With Rune’s response, a heavy silence fell in the room. As the day turned into evening and night approached again, the silence remained unbroken until Ria finally woke up and called for them.

“…Rune? Eden?”

In the quiet room, with the empty space next to her on the large bed, Ria’s groggy head was seized by the thought that she was left alone. She called them a little impatiently. But as soon as she heard her own voice, she furrowed her brows and put one hand to her throat.

Her throat felt dry, as if the moaning she’d been doing all night and into the morning was proof that the situation was not a lie. It felt even drier during the time she was unconscious.

“Ria, are you okay?”

“How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”

“I, uh, need some water…….”

“Oh, wait.”

As she asked for water, Rune quickly ordered the servant at the door to fetch it, while Eden gently helped her up and propped her against the head of the bed. As soon as the servant brought the water, Rune held the cup and fed it to her himself.

The whole sequence of actions was as natural as the flow of water. It was ironic that these tasks, which would normally be done by servants or those of lower status, were being carried out by the members of a powerful noble family.

“Ah, finally. I feel better now.”

Ria finished drinking the cup of water and cleared her throat before speaking. She was definitely in better condition than earlier.

“I’m okay. My back and… that area are a bit sore, and I feel weak overall, but other than that, I’m fine.”

“I’ll call the doctor.”

As if Ria’s words weren’t reassuring enough, Rune called the doctor again. The doctor rushed in from dinner and was relieved to see her awake, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

If she hadn’t woken up today, the situation would have become serious in various ways. He would have had to skip meals, check on her from time to time, and report on her condition. He had just finished eating dinner, thinking of it as his last meal, just in case.

The doctor began his examination, deeply grateful that she had woken up.

“You exhausted your energy and you collapsed because your body couldn’t take it anymore, but there’s nothing else wrong with you.”

“…I had a feeling that was the case.”

“For the time being, it would be best to rest and reduce your vigorous activities. Even if you feel compelled to do so, please rest for at least two days afterwards.”

At the doctor’s advice, Ria nodded slightly, covering her face with her hands as she blushed with embarrassment.

After finishing the examination and stating that he would strengthen the herbal medicine she would take after meals, the doctor left the room. Carefully laying Ria back down and stepping out into the corridor, Rune and Eden tapped the doctor on the shoulder as he turned to leave.

“Is there no way for Ria to fully recover?”

“No, that’s not true. It was just because her body’s balance was disrupted and her mental state was unstable that she experienced that. She will gradually return to normal as things settle down.”

“What’s the timeframe?”

“Umm……. I’d estimate half a year at the earliest, unless something major happens along the way. But if something were to happen and significantly affect her mind and body, there’s a good chance the recovery period may extend beyond a year or worse.”

The two men’s faces sank into a grim expression. Half a year is a long time, and even then, it’s not a definite deadline. It wasn’t the answer they were hoping for.

Sighing deeply as they stood still in the hallway after the doctor left, their expressions softened as they thought of Ria waiting for them in her room. Before opening the door, their eyes met and exchanged unspoken words.

They had tacitly agreed not to break the news to her first, so they wanted to make sure nothing dangerous happened instead. The atmosphere between them, tense since their youth, had truly aligned after a long time.

As they entered the room, Ria, who was lying down, turned her body towards them and glanced at them briefly. It wasn’t even a threat, but they felt sorry as they read her expressions.

“Ria, is there anything you want to eat?”

“I want to take a bath first.”

“I’ll have warm water ready for you.”

“And I want to eat something sweet.”

“I’ll bring you a tray full of your favorite cakes.”

“Oh, and some good meat.”

“We’ll prepare different types of meat as well.”

“And no vigorous activities for a while.”

“That too… huh?”

They stopped talking at once, crouched side by side at the foot of the bed, touching her small, white hands, nodding their heads as Ria spoke. At the look on their faces as they tried to gauge whether or not they had heard correctly, Ria held back the laughter that threatened to escape and spoke firmly.

“I thought the doctor said to cut back for a while.”

“That’s… well, but…”

They trailed off, not really wanting to say more. Ria stuck her lips out in a pouty expression.

Do they really hate the idea of skipping s*x so much?

“Am I just someone who resolves your s*xual desires?”

The words slipped out of her mouth as quickly as they had come in, but they were washed away by Rune and Eden, whose faces hardened and answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“That’s not possible.”

“I can’t be without you by my side anymore.”

As if tickled by feathers, her hearts strangely tingled. She felt their hands tighten around her, as if it were screaming that they wouldn’t let go.

Ria, who had rolled her eyes for a moment, smiled mischievously.

“So you can endure it for me then?”

Blinking back the smile, they realized they’d fallen for her sneaky trick, but all they could do was say yes. How could they win if she smiled at them?

“Yeah…”

“Thank you.”

Having let out a relieved laughter, they intertwined their fingers between her hands, which had become softer like a gentle breeze. Then, troubled by what they just heard, one of them spoke softly but firmly.

“Ria, you’re a presence so precious to us that words can’t fully express. So, don’t think such thoughts again.”

Hoping that she would deeply consider their sincerity, but unfortunately, Ria still seemed puzzled.

She’s not sure why they’re giving her so much affection. When she said she’d forbid them to sleep together, it was half out of impulse.

She wanted to find out if their intense night of lusting after her was because they saw her as a s*xual outlet, or if they really did love her, as they said they did. Reflecting on their actions from the past until now, it couldn’t be definitively classified as the former, but considering the relentless day they had endured, there was still uncertainty.

She needed to know, so she could make up her mind if she wanted to trust them more or not.

“Yeah. Okay. I’m sorry.”

However, seeing their pained expressions in response to her words made her realize that she had made a mistake. It was certainly not right to doubt and test someone’s heart. Moreover, now that she knew their feelings were genuine and sincere, she felt even worse for what she had done.

Ria took one of her hands in each of theirs, clasped them together, and looked at the two men, who had their heads lowered and their eyes closed. I While gently caressing their cheeks with her thumbs, she continued to think. She knew their feelings were genuine she wondered how and why they felt so deeply, so devotedly.

‘It’s not like we’ve known each other long.’

Even with Rune, there were gaps in their encounters, so practically speaking, the duration wasn’t much longer than with Eden.

‘……I don’t know.’

Continuing to ponder with her thoughts, Ria finally pushed the issue aside to one corner. Even as she immersed herself in the warm bath, enjoyed delicious meat and sweet desserts, the lack of a clear conclusion left her feeling mentally tangled.

Holding onto thoughts that yield no answers only gives you a headache. It’s better to take a moment to think calmly rather than rush impatiently.

Since she had to live here for a while, there was plenty of time to think.