Chapter 39
“I think I need to lie down and rest for a while.”
“Would it be alright if I use the bed, even if it’s a bit messy?”
As Eliana rushed to the bed and pulled back the blanket, Michalis frowned slightly.
He was covered in sweat and blood—he didn’t feel right about lying on her bed in that condition.
“I’ll take care of it with magic. Just lie down, please.”
“…All right.”
Michalis slowly approached the bed and lowered himself onto it. Eliana gently pulled the blanket over him.
‘He probably needs iron supplements… but there’s no seaweed soup here. What else could work?’
Eliana bit her lip, worried by how pale he looked.
“……”
Michalis blinked, a little caught off guard by how seriously she was treating him—as if he were a fragile patient.
“Michal, I’ll be heading to the kitchen. Don’t move, and just rest for now.”
“Yes, understood.”
As the bedroom door closed and Eliana’s footsteps faded down the hallway, a small smile tugged at Michalis’s lips.
‘Eliana… she’s genuinely worried about me.’
The lingering feeling of anxiety that had shadowed him recently seemed to ease ever so slightly.
‘She smells nice, too…’
He’d never once napped in his life, and yet—
“……”
Maybe he really wasn’t well.
Nestled under the covers that held her scent, Michalis’s eyelids slowly fluttered shut.
In the brief time since then, the mansion had descended into chaos.
All along the path Michalis had walked, blood left behind deep red stains that seemed endless.
Thanks to his chilling order forbidding anyone from following, the servants were paralyzed—unable to move forward or act.
“M-Madam! Is His Grace all right?!”
The butler, unable to even knock out of fear, came running toward Eliana as she exited. Behind him, a maid followed, carrying a basket stuffed with medicines and bandages.
“He’s stabilized now. The bleeding has stopped and I’ve handled first aid. There’s no need to panic.”
“Th-thank goodness… How did you…?”
“I happened to have a good potion for injuries on hand.”
Unable to reveal the existence of her magic cards, Eliana had no choice but to lie.
“Ah, so that’s why His Grace came straight to you, Madam?”
“Enough questions, Butler. Please clean up the hallway and prepare a fresh change of clothes.”
“…Understood.”
After reassuring the butler, Eliana resumed her way to the kitchen—only to run into another unexpected crowd.
“……”
“It’s the Madam!”
“Madam! Is His Grace all right?!”
Far paler than the man who’d actually been injured, ten knights were crowded into the first-floor lobby, looking like death itself.
Michalis, who had drifted into a rare nap, was awakened by the cool touch of a damp cloth placed on his forehead.
“Oh—you’re awake?”
“I… fell asleep?”
Opening his eyes, he found Eliana’s gaze already meeting his. He quickly tried to sit up.
“You lost consciousness.”
“Haah… I see.”
He flushed, embarrassed by the thought of having passed out.
It must’ve been worse than he realized—his body had been wiped clean, and he was now dressed in comfortable sleepwear.
“I showed you an unseemly side of myself… How did I get changed?”
“The magic cleaned you. A servant helped with the clothes.”
“……”
“There’s no need to feel ashamed—it was just acute anemia.”
Eliana explained everything calmly, as if sensing his discomfort.
“I’ll rewrap the bandages.”
Michalis unwrapped the haphazard layers of gauze covering his former wound.
Even with high-grade healing magic, scars could still form. The bandages served to hide the fact that there was now nothing there—to protect the secret that Eliana could use magic.
“Michal, I think you should eat in here tonight. I’ll have your meal brought up.”
She watched him expertly bandage himself for a moment, then tugged on the bell cord.
Not long after, a small dinner was laid out on the tea table.
“I picked foods good for anemia. Even if it doesn’t taste great, you have to finish everything.”
Eliana adopted a stern tone that didn’t quite suit her, but it only added to her charm.
“Did you prepare this yourself?”
“I didn’t cook it myself, but I chose the menu.”
Then I’ll eat even if it’s stone.
“It’s delicious.”
Michalis, who normally avoided dishes like veal liver steak, cut into it without hesitation and took a big bite.
“You’ll recover in no time.”
Seeing him devour a mouthful of spinach salad next, Eliana finally let out a faint smile.
When he’d appeared earlier—drenched in blood and barely able to stand—it had scared her more than she could express.
“You’re not feeling any discomfort when you move, right?”
“No. I feel just as I usually do.”
The healing magic seemed to have worked perfectly.
“Other people are worried too. Please… don’t get hurt again.”
Eliana finally picked up her own fork.
Through everything that had happened today, she came to realize—just how important Michalis had become to her.
‘No matter what happens, the rebellion route is not an option.’
If Freya’s schemes led to Michalis being implicated in treason, it wouldn’t just be his problem alone.
Whether the rebellion succeeded or failed, someone from the Royal Guard would be forced to fight against their own comrades under his orders—some would be wounded, others might die.
* * *
“Tomorrow is finally the ennoblement ceremony. Don’t push yourself too hard tonight—try to sleep early.”
“Understood.”
“Then… I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As Michalis finished his meal and reached for his water glass, his hand suddenly paused.
‘Tomorrow… tomorrow. See you tomorrow…?’
In other words—you’ve eaten, now go back to your room.
No.
“……”
That’s right—Michalis didn’t want to leave. He wanted to stay here. In Eliana’s bedroom. All night long.
Together.
Until morning.
Gulp.
He took a sip of water, then looked at Eliana with eyes full of silent yearning.
‘Eliana… Let’s sleep together tonight. In one bed. With me.’
“……?”
Eliana tilted her head slightly, puzzled by the strange look in his eyes.
“Sleep well?”
She offered him a sweet, polite goodnight with a curious tilt of her head.
“……”
Nope. That look didn’t land.
“Michal… is there something you want to say?”
‘That look… does he want a goodnight kiss or something?’
She frowned slightly, staring at the subtle expression on his face that looked like it was hiding a mountain of emotion.
“…No.”
Michalis shook his head, then slowly rose to his feet.
Tactics, after all, must make the most of the situation at hand.
“Ugh—”
As he stood, a sharp groan escaped him and he staggered.
Clatter!
Barely catching himself with a hand on the tea table, the dishes on top clinked and rattled loudly.
“Are you okay?!”
Startled, Eliana jumped up from her seat.
“It’s just a little dizziness…”
Suddenly, Michalis’s face burned red with embarrassment.
The shame of resorting to this just to stay by her side was unbearable.
“Goodness, you’re burning up!”
Eliana pressed a hand to his forehead and her eyes widened.
It seemed the anemia was more serious than she’d thought.
“Looks like I’ll have to use a medical spell after all.”
“Ah—no, it’s fine! A good night’s rest will do the trick. I just…”
He grabbed her hand just as she was about to rush off for a healing card.
“Just…?”
“Just in case the dizziness or fever gets worse tonight…
Would you… stay with me?”
He added a hand to his temple, feigning weakness with a faltering tone.
“……”
It was done.
He’d gone full sick puppy mode.
The method Michalis had chosen to keep Eliana by his side:
[Method 3. Tug at her sympathy.]
“…I suppose I have no choice, do I? You’re not to move around tonight, got it?”
Eliana gave him a suspicious look but stepped closer, guiding his arm over her shoulder.
“If you get dizzy, lean on me. Let’s walk slowly to the bed.”
“Yes.”
Michalis glanced down at her small shoulder that looked like it could barely support him—then began to move, one step at a time.
“Shall I bring you a book?”
“Yes, the one in my nightstand, please.”
“Just wait a moment.”
Eliana left the room, closing the door behind her.
Whump!
After a brief silence—Michalis, who had been lying obediently under the blanket—kicked it off.
Whump! Whump!
Once wasn’t enough. Twice more the blanket flapped.
The joy of victory and the shame of how he achieved it were two very different emotions.
Scratch, scratch.
The quiet sound of a pen brushing paper filled the room.
“……”
Michalis leaned back against the headboard of the bed, a book in his hand—but his eyes weren’t on the pages.
They were fixed on Eliana’s profile.
“What drives you to study magic so intently?”
He had been watching her for a long while before he finally asked.
“Do you remember what I said before?” she asked, pausing and turning to meet his eyes.
“What do you mean…?”
“I said I’d protect you.”
Michalis blinked, thrown off by her answer.
‘Protect me…? Does that mean something’s going to happen? Could it be… because of House Espensen?’
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine House Espensen having the power or reason to truly threaten him.
“Protect me from what, exactly?”
Michalis asked carefully, suspicion building.
How much of her secret would she share with him?
“…From things like today.”
She finally answered after a short pause.
“……”
Michalis’s expression hardened.
His lips pressed into a thin, silent line.
‘She’s avoiding the real answer.’
It was evasion, plain and simple.
She had no intention of telling him everything.
Whatever was going on in that clever little head of hers… it was like fog—always just out of reach.
He couldn’t grasp her intentions.
But one thing, at least, he had to believe:
‘Whatever she’s planning… it’s for my sake.’
He had no choice but to believe that.
Because if he didn’t—if he allowed doubt to take root—he felt like he’d be consumed by it completely.
