Meredith murmured with a puzzled look on her face.
“Why did you do that when you said you were not going to help me?”
“Just in case you fall like you did before.”
“You can help me again. It’s not daytime, it’s night.”
“Are you angry?”
“No way. It’s definitely my job.”
Meredith continued with a soft voice.
“I was just asking for your help. Never mind.”
“Am I even helpful?”
Meredith stared at the emperor at those words.
The emperor still had a blank face.
Meredith asked back, not taking her eyes off him.
“……What if you could?”
The words that were soon heard made Meredith smile brightly.
“Well, give me something to do.”
“Are you helping me?”
“If I may be of any help.”
“Of course it would. The person who is most aware of His Majesty’s disease is His Majesty.”
Meredith grinned and held out the nearest book to the emperor.
“If you read it, you’ll get a sense of what we need.”
“…… ”
“Then good luck, Your Majesty.”
Meredith sat back against the bookshelf with a look of excitement.
He watched Meredith open a book and read it fast, the emperor slowly leaned against the opposite bookshelf.
Sitting face to face against each other, the two focused only on reading for hours like that.
Meredith tried to find the data as efficiently as possible while skipping the unnecessary information quickly.
How long has it been?
‘……Tired.’
I felt like I was at my physical limit.
Even during the day, the emperor lay sick, but Meredith did not.
She couldn’t have been given so much time off during the day.
By the time it was between 3 and 4 a.m., Meredith felt as if she was about to close her eyes.
She read by giving strength to her eyes to focus on the fading front.
But it only had a temporary effect.
“Is His Majesty all right?’
Meredith suddenly raised her head slightly, wondering what the emperor was doing.
Even after such a long time, he was just as absorbed in reading as he did in the beginning, in an unperturbed manner.
‘……That’s great.’
Meredith stuck her tongue at his monstrous stamina.
No matter how long you lie down during the day, there will be very little time to sleep in the end.
Still, I can’t believe he can read books with such sharp eyes. It was just amazing.
Moreover, his reading speed never slowed down.
For hours, we could hear each other turn over the pages of the books like music.
“My healthy self can’t lose.”
Meredith rose from her seat, feeling that she could not collapse.
‘I’ll have to read another book.’
Maybe she’s so sleepy because she can’t find all the information in the book she’s reading.
Meredith, who turned back, slowly looked around the bookshelf to choose a book to read.
“…… “
But even at that time, the drug-like drowsiness wouldn’t go away.
Meredith eventually stood in front of the bookshelf and began to doze off.
“Ah!”
At one point, Meredith’s forehead hit the bookshelf.
The sudden pain awoke Meredith.
Only then did the emperor look at Meredith.
He quickly grasped what had happened and laughed.
-Tak!
He closed the book aloud and stood up.
He came to Meredith, who was rubbing her forehead with a frown.
“I’d better call it a day.”
“I can still hold out, Your Majesty.”
“What if I get sick?”
“But…”
“It’s time for dawn.”
The emperor said, taking the pocket watch out of his arms.
“And you have a schedule tomorrow morning.”
“……..”
“Let’s not overdo it.”
“At this rate, it’ll take a week if we don’t find a cure.”
“But I can’t help it. We can’t increase the number of people who are involved.”
The emperor replied in a dry voice.
“You don’t have to rush. I can’t make others suffer just because I’m getting better soon.”
…… When he tells me to heal as soon as possible.
‘But I think you’re less sensitive than you were at first.’
It was when Meredith was about to be moved by a clearly changed attitude from three days ago.
“And if you’re sick, my treatment will be delayed.”
……Yes, of course.
“Yes, Your Majesty, I am not alone.”
Meredith nodded with an affirmative expression and said honestly.
“In fact, I’m so sleepy right now that I can’t read.”
“But why do you say something you don’t want to say?”
“If it doesn’t come to fruition quickly, your majesty will kill me. I was afraid you’d do it this time”
“…Three days ago, it was a special situation.”
The emperor looked like he had something more to say.
But he didn’t say it out loud.
Instead, he quickly changed his words.
“Anyway, let’s get going. You look very tired.”
“Is your Majesty all right?”
“Because it’s still before dawn.”
“I’m sorry that things seem to be slowing down because of me.”
“It’s just that it doesn’t show, but I’m tired. A lot.”
The emperor exhaled briefly and then spoke to Meredith.
“So let’s go.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The two carefully exited the secret library.
And put the lock back in the same state as it was when they first entered.
After coming out of the library safely, they quickly moved to the central palace without saying a word.
‘Finally arrived…’
Meredith lay on the bed almost as if she had fallen upon her arrival in the emperor’s bedroom.
And she immediately fell asleep without leaving any significant comments.
“…….”
The emperor gazed at Meredith’s appearance.
Then, he carefully covered her with the blanket next to him with a casual touch.
‘What if you catch a cold?’
Meredith was asleep without even realizing it.
‘You must have been tired.’
After that, the emperor couldn’t take his gaze off from Meredith’s appearance, but at some point, he went back to his desk to take care of the political affairs.
* * *
“You look a little tired these days.”
It was only four nights after Meredith stayed up all night with the emperor.
Meredith, who was going to the central palace again today, looked at Yulia in surprise.
“……What?”
“You look a little tired these days.”
“….Me?”
“Yes, your face is much haggard than when you first entered the palace.”
“Doesn’t it seem that way because it’s night?”
“You looked very tired this morning.”
“….“
That’s because the amount of sleep has decreased.
Meredith made a plausible excuse, putting aside the words she couldn’t bring herself to say.
“In fact, His Majesty’s disease gets worse at night…”
“Are you having trouble sleeping because you’re nursing?”
“……”
Meredith was silent.
And Yulia took it affirmatively.
“Ahhhhh…”
A sad sound burst out of Yulia’s mouth.
It was obvious what the sigh meant.
You’re sympathizing with the sick husband’s wife, who is busy nursing, when they’re in the middle of their honeymoon.
……The reality was nothing like that.
“Your Majesty.”
Then Yulia called Meredith in a serious tone.
Meredith looked at Yulia as if she were wondering what’s wrong.
She looked somewhat determined.
“I will inform the central palace that you will not come today.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I think it would be better not to go to the central palace from today.”
“How come?”
“Since your Majesty is unable to sleep every night like this, your Majesty will also get sick.”
“…..”
“If both owners of the Imperial Palace are sick, it would be a great affliction to the Imperial Family.”
“……Of course it is.”
“Ask the Emperor for his understanding, and from tonight just sleep at the Empress’s Palace.”
“It’s okay, Yulia.”
“You are not the only one who can attend to the Emperor.”
“Of course it is.”
“I hope you don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Although I’m not feeling well.”
Meredith opened her mouth awkwardly, pulling up the corners of her mouth.
“But if I think that His Majesty is comfortable with my care, it’s worth it.”
“Your Majesty…”
“I’m still healthy, so not being able to sleep a little is not a big deal.”
……It was a big deal to not be able to sleep even though I was healthy.
Meredith felt that fact day by day.
“His Majesty’s recovery is a priority.”
Meredith felt it as she said this.
I didn’t know I could say such a hateful thing.
⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰