While Kayden was unconscious, he had a dream.
Here…
As soon as he realized where he was standing, he wanted to cover his eyes. He was at the funeral of the third concubine. The funeral was held in a quiet, secluded corner of the palace, with not a single visitor.
No one bothered to visit the funeral of the third concubine, who had been a maid and was constantly checked by the First concubine during her lifetime. Paying respects to the deceased would surely put anyone in the first concubine’s bad books immediately.
Although the emperor had seemed greatly saddened by the death of the third concubine, whom he cherished in his own way, his grief did not last long. He visited the funeral on the first day, but from the next day, he returned to his life of alcohol and pleasure. He had enjoyed family time with the third concubine and Kayden, but he did not necessarily care for Kayden himself.
Other than the emperor, who left flowers on the first day and then disappeared, the only visitors were the empress, her son, the first prince, and the eccentric fourth concubine. Even they only visited for the first day or two, leaving the funeral eerily quiet afterward.
The only consolation was that the first prince, Elliott, felt sorry for Kayden and stayed with him every day. As the setting sun filled the funeral hall with a crimson glow, Elliott, who had been keeping Kayden company, spoke to him worriedly.
“Kayden, you should get some rest…”
“No, Older Brother. You should go and rest. You don’t look well.”
Kayden forced a smile and shook his head. He appreciated Elliott’s company, but he could see Elliott’s health deteriorating day by day.
“But…”
“Please go, Older Brother. You can rest a little and then come back to stay with me.”
Kayden gave a playful smile and gently pushed Elliott’s back. With a sigh and a laugh, Elliott reluctantly returned to the empress’s quarters.
“Fyuh…”
After sending Elliott away, Kayden slumped into a corner. Sitting against the wall with his knees drawn up, he stared blankly at the sunset streaming through the window. As he sat there for a long time, his eyelids naturally began to droop. Resting his cheek on his knees, Kayden blinked slowly and thought.
“What if…”
What if the first concubine sent an assassin while he slept? If that happens, he hopes to die instantly without feeling any pain…
“I wish I could sleep forever.”
With that thought, young Kayden closed his eyes.
“…den.”
So he should be falling asleep, but… He felt his consciousness rising slightly above the surface.
Kayden frowned at the buzzing noise in his ears. Just let me stay submerged forever…
“Kayden.”
A clear voice suddenly pierced his ears, and his eyes snapped open. Kayden took a shallow breath, blinking. The familiar ceiling came into view. He could vaguely recall dreaming about something, but the memory eluded him. Instead, the events just before he lost consciousness resurfaced one by one.
“…Diana.”
As soon as he remembered the defense battle, he called her name and hurriedly tried to sit up. But the moment he tried to lift his upper body, a fair hand gently pushed his shoulder.
“You shouldn’t get up yet.”
“Ugh.”
Though the touch was small and light, Kayden, still weakened by his injuries, fell back onto the bed. He turned his head towards the voice.
“Diana?”
“…”
Diana, with her gaze lowered, was intently stirring what appeared to be medicine.
Kayden tried to prop himself up on his elbows and asked. “Diana, are you okay?”
“…”
“Are you hurt? I couldn’t check on you because I was out of it…”
“Is this the time to worry about me?”
“Huh?”
Diana finally set the medicine bowl down with a loud clunk and bit her lip, tears welling up.
Taken aback, Kayden fumbled and reached behind him. “Why? Didn’t the imperial doctor treat me well? He’s very skilled… Oh, it looks like I’m all healed… I’m sorry. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I’m sorry.” He mumbled, stumbling over his words, and hastily apologized when Diana just stared at him in silence.
What’s going on…? Kayden broke into a cold sweat.
Diana was never very expressive to begin with. But seeing her looking at him so blankly without any expression was scarier than her shouting in anger. Kayden watched her carefully, keeping silent.
She pointed to the pillow. “Lie down.”
“Okay.”
“Drink this.”
“Okay… Cough!” Kayden obediently tried to drink the medicine Diana offered, but he coughed at the bitter taste and pushed the bowl away. “This is… really bitter, don’t you think?”
“The imperial doctor you trust so much prescribed it for you to take when you woke up. Your external wounds might have healed, but the internal injuries from the reverse summoning still need treatment.”
“If I drink that, it feels like it will hurt even more…”
Kayden tried to look pitiful, softening his eyebrows. With his appearance becoming more delicate after days in bed, he looked like a deer.
Diana sighed softly and spoke calmly.
“Then I’ll feed it to you.”
At her words, Kayden coughed louder than before.
“Cough, cough! What?”
“Sit up. Your external wounds have healed, so I’ll prop you up with a pillow.”
“Wait, Diana, just a moment…”
As Kayden tried to protest, Diana practically hugged him to lift him and prop him up against the headboard. Kayden hurriedly grabbed her hand.
“I’ll just drink it myself. I’m not so weak that I can’t hold a bowl…” But his voice trailed off.
Diana stubbornly held the medicine bowl and stared at him. In the end, Kayden surrendered and leaned back against the pillow.
“…Okay.”
He closed his eyes, thinking it might help clear his mind of inappropriate thoughts. But he soon realized it was a mistake.
“I’ll make it quick.”
Diana took a sip of the medicine and pressed her lips to his. Kayden clenched his fist to keep himself from grabbing her shoulders.
This is just a medical procedure… Ah, damn it. While Diana seemed to be purely feeding him the medicine, Kayden’s thoughts became more impure. He tried to calm himself, repeating, ‘I’m not a beast’ like a mantra. He also tried to ignore the softness of her lips and the flowery scent wafting from her. It was a different kind of torture from holding onto Patrasche’s shoulders for three hours.
Finally, the seemingly endless bowl of medicine was empty, and their lips parted. Kayden let out a thin breath through his lips once Diana pulled away. He kept his eyes closed, fearing that looking at her would fill his head with improper thoughts again.
“Are we… done?”
“…”
“Diana?”
But Diana didn’t answer for a long time. Unable to wait any longer, Kayden called her in a puzzled voice. He was about to open his eyes when she suddenly rested her head against his chest.
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