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For You 18

#18

Just as I had that thought, I heard knocking from outside the door. Kara, who was beside me, slowly got up and conversed with another employee who had come to my room. I couldn’t hear it since they were far away, but Kara’s voice as she spoke was very gloomily subdued.

What on earth was going on?

I opened my eyes that had been closed and looked at Kara, who was closing the door.

“What’s wrong?”

My voice, which was completely hoarse, sounded too strange. Kara let out a deep sigh and turned to look at me before speaking.

“His Highness has come.”

He said he wouldn’t throw a tantrum. Liar. I forcefully suppressed the sigh that was about to burst out on its own. I recalled Persis’s face as he begged me to praise him. The sight of him forcing a smile with a tearful expression had been truly heartbreaking.

It might be better for him to throw a tantrum rather than see that sight again. The problem was that this meant all of today’s lessons had been blown away.

“What should we do?”

Even if he came directly to the Duke’s household, he couldn’t meet me. After Rikin and me, Persis could catch a cold too.

I shook my head to convey that we couldn’t meet. Even if I said I wanted to see him, there was no way Persis could come inside. He must know that fact well too, so I didn’t understand why he had come all the way to the Duke’s household.

As I was coughing, I heard knocking at the door from outside my room once again.

“Ana!”

After a moment, Persis’s voice calling for me at the top of his lungs followed. I could feel that he had already started crying, his voice completely choked up. Why had he come all the way here? A sigh welled up along with my pitiful feelings. I slowly raised my body, pushed away Kara’s hands that were trying to make me lie back down, and looked at the tightly closed door.

Persis was standing beyond that door. To think that a prince who should take responsibility for a country was calling for me so desperately with tears streaming down his face. What an honor this was. I felt gloomy thinking about how I should teach him about this.

“I’m going to stay here!”

I could hear Persis’s voice shouting loudly. One door couldn’t block it all. I didn’t know what he thought he could do there that made him want to stay. Just waiting at the palace would be helping, so why didn’t he understand that?

I wanted to tell him I was fine and to go back, but because of my aching throat, I couldn’t shout as loudly as Persis.

“Ana, I’ll stay until you get better! Don’t worry. I’ll be quiet!”

It was already far from being quiet. I couldn’t even let out a sigh and gasped for breath with difficulty.

“Kara.”

“Yes. I’ll speak to the servants who came with him.”

“No. Please bring me a communication artifact.”

At my words, Kara’s face instantly contorted. Judging by the deep wrinkles that formed between her straight eyebrows, she seemed very displeased with this situation. Normally I would follow his wishes, but today I couldn’t.

There was no one who could stop Persis who had come this far. Unless the Duke ordered them to take him away by force. So I had to do it. If sending him back wouldn’t work, I at least had to tell him to go rest in another room.

“Must you really do this?”

“Yes.”

I nodded slightly and lay back down as if collapsing in place again. If I had a communication artifact, I could have a conversation even while lying down.

Communication artifacts were special devices with magic cast on them. What we had wasn’t like a cell phone that could make calls from far away, but it could at least be used within this mansion. However, since there weren’t many of them, ordinary employees couldn’t use them. In this mansion, the ones who needed communication artifacts more than anyone else were them. When I got a bit older, I was planning to suggest making a few more.

Anyway, now it was time to talk with Persis using one of the few communication artifacts in the mansion. After a moment, Kara went outside the room and brought a communication artifact.

After gripping the round orb-like object tightly in my hand, I blew breath into it with a “hoo.” Then the inside of the black orb began to glow red hot. After a moment, Persis’s sobbing voice could be heard from inside the orb.

“Ana.”

“Your Highness. *Cough*”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Persis asked urgently, startled by the sound of my coughing. I wanted to say no, but once the coughing started, it wouldn’t stop. I continued coughing and covered my mouth with my hand. I curled my body into a ball and tried not to show how much pain I was in.

“No. I’m fine.”

“Liar!”

I almost let out a sigh at Persis’s voice shouting as if shrieking. I wished he would calm down and go back, but I didn’t know what method to use.

“I’m really fine.”

“Ugh.”

Even without seeing him directly, I could clearly picture Persis biting his small lips tightly. It seemed he had no intention of listening to my words no matter how nicely I tried to speak. In times like this, it would be better to push back firmly once. Just as I was steeling myself to speak coldly, Persis opened his mouth first.

“I’ll wait here.”

“Pardon? What.”

“It’s okay! I have a chair! And a blanket! And tea too! It’s okay!”

“No, Your Highness.”

“I’ll just stay until Ana falls asleep. Can’t I?”

Persis’s voice, trying hard to convey his intentions clearly, pierced into my ears. The sight of him trying not to reveal his sadness and worry was truly pitiful. Though it had already been fully conveyed when he shouted and sobbed earlier.

“Your Highness.”

“I’m going to stay here.”

When I called his name to comfort him, Persis spoke with a bit more determination. If he said he would do that, I had no choice but to listen. Persuading Persis who expressed his will this firmly was close to impossible.

I eventually settled into a more comfortable position and placed the communication artifact in my hand close to my chest.

“Really, you’ll leave when I fall asleep.”

“Yeah. I understand.”

“You mustn’t develop a habit of sleeping outside the palace.”

“Yeah. I will.”

The voice of His Highness whispering to me as he answered several times was truly lovely. To think he looked only pretty even in moments like this when he was being stubborn. I really thought I was something else too.

At first, he was a prince where I could only see his shortcomings, but as days went by, I became anxious to take care of one more thing for him and treat him well. Was it because both he and I were still young? Becoming familiar with each other and falling for each other happened in an instant.

The priorities in my heart hadn’t changed. However, until that person appeared, wouldn’t it be okay to think of this child first? I even had such feelings.

“Ana.”

“Yes?”

“Next time, let’s play together.”

His pronunciation was slurred from mumbling, so I couldn’t hear clearly what Persis was saying. I was about to ask what he said once more, but I guessed what intention he had opened his mouth with and kept mine tightly shut.

“Don’t leave me alone. Okay?”

It seemed he was bothered by my meeting with Rikin separately. Actually, it was closer to a duel than playing. I couldn’t get a sense of how to explain this. Besides, if I said something unnecessary and met with Rikin even briefly, Persis could catch a cold too, which would be a big problem. I was already laid up sick, and Persis would surely be worse, not better.

“Yes. I won’t leave you alone.”

If our prince didn’t like it, I had to follow his words. I nodded and gave the answer Persis wanted.

Since I said I’d stay by his side until he fell asleep, I should quickly pretend to sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe shallowly.

“Ana, are you sleeping?”

I heard Persis’s voice whispering to me.

“Don’t be sick.”

It’s not like I wanted to be sick. Who would have known I’d catch a cold so precisely? The warm blanket, soft bed, and cute child’s voice. It felt like a cradle someone had prepared for me.

“You know, Ana. I really like you.”

I really like you too.

Repeating the words I couldn’t convey to him in my heart, I fell into an unexpected sleep.

* * *

Young Master Crusay’s fever wouldn’t subside.

The illness of the only young master showed no signs of abating. After the prince visited the Duke’s residence, the young master had shown some improvement, but then began suffering from fever again. Eventually, news was sent to the palace that the young master couldn’t visit for several weeks.

The prince shouted that he would come to see the young master, but because of the young master’s condition being more serious than expected, even the palace employees couldn’t follow the prince’s wishes. Eventually, even the Emperor stepped in and gave the prince a strict order to remain at the palace.

The young master, who at such a young age wielded eloquent speech like an adult, not only read letters but had begun reading difficult books, was a genius acknowledged by everyone. Therefore, rumors circulated that God had bestowed too much talent on the small child, which was why he suffered from such fever.

Of course, such idle rumors were quashed by Kara, the Duke’s residence’s top employee.

Even in this situation, the Duke didn’t furrow his brow once and silently carried out his work. Several people pointed fingers at the Duke, calling him a truly heartless father, but the Duke’s course of action never changed.

Moreover, even the employees close to the Duke didn’t give him a single hint to go visit the young master.

The young master’s condition worsened day by day. If at first his bronchial tubes had just swollen briefly due to fever, now he couldn’t even open his eyes properly. Even when the doctor’s verdict came down that his brain might be damaged and he could become completely dull-witted, the Duke didn’t move.

Then one day, when the sun had set and it became dark night, the young master’s door opened. The only people who could enter that room without saying anything were either Kara or the Duke.

Hyacinthus B
Author: Hyacinthus B

Hyacinthus

For You

For You

Status: Completed Author: Released: 2023 Native Language: Korean
Your Highness, please become a man worthy of that person. How deeply immersed was I that I actually possessed the character 'Andelion' from the dating simulation game 'Luper'?! For a happy ending, I need to make the protagonist and the Empire's prince Persis into a couple. However, the more I watch the two gradually grow closer, the more confused I become by inexplicable feelings... Will 'Andelion' be able to safely reach the happy ending? [Preview] "You said you wanted me to live for myself, right?" I tried not to turn my gaze toward Persis as much as possible. It was difficult to face him directly. "I thought about it carefully last night, you know? What it means to live for myself." It would have been so much better if you had slept to prepare for today instead of spending time on that. I suppressed the urge to voice my bitter thoughts. "But you know what? No matter how much I think about it, I can't live the way Ana thinks I should." I figured as much. He's never done anything according to my wishes. Even from childhood, no matter how many times I told him not to do this or that, he never even pretended to listen to me. Still, back then he managed to do what he wanted just fine, so I couldn't understand why he couldn't do it now. "Well, a life lived for myself wouldn't be in the form Ana wants." I blinked slowly, not quite understanding. Suddenly, Persis moved closer to me and whispered in my ear. "Ana, I'm going to live for you." I never expected Persis to approach me like this. Startled, I could see the defensive magic I'd been concentrating on wavering in the air. It was enough to unsettle the soldiers waiting inside. I somehow managed to focus my mind and restabilize the magic. "That's what living for myself means."

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