CH 12

Translated by lipzoldyck

After making a lot of silly comments inside, I got up and leaned against the bedhead. Then I tried to answer quietly.

“I’m okay. At first, I was very surprised because my sense of hearing and smell were all paralyzed, but fortunately, I’m fine now.”

“…”

Akid opened his lips as if my answer was absurd.

Come to think of it, even though I said it was okay, when I passed out, the symptoms were quite serious.

I bit my lip and asked carefully.

“By any chance, were you worried?”

I tilted my head to meet his gaze, and Akid’s eyes shook as I asked the question.

Maybe I shouldn’t have asked him a question, there’s no way Akid should worry about me.

That was when I was just about to shut my mouth. He spoke slowly.

“…Yes.”

I thought my heart was pounding. Akid was worried about me.

What is today’s date? It should be an anniversary!

“I see.”

When I heard that he was worried, I lowered my head and rejoiced.

Akid might run away, startled by the ugly sight of my nostrils bulging in excitement with my head raised.

I hate being sick, but I like that he cares about me. Because that’s part of affection.

‘Has anyone ever been cared for by your favorite? Yes! Here!’

As I was celebrating in my head, he suddenly put a hand on my forehead. Seeing the coolness, the heat didn’t seem to have gone down yet.

“You have a slight fever left.”

“I know, right. I really thought I was going to die, but it’s strange that it ended in one day.”

Akid shook his head as I took the words, pretending to be cool.

“Not a day.”

“Yes?”

“It was ten days.”

“!!”

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut the moment he said ten days. Akid mumbled, unable to properly meet my gaze with an anguished expression on his face.

“You asked if I was worried? I can’t help but to worry. I’m your husband.”

“…”

“How I felt when I was by your side for ten days. Wife won’t know that.”

How did you feel?

Why am I curious about that the most?

I struggled to keep my nostrils free. I wanted to ask him that right away, but I couldn’t talk to him because of the atmosphere.

For some reason, he looked very dangerous. Akid bowed his head and murmured as if he were a sinner.

“Wife really didn’t wake up, so I wondered if I did anything wrong…”

“Akid.”

“If I really did something wrong, where should I apologize…”

“Akid!”

I shouted at him, who kept looking dark, and grabbed his hand.

He finally came to his senses and met my eyes.

No, why is there a rain-drenched puppy here?

The corners of Akid’s eyes were very pitiful, as if he was a puppy shivering in the rain. I felt so sorry that I wanted to hug him impulsively.

However, I held on to my reason and said.

“Akid, you did nothing wrong.”

“…”

“Now, look. I’m right in front of you.”

I put his hand to my face and said, and he nodded silently. He seemed a little more genuine than before.

‘Perhaps he got scolded by the Grand Duke because I fainted?’

After all, why else would I fall down while going out with Akid?

I should have just stood alone and came back to my room then collapsed!

I was upset because I thought I had harmed Akid for nothing.

Then all of a sudden I wondered why I had collapsed.

“But why did I collapse?”

Akid licked his lips and hesitated at my question.

“I thought you already knew.”

“Not at all, why?”

As I tilted my head, he said with a hot breath.

“You’re allergic to Delus flowers.”

“Yes…?”

What is this nonsense?

Isn’t Delus flower widespread in the Hadellus Territory?

Even in the garden of Hadellus Castle, there was a separate garden with only Delus flowers.

He calmly explained to me, who had lost my mind. Suddenly, his expression hardened.

“Don’t think about pretending not to know.”

“…”

“Didn’t you collapse in a similar incident last year?”

“Ah.”

I let out a shallow exclamation at the word ‘last year’. Even more so because it’s the past I don’t know.

‘This is really surprising. How the hell did Loena survive in Delus?’

Come to think of it, in the original story, when Akid saw the Delus flower, he thought of his ex-wife.

It was because his ex-wife hated that flower so much that she didn’t allow any of it to bloom in the castle where they were staying.

‘It must have been because of allergies.’

He continued as I pondered over what to say to the unexpected truth.

“So that’s why you told me to throw away the Delus flowers when I gave them to you?”

“I…”

“You should have told the truth.”

“…”

“In the end, Wife almost died. Why on earth did you hide it?”

Akid bit his lower lip and swallowed his anger.

He didn’t seem to want to get angry with a patient who had just woken up.

He was making a scary face, but somehow I felt sorry for him.

It didn’t seem like he was angry with me. His face looked like he was angry with himself.

‘Why did Loena hide this from everyone?’

She hid it even from her maids.

In this place where the Delus flowers are everywhere, it was like whining blindfolded.

‘It seems that the reason she ran away from the flower garden last year wasn’t intentional.’

However, contrary to Loena’s intentions, it was an act that would look bad to the Grand Duchess. She actually got hated for that.

‘It must have been difficult to say since she was young and had a lot of pride.’

A child fell into a remote place she had never been before.

The only people she could rely on were the maids who followed her from her hometown, April’s Castle, and everyone called her the Grand Princess and forced her to do her duty.

Yet, apparently, she had an allergy to the Delus flowers, the symbol of the Hadellus.

Of course, she must have tried to hide his weakness.

It seems that she immaturely responded to that because she was young. After all, that’s what made the relationship worse.

‘What should I do?’

Then he muttered while clenching my hand that was holding Akid’s.

“Even though it doesn’t mean that you hide that…”

“Yes?”

I couldn’t hear what he was saying, so I turned around and looked at him. Those gray eyes were staring straight at me.

There seemed to be an indescribable feeling. My lips naturally opened as my eyes seemed to be sucked in.

After a while he hesitated and asked.

“Is it because of me?”

“It’s not like that!”

I was startled by Akid’s sudden accusation and countered. Yet he showed disbelief.

His long black eyelashes trembled. Strangely, his eyes sparkled as if they were wet.

“If I were a more trustworthy husband, would Wife have told me honestly?”

“Akid…”

I didn’t know what to do with his crying face.

There was a time when I wanted to see his crying face, but I wanted to cancel it right away.

I just want him to laugh. I was upset that it was me who made him sad.

“I’m sorry.”

Akid shook his head lightly as I apologized in tears without realizing it.

His eyes were sweet and warm. It made me cry even more.

“I’ll try my best. So that Wife can depend on me.”

“Me too. I’ll tell Akid everything from now on. I won’t deceive you.”

“Yes. Alright.”

He smiled faintly and gently wiped my eyes. Tears that had been hanging on to my eyes touched his fingers and burst out.

“By the way, what happened to Lady Locke back then?”

When I changed the topic in embarrassment, his face cracked. His face hardened as if he didn’t want to think about it.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Akid?”

I opened my eyes wide at the momentary cold face. For a moment, it seems to resemble the cold expression of the Grand Duke.

Akid laid me back and covered me with a blanket.

“Wife just has to focus on recovering.”

“Yes…”

I replied rather timidly as there were so many pricks. After that, Akid stayed by my side until I fell asleep.

***

“Y-Your Grace the Duchess.”

Lady Locke looked at Elena with a pale face.

Elena elegantly crossed her legs and motioned her to sit down.

She sat on the sofa opposite Elena, trembling.

It was the first time Elena had come to Locke Mansion.

Even when Bestia was settling in the Grand Duke’s Castle, she had never visited her.

Elena looked at Bestia, who was frightened at first glance, and snorted.

[Please help me, Mother.]

[Help you?]

[Please don’t let Lady Locke appear before the Grand Duchess again.]

[My daughter-in-law collapsed, I guess it was because of Lady Locke.]

[Of course, there was a bigger reason, but it is true that the first aid was delayed because of Lady Locke.]

Her stepson, who had never asked her for any favor in her lifetime, suddenly came and begged for help.

It was also for his wife whom he was famous for having a bad relationship with and despised him.

Besides, Elena had never seen Akid’s eyes so bright.

It was much better than how he always looked discouraged and unable to make eye contact.

That’s why she came to visit Lady Locke at Akid’s request.

‘Well, I didn’t like that woman either.’

How dared she do this to the Grand Prince and his wife without knowing her place.

Elena spoke bluntly with a bright smile.

“I want you to get out of the territory of Hadellus right now.”