Chapter 161

After a while, Reynard mumbled while closing the book.

“Who the hell learns swordsmanship for that reason?”

As expected, it was a gruff voice.

‘Yeah, I knew it wouldn’t work.’

Aiden shrugged his shoulders, not expecting much, and started thinking again to come up with another reason.

“If you learn swordsmanship, your body becomes healthier, and you won’t get minor illnesses. Think about it. How sad would it be if someone like us, living away from family, gets sick alone in a strange place. When I just had a cold last time, I thought I was going to die because I missed my mom so much.”

“…That’s true. It’s sad when you’re sick.”

Huh? Did it work? Aiden widened his eyes.

Although he didn’t say it, it was clear that this guy also felt lonely and sad when he had a cold last winter. Seizing the opportunity when Reynard’s heart was shaken, Aiden shot his words rapidly.

“Right? So, let’s train our bodies by learning swordsmanship together. And it would be nice if we could make new friends at the fencing classes, right? Right? Right?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

It wasn’t a confirmation, but it was a great improvement. Aiden nodded.

“So, think about it, and we’ll do it together?”

Reynard sighed and opened his book again.

That evening, on their way back to the dormitory after eating dinner together in the cafeteria, Reynard reluctantly accepted Aiden’s persistent suggestion to learn swordsmanship together.

* * *

Year 469 of the Imperial calendar, Winter, Reynard 15 years old.

Reynard was nowhere to be seen throughout the morning classes. It was the first time for Reynard, who unlike Aiden who occasionally skipped classes, had never missed a class.

Feeling anxious throughout the class, Aiden rushed towards Reynard’s room as soon as the class was over.

“Hey, Reynard. Are you in there?”

He knocked several times, but there was no answer from inside.

‘Is he not in the room?’

He thought so for a moment, but Aiden immediately shook his head. It was more plausible that this model student who missed class was still sleeping because he went to bed late yesterday, rather than being somewhere else.

‘Could it be that this kid is sick?’

Aiden, who had inadvertently thought of this, was surprised and knocked on the door again.

“Hey, hey! Reynard! Are you okay? If you’re there, answer me!”

If he didn’t come out this time, he planned to call the dormitory supervisor to forcibly open the door and check if he was alive. Fortunately, the door slowly opened just before Aiden ran to the dormitory supervisor.

“What… hey?”

Reynard, looking paler than usual, peeked his head out. Aiden was sure from his face that he wasn’t well.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine…”

Aiden was certain, seeing Reynard coughing dryly before he finished speaking.

‘He’s not okay.’

Feeling Reynard’s forehead, it was burning hot. Reynard squinted his eyes and tried to shake off Aiden’s hand, but his movement was slow. His shaky arm had no strength.

Aiden was sure once again.

‘This kid is really sick.’

Well, if he’s this sick, he must have missed the morning classes. Aiden quickly pushed Reynard, who was waving his hand as if to get him to go, back inside. Then he also went into the room.

“What… hey? Why are you coming in?”

“What does it mean to be a good friend? I’ll take care of you!”

“Leaving… is helping.”

“Don’t sulk and lie down quickly! Quickly, quickly!”

Aiden forcefully made Reynard lie down in bed. Reynard, too weak to resist, followed Aiden and practically collapsed on the bed.

After covering Reynard up to his neck with a blanket, Aiden thought hard for a moment.

‘What did we do when we got a cold?’

It had been 2 years since he came to the academy, and the memory of his mother and nanny nursing his sick siblings was vague.

But remembering persistently, he recalled how they would put a cold towel on their forehead while they whined.

Aiden immediately went to the bathroom attached to the room and filled a basin with water. Wrapping a towel around his neck, he carried the basin next to the bed. Seeing his movement, Reynard hesitated and tried to escape.

“Where are you going? This has to be done to bring down the fever!”

“I just… want to take medicine and sleep.”

“You can’t!”

Aiden soaked the towel in water, wrung it out tightly, and folded it to a size that would fit on Reynard’s forehead. When he placed it there, water trickled down his face.

“It’s all running down.”

“Sorry, sorry!”

Aiden wrung the towel out again and put it back on his forehead. Fortunately, this time the water didn’t run.

Reynard sighed softly and closed his eyes. He wasn’t feeling well, so he planned to just quietly sleep in the room today, but he didn’t expect that raccoon-like guy to come.

Apparently, that guy didn’t know that leaving him alone was helping.

“How did you catch a cold?”

“How would I know that? I just caught it.”

Cough, cough, his cough broke out.

Aiden’s eyes widened and he ran out of the room saying he would get medicine. Reynard glanced at him and closed his eyes, pressing his eyelids with the back of his hand.

Ah, he shouldn’t have opened the door.

* * *

“Rey.”

A voice that he missed in his sleep echoed. A voice he wanted to hear many times a day.

Reynard closed his eyes tighter as he listened to the lovely Yurina’s voice, as if she was a temptress. He wanted to open his eyes and look at Yurina’s face, his desire as high as a chimney.

But he couldn’t. This was the academy. Yurina couldn’t possibly be here. So, the voice he was hearing now had to be a hallucination or a dream.

There had been times like this before. At those times, unknowingly, he had opened his eyes to see Yurina, but each time, not only did he not see Yurina, but her voice also disappeared like a mirage.

So, it was better this way. It was much better to listen to Yurina’s voice for a while than to open his eyes and see an empty room for nothing.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

No, it doesn’t hurt. I’m okay. He wanted to speak words to ease her worries, but his lips would not move. The voice that he wanted to come out did not, but the thoughtless tears fell, streaming down his cheeks.

Even though it was impossible, the soft fabric that wiped his tear-streaked face felt as if Yurina was wiping his tears away.

“Rest well. You will recover quickly if you get a good sleep.”

Suddenly, he remembered the day Yurina had nursed him. It was when he had been in the Carthia mansion for only a few days.

That very day, a woman, whom he didn’t even want to remember her face, maybe it was Lady Lauren or something, spat out harsh words.

Reynard, accustomed to such words, was not deeply hurt by Lady Lauren’s remarks. But, her talks about the Carthia family were a bit scary.

Yurina and Marquis Carthia had said they would sponsor him, but he was worried what if they changed their minds and drove him away after hearing Lady Lauren’s words that his red eyes would bring misfortune to the family.

He was scared of what he would do if he couldn’t stay here any longer. Even though he thought Yurina wouldn’t do such a thing, he was still anxious.

Now he was certain that she wouldn’t abandon him, but at that time, he didn’t know her well. He was in a position where he could be driven out of the mansion at any moment if such a precious girl whimsically decided she didn’t want to see him anymore.

He wanted to shut Lady Lauren’s mouth, who was blabbering with an annoying voice like a sick chicken. So, he ran towards her screaming. After scratching that wretched woman’s hand unknowingly, a greater fear came upon him.

Lady Lauren was of low rank but was definitely a noble. A worthless child like him had hurt such a noble.

Wouldn’t he be driven out for being despicable? Bad eyes! Why was he born with these red eyes! Why!

As if venting his anger, he roughly scratched around his eyes and hid deep inside the room.

He was scared to see Yurina. He was scared that Yurina, who knew all the facts, would look at him with disappointment-filled eyes and tell him to leave.

“I like your eyes, Rey.”

But then, those words Yurina muttered, looking at his wounds with an even more pained expression.

Reynard initially couldn’t fully believe her words. No one had ever told him something like that.

But, the moment he saw Yurina’s blue eyes sparkling like the sun as they did when he first saw them, he had no choice but to believe her. Even if those words weren’t true, he didn’t care. He just wanted to believe.

And that evening, Yurina stayed by his side, which was burning with fever, and nursed him.

Despite calling it nursing, an eleven-year-old girl could do almost nothing. The most she could do was give him water or cover him up to his chin with a blanket whenever he opened his eyes.

But, that was enough.

The way her pure white and beautiful hand alternatively touched her forehead and his, the way she wiped the sweat-soaked nape of his neck with a handkerchief, and even the way she laughed dismissively whenever he grumbled for her to leave quickly.

It was just comforting to have someone by his side when he was sick.

After imagining Yurina’s face for a while, Reynard, realizing that no one was by his side now, closed his eyes even tighter. His feverish face felt hot, and his head felt heavy. His throat was so sore that it was hard to breathe, and his body ached as if he had muscle pain.

But that was okay. What saddened him the most was not that he was sick but that there was no one by his side.

“Why are you crying? Does it hurt a lot?”

Reynard shook his head at Yurina’s voice, which he heard again.

Even though he said no, in reality, it hurt a lot. It wasn’t painful enough to die, but he was still tired and exhausted. His heart was more tired than his body.

He just wanted to see her face, just once.

He couldn’t open his eyes because he was afraid that if he did, she would disappear like a dream. Reynard, with his eyes closed, felt the cool touch of a towel wiping his face and let out a heavy sigh.

Oddly enough, his churning stomach calmed down, as if someone was really by his side, as if Yurina was really there.

Feeling his heart a little more at ease, he fell asleep again.