Lise? Lise!”
The first thing that came into my view after I was unconscious, was a pair of black sparkling eyes drenched with tears.
“…Master Eran?”
“A-are you all right?”
“Yes.”
I put my hand on my head as I forcefully pulled myself up. I cleared my throat as I was feeling dried.
“..It’s been two days.”
Erhan stared at me with his trembling eyes drenched with tears.
Seeing that he couldn’t even say anything, it was obvious that he thought that this is all his fault to begin with.
Phew, but it’s not like that.
Somehow I felt sorry for him.
A pair of skinny yet firm arms hugged me warmly. He was trembling as I could feel him sobbing.
“… I w-was worried.”1
I patted him on his back as to comfort him.
It was a bit breathtaking and outstanding because his hug was strong unlike his weak physique.
“Erbornian snake’s poison can be cured in two days if it is well-treated. I’m sure Ferelman gave me a very good prescription.“
I forced him to split up since it was a bit suffocating and grinned.
“That is true, but… I was so nervous. I’m afraid you’ll never open your eyes again. Why did you get bitten instead of me?”
“I am healthy, so I can be cured after receiving a simple medication, but Master Erhan has a chronic disease and it’s hard to use herbs. It’s better for me to be bitten in your stead.”
However, Erhan seemed unconvinced with my reasoning.
“Lise, please don’t ever do that again. Promise me.”
His eyes were trembling as if he was so scared. He clasped my right hand nervously.
“I can’t promise you. Master Erhan’s health is my top priority.”
I turned my head away with a very firm answer.
“But…”
When Erhan was about to say something, the room’s door opened and Ferelman and the Duchess entered.
Their reaction was dissatisfied and even furrowed their eyebrows.
“It is a reasonable choice for you to get bitten since you don’t have any chronic disease…“
Ferelman sighed and checked my condition. He looked down at me and spoke in a low voice.
“But what if it wasn’t an Erbonian snake, but a more virulent, deadly snake…?”
“I didn’t think about it because I am sure it is an Erbonian snake.“
I spoke coolly and with confidence.
“I think I am treated well because my head was less dizzy and my mouth felt dry, my lord.”
“Do you think I can’t do this basic treatment?“
“I believed in you, that’s why I got bitten instead.”
The Duchess couldn’t say a word as she stroked my head and sighed.
She just muttered,
“I can’t thank you enough and feel sorry.”
As Ferelman said, it would have been much more difficult if the poison was shifted to Erhan, who had an unidentified disease.
‘Wederick said that it was a good place to go.’ (tn: u trash)1
Erbonian snakes live in colonies. Seeing that the mountain has a pit, it means that the hill is the home of the Erbonian colony.
‘Maybe it’s just one of the traps you’ve thrown to Erhan.’
Anyway, there was nothing good about Wederick.
“Now that you have come to your senses, and I have to let you rest.”
Ferelmen said after checking on me. He dragged Erhan, who is strangely clung to me.
“She needs a good rest, so let’s all get out.”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Can you give me one sleeping pill, please. With the moonlit flowers.”
“I’ve already prepared it.”
After taking the sleeping pills that Ferelman gave me, I fell asleep in the quiet room where everyone went out.
–
A dream hit me as its scenery was a bit hazy. The background was blurry, so I didn’t know where the place was.
But…
A surprising good-looking man with a pair of black midnight eyes was hugging me from behind.2
“What if you catch a cold, Lise? You didn’t even dry your hair in the middle of the winter.”
My hair in that dream was long and curly. It was still brown and those green emerald eyes shone brightly.
“I am a former assistant in this estate. Of course I feel annoyed seeing the workers slacking their times.”
“But if you get sick even a bit, I will be troubled.”
A soft yet calming touch and swept my hair to my ears from behind. It was warm and comfortable.
“If you don’t mind, I will do it for you.”
He began to put some oil on my hair. It was a perfume oil for hair.
His touch was calming and his hands swept across my long curly brown hair until the end. It was so comfortable that it made me feel weak.
“Hahh…”
But strangely, everytime his long yet firm fingers touched my ears and my neck, I felt oddly calm.
“Is it only just my feeling?”‘
Then the man asked quietly.
“Is there anything else that bothers you?”
“What?”
“I’ll do everything for you, Lise. So you wouldn’t feel bothered.”
His face was so near that I could feel his hot breath that tickled my ears.
“Isn’t it bothersome to wash up?”1
“Huh?”
I shook my head a little bit to him and his thumb suddenly went to my neck. I shivered as my collarbone was being pressed.1
I touched his hands.
He smiled as he shrugged his shoulders with a strange reaction.
“Why did you have such a weird thought?“
“…that’s what I meant. But I didn’t think it’s weird.”
“Stay still, so you don’t have to feel tired.”
I was so dumbfounded that I clicked my tongue when he began to touch my ears with his slippery palms to see if there were still oils there.
“I too have imagined a lot of things.”
“Seriously, you!”
When I turned around again and tried to hit him on his chest, he quickly grasped my small skinny hand and tapped his cheek.
“When you hit my chest, your hand will hurt because it’s hard. Hit me here.”1
I was dumbfounded.
What, this guy is so weird…
It was a sweet moment but somehow there is some kind of tension while I am with him.
“Don’t ever get sick, Lise… I don’t want to experience something worse.”
“What kind of worst experience?”
“The experience of my world collapsing.“2
His muscular body went near to me as his firm yet big hands wrapped around my little body.
“The moment I knew you, you have become my world.”
“But isn’t that a long time ago?”
“I’ve never hated having a chronic disease so much… until I met you.”
He was not wrong to say that.
Your body is as nice as your face … I think I’m a little crazy, but that’s about it.
I woke up from my sleep with these peculiar dreams.
And when I fell asleep again, I completely forgot the dream.
***
I recovered quickly because Ferelman has been giving me proper prescription.
I was lying down while thinking about research, but there was no result at all. But the people who make the experiment have gained complete confidence.
In the first place, I didn’t have any idea that I’d get bitten by a snake instead, but it was a good thing.
Ferelman said he would leave me in the Duchy and leave for Irvia far south to find his daughter.
The Duchess and Erhan completely agreed for me to be their doctor for a while.
I quickly returned to my seat.
For the meantime, I wasn’t able to spend my time with Erhan.
I prescribed the Duchess with a headache pill once and a stomach ache pill once and was invited to a tea time out of the blue. (tn: mama isabel is cute tho!)
Neither the Duchess nor I said anything to each other, so it wasn’t a pleasant tea time.
However, the sweet dishes, which were so colorful, filled the table. My eyes were wide open.
“Does the desserts suit your taste, Lise?”
“What?”
“It’s from a different cook and they were so ambitious while preparing these.”
The Duchess spoke in a solemn tone.
“If you choose your favorite, I’ll hire the chef.” (Duchess)
“He got his own job anyway…” (Lise)
“I’ll give you twice the annual salary.” (Duchess)
I opened my mouth wide.
The rumor about the Duchess having the wealth of the imperial family must have been true.
Well, that’s why Baron Ishid and Wederick will be working to get their hands on the wealth from now on just to devour everything.
It was a pity that Wederick was not taming Erhan to be healthy. (tn: he’s basically a garbage so yea)
And now I’m leaving this land to the rebels…
If they were a rebel, he should have been planning for it, which made me sighed hard.
“Isn’t that fair?” (Duchess)
The Duchess asked me while tilting her head as if she misinterpreted my complicated expression.
“This is a complete blind test.” (Duchess)
“The blind test is not a problem… shouldn’t you try to see their talent in serving a variety of dishes besides sweets to hire an expensive chef?” (Lise)
“If they can’t do anything else, you can just ask them to make your own personal dessert.” (Duchess)
The Duchess spoke lightly.
⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰
note: the reason why i’m not commenting on the dream’s moment is because i was afraid to ruin their sweet quality but yeA
it was hella spicy, i need something moRE spicy. u can say that im thirsty but idc AHAHA can they just have babies? — im sorry. vdjsjw