“I don’t want to hear apologies from someone who tried to save me. If you’re really sorry, then take care of me until I get better.”

Seeing that the conversation seemed endless, Adelia conceded first.

At her words, Lucian abruptly raised his head. He nodded with a genuinely delighted face.

Lucian smiled gently, having received permission to stay by her side.

“I’ll be by your side every day. Please tell me everything you need.”

“Haha… oof! Cough, cough!”

She tried to casually brush it off with a joke, but this time an irrepressible coughing fit came over her.

Adelia, who had been leaning back slightly against several cushions, bent her waist and repeatedly coughed harshly.

Lucian opened his eyes in surprise and placed his hand on her back. He gently stroked her back, which heaved with each cough, repeatedly asking if she was alright.

She wanted to say she was fine, just her throat hurt, but the continuous coughing didn’t even give her time for that.

“Master!”

At that moment, Kai opened the bedroom door and entered. He hurriedly came to Adelia’s side and checked her condition.

Adelia raised one hand to indicate she was fine, but that wasn’t enough to stop Kai’s worry.

Moreover.

“Adelia!”

“Sister!”

“Sister!”

Kai had been informing the imperial family about Adelia’s condition and bringing them.

They urgently opened the door upon hearing the coughing sounds from outside, and unfortunately encountered Adelia in the midst of coughing. They couldn’t help but be more shocked seeing a basin full of blood beside her.

The coughing continued endlessly, and voices of overprotection filled the surroundings.

‘Ah, should I just faint?’

***

“Is a doctor really enough?”

“Yes, it can’t be treated with holy power.”

“Aren’t white magic and holy power similar forces?”

“Well…. They’re similar yet somewhat different. Anyway, a doctor is sufficient, so please don’t worry and sit down, Your Majesty.”

Having finally stopped coughing, Adelia had to calm the imperial family first.

Ariana sobbed that her sister was dying, the Emperor and Prince shouted to bring the high priest immediately, and Lucian covered Adelia’s ears.

If not for Lucian, she might have already fainted from a headache.

‘Maybe fainting would have been better.’

After Adelia repeatedly said she was fine and Lucian calmed the imperial family, the situation quieted down.

Kai’s words that Adelia was still a patient and needed quiet were most effective.

The imperial family sat at the tea table in one corner of the bedroom. Though they kept their mouths shut and spoke only a word or two, four pairs of red eyes sent intense gazes of concern.

Soon the doctor summoned by the Emperor entered. He took out various instruments and examined her.

“This is… serious.”

“What?”

“Hic! That… Your Majesty….”

“If you don’t speak properly quickly, I’ll take your life instead.”

Surrounded by the imperial family, the doctor trembled as he conducted the examination.

Occasionally, he glanced at Adelia with a look that seemed to ask how she was still alive, and at other times, he kept his head bowed low out of fear of the imperial family.

The doctor, whose hair stood on end at the Emperor’s threat, gathered his wits to survive.

“Her condition is so serious it’s amazing she’s alive. If she hadn’t rested on the day she collapsed, she would already be… eek!”

“Stop talking nonsense and explain in detail.”

“Her Highness’s body is as weak as a wet sheet of paper. She probably finds sunlight painful to her eyes, her skin reddens at the slightest friction, and she feels pain from even slight stimulation.”

“The reason?”

“I’m not sure whether her body was congenitally weak or became weak throughout her life…. With such a physical condition, it’s amazing how she managed before, as it would have been difficult for her to move. In short… you can consider her body to be dying.”

The doctor’s diagnosis was accurate.

Adelia inwardly marveled. Everything the doctor said was correct. Especially the part about dying.

The doctor who made the diagnosis did not look happy.

Though he had blurted out the examination results under threat from the Emperor and Lucian, he had just informed them that a member of the imperial family was dying.

The faces of the imperial family darkened rapidly upon hearing his words. Ariana was on the verge of tears.

“You may leave now. Everything you’ve just said must be kept confidential. You know what will happen if word gets out?”

“Yes, I understand…. Take good care of yourself, Your Highness. Please call me anytime.”

The doctor bowed politely and hurriedly left the room.

As soon as the doctor left, the imperial family surrounded Adelia.

“Sister…. are you dying? Waaah!”

“Sister, is your condition really that bad? Why… Sister, you’re a white mage!”

“Why… did your condition become like that? There were clearly no external injuries!”

Ariana buried her face in the bed and cried, while Lawrence gripped the blanket tightly while holding back tears. The Emperor vented his anger by breaking an innocent bedpost.

Lucian, who believed Adelia’s deteriorating condition was his fault, bowed his head deeply with a darkened face. The sight of him silently blaming himself made her heart ache.

“It’s not Your Highness’s fault. It’s because my white magic hasn’t recovered. It will get better again with time.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Ariana looked up slightly and sniffled. Adelia placed her hand, which she could barely move, on the pink hair.

Though she couldn’t stroke it freely as before, she could at least offer comfort.

Adelia revealed a small secret she had been hiding.

“This is my original physical condition. I was really weak. Though I wasn’t this weak, it seems to have been getting worse.”

“Original physical condition… what does that mean?”

“Well… literally, this is my original physical condition. My healthy appearance until now was due to restoring my body with white magic. Now that my white magic is completely depleted and can’t restore my body, I’ve returned to my original state. Once my white magic recovers, I’ll return to normal, so don’t worry.”

“Is the recovery with white magic… temporary?”

“Injuries heal once and that’s it, but the body continuously deteriorates, right? Think of it as using white magic to prevent deterioration and maintain the body’s condition before it worsened. White magic is more complex than you might think.”

Adelia reassured them with a faint smile. But it didn’t last long.

As she continued speaking to explain, her head suddenly felt dizzy and heavy.

A pain like something pressing hard on her head arose, and her vision instantly darkened.

Fortunately, Adelia woke up soon. She hadn’t collapsed but had briefly fallen asleep.

With her poor physical condition and greatly reduced stamina, Adelia began falling asleep suddenly more often.

As a result, the imperial family’s overprotectiveness intensified due to their concern.

“It’s cooled down, so say ‘ah.'”

“I can eat this much on my own….”

“Words from someone who just dropped her spoon lack credibility.”

Lucian brought the spoon to Adelia’s mouth. After seeing Adelia drop the spoon as soon as she picked it up, her hands trembling, Lucian took the spoon himself.

The soup, made by finely grinding beef rich in protein and various vegetables, emitted a savory aroma.

Adelia narrowed her eyes and swallowed her saliva. Her stomach was empty, and the savory, delicious smell tempted her.

Though being fed like a child was embarrassing, her appetite took priority. It was the first food she would eat since waking up.

“Next time I’ll eat by myself….”

Adelia muttered softly in playful defiance and parted her lips slightly. 

The thick soup slid smoothly into her mouth.

 The soup, where the umami of beef blended perfectly with the nuttiness of vegetables, was typical patient food, nutritious and mild.

The moderately cooled soup slowly flowed down her throat. At first, it was warm and delicious, but soon she felt nauseous.

“Urp….”

“Adelia!”

After just one spoonful, she vomited everything, including the water she had just drunk.

With nothing left to bring up, Adelia spat out even acidic gastric juice, rinsed her mouth, and lay weakly on the bed.

Lucian’s face filled with concern as she couldn’t even eat soup soft enough for toothless babies.

“Guardian of Light. Is there anything Adelia can eat?”

“Perhaps food as thin as water….”

Even Kai wasn’t certain about this.

Could a dying body accept food at all?

It seemed she would need to move beyond a dying body before she could swallow food.

“Haha… I’m so hungry”

Adelia, stretched out on the bed, laughed emptily.

She had already been hungry, but after tasting food, her hunger intensified. Having vomited even the water she drank, her empty stomach was painful.

“Couldn’t she at least drink tea?”

“That should… be possible. Would you bring some?”

“I’ll bring tea rich in nutrients.”

Lucian left the room with a resolute face, as if he had received a crucial mission.

It was obvious he would harass the palace staff to find tea that Adelia could drink.