Chapter 35
“Sorry, it’s a habit from taking care of Lucian.”
Whenever Lucian had a fever, I would check his temperature like this. He used to snuggle into my arms, saying my forehead felt cool.
It was fine for a child, but doing this to an adult was a bit awkward.
“It’s okay.”
Fortunately, Claude didn’t seem to mind.
Meanwhile, the doctor handed Claude some water and fever medicine.
“I think it would be best for you to go back to your room and rest.”
Claude swallowed the medicine and shook his head.
“I can’t do that. Amelia will worry.”
“You’ll get worse if you don’t rest. At least wait until your fever goes down.”
“Then I’ll rest over there for an hour.”
Claude pointed to the simple bed in the corner of the infirmary.
“An hour should be enough to bring the fever down.”
“The medicine works fast, so your fever should drop quickly, but… I have another appointment soon, so I won’t be able to stay and take care of you.”
The doctor looked a little troubled.
“It’s fine. I just need to rest for a bit. No need for anyone to stay with me. But… someone needs to wake me up in an hour…”
Claude trailed off and looked at me.
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you help me?”
“Of course.”
I nodded willingly.
“I’ll just stay by your side.”
“You don’t have to…”
“What if your fever gets worse while you’re alone?”
“Thank you, my lady.”
Claude bowed his head slightly, then followed the doctor to the bed.
“Please let the maids in the playroom know that I’ll return in about an hour.”
“I understand.”
After relaying the message, I sat in the chair next to the bed.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
The doctor put on his coat and left.
Click.
The door closed, leaving only Claude and me in the infirmary.
Behind his closed eyelids, Claude’s eyes moved rapidly.
He was pretending to sleep.
As a patient, he should at least act like he was sick.
‘This is so uncomfortable.’
Claude tried his best to stay still, but knowing that Lucella was watching him made it impossible to relax.
After all, the reason he faked being injured in the first place was because of her.
He wanted to be alone with her.
Grabbing his arm and making a fuss over a fake wound—everything was just an excuse.
When she realized his wound was completely healed, he had panicked for a moment… but thanks to his fever suddenly rising, he avoided suspicion.
His temperature had been normal, but the moment Lucella touched him, it shot up.
Especially when their foreheads touched… he had felt like he was going to stop breathing.
In the end, he took the medicine he didn’t even need. But since it gave him this chance to be alone with her, it was worth it.
‘This is a lucky win.’
Walking next to her was already enough to make him happy, but now they had even touched foreheads… and he got to be with her for a whole hour.
Even though he had to pretend to be asleep, Claude was satisfied.
Because…
“Marquis, are you feeling better?”
“…”
“You must be asleep.”
He had her full attention.
“I wonder if your fever has gone down.”
Lucella carefully brushed back his bangs and placed her cool hand on his forehead.
“…”
Claude tried to calm the burning inside him.
“It’s gone down.”
Thankfully, he had experienced this once before, so this time his face didn’t heat up. Since she didn’t seem concerned, it must mean his fever hadn’t spiked again.
“That’s a relief.”
She sighed in relief, her breath lightly brushing against his eyelashes. The ticklish feeling made his nose twitch slightly.
“Are you having a nice dream?”
She chuckled softly, and her warm laughter sent shivers down his spine.
What kind of expression was she making as she laughed?
Should he pretend to wake up now?
But then he wouldn’t be able to see her smiling like this…
While Claude debated whether to open his eyes or not, he heard her move.
The sound of curtains being drawn, the rustling of pages, the soft brushing of her hair as she tucked it behind her ear…
With his vision blocked, his hearing became sharper, focusing only on her movements.
What did she look like, sitting in the sunlight, reading a book? What kind of expression did she have?
‘I can’t take it anymore.’
Staying still with her right in front of him was torture.
‘I want to see her.’
Claude finally opened his eyes.
“…Oh.”
His blue eyes filled with the sight of Lucella.
To be precise, the sight of her peacefully sleeping with her eyes gently closed.
Claude sat up slightly and glanced at the book she had been reading. The tiny, densely packed text looked boring at a glance.
The warm sunlight, the full stomach—it was the perfect mood for sleepiness.
“A perfect book for dozing off.”
Claude chuckled softly, careful not to wake her. Then, he took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
‘Watching her sleep… isn’t so bad either.’
Propping his chin on his hand, he gazed at her with a quiet smile.
Meanwhile, the five children were having fun in the playroom while the adults were gone.
Unlike Rona and Lua, who giggled as they played with toys, Edwin didn’t seem to be enjoying himself.
Even when he smiled, it was brief, and his face quickly returned to an emotionless expression.
“Edwin, what’s wrong? Are you not having fun?”
Hearing Amelia’s question, Edwin looked up from the floor.
“Huh? No, it’s not that.”
“Then why do you look so down?”
“Well…”
Edwin fidgeted with his fingers, hesitant to answer.
Lucian, sitting next to him, poked his side.
“Come on, just tell us.”
Since Amelia was the one asking, Lucian felt like he had to know.
“It’s nothing…”
“If it’s nothing, why are you hiding it?”
Lucian was always weirdly good at arguing in these situations.
“Tell us.”
“Well…”
Under Lucian’s persistent gaze, Edwin finally spoke.
“It’s just… after spending time with you guys, I feel like I’ll be lonely when I go back to the orphanage.”
“Why lonely? You have friends at the orphanage.”
“It’s not the same…”
Ironically, despite the many children at the orphanage, he had never felt more alone.
Lucella had improved the orphanage environment, but not everything had changed.
The children were still stuck in the old ways. Instead of sharing or caring for others, they were too busy looking after themselves.
For Edwin, who was shy and quiet, it was easy to be pushed aside.
The orphanage teachers were kind, but not as much as Amelia. They had too many children to take care of and couldn’t give special attention to each one.
Edwin needed someone like Amelia or Lucella—someone who would care for him, notice him when he was feeling lonely and give him warmth.
“Don’t you feel the same?”
Edwin looked at Rona and Lua, who sat across from him. Since they lived at the same orphanage, he thought they would understand his feelings.
“I don’t know.”
But Rona shook her head. Lua, sitting beside her, also did the same.
“Why not?”
Edwin asked in disbelief. Even the most playful kids in the orphanage sometimes cried at night because they felt lonely.
“Because I have Lua,” Rona said, wrapping her arms around her little sister.
“We don’t have a mom or dad, but I have my sister. So I don’t feel lonely at all.”
Lua adored her older sister. Even when she was so sleepy that her head kept drooping, she wouldn’t close her eyes until Rona lay down next to her. Every night, the sisters held hands as they fell asleep.
“I’m not lonely either because I have my sister,” Lua added.
Rona also took great care of her little sister. If Lua said she was hungry, Rona would give her own snacks. If Lua fell while playing, Rona would pick her up, dust off her knees, and comfort her.
This was also why they hadn’t been adopted yet.
Rona and Lua refused to be separated. No matter what happened, they wanted to be adopted together.
But adopting two children at once wasn’t easy, so many adoption plans had been canceled.
Even when they lost the chance to be adopted, the sisters never let go of each other.
Not teachers, not friends—only family could give that kind of support.
“Because we’re family.”
Even if they argued and fought, they would always make up the next day.
“Family…”
Edwin quietly repeated the word.
After hearing the sisters’ words, he understood.
He needed a family.
Just like how Claude was Amelia’s strong support, and how Lucella always hugged Lucian no matter how much they argued.
A warm home, delicious food, and people who smiled at him kindly.
“…I wish I had a family too.”
Even with Amelia around and plenty of good food, his heart still felt empty.
Now he understood why.
He needed a family.
