here… would that be okay?”
Friedrich finished in a trembling voice, waiting tensely for my next move.
I gazed at him steadily, then slowly detached the sleeve he was holding.
In the instant his eyes filled with despair.
“Okay.”
I sat down. Friedrich’s gaze wavered. And he still looked anxious.
“I’ll stay here. But you should sleep more.”
When I placed the back of my hand on his cheek, I felt the heat.
He flinched and groaned, perhaps because my hand was cold. I was startled and about to pull away.
“…Just.”
Friedrich hurriedly wrapped both hands around my wrist. In an instant, hot warmth transmitted.
“Could you stay like this? Just for a bit. It’s cool and feels good.”
With his voice thick from the fever, pleading like that, I couldn’t refuse.
I touched his cheek as if cupping it, resigned. Still, he kept holding my wrist.
I feel like a cooling pack.
“Why don’t you sleep again.”
The silence felt awkward because of what happened earlier. Friedrich shook his head.
“I’m not sleepy.”
“You should sleep anyway. You’re the patient.”
I let out a short sigh and offered the apology I’d been debating.
“I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier. I was tired from reading books for so long.”
…Honestly, it wasn’t even a convincing excuse to me, but if I didn’t say at least this, our relationship might be ruined for good.
Friedrich bit his lip firmly before speaking.
“It’s okay.”
He replied softly.
“I don’t want to be a nuisance to Your Highness. It’s already more than I deserve to dare become Your Highness’s husband…”
“…”
“I don’t want to be even a little bothersome to Your Highness.”
“You’re not bothersome.”
It’s just that I don’t have the ability. I’m sorry, really.
Swallowing the words I wanted to say, I sighed.
“Hurry and sleep.”
“Will you leave once I fall asleep?”
Looking into Friedrich’s anxiously trembling eyes, I shook my head.
“I won’t go. I’ll stay here tonight too. It’d be a problem if the maids came in pretending to nurse you.”
“…Do I bother you?”
“You? Of course.”
I answered without thinking, and suddenly Friedrich smiled.
I flinched at the change after he’d been so downcast.
What was the funny part…? Is he mocking me for lying without batting an eye?
“It’s not empty words.”
At that, Friedrich’s smile brightened even more. See, he is mocking me!
‘Smiling like that, he must be feeling better.’
I narrowed my brows and pressed my palm down on his eyelids.
“Stop talking and sleep.”
Friedrich obediently followed my words. Still holding my wrist all the while, even though I’d clearly said I wouldn’t go.
***
Fortunately, it wasn’t a severe cold, so Friedrich gradually recovered over the next few days.
I slept in Friedrich’s room the whole time, and Elsa’s reaction was inscrutable.
“Seeing his condition improve, it seems you really just nursed him all night.”
“…You pervert. What are you thinking?”
“Did I say something strange?”
Elsa retorted shamelessly.
“Anyway, it looks like he can attend the ball tonight.”
Tonight was the court ball to mark the end of my unmarried days before the wedding. Or something like that.
“What a hassle. I’d be more productive reading books at the library during that time.”
“Of course, if you don’t go, everyone will just accept it.”
Elsa replied with a somewhat surprised expression.
“But if they hear you went to the library instead, everyone will think you’ve gone mad.”
So, in the end, I decided to go. Dance one waltz with Friedrich that we missed last time and come back, or something.
I wore a navy blue silk velvet dress with subtle starlight embroidery on the sleeves and hem.
Every time I walked, it swayed like a shimmering galaxy—quite an attractive dress.
Friedrich, dressed similarly in a navy blue tailcoat, stopped and stared at me with a dazed look.
“What, am I too pretty?”
I playfully poked his stiff form and asked, and Friedrich lowered his head slightly with a reddened face before speaking.
“No, more than pretty…”
Oh, was I jumping to conclusions? Belated embarrassment started to rise.
“You shine. Like a twinkling star in the night sky.”
At the high-level flattery, I looked at Friedrich with a momentarily flustered face.
His shy expression with serious eyes completed the flattery.
Thanks to my good aftercare, he didn’t seem too hurt by what happened last time.
“You can do that at the ball too.”
I nodded contentedly and asked worriedly.
“You’re really fully recovered now, right? You don’t have to push yourself.”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. But we won’t stay long anyway.”
I declared in a relaxed voice. A naively innocent statement, not knowing what would happen a few hours later.
