CH 20

Even though she just tasted it, she felt a fever in her body, and she could believe the story that you could get rid of a cold by eating this. Then she heard Phoebe’s voice in her ear.

<Mix with milk.>

“…”

Asha twisted her face and looked down at the cuffs. It looked like she was going to make a strange drink, but Phoebe made a noise like screaming at the top of her head, so she had no choice but to add milk.

“Are you going to mix this with milk?”

Asha silently nodded to Pavel’s question and mixed ginger syrup with heated milk.

“Oh? It’s surprisingly good.”’

And she opened her eyes wide. It was enough to suit Asha’s taste, who hated ginger or cinnamon. The savory taste of milk gently neutralized the subtle ginger and cinnamon scents, yet retained its individuality.

Pavel also made a glass and put it to his mouth to Asha’s reaction. Then he sipped the glass to the end.

“This, this is very nice!”

“I’ll leave it here, so if you think you’ll catch a cold, boil it and eat it. Understand? Ah! You can use this when cooking meat.”

“Chestnut, how the hell…”

While Asha was chatting like that, she mixed heated milk with ginger syrup in an empty glass, and put the boiled pear and juice in the bowl. The tray of the right size was full.

“I’ll clean it up later. I need to feed my cousin some of this. The fever is boiling.”

“No, how are you going to carry all of that…”

“Thank you for your help today, mister!”

“…”

Pavel reached out his hand in a hurry, but Asha had already turned around with the tray supported.

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

The servants were stunned when they saw Asha who brought the food on the tray, but they couldn’t stop her and opened the door of the Crown Prince’s bedroom.

“Your Highness?”

Cyril, who was next to Alexei, was surprised and helped with the tray.

“Cyril! I’m going to give this, something I made to Alyosha.”

“… all this? Your Highness?”

“Yes, is Alyosha sleeping?”

Cyril nodded and moved away a little. Alexei was asleep in a cold sweat.

Asha looked down at Alexei without a word for a moment and gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Alexei slowly opened his eyes when she was thinking about whether to wake him up and feed him.

“…Oh… Stasia…?”

“Oh, Alyosha. Are you awake?”

Alexei, who opened his eyes thinly, recognized Asha and raised his body. However, his cheeks were red because of the fever, his eyes were wet, and his voice was low, probably because his throat was swollen.

“I’m sorry I woke you up. But since you’re up, drink this. I made it.”

“…”

When Asha grabbed the glass and lifted it to force him to drink it, Alexei did not rebel much and put his lips on the glass. Alexei wrapped his neck with one hand in the unique spicy taste of ginger with subtle heat.

“Keep drinking. Oh, you’re drinking well. Good, you have to drink it all.”

“…”

“If you’re done drinking that, then this is the next one.”

As Alexei emptied the glass, Asha held a bowl and spoon of cooked pear in both hands and leaned a little closer.

“That’s…”

“Boiled pears. It’s hot, so you have to be careful.”

Asha spoon-spooned the boiled pear – monster gingerbread man – and blew it. A whole pepper was missing and the shape was even freaky.

“A…Aww. I tried to make it pretty, but it didn’t work… Let’s just eat.”

Alexei hesitated a little when she held out the spoon when she felt it had cooled down moderately, but eventually opened his mouth.

“You have to drink the rest, too.”

“…You made this yourself…”

“Yes. I cut the pear for Alyosha, can you see this? I’ve just been hurt. I’ve got a wound.”

Asha proudly showed her scarred fingers.

“…”

“So eat quickly.”

Eventually Alexei ate and drank everything she brought. Asha wiped the cold sweat off Alexei’s forehead with a pleased expression. Alexei tried to take the hand off, but he paused at Asha’s gaze.

“Oh. Are you mad?”

“… Do you think I am a baby?”

“You’re a baby when you can’t control yourself like this! Ask for a glass of ginger milk tomorrow morning and drink it. Okay? I’ve made a lot in the kitchen.”

“…okay.”

‘Shall I ask you to talk to Fafnir now?’

The candle was burning brightly but still. Alexei, who laid down on the bed, glanced at her. But the look…

“Really…”

Asha swallowed a deep sigh inside. At her feet, the withered, magnolia-colored mist enveloped her. It came from Alexei. No one can beat the eyes of a sick child.

‘I’ll tell you to take a nap and try talking after.’

The gently trembling candle like the moonlight on the surface of the water seemed to tell Fafnir’s mind. Fafnir talked to her casually, but it would be nerve-wracking to talk to Alexei, his contractor.

Thinking so to herself, Asha stopped going to the kitchen and sat down by the bed. Alexei closed his eyes slowly.

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

Alexei slowly rose up early in the morning when the sun was about to shine. He had a fever all night long, but he felt better after he had been very ill. The last time he was this sick was when he was bedridden before he was ten years old.

Since then, I have had a few minor colds, but it was the first time that his fever had risen this much. And being cared for by someone…

Alexei was horrified to think that far. There was someone lying on the side of the bedside.

“…Anastasia?”

Light pink hair was scattered on the white sheet. Asha raised herself, perhaps feeling his presence.

“… Umm, are you awake? Has the fever gone down?”

His little cousin put her hand on his forehead, almost unable to open her eyes in sleepiness. The girl’s little hands were cold.

“It’s still a little warm, but it must have gotten a lot better…”

“…You’ve been here… all night?”

“It can’t be helped because Alyosha is sick. You don’t take any medicine, but if the fever rises overnight… Still drink ginger milk.”

Asha rubbed her eyes saying so.

“…Are you sleepy?”

“Ugh… I can’t do this. I don’t think I’ll be able to take a class today.”

“…If you miss class, grandfather will scold you.”

“Tsk. It’s not like I’m going to be Emperor anyway. It was a class that only needed to be taken by Alyosha from the beginning. I’ll get in trouble once.”

Asha stretched and yawned, saying so. She looked exceptionally cute because she yawned with a small mouthful.

Was she trying to reassure him or was she saying it without thinking deeply. Alexei weighed things up and gave up. The girl’s pale green eyes were looking at him affectionately.

“Alyosha says you’re sick, too, and rest a little more today.”

“…”

“Drink water.”

Asha’s hand, pouring water into the glass, was as small as the hand of a doll played by a child. Alexei thought so, and realized that Asha was really five years younger than him.

“Alyosha?”

A small smile appeared on his lips as he calmly accepted the glass of water and drank it. Hands, still like tiny puppets, laid him down, pulled up the covers, and brushed his forehead. Alexei’s mood calmed down for a moment at the cool temperature before he opened his eyes.

There were bandages on the girl’s knuckles. Even in the midst of a fever, he remembered what the child said. The girl had a stern expression on her face.

“Yes. I cut the pear for Alyosha, can you see this? I’ve just been hurt. I’ve got a wound.”

“…and the fall…”

“When I fell down?”

The girl tilted her head. Like she didn’t even remember. Alexei lapped his lips. He had to apologize for when he pushed her, he wanted to, he was trying to, but the girl just laughed as if she knew everything.

Then suddenly, the girl made a determined look.

“Oh… Stasia?”

Alexei looked a little worried as he looked at Asha, who suddenly stopped talking.

Asha shook her head and had the attendant fetch some more candles. It was because only half of the candle that had lit on his bedside table was left.

At Asha’s command, the attendant tried to place the lighted candlestick on the table. Then, suddenly, the candle grew big, so she was a little surprised, but she retreated calmly.

“…Alyosha.”

In the meantime, Alexei, who was completely alert, tilted his head toward Asha.

“Yes, Anastasia. What’s wrong?”

“I told you. It’s just that Fafnir is excited. It’s not that Alyosha can’t control it.”

Alexei drew a calm smile on the words. The candle was a little brighter.

<Keuk, kuhm.>

“It’s all because of Fafnir.”

“So.”

Rather than really agreeing or understanding her words, Alexei seemed to take comfort in Asha’s kindness.

But that’s not what Asha wanted. Asha took a deep breath and glared at the candle.

“What are you doing, Fafnir. Apologize quickly.”

“…What?”

When Alexei made a face like he didn’t understand, Asha looked at the candle and asked again.

“Fafnir, you said you would apologize when Alyosha got up. Do it quickly.”

<I, I can do it! Hey… Alexei.>

An awkward voice reverberated over the table. The candle, which had been shining brightly until just now, had almost died out.

<I don’t know how you can look at me. I was wrong, Alexei. I didn’t mean to, really! I really won’t do that anymore!>

Fafnir’s desperate apology followed. The candle grew bigger and bigger, and now the side of the room was completely bright.

But.

“…Asha?”

<Puk.>

Alexei’s expression was still soft. It contains a little bit of angst. Asha began to feel uneasy from there, and without help, Phoebe began to laugh loudly.

<Puhahahaha! He can’t hear you! He can’t hear you yet!>