If I Disobey the Duke

Sowed (1)

“You have been sick for a fortnight.”

“…Yeah?”

Vlad slumped down on the bedside chair.  He rested his elbows on his knees and put his hands together to support his chin. He was in a prayer-like posture.

“The fever lasted ten days. After that, you still couldn’t stay conscious after five days… I thought…”

If he said it out loud, it seemed like he will actually break. He couldn’t even speak.

His strong hand trembled uncontrollably. His gray eyes were out of focus with dilated pupils.

She just had her eyes open.

The last full moon unfolded before his eyes again.

Long ago, winter. What Ivan said pierced his heart like a harpoon and did not fall out.

[Although people may die from fever, Madam will be fine. I know this because I am a capable priest.]

Every time she groaned, vomited, and shed tears, his soul shattered. The universe around him fell apart.

Her pain. It was the only real fear in his life.

Wouldn’t it be great if he could take his life force and then give it to her? Even though he was born with an immortal body, at that moment he was the most useless man in the world.

“…Vlad.”

As he was sinking in the dark swamp, her voice picked him up.

Shaking, he stopped thinking and regained his focus. When he lifted his head, he saw her.

Lily was awake and alive.

She sat up, her hair cascading over her shoulders.

He was deceived by her lean silhouette several times more than before she fell ill, thinking she was okay.

She stretched out her hand towards him, who bowed his head like a sinner. “Come closer. I want to be by your side.”

As if possessed, he got up and climbed onto the bed. Her tender arms, which had stretched out as if to hug him, quickly wrapped around his waist.

As she sat on his lap, the scent of the herbs mixed with her scent tickled his nose.

He supported the back of her head with a large hand. It was like hugging a little bird that just hatched out of an egg.

After holding her for a while, he took a deep breath, fighting fiercely with the urge to cuddle her.

Lily hugged his broad back and rested her cheek against his chest. His heart was beating so loud that it felt like her own.

“I am fine now. Really.”

It was a heartbeat that was a mess of relief and passion, tension and anxiety.

He took a deep breath, his chest expanding.

Lily’s head slid along the surface.

There were so many things she wanted to ask, she didn’t know what to say first.

“Vlad.” After hesitating for a while, she lifted her head and looked up at him.

To others, his face was almost expressionless, but she knew that he was suffering as if he was about to cry. When she looked at his face, her heart ached.

Eventually, a slurred sound crept through her pallid lips. “I’m hungry.”

“…I’ll have someone prepare dinner right now. Do not sit down, lie down.”

He put her down politely. Lily watched him get out of her bed, and she turned to lie down.

“The doctors are on standby, so they will check your condition again. You have been sick for a long time so you’ll inevitably be weak. Just focus on getting a good rest for a while.”

As she nodded, she heard the sound of the bed sheet rustling.

Lily was able to sit back down only after her doctors confirmed several times that she was completely healed, and Buttercup brought her soup on her silver tray.

She set her spoon down after she was done. She glanced at Vlad and rolled her eyes.

“I’m full.”

As he watched the soup burble, he patted his face with one hand, as if confused.

“Try to finish halfway through.”

“But I’m full.”

“Only three more spoons.”

“…”

Lily reluctantly picked up her spoon again. Exactly three times. And she put it back down on the silver tray.

When Vlad did not hide his disappointment, Lily said quickly, “It is difficult now. It’s been a while since I ate…”

“…All right.”

Lily said it was hard, so he didn’t press on anymore.

He removed the silver tray. After he had put it on the tea table, he returned and sat down at her bedside.

“How about you eat some too? You took care of me. I’m all better now, and I guess you haven’t slept well for a few days either…”

Although he told her not to worry, how could that be possible?

His hair, which had always been neat, was messy. His shirt was also left with his sleeves rolled up and a couple of buttons undone. It was an appearance she would never normally see.

“I am okay.”

“However…”