In broad daylight—
Two small glasses clinked together in the air—“to you.”
“I knew that His Eminence the Marquis would certainly achieve this.
The smile never left Steward's face.
Cedric took a gulp of whiskey, then placed the cup on the table with an audible thud.
As if the Steward had been waiting for this moment, he hurriedly refilled the Marquis' cup while chattering continuously: “Now you don't have to worry about anything.
Who is Prince Gerold Prince?
He is the Deputy Prime Minister of the Great Apis Empire!
Since he promised to fully support the revitalization of Dalbert’s maritime trade, Dalbert’s future path has been completely paved.”
The Steward's excited chatter continued for a long time, while Cedric quietly tried to pull himself together.
At dawn last day, after his talk with Gerold, Cedric returned to the palace and remained examining the papers all night.
Surprisingly, when he was busy at work, Atha, who was tormenting him so much, did not cross his mind.
No, to be honest, her specter wasn't completely gone, but it was that much tolerable.
At least not to the point of being drained of energy by fluctuating emotions.
In fact, throughout the past period his emotions had been fluctuating up and down several times a day, causing extreme emotional consumption.
There was a conflict between his desire to see her even once from afar, and the necessity of forgetting her completely because she was a woman he could not have.
It was a complete mismatch between emotion and reason.
But?
He now gained confidence in his ability to forget Atha.
Maybe it was because she wasn't in front of his eyes, but in any case, his heart that was jumping turbulently found stability while he was busy with work.
He felt accomplished because of the tangible results, and he also felt proud to see Steward so happy.
That's right.
The freedom of Dalbert County was not achieved through his efforts alone.
Before him were men who had fought with him and risked their lives for Dalbert, and the people of the province whom he must protect and care for.
And there is a mountain of work waiting for them.
Step by step, efforts will accumulate to make Dalbert prosperous.
He felt relieved that he would be busy for a long time.
When he is absorbed in work and the years pass, and when he suddenly wakes up at one moment, he will have completely forgotten Atha by then.
Goodbye to painful days.
Cedric leaned back and drank the cup he was holding while calmly reorganizing his thoughts.
Then he stopped Steward, who was holding the bottle of wine, to hold up his glass again.
“I should get some sleep.”
Steward immediately put down the bottle and began arranging the empty glasses on a silver tray, saying jokingly: “Oh, of course.
I suffered a lot all night.
Since His Eminence the Marquis has laid down the general structure for revitalizing trade, I will complete the details that need strengthening.”
Cedric got up and headed to the bedroom.
Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he asked: “When will William arrive?”
“The Sovereign of Glass (William’s title) will arrive late at night today or at dawn tomorrow.
He said that he will come fully prepared, suggesting that the design of the future sea trade project will be done in the capital.
Anyway, it seems that the serious meetings will not begin until the day after tomorrow, so don’t think about anything today and tomorrow and take a rest.”
Cedric nodded and entered the bedroom.
Before he fell asleep, Miss Atha came to his mind for a moment, but it was not so much as to prevent him from sleeping.
He thought this was good and fell asleep.
Without having the slightest idea what will happen to his feelings and thoughts when he meets Atha again.
***
The reason for Alisto's search for the saint was to find out about the content of the message coming from the temple.
What mattered most to him was knowing whether she knew anything about the revelation.
But—
When he visited the Almond Pavilion, Alisto's mind went completely white.
'I heard she got sick after seeing the message, but…'
He looked at the saint lying upright on the bed with her eyes closed and breathing, so he ordered in a low voice: “Bring chinos.”
Ruby bowed her head very sadly.
“Your order, Your Highness.”
After Ruby left, Alisto pulled out the chair that was by the bedroom window and placed it next to the bed.
He sat next to the saint and looked at her face.
Today, she looked paler than usual.
'It doesn't even flip'
As she lay still for a long time, a strange anxiety began to creep over him.
'Is she really breathing?'
When this sudden anxiety struck him, he put his hand near the saint’s nose.
He felt as if a warm breeze was touching his finger, but the sensation was so weak that he thought it was just an illusion.
This time, look closely at the area where the lower jaw connects to the neck.
He was trying to check if there was a pulse, but it seemed like the blood vessels were completely hidden.
Or perhaps the pulse was very weak.
At that moment, he had an overwhelming desire to place his hand on the saint’s chest to make sure that her heart was beating well.
But, no matter what was on top of the quilt, he could not have committed such a heinous act.
He bent down and brought his ear close to the saint's lips.
While his eyes were watching the position of her chest.
Just once—he wished he could clearly see the rise and fall of her chest, or even visibly feel her breathing.
When he felt a slight breeze warming his ear, his heart was almost at peace, but he quickly feared that it was just an imagination, so his anxiety did not completely dissipate.
'Why is Chino so late?'
Unable to calm down, he thought that he should at least hold her wrist, so he put his hand under the quilt.
When he cupped her wrist, which was very thin, he felt a weak but clear pulse.
And the moment Alisto's heart was reassured—
“Your Highness...?”
Warm breaths and a small voice caressed his ear and his eardrum at the same time.
He moved his upper body away from the saint and unconsciously inhaled a deep breath.
“Did you regain consciousness?”
As Saintess nodded with a confused expression, Chino also arrived.
A middle-aged man with graying hair, he was Alisto's doctor.
“I have the honor to meet the esteemed personality”
Alisto got up from his place, letting go of the saint's wrist that he was holding under the quilt.
“Come quickly and check this woman.”
“Your order, Your Highness.”
As the Crown Prince took a step back, Cheno examined the Saint and asked, “How are you feeling?”
Although Atha had an expression that did not understand the reason for what was happening, she answered obediently: “Fine.”
“Do you feel dizzy or have pain in your head?”
Her head?
In contrast to the pain, she felt refreshed as she slept deeply.
“There's nothing.
I'm fine.”
“Are there symptoms you feel in your body that are different from usual?”
Atha shook her head no.
Chino finished his examination after several questions.
“There is malnutrition, but there are no other serious problems.”
“I heard that she fell asleep and skipped meals.
Isn’t there something wrong with her body?”
Only then did Atha understand why a man dressed as a doctor was examining her.
She was the type of person who escaped stress by sleeping, and it seemed that she had been subjected to some misunderstanding due to her sleeping for a little too long.
“Yes, Your Highness.
It seems that she temporarily requested to sleep for a long time due to her weak physical strength.
She should rest well today and eat regularly.”
Alisto nodded and gestured with his hand, and Chino and Ruby retreated.
And so, only Alisto and Atha were left in the bedroom alone again.
Atha had been feeling heat in her wrist a little while ago.
The warmth of the place that Alisto held had not yet disappeared.
On the other hand, she felt embarrassed that she had caused such a fuss.
Her eyes met Alisto's cautiously, then she subconsciously averted her gaze.
She felt that his facial expression was colder than usual, which made her shrink slightly.
“...I'm sorry”
Then Alisto’s voice came out with a heavy tone: “What are you sorry for?”
“Because I caused such a fuss unnecessarily.”
Alisto swallowed a sigh as he looked at the woman.
How could she feel so ashamed over such a fuss?
He wanted to lift the woman's gloomy spirits, but he had no talent for comforting people.
After choosing his words for a while, he calmly told her that the situation didn't require getting frustrated.
“Instead of saying that Miss Atha caused a commotion, you just slept more than usual.
I was the one who worried of my own accord.
I’m sorry I disturbed your sound sleep.”
This was the truth.
He was the one who felt all kinds of anxiety alone while she was sleeping peacefully.
“Were you worried?”
At that moment, a laugh escaped Alisto's mouth.
When he saw that the saint had returned to normal, with her wide eyes and her usual voice, his heart was reassured.
It was funny how he made all that fuss all by himself while she was sleeping peacefully knowing nothing.
For him, who rarely felt anxious or upset, the feeling of his heart contracting and then the tension dissipating was foreign to him.
After several confused laughs escaped him, he nodded resignedly.
“Yes.
I was worried.”