TSPCOB Chapter 21

Chapter 21 

When I came to my senses, I suddenly found myself trapped in Prince Claude’s arms.

Instead of grabbing the bedsheet like before, he started holding my waist tightly.

It didn’t seem like he meant anything by it—more like he was in pain and grabbed whatever was close to him.

His soft groans brushed my ear, and I could clearly feel the hard muscles on his back.

I could even feel his heartbeat through his chest, which made my face flush for no reason.

I took a deep breath and looked at the wet bedsheet soaked with spilled medicine.

Thankfully, I had packed plenty of medicine in my bag.

I always carried a lot, just in case, even though it made the bag heavier.

I looked at the medicine bag on the table and tried to sit up.

“…It feels good.”

A low, drowsy voice mixed with heavy breathing tickled my ears.

“…So cool and soothing.”

Prince Claude started hugging me tightly, like someone cuddling a cooling bamboo pillow.

Startled, I gasped and instinctively tried to pull away.

But the more I moved, the hotter his body felt against mine, like a furnace.

The firmness of his fingers entangled in my hair and his arms around my waist felt strangely real yet unreal.

My heart started racing, and my whole body stiffened.

Buried in the prince’s embrace, I knew I couldn’t escape on my own, so I finally spoke.

“…Your Highness, can you please let go? I need to get more medicine. The ones I brought spilled.”

I asked politely, but it didn’t work.

He only held me tighter.

When I realized he wouldn’t let go, I began to wriggle more desperately.

“…Don’t go.”

His deep, heated voice fell over me.

This prince, seriously!

Doesn’t he realize how dangerous a heart attack is?

I’m not some emotional support doll—hugging me won’t make him better!

I was annoyed, but upsetting on someone who is in this fragile condition would only make things worse.

So I calmed myself and spoke gently.

“If you don’t take your medicine soon, you might fall into a coma, or your heart could stop. If you just let go for a moment, I’ll grab it quickly.”

I tried to gently push his arms away while explaining.

“…I said don’t go.”

“….”

“…That’s an order.”

Sigh. I froze and let out a deep breath.

Disobeying a royal command could get someone executed, there were plenty of examples of that in history.

I couldn’t die after coming this far.

So I gave up struggling and quietly closed my eyes.

Sometimes, when you’re stuck in an impossible situation, the best thing is to pause and wait.

I let him treat me like a comfort doll while trying to think of a way to escape his rock-solid arms.

His body was burning hot, but it was bearable.

I have never experienced a cold, and I have never been the kind to get hot or cold easily.

“…Your Highness, are you feeling any better?”

More than ten minutes had passed, and I glanced at the clock as I asked.

But Prince Claude didn’t respond.

I looked down and saw the veins on his large hand twitching slightly.

Another strong attack must be coming—he clenched his teeth and grabbed my waist even harder.

“…I’ll do it. I’ll protect…”

Was he hallucinating? He kept mumbling things I couldn’t understand.

Ugh—if I could just grab the medicine bag from the table!

Why was he doing this to me?

I looked longingly at the bag, then turned my eyes to the door.

The aide and butler were supposed to be waiting outside. Should I yell?

But I gave up that idea quickly.

Screaming in front of a hallucinating patient during a seizure?

That’s practically asking to be killed.

Each minute felt like hours, my nerves burning with stress.

Just then, I remembered a line from a medical book that said singing can help calm the seizures.

It sounded ridiculous, but I had no other options.

His body was so hot, sweat was pouring off him.

And staying in one position for so long made my body ache everywhere.

With nothing to lose, I opened my eyes.

I gently placed my hand over his trembling one and slowly opened my mouth.

Soft music filled the room as I began to sing.

“Sleep well, my dear child, drift into dreamland. Under the starlit sky, may your dreams shine bright. Let the gentle night breeze hold you close…”

The song flowed like a boat drifting down a calm river. As I reached the middle part, Claude’s tense body started to relax.

I carefully patted his hand and kept singing.

“May your smile spread happiness. With my love, I’ll lull you to sleep. All your worries will fade away. Sleep well, our little one, and wake to a bright morning…”

When I finished, I noticed his heartbeat had slowed and steadied.

Then I heard soft, peaceful breathing near my ear.

Wait… is he asleep?

My eyes widened.

At that moment, his arm fell weakly from around my waist.

Wow… singing actually worked?

Honestly, I didn’t expect it to do much—how could singing help more than medicine?

But it really did.

It showed me how powerful emotional comfort can be.

I let out a breath of relief and carefully slipped out of his arms.

He was sleeping deeply, completely unaware.

His clothes and hair were drenched in sweat, proof of the pain he’d endured.

I took out a handkerchief, wiped his forehead, and placed my hand on him to check his temperature.

His fever had gone down a lot and was now just slightly warm.

His breathing, heartbeat—everything seemed close to normal.

I gently laid Prince Claude, who had fallen asleep on his side, onto his back and pulled the blanket up to his chest.

His hair was messy and tangled, but his face still looked like a perfectly sculpted statue.

Even when he’s sick, a handsome person still looks good.

As usual, I found myself admiring his looks before quietly leaving the bedroom.

---

“So, you’re saying His Highness has seizures like that once a month?”

“Yes. On those days, everyone in the palace is on high alert. Once it starts, he suffers terribly for three whole days without sleep.”

“…Three days?”

I asked with wide eyes, and Alvin nodded as if he understood my shock.

“I was surprised too. His Highness calmed down just 30 minutes after you entered the room.”

“…”

“The chamberlain said he didn’t take any medicine… May I ask how you helped him calm down?”

I thought for a moment and then replied quietly.

“I sang to him.”

“…You sang?”

Alvin tilted his head in confusion.

“You don’t mean some kind of medicine called ‘song,’ right… You mean actual singing, like in an opera?”

“Yes. I sang to him. It was more like a lullaby.”

“A l-lullaby? Are you saying His Highness fell asleep listening to your lullaby?”

I nodded instead of answering.

“I can’t believe it…”

Alvin looked completely shocked and shook his head.

“His mother, the late Empress Olivia, loved music dearly. She was a romantic soul. But after she died, His Highness banned all music, including opera. He even hated when servants hummed to themselves.”

“…He didn’t even allow humming?”

“No. After that day, he stayed in his room all day and wouldn’t let anyone near him. He even dismissed his nanny and did everything by himself—dressing, bathing… and he was only sixteen then.”

Alvin couldn’t finish his sentence and dabbed at his eyes with the corner of a handkerchief.

When he finally spoke again, his voice trembled slightly.

“I’m relieved… It seems he’s finally letting someone close again—someone like you, Lady.”

After hearing about Prince Claude’s past, I felt a pang in my heart.

To think that he locked himself away and chose to be alone at such a young age, from grief…

Then suddenly, the tragic deaths of Empress Olivia and Princess Flora came to mind.

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel

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