Chapter 130
If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have shown any signs. Then I might not have applied it to my forearms or the backs of my hands, which made me feel upset.
“It stings… What if it leaves scars?”
“You’ll treat it perfectly, won’t you, young master?”
“That’s true, but it’s still upsetting… Let’s take the medicine first.”
When I shifted to turn over the edge of the mattress, Luwen solved it in one move. Fortunately, I had made plenty of antidote.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I don’t like you suffering alone.”
Looking at his smiling face, I thought that I would have eventually fallen in love with Luwen no matter when. How could anyone resist when he unconsciously charmed people like this?
“…Then, what was that talk about ingredients earlier?”
“If I get quarantined with you since I’m relatively fine, I can bring you proper food. You wouldn’t eat the soup provided for patients anyway.”
It was a definitive statement, as if he had watched from the side when I pushed away all the soup while sick. But pretending to have a contagious disease just for meals seemed excessive. There were other ways to get food.
“Also, if contagiousness is proven, you’ll be completely isolated, so you won’t need to apply it daily like now. Even if it’s not a poisonous herb, it’s still harmful to your body. I couldn’t just quietly watch you apply that all week.”
…So this is all for me. To make things comfortable for me alone.
While Luwen’s intentions were touching and appreciated, I couldn’t help but worry since a contagious disease could throw the entire academy into chaos.
As if reading my mind, Luwen continued explaining.
“Nadian should have rashes by now too, but we’ll all be cured by tomorrow or the day after.”
The moment I saw him grinning, Luwen’s plan became clear in my mind.
In contrast to my prolonged suffering, if infected patients recovered quickly, it would prove the disease itself wasn’t serious. It would just be a case of one person having a particularly bad reaction. Then the conclusion would be to maintain isolation until I recovered.
Additionally, if Luwen, who stays with me, doesn’t relapse, vigilance would be drastically reduced.
It was a strategy that would achieve everything Luwen wanted without causing a major commotion. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“When did you talk to the others about this?”
“Yesterday, while carrying Norman. I told them to keep it secret because you would oppose it. It was obvious you’d think you should be the only one to sacrifice.”
That stung. Certainly, if I had known in advance, I would have opposed it. After all, this was a matter of me just enduring until the 1st Prince left. There was no need for others to undergo discomfort.
“I feel sorry for them.”
“When I told them that following my plan would mean Norman wouldn’t have to apply the extract every day, they all readily offered to help. Honestly…”
Luwen paused for a moment, then chuckled.
“At first, I disliked all of them. They acted like they were closer to my young master than I was.”
The expression claiming ownership made my heart sink, but his pouty tone was so cute that I couldn’t help but smile.
‘This is harmful to my heart in many ways.’
If he’s going to keep exuding charm anyway, I wish he’d do it one thing at a time.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I especially disliked Nadian. He stuck to you as if he were your bodyguard. That’s my position.”
Luwen frowned as if recalling the memory. Seeing his obvious jealousy, my heart fluttered as if I were sitting on a cloud rather than a bed.
“You don’t dislike them now?”
“It’s fine now. You’re by my side, and I can acknowledge their feelings for you.”
“Then, what if I were still in the four-person dormitory?”
Luwen answered firmly without much thought.
“I would have disliked it.”
“Pfft.”
“Don’t laugh. You should be by my side. I can’t give this place to anyone else.”
Luwen’s mercy toward my roommates was completed by me being next to him.
Suddenly, I had the urge to hug him tightly. If I hadn’t been covered in medication, I would have done so.
“I don’t like anyone else either.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I… like Luwen.”
I hesitated briefly before saying this, but since I’d often said it before, I judged it to be within natural bounds and carefully spoke.
“…I like you.”
There had been countless “I like you”s given to Luwen. Since childhood, I had always told Luwen how much I liked him. But the “like” now was different from then.
Does the emotion mixed in words affect the listener too? Suddenly blushing, Luwen rubbed his ear. I gave him my most winning smile, the one Luwen liked best.
“Y-young master. Please write a letter… no, a reply.”
He averted his gaze slightly while changing the subject.
He used to occasionally become awkward like this before. Back then, I just found it cute and moved on, but now it looked different. I had the absurd thought that perhaps Luwen might like me too. That is, in the same special way that I did.
‘No. Think about it. Luwen has always been like this.’
Thinking rationally, even when we were younger, he would blush shyly whenever I said I liked him. Sometimes he would roll his eyes with a reddened face just when I smiled at him.
‘Sigh, it’s nothing special, but I keep misunderstanding. This is troublesome.’
Thinking it would be better to focus on necessary tasks rather than idle thoughts, I looked away and got up from the bed. I moved to the desk, took out a paper, and opened the ink cap.
“I overheard the conversation earlier. You need content permitting you to stay here, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I immediately began filling out the letter. Now we just needed to send it to the mansion as if it were a letter from Luwen, and then receive it back as is.
Luwen sent the letter with an errand boy who came to deliver patient soup at lunchtime. The soup still tasted terribly bad, so I took one bite and cast it aside.
With a face that said “I knew it,” Luwen urged me to eat more, so I forced myself to eat about two more bites, but nausea rose and I covered my mouth. Seeing me like this, Luwen sighed. I felt like a child being picky about side dishes. Not that different, but…
But what could I do when my stomach wouldn’t accept it? There was a strange fishy smell that made it impossible.
In the end, Luwen escaped from the dormitory, and when he returned, he was carrying fresh vegetables, bread, and fruit. While I felt embarrassed, he nonchalantly prepared the vegetables to make a salad for me.
According to the original plan, I would have been proudly feeding him delicious Korean food by now…
‘If I keep being this picky, won’t he get tired of it soon?’
Taking care of someone is only enjoyable for a day or two. A sense of wariness arose, and I pledged to eat dinner without being picky.
It was around 3 PM. The letter returned earlier than expected. But strangely, it was thicker. I don’t think it was this thick when we sent it.
Puzzled, I opened it and quickly found the cause. There was another envelope inside the letter. After handing the letter to be shown to the professors to Luwen, I checked the remaining one.
“…”
Thinking I might have misread it, I looked again and again, but the content remained unchanged.
“Is something wrong?”
My expression must have been quite serious, because Luwen asked.
“Yes. Something has come up…”
With a sigh, I passed the letter to Luwen. To be precise, it wasn’t a letter but an invitation to a ball being held at the academy tomorrow night. And it bore the clearly stamped name of the 1st Prince.
I avoided meeting him as Norman, and now he’s after Fei Vinter? I couldn’t help but think that this pervert was really going too far.
“This is… troublesome.”
Luwen frowned with a sigh.
Coming to the academy as Fei Vinter was problematic, but above all, the issue was that there was no way to subside the rash by tomorrow. Yet I couldn’t refuse a royal invitation without a valid reason, so I was in a dilemma.
‘I need a plausible excuse.’
I needed to account for the possibility that they might send someone to the mansion.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
