Chapter 49

Mar woke up when the night fell. There was a towel in his hand out of nowhere and Helen was lying beside him.

He smiled in delight when spotting Helen, but immediately figured out the situation after a moment.

Is she sick?

“Edith…!”

It was normal. Mar hugged Helen’s shoulder in a haste. He put his finger under her nose to check her breath.

How about the fever? He put her hand on her forehead, but it also appeared to be normal.

“Edith? Wake up….”

Helen, who seemed as if she was dying, did not open her eyes, and Mar felt like his sight became hazy.

She’s going to be fine. She has to be fine….

If he messed up due to the confusion, he would be regretting it for the rest of his life.

After lightly catching his breath, he looked around and saw a note left by someone who he believed to be the emperor.

/Take care of her, she will wake up soon./

Mar’s hand trembled slightly.

She must have been really sick.

He was unhappy with having to take orders from the Emperor, but there was nothing he could do.

Edith comes first.

Mar knelt down on the side of Helen’s bed and stared at her.

He took Helen’s hand and put it between his hands as if making a gesture of praying.

“Edith… wake up quickly.”

He was staring at Helen for a long time, wiping her sweat with the towel, but she didn’t open her eyes.

As time passed, Mar became afraid.

Even if her condition worsened, what could he do if he couldn’t get out of the room?

Mar was upset at his circumstance and gritted his teeth. He let out a bloody splitting sound, but Mar didn’t mind it.

Helen’s pale, sickly-looking face made Mar’s insides burn.

“Edith… please open your eyes….”

Is it because he held her hands and prayed really hard?

Just before the sun rose, Helen woke up.

“Mar?”

It took her a while because she couldn’t open her eyes properly. Her throat was completely dry and she sounded terrible, but at that moment, he felt like his wish had come true.

He nearly burst into tears because she was so emotional.

“That’s… a relief….”

Mar leaned Helen against his chest and passed over the water he had prepared before.

“Mar, how long have I been sleeping….? Uhmm. My throat is really hoarse….”

“You don’t have to speak. It’s all right. Drink slowly.”

She took a sip of water given by Mar. Helen had a pounding pain on her head and a sore throat.

Her whole body was aching, perhaps because she had been asleep for too long.

While moving around lightly, the thin sunlight was coming through the window that she was staring at.

Morning was coming around.

“…Mar? It’s morning, how about ….”

“It’s a…. re………”

Even before he managed to finish his words, Mar’s eyes suddenly rolled in a flash and his body collapsed under the bed.

“AH!”

Helen was so surprised and pulled Mar’s sleeve in a haste, but he was so heavy that she just fell along with him.

Her body was throbbing in pain as it was.

Fortunately, his whole body was covering her face, so her head didn’t seem to be injured, but….

They fell down in a rather awkward position.

His back was leaning against the floor with his legs raised on the bed, while she was lying on her back on top of him and wrapped herself around his head.

Her face was burning up while being in such a shameful position.

Mar must have been taking care of her until he collapsed like that.

When she carefully let go of herself around his head and took a look around only to see traces of nursing activity.

‘Thank you….’

Helen shifted closer to Mar, who had collapsed, and pulled up his body with a groan.

She wanted to make him a little more comfortable, so she lowered his legs to the floor and lifted her head slightly to put the pillow under his head.

Mar, who she thought had collapsed, suddenly opened his eyes.

“UWAH!”

Helen fell backward in surprise and fell on her bottom. Fortunately, she fell on the floor, so she wasn’t severely injured, however her bottom did hurt a little.

“Mar!”

Even so, she smiled widely and made eye contact with him, delighted that Mar woke up unscathed.

It was at that moment. As soon as he opened his eyes and their eyes met, his pupil shook gravely.

What’s wrong with him?

Mar was acting strange. His eyelashes trembled as if he was feeling uncomfortable somewhere.

“Mar? What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

Helen asked with the tilt of her head, only to see Mar’s face hardened.

He even took a step back as if he was scared.

“Mar…?”

When Helen called his name out in a puzzled voice, Mar ignored her and covered his face with his hands, extremely confused about what to do.

Why is he so surprised even though it’s his first time seeing her in the morning?

It was when she extended her hand a bit because she was concerned about Mar, who seemed disoriented. He stepped back as if he had just seen something scary and seemed anxious.

“…Mar, are you okay?”

Helen retracted her hands in confusion and asked awkwardly.

There was no answer from the morning Mar. He only nibbled on his lips and looked anxious.

Helen whimpered, feeling uneasy about Mar when he didn’t answer her at all.

At the sight, Carmun realized it was too late to run away at that moment.

When he saw the blindfold on the table, he put his hands over her forehead.

“Mar, what’s wrong? Are you upset at me?”

“….”

He was unable to answer, so he only shook his head slightly, and Helen’s face smoothened a bit.

“I thought you were upset at me….”

Worry disappeared from Helen’s face and a slip of smile crept up on it.

Carmun’s heart began to beat precipitously at her pretty smile.

‘Is there any reason for me to get upset at her?’

He found out that their posture was a little strange after opening his eyes.

Lying on the floor while hugging each other.

What the h*ll are they up to?

There were thin wrinkles between Carmun’s eyebrows as he lost his mind after thinking that far.

“Why aren’t you talking to me?”

Helen asked while secretly trying to study his face, but Carmun wasn’t able to come up with an answer.

However, he felt strange seeing her smiling warmly, mistaking him as his night self.

There was a ticklish feeling in his heart.

“I was worried that you might have gotten upset at me.”

Helen smiled bristly and immediately held his hands.

“You’ve taken care of me, right? Thank you.”

“……..”

Carmun nodded lightly.

Her heart was tickling and he wanted to scratch it if he could.

However, something seemed to rise from the depths of his inside, which was beyond his reach.

“….”

Carmun stared at Helen’s face blankly.

‘Mar is weird. I thought he would hug me right away.’

Helen scratched her cheek awkwardly.

‘Morning Mar didn’t have anything to say.’

Mar might not remember this happened because he said he was going to faint in the morning.

‘I will have to tell him at night. That you were conscious in the morning.’

Helen, who wanted to be of help to Mar, gave off a smile from her mouth.

Carmun suffered from a sharp pain in his heart again.

‘This was similar to the spring breeze.’

Carmun pulled his hands away, lifted it in the air hesitatingly for a moment.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

It was not the time to play around peacefully with Concubine Edith.

He needed to send the concubine back as soon as possible.

Unlike his fast-progressing mind, Carmun’s eyes were fixed on Helen’s face.

There was a feeling of his body unable to listen to his head. He just wanted to remain like this.

While experiencing the situation for the first time, Carmun was opposing himself.

Helen asked, tilting her head toward Carmun’s face, which was filled with worries.

“Do you want us to hold hands?”

Tilt.

The way Helen tilted her head was so cute that Carmun unconsciously bit his lips at the sight.

Although he turned his gaze and twisted his face obliquely, he was slightly intoxicated by Helen’s scent.

He knew Helen came into his room, but it felt very exciting to meet her directly.

He wasn’t shakened because he was scared, but because his heart swayed when she smiled while being affectionate to him.

Carmun maintained fierce eye contact with her and in particular, he didn’t even blink. He was intoxicated by Helen without realizing it with his mouth wide open.

“You’ve been taking care of me, so I will have to give your hands a special hold.”

She was holding his hands and smiled, as if they had a funny joke.

“!”

Carmun’s face was bright red. He was panting and his eyelashes quivering.

“Mar, thank you.”

“…………”

He fiddled with Helen’s hand.

He felt sick in the stomach. It feels as pleasant as flying at just one physical contact.

He couldn’t believe this.

At the first sway of his heart which he never experienced before, Carmun realized his feelings for Concubine Edith.

“I’ve already fallen hard for her.’

***

Carmun mumbled with a frustrated look on his face, putting his chin on the desk and postponing his work, despite starting the national affairs work a little later than usual in the morning.

“Mar? Marrr?”

Are they just deciding to play around for the name by themselves instead of using their normal name?

D**n it.

He felt miserable.

It’s only been three hours since he realized his feelings. During the past three hours, his mood swings fell down to the ground and then soared to the sky repeatedly.

“So annoying.”

His voice came out mixed with a hint of jealousy in it.

It’s ridiculous that the object of his jealousy was himself, but the fact that he wasn’t confident in beating the opponent also added much to his annoyance.

Carmun got up from his seat and wandered around, because he couldn’t get his hands on his work.

“…Your Majesty….”

Viester called Carmun, trying as hard as he could to hide the ridiculous expression on his face.

Inside the office connected to Carmun’s room, both of them usually solved the political affairs. It was to reduce his time moving around anywhere.

Due to that, Viester had to go back and forth from the office and the main palace.

Viester finally opened his mouth as he couldn’t stand Carmun who was annoyed by all sorts of things today.

“Why are you so upset?”

“Am I upset?”

“…So, you’re not upset?”

Viester asked back with a feigned smile.

Carmun’s eyes followed the direction of Viester’s gaze.

On the messy desk of Karmun, the documents were crumpled up and unable to write, and only the pen stand that had been broken since earlier exceeded the row. On the Carmun’s messy desk, the papers were crumpled up and couldn’t be written on anymore, also there were ten broken pen holders.

“You’re upset. For real.”

It’s ridiculous how he didn’t realize it until now.

Carmun covered his mouth in shock.

‘Why am I angry? She’s meeting the night man, so why am I….’

“You’re acting very strange today.”

Viester muttered as he looked at Carmun, who was full of confusion.

“Has Concubine Edith returned?”

Carmun’s expression was filled with even more confusion at the mention of Concubine Edith. He held his breath and opened his eyes a little wider.

Viester shook his head slightly once he saw Carmun turned noticeably rigid.

“Do you feel sad?”

“….”

Sad. It’s too much.

In the morning, he saw Concubine Edith lying in his bed and sensed an unknown thirst inside him.

He couldn’t help but feel sad.

But how did Viester know?

Carmun’s eyebrows crumpled in suspicion.

“It’s written on your face.”

Viester replied while showing a smirk.

How could he not notice when the man just acted like a young boy who fell in love?

It seems that he even knows about it.

Carmun avoided looking at Viester and felt his cheeks heated up slightly upon hearing his aide.

His sheepish back gave Viester a hint of goosebumps.

He was usually either composed or sly, so he couldn’t help but get taken aback when he suddenly fell in love and behaved as if he was in his youth.

‘So His Majesty was able to fall in love, too.’

He didn’t considered himself to be gay, but he was just skeptical in love.

Twenty seven concubines, in fact other than them, there were also a lot of other women who would throw themselves at the Emperor.

As a young emperor in an empire, anyone who knew how he looked when he was young would know that his face was perfect.

There were plenty of women, but he didn’t even meet any of them, despised the idea of touching others, parties, and never had an ordinary tea time.

Therefore, it would have been understandable if this kind of situation made him feel awkward.

It took him a lot of time to catch his opponent, and the princess of Cordelia Empire of all people, so he didn’t have any intention to oppose it if he was able to turn to concubine.

‘Then, I will be able to get myself out of the rumor, right?’

Viester’s cheeks were tinged with faint excitement.

On that day, both of them were excited for separate reasons and put back their work for a while.