***
“You should get plenty of rest, drink a lot of water, and eat soft foods instead of hard ones.”
“…Okay.”
“Absolute rest is crucial. Absolute. Rest. Do you understand?”
“Yes…”
I tried to respond earnestly to the doctor’s advice, hoping to gain trust.
Although the doctor’s nagging had been tiresome since earlier, I had no choice but to behave well to calm down my mom, who was glaring at my grandfather with fiery eyes.
“…………”
My grandfather who had turned his granddaughter’s organs upside down and caused me a mild concussion, feeling guilty and unable to say a word.
“Huuuu..…”
Every time my mom let out a deep sigh, my grandfather flinched weakly.
I wanted to openly watch this rare sight of my grandfather shriveling, but I couldn’t.
“I’m sorry, Cherry. It’s all my fault…”
I had to console my dad, who was holding my hand tightly and trembling.
“I’m fine, really.”
“You’re not fine at all! Lady Cherrya, you must have been through so much stress, your skin and hair look lifeless. You must have been sleep-deprived, and lack of sleep is the root of all diseases!”
“No, it’s not that bad…”
“Not that bad? This is a serious issue! Children’s depression has a significant impact on their future development! For Lady Cherrya, who will lead the Emblem in the future, this is a critical…!”
Oh, for goodness’ sake!
I glared at the doctor, who continued his nagging, ignoring my insistence that I was fine.
In just 30 minutes, he had escalated my condition from dizziness to indigestion, concussion, and now even pediatric depression with future crippling consequences.
“This is my fault. Cherry is like this because of me. I was so busy with the affairs of the Emblem territory that I didn’t realize how much Cherry was struggling. I left the mansion…”
Because of the doctor’s lengthy explanations earlier, my dad was wracked with guilt and crying sadly.
“Benedict……”
“Dad……”
A beautiful person’s tears were lethal. As my dad shed pitiful tears, my mom’s glare at my grandfather grew sharper, and my urge to silence the doctor forever increased.
“I should have looked after you first. I thought you were too young to understand, but I assumed you’d be fine because you seemed mature. I was a fool. I’m sorry, my dear…”
My dad kept kissing the back of my hand and my palm, pressing his cheek against them.
His tear-soaked cheeks were really damp, soft, and smooth.
They even made me feel guilty, a feeling I hadn’t had before.
“No, I’m sorry…”
“No, Cherry, you’re not at fault. This is all my fault.”
“Benedict, as Cherry’s mother, I also share the responsibility. You don’t need to bear all the guilt alone.”
My dad’s tears were so powerful that they made every member of the Emblem feel guilty.
People from the mansion, who had been watching from a distance, began confessing their own faults one by one.
“I am Lady Cherrya’s maid. It’s my fault.”
“I, as the mansion’s butler, failed in my duties…”
“No, as knights of the Emblem, we failed to protect Lady Cherry, our top priority…”
“In that case, it was my fault for preparing the training ground where the accident occurred!”
Starting with the maid, then the butler, the Emblem knights, and even the gardener began confessing their sins.
‘Oh, this place is in total chaos.’
I had thought it was a mess before, but this was a whole new level of mess.
I even started to miss the days when everyone was so busy with the whirlwind of the empire’s affairs that they paid little attention to me.
“Seriously, what is all this chaos…?”
“What do you mean chaos! Lady Cherrya’s health is irreplaceable to us…!”
“Ah, enough already!”
This chaos finally calmed down only after I had a fit upon seeing the doctor about to start his nagging again.
“I need absolute rest, so everyone, get out. Get out! Ahhh!”
At my outburst, everyone hurriedly began to leave my room.
“Oh, move aside!”
“Butler, don’t push!”
“Everyone, disperse! Don’t gather in the hallway, disperse!”
The servants, who had gathered in the hallway outside my room, added to the chaos as they exited.
In the Emblem family, where they would say ‘without health, you’re just like a corpse,’ so this is what happens when someone get sick.
It felt like I had learned something very important at the age of seven.
“I’m really fine, so Mom, Dad, and Grandfather, please go now.”
“But Cherry…”
“Please.”
“………”
My mom, unable to hide her worried gaze, came over and gently stroked my hair.
“It’s okay to act spoiled at times like this.”
“I’m acting spoiled right now by asking everyone to leave.”
“My dear daughter…”
Mom seemed to want to tell me that this wasn’t what acting spoiled meant. But I quietly shook my head and said:
“I’m really tired. I’m about to fall asleep… How can I rest peacefully with all of you here?”
“Then, how about the three of us sleep together after a long time?”
“No, I really want to sleep alone. I’m worried that if Dad collapses, I won’t be able to sleep.”
At my words, mom’s gaze turned to my dad.
As soon as my dad heard the news about me, he rode a horse non-stop from the Emblem estate to our house in the capital.
Considering it usually takes a full day by carriage, the fact that he arrived so quickly from the Emblem estate means he must have ridden the horses like crazy.
“So please, don’t worry the sick person and take dad inside to rest.”
“…You’re right.”
Only then did mom, looking serious, nod.
She seemed to realize that if this continued, there would be two patients in the house.
My dad, looking pale, shook his head with teary eyes, wanting to stay by my side.
My mom closed her eyes tightly as if feeling dizzy.
‘To endure this face, yes. At least close your eyes.’
What helped my mom and me, who were weak against my dad, was my grandfather.
“Benedict, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you. Since we met, could you spare some time?”
“…Yes, my lord.”
Unable to refuse Grandfather’s words, my dad reluctantly stood up.
For this moment, even mom didn’t glare at Grandfather with burning eyes like before.
“Rest well, Cherry. If you feel unwell again, call Dad right away. Promise me, okay?”
“Yes, I will. I promise.”
“Haaa…”
Even as my dad was led out of the room by Grandfather and my mom, he kept looking back at me with anxious eyes.
Anyone would think I had been given a terminal diagnosis today.
“They say overprotectiveness can be foolish if taken too far. My dad really is the best, the absolute best.”
My upbringing in a greenhouse-like environment in the Emblem family was certainly largely due to my dad.
But on the other hand, I felt much better now that things seemed to be returning to the Emblem I knew.
“Enoch must be having a hard time too.”
Just as my mind felt at ease, I hoped Enoch did too.
I recalled Enoch’s face the last time I saw him. I couldn’t imagine what expression he would have when we met again.
‘Not soon, but perhaps it will be years before I can meet Enoch again.’
Given the current situation between Emblem and Gray, that seemed entirely possible.
