INAT - Chapter 55

As I hurriedly covered my eyes out of embarrassment, I cautiously parted my fingers to gauge the situation.

"...Uh?"

A different landscape came into view. Thump, I lowered my arms and looked around with a bewildered expression.

It was in the forest again this time, but instead of the beautiful scenery with sunlight breaking apart like before, cool moonlight was illuminating the lake.

"Huh? That woman earlier... but the man is a different person?"

The red woman left such a strong impression that if fire were to be described as a person, she would be it. Even though her appearance wasn't clearly visible, I could strangely feel her aura.

I glanced at the blonde man desperately holding onto that intense woman. Since I couldn't hear a single sound, I could only guess the atmosphere, but even without listening, I could tell at a glance that something was amiss between the two.

To be precise, unilaterally from the blonde man's side.

The man was expressing chilling rage toward the woman as she turned her back. Where had gone the man who, just seconds ago, had been clinging to her desperately like someone begging for something?

Of course, if you look at it that way, the red-haired woman who had been gazing at her lover so affectionately was actually so cold that it made you wonder if she wasn't someone else entirely...

"No, more importantly, what on earth is this dream? Who are those people?"

I looked with a sense of unease at the blonde man who felt strangely familiar to me. And the moment I blinked, the place changed again.

"Crazy..."

Right into a place like hell.

I suspected that this might be a nightmare. An immeasurable number of people were charging toward the red-haired woman. And the sight of the woman, unleashing a massive fire against them, was disaster itself.

For some reason, I felt my body heating up as I watched that scene. Just as the sensation of something boiling deep inside me was about to intensify, I met the eyes of a red-haired woman.

"...!"

It was clearly a dream, but the woman was meeting my gaze precisely, too much so for it to be a mere coincidence. There wasn't even a moment to get goosebumps. In an instant, the woman's body grew enormous and transformed into a dragon.

Moreover, I felt a tremendous heat engulf me at the same time, seeping into my body. And before long, as the world was consumed by fire, my vision was instantly turned upside down.

"Gasp...!"

My breath, which had been blocked without me even realizing it, suddenly returned. I opened my eyes wide, regretting my lack of air.

I didn't even have time to figure out what on earth was going on. I just blinked my eyes and barely managed to breathe. But then, a low voice reached my ears.

"Princess?"

It was Thierry.

He was sitting pressed close to the side of the bed, holding one of my hands with both hands. He was in a position as if he had just lifted his forehead from my hand, as if he had been desperately praying for something.

'Could this be a dream too? Why are you looking at me like that?'

I blinked my eyes blankly.

Thierry's hand, which had been looking down at me with a look of disbelief, twitched once. Our gazes met in the air, and soon one of his hands slowly began to move toward my face.

He moved his fingertips slowly, as if tracing lines from my eyebrows and eyes to my lips, like someone confirming this very moment. His hand, trembling visibly, moved very carefully over my face.

His even ticklish touch stopped as I involuntarily parted my closed lips. Pulling his hand away abruptly like someone startled, he repeated opening and closing his lips several times for a brief moment.

"...Seriously, you opened your eyes."

His eyes flickered.

"That's a relief. I'm really relieved."

I slowly examined him with a fresh perspective. The man before me looked so exhausted and frail. His complexion was pale, like someone consumed by depression, and the area around his eyes was reddish, appearing as if it were raw from tears.

"I was scared of losing you... Don't keep trying to leave me alone."

My chest ached for a moment. A lonely boy from long ago, who used to wipe away tears while worrying about me, flashed through my mind.

"If you disappear again, I, I..."

"..."

"No, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"..."

"It's all because of me that you... I'm sorry I couldn't let you go."

For some time now, other sounds had been mixing in, like ringing in my ears. I couldn't hear his words clearly. He just looked pitiful as he whispered to himself, gradually becoming like someone who didn't know what he was saying.

In the end, seeing the indescribable expression on his face, I momentarily forgot my own situation and called out to him.

"Your Majesty?"

A deeply hushed voice escaped. However, at the stinging pain in my throat, I immediately squinted one eye.

“Ah. Just a moment!”

The person, who would normally have pulled the dangling rope indifferently, ran directly to the door as if he had forgotten about it.

'Is this not a dream? Come to think of it, I did collapse, didn't I? I guess that's why I'm lying down...'

My mind took a turn belatedly. I tried to slowly get up, but realizing I was in a state where I couldn't even lift a finger, I gave up immediately.

Soon, several people rushed into the room with hurried footsteps.

"Look carefully."

Thierry quickly pressed himself against my bed as if he were a mother dog guarding her puppies, glaring at everyone one by one. He did so to the wizard and the person presumed to be the court physician whom I had seen during the hunting festival incident, and then to Wagen, in turn.

“Yes, yes!”

“I’ll keep that in mind!!!”

"...Your Majesty, I apologize for the inconvenience, but I believe medical treatment would proceed more smoothly if you could come out."

Wagen looked pale, as if he had been drained of his energy somewhere. With an exhausted face, his tone was as if he were trying to soothe Thierry.

At those words, Thierry was fine, but the court physician and the magician standing beside him instead shrugged their shoulders, as if apologizing for their incompetence in being unable to provide medical care under any circumstances.

Thierry obediently moved to the other side and stood right next to the bed. It was meant to be a request to move to the side, but he stood completely opposite, looking almost like he was keeping watch.

"Princess, would you please look over here?"

After the court physician performed various checks first, the wizard also began to examine things. The wizard, who had lightly grasped my wrist as if to measure my pulse, tilted his head slightly and slowly let go. Then, he cast a spell on me with practiced ease, and I could feel my body becoming refreshed, as if he had cast a cleansing spell.

As I accepted the examination proceeding at a frantic pace that momentarily made me forget the terrifying dream, I looked at Thierry with a strange gaze as he carefully poured water onto my lips. Such thoughtfulness—wetting a towel to moisten my dry lips. I recalled how he reacted the moment I opened my eyes, as if he had been right beside me all along.

My chest felt heavy. Or was it a dull ache? In any case, it felt like a poignant emotion was blossoming from deep within like new sprouts.

"The fever has completely subsided, and there are no major issues elsewhere. Surprisingly, the fever dropped so suddenly in just one day."

"Princess, is there anything even slightly strange about you?"

"Yes. I'm fine, except that I can't put much strength into my body."

"Having been bedridden for three days straight, your strength must be depleted. Please do not worry, as you will recover quickly if you maintain a balanced diet! In any case, isn't it truly a relief? It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is thanks to Your Majesty personally caring for you without leaving your bedside for a single moment."

I was bedridden for three days? And Thierry stayed by my side every day?

I looked at Thierry with a surprised expression. He seemed to have been watching me all along; as our eyes met as if he had been waiting for this moment, and he tilted his head slightly with a look that seemed to ask if I needed anything.

"...I apologize for the inconvenience, but may I double-check?"

Breaking the subtle silence, a cautious wizard's voice was heard. Feeling the atmosphere was somewhat unsettling, I turned my gaze to the wizard and saw him tilting his head with a subtle expression.

“What’s going on?”

"At first, I thought it was magic coming from Your Majesty, but now that I’ve touched you, it seems I’m sensing magic coming from the Princess."

"It seems you mistook what you were feeling from me."

"Huh? It’s hard to call it a misunderstanding, considering it was clearly when I was sweeping through your body with mana."

The wizard, who had been speaking fluently with a skeptical expression, looked across at me and stopped abruptly. I was puzzled by the wizard, who had frozen as if he had seen Medusa, and tried to turn my gaze toward Thierry.

"It appears the examination is complete. You may leave now."

That is, if Wagen, who had been quiet, hadn't stepped forward to sort out the situation.

"Uh, come to think of it, I think I was confused..."

"Alright, alright. Thank you for your hard work. On your way out, I would be grateful if you could ask the maid outside the door to prepare some food that is easy to eat."

I watched the backs of the court physician and the wizard as they left the room, almost running away, then naturally shifted my gaze to Thierry, who was sitting on the chair prepared next to the bed.

"Is there anything bothering you?"

Thierry's eyes were filled with worry. I stared blankly at him as he extended a gentle hand with a kind expression, then awkwardly averted my gaze.

"Ah... It's okay."

No matter how I looked at it, he didn't seem like someone with ulterior motives, but rather someone who was sincere. And realizing that his sincerity made the time I had spent fearing him seem pointless, he somehow looked different to me. It even made me wonder if I had been treating him with prejudice all along.

However, that was only for a moment; it suddenly occurred to me that right now, rather than leisurely evaluating him, I needed to assess my own current situation first.

I looked at Thierry again.

"But what happened? Is it true that I slept for three days?"

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