“Red! Get it together! We need to get out of here right now.”

Chloe was visible among the people in panic. She could see hazy smoke and the collapsed fountain, but the surroundings were quiet. People screamed, but only their mouth shapes moved while no sound was heard. She wanted to reach out toward the urgent Chloe, but her body wouldn’t listen.

“Can you get up?”

She put all her strength into her arms. But strangely, she really couldn’t stretch forward. Dahlia desperately called out to her.

“Chloe! Chloe!”

Please.

Just once.

“Chloe!”

Cruelly, Chloe stood in front of her. Like someone had fixed her in place with nails, she didn’t move a single step.

“Chloe!”

Boom boom boom.

“Gasp……!”

Dahlia woke from the nightmare with the last image of Chloe collapsing while bleeding. The cold square floor had somehow changed to a soft bed. She swept up the hair stuck to her forehead. Her palm became damp from sweat. When she touched her back, it was also damply soaked.

“Dahlia.”

“Ah, you’re awake?”

James, who had been sleeping beside her, got up and lit the lamp on the nightstand. He wanted to check her face because Dahlia’s voice seemed unusual. His intuition was right. Dahlia was catching her breath while sweating coldly.

“I’m sorry. I had a nightmare……”

James silently pulled back the blanket. He intended to get her some from the table near the bed where the butler always kept refreshments. However, Dahlia pulled the blanket up higher, desperately trying to cover her face. No one would want to show their pale and haggard complexion to someone they loved.

“Drink.”

“Yes.”

Dahlia drank all the water at once. Perhaps because their relationship started as superior and subordinate, James’s words felt coercive. Regardless of his intentions, that’s how it was for Dahlia. James, who had taken away the cup, got back on the bed.

“I don’t know what kind of dream it was, but it must have been quite something.”

“It wasn’t enough to wake the director. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. More than that…… your face is red, do you have a fever?”

Only then did Dahlia realize she wasn’t covering her face with the blanket while drinking water. The blanket hastily covered half her face. Even at this strange behavior, James was rather worried about her. However, he had to adjust his expression and voice appropriately so his concern wouldn’t be conveyed excessively.

“I’ll be fine if I take medicine. Thank you.”

“Rest well tomorrow. It might be a cold.”

James, who had turned off the light, covered himself with the blanket and lay down. Dahlia hugged her knees and curled up her body. Then she looked down at the man lying beside her. She was pleased that he would sometimes carelessly take care of her like this.

“…… Yes, I’ll do that. Sleep well.”

After listening to his breathing for a while, Dahlia slowly lay down. The moonlight seeping through the curtains was unusually bright.

⁕⁕⁕

In the end, Dahlia stayed awake all night. She tried to get some sleep even in the morning, but even that failed.

“Hah. Hah.”

Just when she thought she had finally fallen asleep, she woke up tossing and turning not long after. She couldn’t remember what the content was, but it wouldn’t have been a good dream. Still, she didn’t repeatedly have the same nightmare like before. Rather than nightmares, the act of falling asleep itself was painful and made her very tired.

“Whew……”

Even after taking medicine, her physical condition was really poor. It seemed like her body would feel heavy and sunken all day. Dahlia pulled the blanket up to cover under her eyes.

Knock knock knock.

“Come in.”

It wasn’t Rick, the butler, who opened the door and showed himself, but James. When surprised Dahlia widened her eyes, James closed the door.

“No one’s here. It’s just me.”

Dahlia sat up and leaned against the pillow. Unless she was dying, she thought it wouldn’t look good to be lying down in front of her superior.

“I thought it was Rick.”

James said she could lie down more out of concern for Dahlia from last night, but Dahlia stubbornly refused. James was the first to give up.

“Never mind that. Catherine sent an errand boy. You said you were fine, but she doesn’t seem to believe it.”

Dahlia scratched her forehead awkwardly at her sister’s excessive worry.

“Then I should write a letter……”

“He’s already downstairs. I don’t know how it happened, but Brian is with him too.”

“What?”

Looking at Dahlia’s bewildered expression, James also pressed his forehead.

“I had exactly that same face a moment ago too.”

“Did Doctor Jones come as well?”

“Why wouldn’t he.”

Even though it was Sunday morning, Catherine had brought both the Corellin family’s physician and second brother Brian. Since she had made such a fuss in the carriage, there was no way she, who thought the world of her youngest sister, would easily let this pass.

“Everyone’s making too much of a fuss. I’ll send them back soon.”

Dahlia tried to sit up completely in bed, but James approached her side.

“She must have been worried since her sister who rarely gets sick is just lying down. Don’t mind me.”

Then he said he would be in the study, so the family should spend comfortable time together. Thanks to his consideration, Dahlia was able to spend a rare peaceful time with her family. She liked Doctor Jones’s diagnosis that she should take unconditional rest and stay only in bed.

“I’ll see him out.”

James left the bedroom with Doctor Jones. Brian sat beside Dahlia and carefully examined her face. Her complexion was only a little dark, similar to the usual her. It was fortunate, but he was worried just seeing the child who rarely got sick sitting weakly against the pillow.

“Belle said she’s coming later too.”

“Sister-in-law? Why?”

“You like tomato stew. She went out early this morning to shop to make that.”

Dahlia felt like her head hurt even more somehow. She had just been droopy and lying in bed for a while, but family visits continued. She pressed her forehead and leaned more comfortably against the pillow. Catherine didn’t miss this. She reshaped the pillow and let her sister lie down completely in bed.

“Did your husband take good care of you when you were sick?”

“He was beside me all night.”

“Really?”

Catherine narrowed her eyes. It was clearly a suspicious look to anyone.

“Sister, don’t hate James too much. He really treats me well.”

Brian also agreed with Dahlia’s words.

“Right. Your husband keeps avoiding you because he’s uncomfortable whenever he sees you.”

“He avoids because he has something to be guilty about. What did I ever scold him for?”

“Your eyes are already murderous, you know.”

At Brian’s scolding, Catherine pouted her lips. Ever since James and Dahlia got engaged, Catherine, unlike her brothers, had disliked him. She didn’t like that he had a big age gap with Dahlia, and even his expression was blunt. Most of all, his strangely cold behavior was annoying. It didn’t seem like he treated Dahlia incredibly well either.

“By the way, isn’t today Brighton’s birthday party?”

“I was just thinking I should go soon. I’m relieved that brother and Belle are here, but……”

Dahlia gently took Catherine’s hand. As if telling her not to worry, her green eyes curved slightly.

“Don’t worry and go. I’ll be fine if I rest just for today.”

Brian took Dahlia’s side this time too. Since she usually didn’t require much attention, when something like this happened, the family became more devoted. However, Catherine went too far among them, so she had to be restrained like this sometimes. When Catherine left the mansion with heavy steps as if she was deeply worried, Bellisa, Brian’s wife, arrived soon.

“Eat it slowly after cooling it down, Miss.”

Bellisa placed a bowl of well-cooled tomato stew in front of Dahlia. Strangely, the tomato stew Bellisa made surpassed any first-class chef’s skill. Whenever Dahlia had no appetite, she would often ask for it, and Bellisa would gladly make stew for her.

“Mmm.”

Dahlia, who took a spoonful of stew, smiled softly. At that sight, Brian and Bellisa also smiled along. James sat on the edge of the bed and brought a plate of bread closer. It was dinner rolls that Dahlia liked.

“Did you prepare this, honey?”

“Yes. Because you like it.”

James cut the dinner rolls into easy-to-eat pieces and dipped it in stew. Then he brought it to Dahlia’s mouth. Dahlia smiled brightly and ate the bread. Because she had to perfectly act out an affectionate appearance even in front of the couple. Brian and Bellisa also looked at the two with satisfaction.

When she received bread from James two more times like that, stew got on the corner of Dahlia’s mouth. She didn’t notice this and began to eat stew directly with her spoon. Since it was probably something their audience wanted, he should wipe it off.

“Um, honey.”

James leaned toward Dahlia. Dahlia, who had been chewing meat, was slightly flustered. There was no need to act to this extent, was there? It even seemed like the first time kissing while eating. His distinct facial features came closer and closer. What should she do? Right now her mouth was full of stew and bread. In the end, Dahlia quickly turned her head.

“No, I can do it myself……”

Ah.

But she shouldn’t avoid him so obviously like this.

Dahlia had to quickly use her wits. She wouldn’t be the only one flustered right now. Dahlia hurriedly examined James and his surroundings. A handkerchief was held in his right hand. Was he thinking of wiping the corner of her mouth with that? But I completely misunderstood. After roughly understanding the situation, she raised her voice coyly.