TVMGLIHLY – CH037

Chapter 37

Even though both Doha and Bunny grew up in poor conditions, they knew what nursing was.

Because whenever they were sick after entering the family, they received treatment and nursing.

But surely, considering the environment they were in, it made sense.

Their background was in the garbage dump, they were rejected as the culprits of the war, and their mother was mentally unstable.

‘And then…she passed away.’

Because his mind was so chaotic, he had forgotten.

That someone had died.

In his haste to save Damian, he couldn’t even properly handle the body.

How miserable Damian must have felt, it was beyond estimation.

Only nine years old.

At the age of nine, no one was left by his side.

Branded forever as the culprit of the war.

For a moment, Doha kept silent, then wiped the sweat from Damian’s face and helped him up.

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay?”

Am I okay?

Damian thought it was a strange question.

He groaned because he was in pain, and even if he said he wasn’t okay, the situation wouldn’t change.

He didn’t know what to say in response, so he didn’t say anything.

Still, Doha’s touch became much gentler than before. It was almost ticklish.

“You’re not hurting anymore, right?”

“Why are you asking?”

“You should ask. You should be careful.”

Doha answered as she poured water into his mouth.

Feeling a severe thirst, Damian reflexively swallowed the water. He couldn’t remember the last time he drank water that didn’t taste stale.

At the same time, a belated question arose. Even getting water was difficult in the garbage dump.

“It tastes like clean water.”

“Oh, if you’re asking where it came from, I’ll tell you it wasn’t obtained by legitimate means.”

Doha wrung out the remaining water from the cloth and reached out her hand as if she were going to lift his shirt.

Unconsciously, Damian grabbed her hand roughly.

“What, what are you doing?”

“They say if you wipe your body with a wet towel, it helps lower the fever.”

“….”

“If you don’t like it, should I not do it?”

It was strange for a girl of his age, or even slightly older, to wipe his body.

Asking if he’s okay, if he dislikes it, if he’s in pain, one by one, was even stranger.

“If you don’t like it, I won’t do it. Seeing you talk normally, you seem to be in better condition than I thought.”

Well, I’m not at death’s door here.

Doha chuckled incomprehensible words and smiled softly.

“…You’re weird.”

Somehow, Damian felt uncomfortable in this situation.

Doha kept staring at him without taking her eyes off him.

Just the fact that she was scrutinizing his every move and reaction, even when he just changed his posture, felt strange and unfamiliar.

“It’s not strange. It’s normal to receive nursing care like this when you’re sick.”

When you’re sick.

For Damian, being sick meant quietly huddling, waiting for this time to pass without anyone noticing.

That alone was enough to endure the pain.

There was no need to pay attention to him. There was no medicine available immediately, and watching over him wouldn’t make him better. So, why…

“Why are you nursing me?”

Why? Why are you nursing me? Is there a reason to nurse someone?

Although he hadn’t thought deeply about it, surprisingly, the answer came quickly.

“Just relax and be sick without worrying about your surroundings.”

“…Why?”

Hearing that, Damian, his eyes widening like a rabbit, found Doha’s smile adorable.

“Please get some rest, Your Highness.”

Doha said as she covered his eyes with her palm.

“…How long are you going to call me that?”

It was then, with colorful breaths, that Damian furrowed his brows and asked.

“Like this?”

“Calling me with such a strange title.”

Calling him Your Highness wasn’t strange at all, but…

‘Certainly, it might not be that familiar.’

Actually, Doha wasn’t used to it either.

She just thought she should be courteous after finding out he was a prince.

But he’s not just a child who needs care.

“What do you want me to call you then?”

“Just like before.”

Doha called his name softly.

“Damian.”

“…I didn’t ask to be called by my name.”

He was going to brush it off like that. But…

After being called by his name, he realized the weight of the name.

Originally, he had never been called by that name in his life, until today, when his mother passed away.

No, if Bunny hadn’t come, he might not have survived. So it was a name that would be forgotten along with him.

Yet here he was being called again.

He had only been called by his name in passing.

Even though he should have let go, his mother, who had regained her senses, called him ‘Damian’ affectionately.

Now that his mother had passed away, he should let go.

‘I’m still…’

Under Doha’s palm, Damian blinked with a cold and dry expression.

He was broken, but still boiling inside.

“Why did you want me to live?”

It was the question he wanted to ask the most.

“Why did you tell me to survive until the end? If I know I’m a prince, I won’t even understand what that means.”

Telling a rejected prince not to die meant nothing other than becoming an emperor.

“Are you going to make me an emperor?”

He asked nonchalantly.

Doha was secretly surprised by that statement. Of course, she had hinted enough to suggest that she would make him ascend the throne.

However, she didn’t expect the word ’emperor’ to come out so easily from the mouth of a child who had lived in a garbage dump far from the glorious life of the nobility. And so casually.

She even wondered if it was a word he could say without fear because he didn’t know anything.

“I don’t know what kind of emperor I’ll become.”

Damian muttered.

“Hmm.”

Doha recalled the fortune she had seen for Damian before.

He could become a righteous emperor and bring prosperity to the world, or he could become a conquering lord and dominate the realm, or he could even become a great tyrant.

Containing all these facets, it was impossible to know which direction he would incline towards.

‘Perhaps he could become a tyrant.’

His path was the path of a warrior, so he could collapse without being able to endure it sober-mindedly.

Well, but…

“The important thing is that I’m here right now.”

“What?”

“As long as I’m here, Damian can only become an emperor.”

A sweet smile melted onto the corners of Doha’s lips.

“That’s what I’m going to make him.”

A tree is like that. It only sees one branch and stretches out straight like a steam locomotive running forward, focusing only on what it catches.

The moment she arrived here, Doha completely decided on the direction she needed to take.

To safely make the child in front of her an emperor.

To help him become an emperor without destroying himself.

To be the only support in his life that he cannot trust anything else.

To safely make him an emperor.

In fact, she had thought about it since she heard the fortune.

She wanted to see Damian’s potential to the fullest, to see it to the limit.

Even though he might be scorned as the cause of war, eventually overcoming everything and becoming the sun in the sky.

Doha wanted Damian to live. She wanted him to live and reign over the world.

“I think it’s fate.”

The direction your heart leans towards is ultimately your fate.

“Choices follow the heart.”

The moment she realized that, Doha decided to comply with her destiny.

“I’ve decided to stay by Damian’s side.”

“…”

“I can’t promise to make everything easy for you, but I’ll stay by your side until you become an emperor.”

Saying so, Doha removed her hand that covered Damian’s eyes.

Their eyes met, so dark that the pupils were not visible.

“I’ll dedicate everything I have.”

“…”

“So, gladly consume me.”

“Consume?”

“Yes, use me as firewood until you can hold the light of the sun, Damian.”

“You only say the words I hate.”

“Do I?”

Doha tilted her head while still looking down at the child.

“Did you think I would be happy to hear that while I’m dying because of you?”

“Um, it doesn’t mean sacrificing my life.”

What does it mean to say to consume oneself if it’s not a sacrifice?

When Damian gave her a skeptical look, Doha raised her chin, revealing it, and smiled confidently.

She smiled so brightly. In this dark cave, Doha alone shone brightly.

“Burn me as much as you want. I won’t die.”

Unable to handle just one child like this, how could she break out of the Cradle lineage?

“I won’t die. I can swear it.”

Even if she were to die unexpectedly in an accident, it would never be because of Damian.

‘With such a good match…’

By giving Damian what she didn’t have and receiving what Damian didn’t have, they could achieve a balance between each other.

Thinking about how she could reassure him, Doha used a method that could appeal to a child.

Damian was startled.

“Stay still. I’m making a promise, so let’s intertwine our fingers.”

With a very serious expression, she took his little finger and intertwined it with hers.

“I’ll prove it by living until the end.”

“…”

“Damian isn’t the villain of the future wars or the perpetrator of past massacres. He’s the brilliant sun who will embrace all the people.”

At that moment, beneath his eyes that seemed to have emptied out, a faint desire flickered.

It was like the desire of a cold-blooded animal, wavering, suggesting that it would still take a lot of time.

“Be the sun that heralds spring, and warm all things with your tenderness.”

Doha whispered softly.

Although the pressure on their fingers was strong enough to hurt, she didn’t show any sign of discomfort.

She gently patted his chest with their fingers intertwined until he fell asleep, despite his faint breathing.