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Chapter 49
“It’s just that she fell asleep after taking an excessive amount of painkillers, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
After quietly finishing her examination so no one else would hear, Piril turned off the penlight and let out a breath.
It was already the second time today that her heart felt like it had dropped.
When Kylian had burst out holding an ashen-faced Ritrisha in his arms not long ago—she had been so pale that even Piril herself had doubted for a moment whether Ritrisha was still breathing.
Imagining how Kylian must have felt, being the first to find her like that, was more than enough.
“Her breathing and pulse are both normal. However, she was submerged in cold water for too long, so her body temperature has dropped significantly.”
“U-Uhh!”
At Piril’s words, Mia, who had been sniffling nearby, threw an armful of firewood into the fireplace.
The fire grew quickly, crackling beside the hearth, where Gorten and Marcia also stood.
Though everyone had clearly been shocked by Ritrisha suddenly losing consciousness, fortunately, it seemed no one had realized the true nature of her condition.
More than anything, Kylian himself was in such a bad state that no one had the mind to think that far.
With a troubled expression, Gorten pulled the heavy curtains over the window, blocking the sight of the pouring rain outside.
“My lord. We will take care of Lady Ritrisha, so for now—”
“Don’t touch her.”
“My lord…”
Like a beast protecting its cub, Kylian tightened his shaking arms around Ritrisha.
His pale face was blotched, with redness swelling especially under his eyes.
“Everyone out.”
“Then… I’ll leave this here. Please be sure to take it. Please.”
There was no benefit in provoking a distraught Kylian.
Gorten placed a pouch containing a sedative on the nightstand, gathered the other attendants, and left the room.
Piril, who had been awkwardly standing by, was the last to rise from her seat.
“Hey.”
“Y-Yes, Your Grace?”
“How’s the progress on finding a cure for Ritrisha’s illness?”
“I’ve been researching from multiple angles, but… I’m sorry. There’s been no progress yet.”
Piril lowered her head, weighed down by helplessness.
Though she was in the middle of developing an antidote for the Tetrad, she had still been studying a cure for Ritrisha in what little spare time she had.
But it felt like she was going in circles—no results, no breakthroughs.
“Why is there no progress? I told you the cause of the illness myself. And yet you dare say there’s no progress?”
“I have no excuse.”
“Stop apologizing and find a solution. Whether it’s money or manpower, I’ll provide anything. Just save Ritrisha.”
“I’ll… do my best.”
“I don’t need your best. Just do it. No matter what.”
If you want to live.
The terrifying warning tacked onto the end made Piril nod so hard it seemed her head might fall off, then she hesitated to leave.
“But… Your Grace. I don’t think Lady Ritrisha has the will to recover.”
Hearing those words from someone else made Kylian feel like his heart dropped into a pit.
The very fear he had harbored had become reality.
“To be more precise, I don’t think she has any attachment to life. In this state, even if we find a cure…”
“Enough.”
Piril’s gaze toward the sleeping Ritrisha was filled with pity.
“I’ll do my best, but Lady Ritrisha must also have the will to live. T-Then I’ll take my leave.”
Even with Kylian’s murderous glare on her, Piril finished speaking and all but fled the room.
Only after everyone had left did Kylian relax his arms—though he still didn’t put Ritrisha down.
Except for the moment he got up to retrieve the sedative from the nightstand, he didn’t let go of her even for a second, as if she might vanish if he did.
“…Still so cold.”
Even though he had wrapped her in multiple layers of blankets and was holding her tightly, Ritrisha’s body temperature refused to rise.
Her lips and fingernails were tinged blue.
Crack, crackle.
Staring into the blazing fireplace, Kylian got off the bed with resolve.
Just approaching the hearth by the window made his chest tighten. Still, the fire crackled loudly enough to drown out most of the rain.
Kylian laid out bedding in front of the fireplace and gently placed Ritrisha on it.
Yet when her body still wouldn’t warm, he took off his shirt and slipped under the blanket with her.
Because he’d growled at everyone but Piril to keep their hands off her, Ritrisha was only dressed in a thin slip, almost sheer.
“Please forgive me. I mean no harm, so don’t take this the wrong way.”
Pressing his firm upper body close to hers, Kylian pulled the blanket up to Ritrisha’s neck.
When he’d first found her sleeping like the dead in the bathtub, he’d thought he was going mad.
It was a completely different kind of fear than when she had run away and he’d torn the estate apart looking for her.
He’d been terrified she might never open her eyes again.
Now that he finally knew what her smile looked like—if he lost her again like this, he truly wouldn’t be able to bear it.
It wasn’t just possessiveness.
The resentment he once held toward Ritrisha for leaving him was slowly transforming into something else entirely.
「……」
Swish.
A faint blue smoke rose from Kylian’s hand and hovered in the air.
“…What are you trying to say this time?”
「Nothing.」
“Strange.”
「Is she okay?」
“I thought you were just residual magic, but you seem to have the ability to talk?”
The smoke shivered dramatically at Kylian’s harsh reply. It was likely just mimicking what it had seen and heard, but it almost looked… emotional.
“She’ll be fine. She will be fine.”
Whether he was speaking to the smoke or trying to reassure himself was unclear.
Then Kylian pressed a kiss to Ritrisha’s forehead.
“She’s not okay yet, but I’ll make sure she will be. I will.”
*
Twitch.
In a haze, Ritrisha wiggled her toes.
Warm…
That was the first thing she felt as she regained consciousness. Then came the scent of burning firewood.
Next, she saw a bluish smoke-like thing.
That smoke… I think I’ve seen it before…
Blinking dazedly, Ritrisha was puzzled.
Wait, I can see? But… there’s nothing I should be able to see, right?
“If you keep blinking like that, it tickles.”
“Kylian…?”
At the sound of his pleasant baritone voice nearby, Ritrisha reached out.
Her hand met his bare chest—it was firm and warm, quite stimulating—but her foggy senses were still processing everything slowly.
“Why… are we like this?”
“Don’t you remember? You fell asleep in the bathtub because of the medicine. Caused quite the commotion.”
“Oh… I must have dozed off from the medication.”
“Dozed off?”
Ha.
Kylian let out a disbelieving laugh, his chest moving under her palm.
“How carefree. I felt like I’d just been to hell and back. Ritrisha, you clearly need stricter instructions on how to take your meds. Dosages exist for a reason, you know.”
“Mm…”
Feeling guilty for having scared him, Ritrisha averted her eyes.
The bluish smoke was gone. Maybe it was just a mirage?
As she rubbed her seemingly blind eyes, her ears perked up.
She had thought the crackling sound was just from the fireplace, but now that she listened carefully—it wasn’t just that.
Something colder, damper…
“Rain…!”
Ritrisha, now able to distinguish the unfamiliar sound behind the fire’s crackling, shot up in alarm.
Forgetting her attempts to hide her condition from Kylian, she reached for his face.
“Kylian, are you okay? It’s raining, isn’t it? Did you take the sedative?”
“Ritrisha.”
“Your sweat… wait, is that cold sweat? I’m sorry. I didn’t even realize it was raining and slept so comfortably…”
“Says the one who had to be carried out of a bathtub. Who’s worrying about whom here?”
Kylian, muttering curses under his breath, let Ritrisha touch his face without resistance.
“I took the sedative. The sweat is just because the room is hot. Feel for yourself—I’m fine. Except for one thing.”
He sat up with her, gathering the fallen blanket in his hand.
“I don’t know where to look.”
“Ah…!”
Kylian, now partially exposed, pulled the blanket over his chest and gently lifted Ritrisha into his lap.
Now trapped there, Ritrisha glanced nervously at him.
He probably realized her eyes weren’t working—but thankfully, he didn’t seem intent on pressing the matter.
Resting his chin on the crown of her head, Kylian simply stared into the burning logs, lost in thought.
Until the rain stopped and the fire burned out, they sat there quietly.
Finally, as dawn broke, he spoke in a hoarse whisper.
“Ritrisha, you’re such a mystery. What do I have to do… to make you want to live? I wish someone would just tell me.”
