Chapter 2.2

“Serena!”

She thought she heard her husband’s urgent voice calling her.  

Serena lost consciousness just like that.  

When the new bride collapsed with a high fever on her wedding day, people gasped in surprise. Ignoring even the worried Grand Duke and Emperor who approached, he headed straight for the mansion.  

The servants, who had been excitedly preparing the bridal chamber for the newlyweds, were shocked when Johannes came in carrying Serena.  

His expression as he carried her in his arms was so grim that they could barely breathe.

Serena remained unconscious with a high fever until well past midnight.  

Following the physician’s instructions, Johannes pried open her mouth to give her medicine and cooled her face with a wet cloth. Only then did her fever finally subside.  

He dismissed the hesitant servants and did not leave his wife’s side even as dawn broke.  

He gently stroked the corner of Serena’s eye, wishing for her to wake up soon. Perhaps his wish was heard, for her long eyelashes slowly fluttered.

At last, her blue eyes appeared, and Johannes held her hand tightly.

“Madame, are you awake?”  

“Sir Johannes.”

Serena turned her gaze to the window. The sky, shrouded in deep darkness, suggested it was well past midnight.

‘He’s been nursing me this whole time.’

Just seeing his worried eyes and the wet cloth beside him told her he had been taking care of her all along.  

Serena felt happy that her beloved husband had cared for her, but at the same time, she felt sorry for him.  

She hadn’t even been able to help him with his busy work, and not only had she ruined the reception, now she was making him go through all this trouble.

“I’m sorry… for making you worry.”  

“What are you saying? It’s only natural for a husband to care for his wife.”

Even in this moment of illness, her gentle nature led her to apologize to him.  

He closed her eyes again, murmuring for her to stop and get some rest.  

Because of the strong medicine, Serena soon fell asleep.

“Haa….”

Johannes held her hand tightly and let out a sigh of relief.  

He had been so shocked when she collapsed with a fever. It was just like when she had suffered a serious fever as a child.  

As far as he knew, she had never had such a fever since becoming an adult.  

But it was said that some people could fall ill from extreme emotional distress.

‘Could it be that she didn’t want to marry me?’

Johannes rarely furrowed his brow. His expression, now without a smile, was icy cold.  

Even at the ball, she had stolen all his attention and heart, yet she had suggested reconsidering the marriage.  

He had spent his whole life running to reach her.  

If not for her, he would have had no need for the position of Knight Commander or Duke. Everything had been to stand by her side as her equal, to give her everything he had.  

He had rushed the wedding in just a few days, fearing that Serena might refuse the marriage if given more time.  

Johannes had pleaded with the Emperor to move the date up as much as possible. He had sent her countless dresses on purpose to keep her busy and eliminate any time for them to meet.  

He pressed a gentle kiss to the lips of the sleeping Serena. His own lips were hotter than hers, burning with fever.

“From the day you saved me, I swore to look only at you.”

Serena had been his savior in a troubled childhood.  

Johannes recalled his impoverished youth. His father had died the year he was born, and his mother, who supported the family, fell ill when he was twelve.  

He had inherited a viscountcy, but it was of no use.  

What little property they had was taken by relatives, and their small estate was confiscated.  

The powerless young boy barely managed to survive by doing odd jobs. But when a great famine struck, even that became impossible.  

To make matters worse, his mother passed away that year. Feeling sorry for his mother, who died without even medicine or thin gruel, Johannes did something he shouldn’t have.  

As a child, he stole a piece of bread, wanting to put even a small bite in his dead mother’s mouth. The merchants, despite knowing the child’s circumstances, beat him mercilessly out of their own hardship.  

They didn’t stop there—they dragged young Johannes into the middle of the square. Surrounded by towering adults, he resigned himself.  

He thought he might die then, but a child came to his rescue.  

That child was Serena.  

If it hadn’t been for Serena and the Grand Duke, who had come south at the lord’s request to provide relief, he wouldn’t be here now. Even as a child, Serena had a kind heart.  

She had been gentle even to him, a thief. 

She called her father, the Grand Duke, to stop the people and personally reached out a small hand to help him up.  

To him, her tiny, delicate hand was salvation.  

Hearing his story, Serena truly pitied him.  

She took him to the lord’s castle, where she was staying temporarily, and cared for him. Thanks to her help, he was able to hold a funeral for his mother.  

Even that alone was a debt he could never repay in a lifetime. But that angelic girl always approached him first. Even after he recovered, she didn’t send him away and wanted to be with him wherever she went.  

That day, they were out for a walk as usual.  

The weather had turned bad, and they should have gone back sooner. He blamed himself for being too careless despite knowing that.  

Little Serena slipped on the muddy road and fell into a deep pond. He managed to save her, but Serena caught a fever that brought her close to death.  

Johannes blamed his foolish self that day. And at the same time, he made a vow.  

He would become strong enough to reach her. He would protect her for the rest of his life.  

When Serena recovered from her fever, Johannes quietly left.  

He took his title as a viscount in name only and went to the capital. He joined the knight order with all his might.  

Thanks to his outstanding talent, he caught the Emperor’s eye from a young age and became the youngest commander of the Imperial Knights at twenty.  

A year later, in spring, he saw Serena again, just as he had dreamed. At seventeen, Serena was so beautiful that she made many young men’s hearts flutter.  

He felt sad when he heard that she had lost her memories of that day because of the fever as a child, but in a way, he was relieved.  

She wouldn’t remember how pitiful he had been then.  

Johannes thought he could finally keep the vow he had made as a child.  

He dared to ask the Emperor if he could become Serena’s escort knight. Thanks to his diligence, the Emperor gladly agreed.  

As a young lady, Serena was still just as kind and gentle.  

At first, he was satisfied just being by her side, but as the years passed and she became an adult, his feelings grew too strong to hide.  

Johannes realized the truth the day he rejected the confession of a young noblewoman whose name he didn’t even know.  

His pure wish to stay by Serena’s side had turned into a desire to be the only man in her life.  

The day he realized his feelings, he joined the war. The reason was simple. He wanted to earn achievements and become a man worthy of Serena.  

Johannes distinguished himself in the war and was granted the title of Duke.  

His loyalty to the Imperial Family earned him increasing trust from the Emperor. Perhaps noticing this, the Emperor commanded him to enter into an arranged marriage with his niece, Serena.  

Of course, he had no reason to refuse. It felt like a dream.  

But when they met again, she hesitated about the marriage.  

He had never dared hope Serena loved him, but he also hadn’t thought she would refuse the marriage.  

When he heard her words, his mind went blank, as if struck.  

So, out of cowardice, he used the Emperor’s command as an excuse to the responsible Serena.  

He hated the thought of being rejected by the woman he had cherished all his life more than death itself.  

Johannes pressed another long kiss to Serena’s sleeping lips. It was light but burning, longer and deeper than before.

“I want to keep you by my side, even if it’s through an arranged marriage.”

If he devoted his entire life to her, her gentle heart would eventually turn to him, even if only a little. So until then—no, for his whole life—he would never let her go.  

His eyes, gazing at Serena’s sleeping face, were filled with deep longing.