The way to love.

Romei slowly savored those unfamiliar words that flowed from Barmas’s lips after his hesitation. Suddenly, she grabbed his shoulder and frowned.

Her head began spinning, and despite having barely eaten anything, her stomach started churning uncomfortably.

“Romei…?”

Seeing her troubling expression, Barmas held her more firmly in his arms. Then he urgently examined her complexion.

Romei wanted to respond, but she feared that opening her mouth would cause her to vomit everything inside. Instead, she bit her lip and struggled to suppress the rising nausea.

“Just a moment…”

She tried to hold back the urge to retch, but ultimately Romei couldn’t contain it. She turned her head and heaved.

The clear water that came up soaked the roses he had carefully cultivated. Though she felt sorry for soiling the garden, she couldn’t possibly contain the rising nausea.

Perhaps because she hadn’t eaten much, nothing else came up. However, the dry heaving wouldn’t stop.

Understanding the severity of the situation, Barmas immediately took Romei into his arms and swept across the garden like the wind. The roses he had painstakingly grown snapped at the neck under his footsteps.

“Hold on, just hold on a little longer. We’ll reach the mansion soon.”

“Just… a… moment…”

She wanted to tell him that with each of his strides, her body shook, making her head ring and her stomach feel worse. She wanted to say that at this rate, both the garden and his clothes would be soiled, but she was in no condition to speak.

Yet strangely, Barmas seemed to understand what Romei was trying to say and responded.

“It’s okay. Just throw up. Whether on the garden or on me, it doesn’t matter. Don’t hold back, just let it out.”

“…”

Romei found his words quite reassuring, but the feeling didn’t last long. Another wave of nausea rose up.

Trying to endure somehow, Romei clutched his clothing and gritted her teeth. Cold sweat seeped down her spine.

The moment Barmas finally entered the mansion with Romei, he issued orders to the servants. His commands were swift and precise.

“Bring medicine from the basement right now! And clean water, quickly!”

The servants detected the urgency in the situation, noting both the poor complexion of Romei in his arms and Barmas’s serious expression. Rather than responding verbally, they moved rapidly.

Barmas grabbed any servant in sight and gave instructions.

“Bring comfortable clothes. She’s sweating a lot, so prepare warm water and towels too.”

“Yes, Lord Barmas.”

“You, bring thick bedding.”

“Understood, Lord Barmas.”

“And ventilate the bedroom. She keeps trying to vomit, so bring a basin too.”

“Is there anything else you need, my lord?”

“Prepare something to eat when her stomach settles. Warm soup. Something easily digestible.”

“Yes, Lord Barmas. I’ll prepare it right away.”

While the servants moved efficiently throughout the mansion following his orders, Barmas went straight to the bedroom and laid Romei on the bed.

Her complexion was beyond pale, resembling that of a corpse without a trace of blood. Cold sweat beaded heavily on her forehead, and her jaw trembled from clenching her teeth so tightly.

“The medicine will be here soon. Just wait a little longer.”

“Bar…mas…”

“If you need to throw up, do it. I’ve ordered new bedding, so it’s fine if you vomit.”

“How can I… urgh!”

Romei, who had been forcibly suppressing her vomiting, suddenly sat up and leaned over the edge of the bed to expel what little she had eaten.

Though she vomited, just like before, almost nothing came out. Yet the dry heaving continued relentlessly.

Her fingertips gripped the edge of the bed tightly.

Barmas patted Romei’s back while anxiously glancing back and forth between the eerily quiet door and the suffering Romei. Eventually, he shouted.

“Medicine! It’s been quite a while since I ordered the medicine, why is there still no sign of it!”

“…I’m fine.”

Romei said this while raising her upper body, seemingly calmed for a moment. She was breathing heavily and wiping the saliva from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.

The vibrant appearance she had in the garden was completely gone, replaced by evident signs of fatigue and exhaustion.

Barmas examined Romei’s complexion with a worried expression and said:

“I don’t understand what could possibly be fine about someone who was just throwing up.”

“That’s… but now there’s nothing more to come out, so I’m okay.”

“Hah. Is that what you call being okay?”

He sighed deeply and rubbed his face. Romei looked at Barmas with eyes reddened from crying due to the repeated dry heaving. Then she asked:

“…Are you worried about me?”

Both Romei who asked the question and Barmas who received it understood what the question truly meant.

It was asking whether Barmas viewed Romei simply as prey with a delicious soul or an interesting toy, or whether he acknowledged and considered her as an equal, living being.

Barmas also sensed that Romei’s attitude would change depending on his answer.

Unlike long ago when he bit his tongue to win a bet, Barmas now recognized exactly what this emotion welling up in his chest meant. This anxious, uneasy feeling, this fear that Romei might die.

“Yes. I’m worried about you, Romei.”

The moment his low voice reached her, Romei’s eyes froze. Like time had stopped flowing, Romei kept him in her sight without even blinking.

He continued calmly yet emotionally:

“I’m going crazy with worry, so stop saying you’re fine. Take the medicine, have a light meal, and then sleep.”

“…”

“I’ve ordered them to prepare something easily digestible, so it should be safe to eat. It seems like you got sick from being exposed to the outside air for too long while in a weakened state. I’m sorry. I took you out because you said you couldn’t sleep, but I shouldn’t have.”

In response to Barmas’s apology, Romei blinked slowly, then spoke to him with a considerably softened expression.

“I don’t understand why you’re apologizing.”

“…”

“Going to the garden was nice, and getting some fresh air after so long felt good too. Rather, I think you must have been tired from carrying me around the garden and running all the way here.”

“What’s there to be tired about? You’re so light.”

Despite his words, beads of sweat dotted Barmas’s forehead.

Seeing Barmas pretending to be strong so she wouldn’t feel sorry, Romei unconsciously let out a faint smile.

Because he, so wickedly powerful, dangerously seductive, and strong, absurdly seemed a little cute to her.

Then she reached out and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

“Wipe the sweat off your forehead before you talk like that.”

“…”

Embarrassed, Barmas quietly avoided her gaze but didn’t reject the touch on his forehead.

Shortly after, the door burst open with the urgent footsteps of a servant. In her hands was a small tray with medicine and a glass of water.

“Lord Barmas, I’ve brought the medicine and water you ordered.”

“You’re late.”

“I apologize, Lord Barmas.”

The servant holding the tray bowed her head in apology at his mild rebuke.

However, Barmas was more concerned with giving Romei the medicine than receiving apologies from the servant, so he handed over the glass and medicine from the tray.

“Can you take it yourself?”

“…?”

“Or should I help you with my mouth?”

When Romei looked at him with a puzzled gaze, not understanding his question, he said this with a sly smile.

There was a sense of expectation that she would glare at him for being crude, but Romei calmly accepted the medicine and water, saying:

“I wouldn’t mind your help, but stirring around inside the mouth of someone who just vomited doesn’t seem right.”

Then, before Barmas could respond, she poured the medicine into her mouth and swallowed it with water.

Whatever medicine it was, it not only extended the life of someone who had been bedridden for months but also made her stomach feel much better within minutes. The tingling, contracting sensation in her stomach and esophagus subsided significantly.

After handing the empty glass to the servant, Romei apologized and asked her to clean the room. The servant silently bowed her head and granted her request.

“Yes, understood. Is there anything else you need?”

“I’m fine.”

At Romei’s answer, she cleared away the empty glass and returned with cleaning supplies to tidy the room.

Eventually, the servants Barmas had randomly ordered when entering the bedroom arrived one after another, performing their assigned duties.

They ventilated the room, replaced the bedding with something fluffier and thicker, and brought a basin for vomit. However, since the incident had already occurred, they cleaned the room along with the servant who had brought the medicine.

Meanwhile, Romei sat on the bed to change into comfortable clothes, removing her garments with the help of the servants.

A servant soaked a towel in the warm water they had brought, wrung it out, and then wiped Romei’s body.

Though not as thorough as immersing herself in bath water, it relieved the uncomfortable feeling, and she could feel her cold hands and feet warming up.

“Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine. It feels good to have my body warm up.”

“That’s fortunate. I brought this design for your nightgown. Is it acceptable?”

One of the servants who had finished organizing her clothes and shoes approached and asked.

In her hands was a nightgown with such a modest design that it was hard to believe it belonged in the mansion.

Even more surprising was that it wasn’t transparent at all.