If I Disobey the Duke

Prophecy (4)

The comfortable feeling followed the pain. She had been sick for a long time, so the aftereffects were severe. Her whole body ached as if it had gone on a strenuous hike.

She moaned a little and got up. Fine silver hair fell over her shoulders. Suddenly, a familiar figure caught her eye on the edge of her bed.

“…Vlad…?”

Mumbling reflexively, she covered her mouth with a smile.

He sat down on the floor and leaned the back of his head against the posts of her canopy bed.  At first glance, he seemed to be just sitting with his eyes closed, but he was clearly asleep.

His hair was loose, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. Above all, there was no response even though her voice was audible.

Lily held her breath and quietly crawled out of bed. It was a pretty rare sight.

She felt the urge to put her hand under his nose. It was because he looked like he had no sign of breathing, and he was more like a statue sculpted than a human.

His long, black eyelashes cast a shadow around his cheeks, making them look dark. Rather than an alluring look like a heretic who jumped out of the banquet hall of the gods, she was more concerned about his pale complexion.

Did he stay by the bedside the whole time this time too?

Lily was worried.

I should wake him up.

Now that she was completely refreshed, she decided that it would be better for him to sleep on the bed.

She reached out her hand and gently touched his bangs. “I, Vlad….”

He opened his eyes.

Even though he didn’t move any part of his body and only his eyes were open, he looked more surprised than if his whole body jumped up.

She laughed in embarrassment.

He did eventually jump from his position. Lily reflexively stepped back.

Vlad stretched out his arms, eyes closed. The back of his hand touched her forehead.

“…”

Lily slowly opened her tightly closed eyes. He placed one arm on her bed linens and took her temperature with the other.

He lowered his hand only after he confirmed that the fever had gone.

“How is your body?”

Lily blinked her eyes with a bit of bewilderment. Her heart was pounding because she was quite startled. She nodded her head slightly. “It’s okay. All the heat is gone. Clearly.”

“Are there any other uncomfortable places? Even if you don’t feel sick. If there is even a very small thing, please tell me.”

She quickly shook her head. “It’s all good. I think I might be able to run outside. Really.”

All the while as she spoke, his hands flitted over her neck, cheeks, and nape. After confirming enough, he sighed deeply and stood up. Lily was so nervous that she felt like he had just finished grading her exam papers.

“Okay. Finally…” He staggered back a step.

For a moment, she saw clearly.

“Vlad!” Lily raised her body, almost shrieking.

Wasn’t this the most haggard look he had since she’d known him? In the eyes of others, he was probably fine. To her now he was her weary husband.

As she hurriedly got down from the bed, she grabbed his wrist. “Come here. How many days have you been like this? If you stumble or something like that… You must rest.”

“It’s not like that. You shouldn’t be suddenly agitated. Go back to bed.”

“I may be weak but not that weak.”

“It’s really not a big deal. Stop it, Lily.”

“Come on, lie down. Your complexion…”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop?”

“…”

There was a little power in his voice. It was not enough to say that he raised his voice. It seemed that he could not control his emotions for a moment.

He clenched his teeth as he looked back at Lily who had stopped. Closing his eyes with a guilty expression as if he had made an unscrupulous mistake, he opened them again and let out a deep sigh. “I didn’t mean to reprimand you. I just…” His stiff shoulders were limp. Then he closed his mouth and breathed only a few times as he chose his words. “I want you to not waste any effort worrying about me. You are suffering… That’s the most difficult part for me.”

Even though he was holding his emotions down, his voice was so desperate that she could feel it.

Lily wasn’t rude enough to ignore such appeals. Reluctantly, she let go of the hand that had held him and sat across the bed.

She slid back slowly, laid down on her back, and went into the duvet.

Then he pulled the blanket up to her chin. After fixing her hair, he straightened his back and stood up.

“Hey, how long have I been sick this time?”

She just had a fever. But to him, it was literally like seeing someone returning from the underworld. It seemed like she would disappear when he turned his eyes away. He kept looking at her complexion.

If she had left him like this, he would not even be himself.

Vlad swallowed dry saliva. His neck bobbed up and down.

As if it was painful to even speak, he finally closed his eyes.