Chapter 3. Wave of Emotions (1)

The day after the banquet.

When I finally woke from my deep sleep, the sun was already setting. How long had I slept? At this rate, I’ll be up all night again. Though they say nobles tend to wake late and sleep late, living like that made me feel I would truly die young.

I slowly raised my body. My throat was dry.

‘……Oh?’

But something felt wrong with my body. My eyelids were heavy. They felt hot, as if burning coals had been placed on them. My shoulders ached and my whole body tingled.

‘Seems like I’ve caught a cold.’

Ah, I hate this.

I reached out and pulled the bell cord. Even such a small movement felt incredibly difficult.

“Yes, my lady. ……Oh my, my lady!”

Macy, who entered the room, was startled to see me slumped over. Her shrill voice made my head pound.

Macy directed the maids to prepare for nursing care and called the physician. In an instant, a cold compress was placed on my forehead and the doctor examined me. The diagnosed illness was, of course, a cold. The doctor’s opinion was that it was partly due to the release of built-up tension, but mostly because of the excessive work I’d been doing lately.

“Just from doing that much……”

Though I wasn’t particularly healthy in the real world either, Alisa’s body was worse. It seems her already weak constitution had become even more delicate since that time she fell into the water.

“You’re burning up.”

Rashid, sitting by the bed, touched my forehead.

“It’s cooled down a bit because of the compress……”

I answered languidly.

While preparing to nurse me, Macy had informed the butler that I was sick, and the butler promptly reported to Rashid. Rashid, who had been taking a rare break, sat in my bedroom and watched over my entire examination.

「Rashid observed his wife with quite a serious face.」

The sentence popped up inappropriately. Hey, I’m sick right now…. These things appearing make my head spin. Stop making me dizzy.

「She was like fragile glass. Like soft crystal, luminous and easily worn. Rashid’s heart grew heavy seeing her flushed face looking so pitiful.」

This crazy…..

The sentences appeared conspicuously long. I was annoyed but could do nothing about it.

‘He must have felt quite sorry about neglecting me before.’

Though the description is a bit cringeworthy, Alisa does have a glass-like constitution….

‘Oh my, this is hard.’

I had no energy to worry about either the sentences or Rashid for long. I groaned in pain and barely fell asleep from the medicine’s effects. Thinking how fortunate it was that this world’s setting included fairly advanced medicine.

How much time passed like that?

When I opened my eyes again, it was still dark everywhere. What time is it? As I tried to reach out to turn on the light, my hand wouldn’t move as I wanted.

‘Ah.’

Rashid’s hand was holding my fingertips. He had fallen asleep bent over the bed while holding my hand. Was he sleeping? He must be tired. As I carefully tried to pull my hand away, his strong grip caught it again.

“Were you awake?”

“I just woke up.”

When I asked in surprise, Rashid raised his body.

“What are you doing here? Go sleep comfortably.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Hmm… Fine. Much better. Nothing’s throbbing, and I feel somewhat lighter.”

The medicine must have worked well. Though I still had a fever and felt tired, it was better than before. It seemed I would recover quickly after resting and taking medicine for another day or two.

He gently stroked my forehead with his other hand. I quietly felt the touch of his hand. His hand, calloused from holding swords, was warm. His touch was so slow and gentle that I felt like a precious piece of craft.

I’m not sick enough to worry this much.

Macy wasn’t in the room. She seemed to be waiting outside because of Rashid. Usually she would be the one staying by my side all night, how considerate she must be. Thinking I should praise her when day breaks, I carefully said:

“Aren’t you going to Camelli this time?”

“No.”

“But the demonic beast problem isn’t solved yet.”

“I’m not going.”

“That’s not right……”

A laugh leaked out. Though I shouldn’t whine like this since he had claimed it was an important matter back then, the change in his behavior was so fascinating and cute that I wanted to keep teasing him.

Now that I was awake, my fever rose again. Soon my eyelids too became burning hot. Though it was autumn outside, inside, my body felt like midsummer.

“It’s good that… you don’t use your flame ability normally.”

“Are you hot?”

I nodded slightly.

“If you did… I would have driven you away.”

“How cold of you.”

“I mean it……”

If only he were an ice swordmage or something, how nice that would be at times like this. We wouldn’t need to keep rewetting the compress. Ah, was it an ability that needed a sword to activate? Come to think of it, if he made fire he would burn the floor, that wouldn’t work….

“I want ice cream.”

“I’ll have it prepared once you’re better.”

“And lemon sherbet……”

“That too.”

“Cool honey wine……”

“Yes.”

Thinking of cold, sweet things made me feel better. I want to eat them soon.

“Have them bring lots… you eat some too.”

“Those are prepared for you.”

“What does it matter? You like them more than I do.”

They’ll prepare mountains of it anyway when asked.

“You have somewhat childish sides……”

I closed my eyes. Perhaps from thinking of cold things, I got chills. Even though I was covered with layers of blankets. I wish it would just be either hot or cold. With the inside burning and outside cold, I felt even more disoriented.

Rashid wiped my forehead with the cold compress. Had he ever done something like this before? Though clumsy, his earnest and serious appearance as he tried hard was rather cute.

“You need to take medicine.”

Since I took medicine before sleeping, it would be right to take another one now. I looked for water to swallow the medicine.

“Rashid, water……”

“Stay still.”

Rashid laid my body diagonally against the headboard. Leaning against it was more comfortable than just sitting. I waited for water while taking a long breath with my eyes closed.

“Here.”

Instead of water, something else moistened my lips. Rashid put medicine in his mouth and kissed me. When I flinched in surprise, Rashid grabbed my arms. The pill transmitted across his tongue got stuck near my throat, and I pushed him away.

“Water……”

This time he handed me water without a word. I drank the lukewarm water to swallow the medicine.

“What are you doing, really.”

I scolded him weakly. How many times has this been now? Why do you keep doing this? I slowly crawled back under the blankets. Then Rashid pressed his lips to mine again. I turned my head to avoid him.

“It’ll spread……”

What, the cold?

No. That’s not the issue.

“It’s fine.”

Rashid soothed me. His voice was low and gentle, as if nothing would happen.

No, you don’t understand.

That’s not right, it can’t be fine. It’s not fine. Don’t come any closer.

But my fever-ridden body lacked the strength to push him away as he approached.

His lips were still soft. Unlike before when they had merely touched lightly, he gently bit my lower lip. When our overlapped lips parted because of this, he kissed me more deeply.

“Mmm……”

Between our lips, a moan escaped without my knowing. Then Rashid gently gripped my neck. I felt like a prey that had been caught.

His soft tongue invaded my mouth. Not knowing what to do, I remained still.

Rashid teased my tongue as if everything was fine. Wet, slick sounds of contact moistened my ears. My mouth was filled with him.

Rashid pressed against me as if the bed would collapse. At his long kiss that left me short of breath, I grabbed his shoulders and tried to push my body away.

“No……”

In that brief moment when our lips parted, I tried to stop him, but it was futile. As if unable to bear even that short separation, Rashid began kissing me deeply again. I gripped the blanket tightly with my hands. If I didn’t, I felt I might throw my arms around his neck.

“Alisa.”

As our lips brushed against each other, Rashid pressed his forehead to mine. His golden eyes were focused entirely on me.

“Alisa……”

He called my name. Me, that is, Alisa….

Without realizing it, I pressed my fever-hazed lips to his cheek.

“Rashid.”

Then Rashid pressed his lips once more against my soft, wet ones. Again and again. It was a kiss that gave no moment’s rest, as if I had to breathe his breath and quench my thirst with his saliva.

Ah, what am I doing right now? Who is this person? Why are we doing this? Should we be doing this? The world spun round and round in confusion. I felt dizzy. My head hurt. My already hot eyes felt like they were burning.

Is he trying to set me on fire because he’s a flame swordmage? When I gasped for lack of breath, he climbed on top of me.

Rashid filled my parted lips again as I tried to breathe.

The fever began to rage even more. It was a different heat than before. It was a hot wind that wrapped around my entire body, from my head down my neck, across my chest, to below my stomach. My head fell back naturally in the hot air that felt like walking through a desert.

My vision turned black. In the darkness, the world flickered like bursting stars. All that filled the world was me, him, and the bright gleam of his golden eyes.

The brilliant gold, as if cut from the daytime sun, flickered like a lantern pushing back the black night.

“Ah……”

I stared at it blankly before fainting with a long sigh.

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