Evelina was so distressed. Her body trembled from the cold and pain, but she didn’t dress for Kaiden, who had a lower body temperature than her. She was trying to raise his temperature by sweeping Kaiden’s shoulder and chest with her palm.
“Kaiden.”
He was completely unconscious and motionless. Evelina was overwhelmed by Kaiden’s body. Moreover, her ankle was swollen from falling off the horse. The scratches and bruises throbbed over her body when she was in the water.
It was too much for Evelina, who wasn’t used to riding horses. Maybe that’s why her hip hurt so much. But she was rubbing his body, forgetting all the pain.
“Please wake up.”
She was constantly trying to raise his temperature, saying imploringly.
How long had it been? His temperature slowly returned as she exhausted herself to the point where she could no longer exert herself. Soon, when her body temperature returned as hot as before, which was much higher than her body temperature, she hugged him and relaxed.
“Sigh…”
She rubbed his whole body like that for more than three hours injured body, and she fainted after losing her strength.
~~~~
Kaiden woke up shortly afterward. He had been through this many times before, but he fainted because the wound on his lower abdomen was quite severe when he fell last time.
“Lina.”
As soon as he woke up, he saw Evelina, who was completely naked and lying on his body.
He forgot to breathe as the heat rushed down his face for a moment. Then he suddenly remembered her trying to get his body temperature back.
“…Lina.”
He realized how hard she had worked to save him.
He rose to his feet. Then he sat down while hugging her. He sighed, giving strength to her hand. The fabric wrapped around the shoulders and waist was uncomfortable, and she seemed to have covered it to stop the bleeding. The bound black cloth smelled of blood.
He didn’t know how much blood he shed but he was a little dizzy.
“Evelina.”
He called her name, but Evelina, who fainted, remained motionless.
He laid her on the ground and put his ear to his chest. She trembled as his hot ears touched her chest. He pressed her soft flesh and held his ear just above her heart.
Only then did he feel relieved by the beating heart.
Then he looked for clothes to warm her dropped body temperature. Perhaps it was luck that the clothes were all dry except for the folded ones.
He held her clothes in his hand and looked at Evelina lying on the floor.
“…”
Kaiden hardened at the moment. She was as beautiful as a jewel when she was next to him, decorated lavishly as queen. But now, it felt like another kind of beauty when he saw her wearing nothing and sleeping defenselessly.
Perhaps because the sun had risen, the sunlight reflected in the water had settled over her hair. Her bright golden thread-like hair curled up, perhaps, because it was wet and dried. A pure white body.
He knew well that her body was curvy. He could see much better when he saw her lying down. It was starkly different from the way their bodies overlapped each time the lights were off.
Evelina’s body, seen in bright light, was beautiful as a fairy’s. No, maybe it was like a mermaid.
“Lina.”
He stroked her cheek with his hand as he felt she was going to leave her and disappear. But she was too honest to turn into bubbles and disappear, and her cheeks were hot.
“You have a fever.”
It was only then that Kaiden noticed that she had caught a cold. He realized it was time to move away from his thoughts.
“I have to touch her a little to get dressed.”
He took it lightly that she had stripped him, but when he realized he had to touch her body and dress her, he was a little troubled. But now she was in danger. He had to quickly get her dressed and take her to her place of safety.
When they went to the palace, there would be loyal ministers and knights who would give their lives to her. He hurried to take Evelina there.
Then he started dressing her. Her coat wasn’t very thick because she had torn and tied it to him.
Perhaps it was luck that the temperature was not cold enough to be chilly as it was early summer. However, it was not very warm because the sun had just risen.
He wore only his trousers and wrapped his coat tightly around Evelina. She shivered worse as she wrapped herself in his cold clothes. He found it difficult for her fever to rise further, so he came out of the cave while carrying Evelina on his back.
“Oh, there you are.”
He thought he was lucky at least of all. The lost shoes were floating around outside the cave. He put it on and put Evelina’s on too, and he started walking with her on his back.
The sun was shining, but the shade was severe because all the forest leaves were broad. His temperature rose again because he walked with her on his back. However, Evelina was trembling from her fever and pain, and her body temperature was still high.
“Ka, iden…”
Evelina, who came to her senses, called him.
“Would you hug my neck? Every time I move, I think Lina will fall.”
She lifted her heavy arms and hugged his neck. Then she said in a hoarse voice.
“Are you okay? Can I walk?”
He was so glad she was worried about him as soon as she woke up. He completely forgot that he was in a stiff state and laughed.
“I’m fine. We can run like this.”
“Don’t run. We didn’t eat anything yesterday.”
Her realistic words made him chuckle again.
“I think it would be dangerous to light a fire.”
“Hey, let’s go eat that.”
It was the pear tree that Evelina pointed at with her hand. A green, bottle-shaped boat dangled in front of them. Kaiden put her under a tree and picked one and handed it to her. Then he picked one and put it in his mouth.
“Don’t eat it.”
“Why?”
“It’s bitter.”
He said so, threw away what he had eaten, and took a new one. But maybe the taste was the same because he threw it away again. Kaiden’s expression remained unchanged. Because he was adept at eating things that tasted like sand.
“Well…”
She looked at him and took a bite and wept. She couldn’t believe it was so bad.
He took another bite of the new one, feeling her reaction.
“Eat this.”
“Why?”
“This is delicious.”
“Kaiden should eat delicious food.”
“I don’t like the taste. Everything is the same.”
He was lying. But Evelina was so hungry that she couldn’t refuse what he was giving her. After receiving what he had given her, she tried hard to eat and sighed.
“It’s delicious.”
“That’s a relief.”
It was she who caught a cold and had almost lost her sense of taste. She felt that the astringent was bitter enough. It was clear that she was less repulsed when she ate something that tasted good though.
So they started moving again.
“Hug me tighter.”
“Yes.”
She hugged Kaiden’s neck as he said. Whenever he walked vigorously, it was uncomfortable for her chest to be crushed, but she didn’t have any energy to walk.
“By the way, we. Is it all right to go to the Imperial Palace?”
Kaiden laughed because she liked to tie the two of them together with the word “we,” but he soon erased his smile. He was not supposed to laugh, but he didn’t think she’d understand him anymore if he got caught being happy about it.
“There are my vassals in the palace. And the person who started this commotion is not supported enough to start a rebellion.”
“I see.”
Evelina knew it, but she asked because she was anxious to be confirmed.
“What’s going to happen to Princess Elsius now?”
“What do you want to do when we go back?”
Evelina could not see Kaiden’s intentions of asking back her question. She was wondering if he was giving her the right to decide because she was his younger sister. She thought maybe he was doing this to ease the guilt.
“I don’t know. I want to follow Kaiden’s decision.”
“I’m asking you because Evelina’s decision is the top priority. Lina has forgiven Elsius several times.”
She was really sure he was asking her to ease the guilt.
“But I’m not the emperor, Kaiden.”
“My master is Lina.”
At his words, Evelina opened her eyes wide. As her body weakened, she felt like her mind was going to weaken.
Perhaps because he threw himself at her, Evelina was so confused. And yet she didn’t want to talk about it.
What was important to her was to send her adoptive parents to Tenesi before she died. It wasn’t just a game of love.
Her life was now a week away.
His behavior may not be a result of his actions, but it didn’t matter. What’s important about love for the rest of her life?
She convinced herself like that.
“I can’t wait to go back. I want to know if my parents are okay.”
“Don’t worry, Lina. The Marquis of Logias will be fine.”
“How can you be sure?”
Evelina asked unknowingly.
“The hitman who was aiming for Lina had a pendant of the Marquis of Logias. That means someone is going to blame him.”
“Oh… that’s right.”
“So they’ll choose to keep him alive.”
Evelina had a fever, so it was too hard to carry on what she usually thought well. She was barely able to breathe for her now.
“Come to think of it, I hope the main instigators will be severely punished. Involving my parents… It’s so disgraceful.”
He answered as if he agreed to her words, and they started moving quickly again without a word.
She didn’t even imagine at this time. The real culprit was a figure she couldn’t imagine.
