“Wait a moment,” Kayden said suddenly, then took a sip of water and leaned down.
Diana froze at the feeling of their lips touching, but as the water flowed into her mouth, she realized his intention and accepted it. His lips were warm, but the water entering her mouth was cold. The contrast in temperature made the warmth and texture of his lips even more pronounced.
Thanks to Kayden holding her jaw steady, Diana managed to drink the entire cup of water without much difficulty. He waited until she had swallowed all the water before supporting her back with a pillow and stepping back.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Diana looked down and thanked him. “Thank you. I feel much better.”
“…Aren’t you going to ask what happened?” At that moment, Kayden, who had been watching her with an indescribable look, suddenly asked.
Diana then realized that her demeanor had been unusually calm for someone who had just been poisoned. She belatedly asked him about the situation. “What happened? I remember…”
“Poison was found in the tea Tania Hamilton gave you. You’ve been unconscious for two days.” Kayden calmly informed her of what she might be curious about.
Diana was taken aback to hear she had been unconscious for two days. I thought it had been at most half a day. It seemed her body was weaker than she had thought. While an average person might have been affected for half a day, she had been out for two.
Meanwhile, Kayden looked at Diana, who was blinking her gentle eyes, feeling a bitter mix of emotions. She doesn’t even get angry.
Even though Tania Hamilton, a maid, had tried to harm her, Diana showed no signs of anger or agitation. This stirred something inside Kayden. Why didn’t she know how to defend herself when someone disrespected or even tried to harm her? To Kayden, it seemed as if Diana, having grown up in the Sudsfield household, had become accustomed to others’ hostility, which made him feel sorry for her.
After all, this happened because of me. Kayden spoke with a touch of self-deprecation. “Tania Hamilton… has already been executed, and the other two maids are currently detained. But given the circumstances, they were likely…”
Used without their knowledge. Kayden held back, not wanting to seem as if he were defending the maids in front of Diana.
“So that’s what happened.”
Despite Kayden’s somewhat vague explanation, Diana quickly grasped the situation. They probably didn’t explicitly mention poison, but they must have incited Tania, knowing she had the Sella flower tea. Even if Tania had been kept alive for investigation, they wouldn’t have found clear evidence. Rebecca wouldn’t handle her pawns so carelessly as to leave traces.
As Diana continued to think, she found herself drowsy due to the dark surroundings and her not yet fully recovered body. Kayden noticed her heavy eyelids and gently laid her down properly.
“Get some more rest. I’ll be right here.” He tucked the blanket up to her neck and patted the top rhythmically. His dark eyes held a faint worry and self-reproach. Diana was even keeping his seizures a secret. He felt pained by his constant inability to do anything for her.
As Diana was about to drift off to sleep, she felt Kayden’s mana fluctuating oddly and froze. What is this? Her half-closed eyes snapped open. She quickly turned her head to look at Kayden, who met her gaze curiously.
“Diana?”
Though his face was innocent, his mana was not. Sensing that his mana was about to go out of control again, she moved before she could think.
“…!”
Kayden was startled and held his breath as Diana suddenly threw her arms around him, pulling him close. Frozen like an ice statue for a moment, he then exhaled the breath he had been holding in a confused voice.
“Diana? What’s going on?”
“That…”
“What did you say?”
Diana mumbled something, but her voice was so soft that he couldn’t hear her well.
I can’t think of an excuse… Hiding her face in his chest, Diana was desperately trying to come up with an excuse. But nothing appropriate came to mind for suddenly hugging him when there was no one else around. She couldn’t tell him she had sensed a seizure coming on, so she braved the embarrassment and came up with a simple reason.
“…cold.”
“What?”
“I was a bit cold, so I thought… would it be okay… if I slept like this?” She hesitated as she spoke, checking his face, then quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Kayden, taking in her flushed face, chuckled softly. It’s really amazing. From the moment he first met her, Diana had always seemed to notice his anxiety before he did and tried to comfort him. Did she know how precious, grateful, and lovely that made her seem?
To hide his feelings, Kayden pulled her into a firmer embrace and teased her. “If you wanted to be close to me, you could have just said so, Wife. You wouldn’t have needed an excuse.”
“…That’s not it.”
“Of course.”
“Really, it’s not.”
“Yes, yes. I believe you.” Despite his words, his tone made it clear he didn’t believe her at all.
Kayden, now smiling, gently patted Diana’s back, having forgotten his previous worries. “Alright, let’s sleep. I’ll hold you like this until morning.”
“…Again, it’s just because I’m cold.”
“Then I’ll also say I’m cold, so I’ll just sleep like this,” Kayden responded with a smile.
Diana, lying in his arms, pouted slightly at his playful demeanor, making Kayden chuckle again. Still… As soon as he touched Diana, he felt an overwhelming sense of calm, almost drowsy. He doubted he would ever get used to this feeling, even if it lasted until his dying day. Blinking, he thought it was strange how heavy his eyelids had become, almost as heavy as Diana’s had been a moment ago. He smiled slightly at the thought, adjusting his position to let Diana lie more comfortably.
“I intended to help you sleep, but it seems I’m getting sleepy too.”
“I’m not a five-year-old who needs a bedtime story and warm milk, Your Highness. You should get some sleep too.”
“Right, but…”
Unlike Kayden, Diana seemed more awake, smiling as she looked up at him. Kayden, trying to say something, succumbed to the drowsiness and closed his eyes.
Diana sighed in relief only after she confirmed that his mana had settled down. It would be good to know what triggers his seizures. But finding it might be difficult though.
As soon as she confirmed there was no issue with Kayden’s condition, the drowsiness she had been pushing away washed over her again. She tried to move away from his embrace to sleep, but he tightened his arms around her in his sleep. This happened last time too. Is it a habit?
In the end, Diana had no choice but to sleep in his arms. The feel of his firm body against hers was enough to stir strange thoughts in her mind.
Was I the one being a pervert…? Awkwardly aware of his warmth and heartbeat so close, Diana eventually closed her eyes in a daze. The last thought she had before falling into a deep sleep was how comforting it was to have someone by her side.
* * *
While Diana was recovering, Kayden took care of her with overwhelming attentiveness. Though she didn’t dislike it, now that a mock battle was imminent, he needed to focus on his training.
Diana firmly sent Kayden, who wanted to stay by her side all day, to the training grounds. “You’ve taken good care of me already.”
“But…”
“Can’t you see Sir Remit glaring at you? Go quickly.”
“Yo-Your Highness, I swear I wasn’t glaring! Gah!”
Patrasche, who had been glaring sharply at Kayden, hastily shook his head but ended up groaning under his superior’s vigorous ‘hug’—a thinly veiled punishment. After sharing a brief moment of camaraderie with Patrasche, Kayden left.
Finally alone, Diana closed the door and sat by the window. Anyway, they’re all overprotective… Even Fleur and Elliot had visited yesterday, shedding tears for her. Diana shook her head, recalling how Fleur almost collapsed from crying too much out of worry.
Leaning back on the couch by the window, Diana looked outside. Her pink hair fluttered in the breeze coming through the window, mingling with the translucent white curtains.
When will Mizel return? She glanced at the door. It had been about two weeks since she had given Mizel three orders. She felt it was about time for her to return and stared intently at the closed door, hoping he would appear. But then, unexpectedly,
“Guild Master.”
“Uargh!”
Mizel’s voice came from outside the window.
