The healer, who had been watching me closely, carefully opened her mouth.
"His Excellency has been by Your Highness's side the whole time, but when he heard that looters were appearing outside the castle, he hurried out."
At the unexpected words, I stiffened my shoulders.
I didn't even have time to feel ashamed that I had found out what was going on. I jumped up and grabbed the hem of the healer's robe. The sudden movement caused a violent pain in my stomach, but I didn't care at all at that moment.
"Hey, marauder? When?"
"It's about two o'clock."
The healer calmly replied.
I nervously urged.
"How many people showed up? Is it a very dangerous situation? How much... Are the troops?"
I, who was pouring out questions with rapid-fire guns, suddenly felt my eyes turn white and bit my lip.
My body leaned forward without even realizing it. Just as I was about to roll out of bed, a hard, sunburned hand grabbed my shoulder.
I looked at the healer with a face that was broken into a cold sweat. The woman put my back on the bed with a firm hand.
"I'm going to cast a recovery spell on you, so please calm down for now."
"What about Barcas..."
"His Excellency will be fine. There are dozens of marauders at most, and we have some of the strongest mounted warriors in the East."
The healer's calm demeanor finally brought me back to reason.
I breathed heavily and looked at the white window.
If he had left at two o'clock, he might have finished the suppression by now.
Yes. Even during the large-scale subjugation the other day, it was as if nothing had happened, and he didn't come back after half a day. There is no need to be impatient for no reason.
As I pondered to myself and relieved my anxiety, my calloused, lean hand landed on the back of my hand. Soon after, a lukewarm heat flowed through my body.
"I also put healing magic on it, but I don't really listen to the wounds in my body. Please refrain from making strenuous movements for a while."
I closed my eyes without responding. The healer, who had been quietly monitoring my condition, quietly went outside.
After a while, the nanny returned to the room with a tray of food.
I couldn't overcome my flame and barely managed to get over a few spoonfuls of vegetable porridge. When the food entered, my stomach tingled as if I had swallowed a needle. I, who had been lying in bed and groaning for a long time, was finally able to fall asleep until it was about sunset.
I regained consciousness when thick darkness began to descend on my surroundings.
I woke up with a burning thirst and found a large shadow cast in front of the fireplace, and I stiffened my body.
When he returned, Barcas was standing by the window in a thin shirt. Fortunately, there were no Injuries.
I, who had been breathing a long sigh of relief, suddenly stopped breathing.
His eyes, like a frozen lake, were staring at me.
At first glance, he looked no different from usual, and there was no way to know why my heart sank for a moment.
The man, who had been standing motionless for a while, slowly approached the side of the bed. I swallowed my dry saliva without realizing it.
The man, who had been looking at me with a strangely quiet gaze, turned to the shelf. Then he picked up a kettle from the tray and poured a glass of water.
"How is your body?"
"It's okay."
I, who was crouching down to take the cup, replied in a calm tone.
Originally, I was going to beat him up. Well, what did I say? I said I didn't want to take that medicine. This happened because he was forced to feed me. The words I was about to pour out like that shattered in my throat.
I glanced at him, who seemed to be more sunken than usual, and added cautiously.
"It's not a big deal. It's just that my stomach is a little upset."
In an instant, a flash of light flashed over Barcas's face. He looked down at me with a fierce gaze and shot sharply.
"It's not a little broken. It was so serious that I vomited blood."
I looked puzzled by his reaction. Barcas grabbed my shoulder and continued to squeeze me.
"If you had found it a little later, your airway might have been blocked, and you might have suffocated. Why didn't you tell me that you weren't feeling well earlier?"
"That... I usually get sick, so I didn't know it was that serious."
The words uttered out like an excuse made Barcas's face harden even more.
Barcas, who was looking down at me with his chin clenched as if he were holding onto something, walked to the window and breathed in the cold breeze. The voice that came out after a long time had calmed down.
"For the time being, I have decided to stay in this castle and recuperate."
"...What about the tour schedule?"
"I've visited all the major cities."
He rubbed his temple with his index finger and replied bluntly.
"Therefore, Your Highness, only care about recovering your body."
I, who looked up at him with a stiff face, nodded reluctantly.
I was annoyed by his high-handed tone, but I didn't want to argue with him because he looked tired. I muttered in a somewhat dead tone.
"I understand, so stop getting angry."
Barcas, who was pursing his lips as if he was about to say something, closed his mouth.
The flickering lights licked my tired face greedily. He let out a heavy sigh and sat down on the bed.
"Don't just hold it like that, eat it quickly. You bled a lot. Even if you feel uncomfortable, you need to keep yourself hydrated."
A sense of relief flooded in his softer tone. I drank all the water he poured.
The sudden stimulation caused a sharp pain as my stomach tightened, but I did not show it and buried myself in the blanket.
At that time, I felt a warmth behind my back. I stiffened
Lying down behind me, Barkas naturally pulled me in. Then he stroked my tightly held stomach with one hand.
My eyes warmed up with his kind touch. Is this an action out of compassion? Or because of guilt?
As if out of habit, I was digging into the meaning behind his actions and soon stopped thinking.
It was okay. I didn't want to torment myself with self-deprecating thoughts anymore. I just wanted to accept this warmth as it is.
Blinking in the dark, I slowly turned around and burrowed into his arms.
Barcas put his arms behind my back. I heard a dull heartbeat through his thin shirt.
Listening to the constant and powerful beat, I carefully put my arms around his waist.
***
The castle, which was as quiet as a dead mouse, was noisy.
Lucas stepped into the hall and frowned as he looked at the kitchen full of peddlers. Familiar faces were sandwiched between the merchants who came, loading various ingredients.
He strode into the space that was no different from a drum barrel.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
"Oh, Lucas."
Darren, who was bargaining with the merchants, looked back at him with a cheerful face.
"Have you finished all the work you have been entrusted to you?"
"I'm done."
Lucas retorted sharply.
"I received all the morning training, and after taking care of the horses, I polished all my brother's armor and weapons."
"Well done."
Darren stroked his head in surprise.
Lucas roughly shook his hand and asked in a fat tone.
"So, what kind of mess is this?"
"We have airlifted the Ingredients to be sent to the Grand Duchess separately. It seems that there are not many things she can eat in the East. I had no choice but to buy some ingredients from merchants in the central region."
Lucas frowned as he looked around at the sacks that filled the restaurant.
How much would that little woman eat?
You don't want to spend the whole season here, do you?
He looked up at Daren with a serious look.
"Is it that bad?"
"According to the healer, it seems that her stomach is completely ruined."
Darren let out a heavy sigh.
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