“How joyful it is, with victory upon victory!”

“Indeed. The levies haven’t even increased, and our children scarcely know a war is being fought at all.”

The mood around the tea table was bright and cheerful. Yet even as warm words were exchanged, no one spoke to Selaia, nor did a single glance fall upon her.

It was deliberate neglect.

‘Was this why they invited her?’

Kyle’s violet eyes wavered.

Then Selaia turned her head in his direction.

The instant he thought their eyes had met, Kyle spun around instinctively and fled the scene.

“Haa… haa…”

He ran without stopping. With each pounding step, a sharp pain shot through his knees, but he did not slow down. His vision swam and he felt dizzy, perhaps from the heat.

From that day onwards, Kyle had a low-grade fever for several days. Sleepless in the stifling heat, by the third day his body felt as heavy as if it were soaked in water.

Still, he refused to call a physican.

‘With Father bedridden, I can’t let myself show weakness too.’

Unlike his father, Kyle had always been strong. He convinced himself a slight fever would soon pass. His effort to hide it was enough that those around him failed to notice anything amiss.

“…Haa…”

Even his breath burned as it escaped his lips.

After lectures in history and politics, followed by swordsmanship drills, he felt especially drained.

Milen had found his lord unusually sluggish that day, but Kyle dismissed it as being due to the heat.

‘I just want to lie down in my room.’

He had been made to perform fifty repetitions of diagonal cuts as a punishment for his lack of focus. This left him too weak to move a muscle. He had dismissed his attendant early, not wanting anyone to discover how unwell he was.

His head was foggy, and he was wobbling with each step, but he scarcely noticed.

“Quickly…”

Kyle was muttering to himself as he passed through the dim garden.

“Ah…”

He came face-to-face with Selaia and Rote, both of whom looked startled. In that instant, his steps tangled, and the boy staggered forward, collapsing.

“Your Highness!”

The sound of the two rushing toward him filled his ears.

‘Just go…’

Kyle wanted to say, but no words came. Only ragged, wheezing breaths escaped him.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

Even at Rote’s question, Kyle could only gasp, unable to answer.

Selaia saw at once that the boy’s flushed face and fevered skin meant he was on the verge of collapse.

“Your Highness.”

“Don’t… call a physician…”

The words barely slipped past Kyle’s lips.

At that, Selaia pressed her lips together. Kyle could not tell what that expression meant. After a brief moment’s hesitation, she spoke again.

“You can’t remain here like this.”

She slid her arms beneath him, raising his frail body upright. The boy, unable to resist, watched her dimly with half-lidded eyes.

“It may be uncomfortable, but bear with it a little longer.”

Selaia lifted Kyle onto her back with a whispered command. Although she had grown, Selaia was slight of build and her back was hardly strong enough to support the tall boy.

‘And yet… strangely…’

His fading eyes fluttered shut. Somehow, her narrow back felt steady.

He felt the warmth, the soft scent, the firm arms holding him and the faint sway of her steps as his consciousness slipped into darkness.

The boy woke again not long after.

“…”

But Kyle still did not open his eyes, fighting to swallow the humiliation welling in his chest.

‘Carried all this way after fainting like some helpless child…’

Not even a six-year-old brat, and yet…

As self-loathing consumed him, he felt the cool weight of a damp cloth pressed against his forehead. The thought of owing a debt to the people he resented filled him with stifling discomfort.

“Mommy, His Highness still hasn’t woken up.”

“Yes, the fever isn’t that high…”

He could hear their voices nearby. It seemed as though they had been watching over him all this time. Realizing that made it even harder to open his eyes.

“Perhaps I really should call for the physician.”

But he could no longer pretend to be unconscious. If she summoned a doctor now, all his efforts to conceal it would have been wasted.

“Ah, you’re awake!”

Rote cried out brightly as Kyle slowly opened his eyes and pretended to have only just woken up. At last, Selaia’s expression eased with relief.

When Kyle tried to sit up awkwardly, the damp cloth on his forehead slid down and fell onto his knees.

“Your Highness, please have some water first.”

Selaia offered him a cup filled with lukewarm water. Kyle hesitated, careful not to brush her hand as he took it.

“Do you feel any better? Shall I call someone?”

“…No, that won’t be necessary.”

He answered curtly after draining the cup, though his color was already better than before.

“It’s nothing serious. Just mild sunstroke from the heat.”

“But Your Highness’s health is a matter of great importance to Téian.”

Rote tilted her head, puzzled. Kyle frowned faintly.

“Exactly. Which is why I can’t stand the thought of everyone turning pale and panicked if they find out I’m sick right after Father.”

“Ah…”

An awkward silence settled over the room. Kyle regretted his impulsive words, but once spoken, they could not be taken back.

“Then please stay here and rest until you’re fully recovered. You may even spend the night, if needed.”

Selaia suggested gently.

“After all, we already know of Your Highness’s condition.”

“And no one else really comes here,” Rote added.

Kyle remained silent. Selaia seemed to take this as agreement. She picked up the fallen cloth from his knees, dipped it in fresh water and spoke softly.

“Excuse me a moment.”

The cool weight pressed against his forehead once more. It was colder than before, and he flinched at the chill.

Selaia carefully wiped his temples, the corners of his eyes, his cheeks and his jaw one by one with the cloth. The pale, dried traces of sweat vanished beneath her touch. The bewildered boy sat there with a dazed expression, unable to speak.

“Are you hungry? Then please lie down a little longer.”

When Kyle shook his head to indicate that he didn’t want to, Selaia helped him back onto the bed. She supported his back so that he could lie down more comfortably. It was only once he had obeyed that he realized how foolishly he was behaving.

“Someone may come looking for Your Highness, so I’ll step outside and check.”

Selaia rose to her feet.

“Rote, it’s time you prepared for bed.”

“Yes.”

She gently stroked her daughter’s hair before leaving the room. Kyle watched them silently, and once Selaia was gone, he turned his head away, pretending not to have seen, and stared at the ceiling.

“This is the first time you’ve been in my room, isn’t it?”

Propping her chin on her hand at the bedside, Rote asked. At her words, Kyle looked around again. With dolls and books piled up, it really did look like Rote’s room.

“Eugene’s come a few times to play.”

“…What’s he doing here?”

Rote’s eyes went round with surprise, as though she hadn’t expected him to answer her at all.

“Uh… just to read books together, and sometimes we’d share snacks.”

“Unbelievable.”

Kyle muttered under his breath. So that was why Eugene had been coming late lately, though Kyle hadn’t noticed at all.

Just then, Rote let out a small yawn and climbed onto the bed. Though taken aback, Kyle pretended indifference.

‘Come to think of it, she was already dressed in a frilly white nightgown.’

“I’m just taking my doll.”

She reached for a rabbit doll that Kyle hadn’t even noticed was lying by his pillow. It seemed she meant to give up her bed tonight and sleep beside Selaia instead.

But as she started to climb back down, she caught Kyle’s eyes and froze.

“…What is it.”

“If you can’t sleep, shall we read together?”

Kyle gave a short, incredulous laugh.

“Something childish, like a fairy tale? Forget it…”

“This one’s Latan—The Persei War and the Gerher Civilization. It’s a good book to read before bed.”

“What?”

His voice, incredulous, was ignored as Rote pulled a thick volume from the nightstand. It was the sort of book only adults would read, nearly two fingers thick, with a bookmark slipped between the pages to mark her place.