Huh… That was true, too, actually. Caught off guard, I flinched slightly, and Jayden’s eyes narrowed sharply as he muttered in a sulky voice.
“Viola’s a clever fool.”
Ugh. Couldn’t argue with that.
Jayden was too good with words for his own good—no, for mine.
He really is clever, isn’t he.
“Haa, never mind. Just don’t do it again.”
“Understood. I’m sorry.”
“Come on. Promise me quick.”
Jayden held out his little finger. Once our fingers were hooked together, only then did he seem relieved, and his pouting lips slowly relaxed.
“More importantly, hurry up and give me the medicine.”
“Yes, sir. But first, let me say—since it’s made with gamjong herb as an ingredient, you might feel your heart pounding when you take it, but that’s absolutely not dangerous, and I’ve made it perfectly safe by—”
“I know, I know! I know it’s not dangerous, all right!”
Grumbling as though it were a bother, he looked somehow like a persnickety cat.
“All right. Here it is… Are you sure you’re ready?”
Even as I held out the medicine, I felt a little worried.
I knew about the resistance Jayden had toward medicine.
Thankfully, the boy nodded readily.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“Because Viola said it’s fine.”
Taking the medicine, Jayden squeezed his eyes shut as if gathering his courage.
Then he swallowed it down in one gulp.
“I-I took it!”
His ruby eyes turned to me at once, full of pride. That look seemed to be asking for praise…
Of course I have to praise him!
You could never hold back praise for a good child.
“How admirable, Young Master. Swallowing it in one go like that!”
“Really?”
I stroked Jayden’s head. His soft silver hair ruffled beneath my hand.
“Of course! You’re so brave! Goodness. Our young master is truly the best, the very best! The coolest in the whole world!”
Jayden had been wearing a confident smile, but now he shot me a sidelong look, as if something about it didn’t sit right.
“That’s way too much praise. I can’t feel any sincerity in it.”
Pfft.
A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it.
“But it’s true… You’re so impressive.”
I meant it, without a doubt.
For such a small child to swallow a pill like that in one go. It was so admirable.
Though I did bring the syrup form too, just in case.
Actually, not long ago, Jayden had asked me for an ordinary pill instead of syrup medicine.
“I don’t need syrup medicine! I’m six years old, you know? I’m not a little kid! Give me a pill!”
I’d seen countless child patients since my Heiron days, but I’d never once heard that before.
Jayden was a wonderful child who kept his word.
I sat down beside him and began chatting quietly. This was to wait for the medicine to take effect.
About thirty minutes passed that way.
“Young Master, how are you feeling by now?”
“Um, well…”
Jayden knit his brows slightly, his face anxious.
“Something feels uneasy. Why is this happening? Is something wrong with me?”
He tightly grabbed hold of my sleeve.
Oh, dear. I had a guess as to why.
“Young Master, excuse me for a moment.”
I placed my fingers against the child’s neck.
Thud-thud. The pulse at his carotid artery was faster than before he’d taken the medicine.
Just as I’d expected.
This must be from the medicine after all.
This medicine, made by combining spikeleaf and gamjong herb, had the effect of suppressing a dragon’s power.
The power that had always raged inside his body was quieting down, and his body, sensing the sudden change, was reacting to it. That was why his heart was racing.
It should settle down as he adjusts.
In short, it was a perfectly normal reaction that could appear temporarily.
Jayden seemed to be perceiving the change in his body as anxiety.
That’s understandable.
It wasn’t easy to tell the two apart, after all.
There was only one thing to do in a case like this.
Explain it well, and stay by his side.
“I told you earlier, didn’t I? That your heart might pound a little after taking the medicine. That’s all this is.”
“Then I don’t need to worry?”
Jayden looked up at me with bright, earnest eyes.
When had this boy, so prickly at first, grown so gentle?
I held Jayden’s hand tightly.
“If anything, it’s a good sign. It means the medicine is working well. It should bother you less once you get used to it…”
The most important thing was something else entirely.
“It means, from now on, Young Master Jayden won’t get sick anymore. You’ve been through so much all this time.”
“…Really?”
The child’s eyes went round with disbelief.
“Yes, of course.”
Belatedly, I whispered it to him, like pointing out the fine print at the bottom of a contract.
“Though you’ll need to keep taking the medicine steadily.”
“…How long do I have to take that medicine for?”
Straightening up again obediently, Jayden asked in a serious voice.
His small hand was trembling, just slightly.
Is his anxiety not settled yet?
Or maybe he was afraid of having to take medicine for a long time.
Wanting to ease Jayden’s worry, I explained as gently as I could.
“You’ll need to keep taking it until your body has finished growing.”
“How many years is that?”
“You’ll probably need to take it for more than ten years. That sounds like a long time, but it actually goes by quickly—”
“So you’ll stay with me the whole time until then?”
As if that had been the real question he’d wanted to ask all along, Jayden spoke up in a rush.
At the unexpected question, I froze for a moment.
Seeming to misread my reaction, Jayden waved his hand and started making excuses.
“N-no! I just mean, who else would make my medicine if you weren’t here? Huh? I don’t want to take the wrong medicine and get sick. And besides, whoever starts something is supposed to see it through to the end—”
Uwaah. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I pulled Jayden into a tight hug. What was I supposed to do with this adorable child!
“W-why all of a sudden…!”
Jayden cried out in surprise, but his body offered no resistance at all. As if, deep down, he didn’t mind the hug one bit.
“Anyway, so are you going to keep making my medicine or not? Answer quickly. Don’t try to dodge it.”
“Of course I’ll keep making it for you. Always.”
I’d made exactly that contract with Cain, after all.
And even without that, I never had any intention of leaving this child behind.
At my answer, Jayden’s mouth twitched at the corners.
“…But this actually feels kind of nice. It feels a little less scary somehow.”
“Does it? I’ll stay with you all day today, until you feel calm.”
“Okay.”
And so another hour passed, and then two.
Jayden showed no sign of tiring and kept holding my hand tightly the whole time.
“How are you feeling now?”
“I-I don’t know. It’s still pretty uneasy…”
Hmm. That’s strange.
His pulse was normal.
Maybe it’s just anxiety on its own now. There might still be some lingering resistance to the medicine.
More time had passed than I’d expected, but it seemed I’d need to stay by his side all night, just in case.
Melody… hmm.
I’d already asked a servant to let her know the situation in advance, so by now she should have washed up and gone to sleep.
But is she really all right, going to sleep without me for the first time?
She was a child who always slept glued to her mommy’s side. I wondered if she’d end up kicking off her covers or something.
I couldn’t help worrying after all. I should go check that she was sleeping well.
“Young Master, would it be all right if I stepped out to my room for just a moment?”
“Huh? Why…? My heart’s still pounding…”
“I just want to wash my face quickly. I’ll come right back.”
“Fine, then…”
Jayden looked a little glum. Then he added, as if urging me on:
“Come back fast!”
“Thank you!”
I hurried toward my room.
Melody surveyed the room with a grave expression.
She looked this way and that.
Mommy’s gone!
No, no, no!
Clutching her head, Melody sank straight down to the floor.
