PBGS 45

chapter 45

Pain came without warning.

A heavy ache struck his head. Ananta pressed his hand against his forehead, gasping for breath.

How many days had passed?

Three or four days since spending the night with Rinka. He had avoided her for a while, but now that she was right in front of him, the curse intensified, as if punishing him for not holding her even when he could.

The letters on the documents before him blurred.

His heart pounded in an irregular rhythm, crying out in pain.

―Get hold of the half-mermaid. And then…

Ananta immediately understood what this was. It wasn’t ordinary discomfort; it was the periodic, punishing pain of the curse that forced him to stay cooped up in his room all day.

And, of all times, it appeared while Rinka was still in the mansion.

He gritted his teeth and tried to stand. No, he tried to rise. But his body refused to obey. A scorching heat pressed down on him, and he felt a cold sweat trickling down his spine.

At that moment, a light knock sounded at the door.

Rinka.

No.

He needed to tell her not to come in.

“Captain…? …No, Ananta?”

Click.

Before he could even tell her to wait, the door opened. Rinka stepped in, holding a tray with a teacup.

“…Rinka.”

His voice was barely a whisper, but he forced himself to sit upright, pretending to be fine.

“The butler wasn’t around, so I brought it myself… Are you okay?”

He tried to steady his voice, but his fingertips trembled.

No matter how much he tried to smile as usual, it seemed useless. When she asked again if he was okay, he forced another smile.

“Of course I’m okay. Thank you for the tea. For now…”

“Wait a moment.”

Despite his efforts to keep composed, Rinka placed the teacup on the desk and leaned a little closer to him.

She reached out and gently brushed his forehead and lips.

“You have a fever.”

“…Did I leave the window open too much?”

“This is the same symptom as last time.”

He needed to push her away immediately. He had to resist the warmth of her presence…

This time, a familiar hand touched the back of his hand. For a brief moment, he thought that Rinka’s warmth felt refreshingly cool—something he had never experienced before.

“You’re in pain.”

Her voice stated the truth so plainly.

The urge to swallow that voice whole grew stronger.

Her warmth and gaze were sweet, like temptation.

“Can you get up? You probably should lie down.”

“No need…”

“I’ll decide whether you need to or not. Come, lean on me.”

She moved as if caring for someone was second nature, and skillfully opened the door connecting to the study.

Ananta quietly pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“Refreshing.”

“Heavy.”

“Hmm.”

“Did I say heavy?”

“Yeah…”

He teased her as usual, but Rinka did not push him away. That meant it was okay.

He closed his eyes.

Maybe for just a short while, this was alright.

Rinka slowly opened the bedroom door and walked to the bedside with a cup of well-brewed herbal tea.

The man’s silver hair, always of fine quality, lay messy at the edges.

Still, he looked beautiful.

His expression, furrowed with pain, and his sweat-dampened hair, made him seem more fragile and poignant.

He was definitely in real pain.

Rinka sat on a stool beside the bed and held the tea close, calling to him.

“Can you lift your head?”

He hadn’t fallen asleep. Slowly, he opened his eyes and instinctively smiled. As he showed signs of trying to sit up, Rinka hurriedly placed the tea on the table and helped him.

It seemed he wasn’t able to get up at all.

She gently laid him back on the bed and lowered his arms carefully.

“Don’t overdo it. You’ve been working for days straight; is this because you pushed your body too hard?”

“You just didn’t see when I really overdid it, Rinka.”

“Good thing I didn’t. No risk of blowing a fuse either.”

Though she spoke with a hint of grumbling, her worry was greater. She sighed and sat beside him again.

“If you’re in pain, you should say so. I didn’t know. You were like that even on the ship.”

“It became a habit. There was never anyone around when I was sick as a child.”

How did he grow up like that? He had always secluded himself in the captain’s room whenever he felt unwell, keeping everyone away.

If not for her now, who could take care of the sick Ananta?

Rinka sighed and brushed aside the sweat-dampened hair from his forehead.

“Alright. But you didn’t need to hide it from me. You were fine on the ship.”

“….”

“I’m not asking for an answer, though.”

Finishing her words, Rinka felt a sudden thirst, a worry she hadn’t realized she had. It was more than she had expected.

Ananta just stared at her silently, saying nothing, closing his eyes again.

She knew he wasn’t asleep, but she let out a small sigh, not forcing an answer.

Better to burn some herbs good for headaches.

She wanted to help, even if only a little. But just as she was about to stand, Ananta’s sigh-like voice stopped her.

“…I didn’t want to show you like this.”

His self-deprecating voice made her pause, sending a chill down her spine.

“Especially not to you.”

Rinka didn’t turn around, but she understood what he needed to hear.

A pitiful person trying to hide even their pain.

“You know I don’t mind things like that.”

“Haha, yeah.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you, just like last time.”

Rinka didn’t leave his side until Ananta’s fever began to subside.

Finally, as his face relaxed and he seemed to drift off to sleep, Rinka prepared to summon a servant to wipe the remaining sweat. But she decided to do it herself. He didn’t want anyone seeing him unwell on the ship, and he surely wouldn’t want the mansion’s servants seeing him either.

At most, ten minutes.

When she returned after a short absence, the room felt strangely different.

Moonlight was hidden behind clouds, and darkness filled the room.

And Ananta, who had been lying down… sat against the headboard, clutching his head.

The blue eyes, previously hidden by damp hair, looked different. Almost… like someone else’s.

He hadn’t been able to move moments ago.

Still pale, Ananta faintly smiled and pulled Rinka close by the waist.

Something felt off.

The eyes before her weren’t his usual ocean-blue—they were brighter, like Rinka’s, tinted with sunlight. Or maybe… darker, like blood.

“Ananta.”

“Hmm.”

“Why are you up?”

“I wanted to see you up close.”

His voice, low and wolf-like, could have come straight from a fairy tale.

For some reason, Rinka felt the surroundings like the sea as she slowly cupped his face.

The face she had touched so many times.

“…Cold.”

It had been burning just moments ago, but now it was not. Cold and deep, like seawater.

“Cold, yes. I was born in a cold place, after all. This is no different.”

Rinka immediately frowned and brushed his hand away when he pointed to himself with those words.

This was…

This was not Ananta.

“Who are you?”

Rinka’s voice didn’t tremble. She was simply on guard, meeting something unfamiliar.

“Rinka Meribel.”

Ananta’s lips—or rather, something that was not Ananta—slowly spoke.