The Male Lead’s Sickly Aide is My Type - Chapter 26

Schedule: Mon and Thurs. Nana's ko-fi, Nabi's kofi.

Chapter 26

“As you mentioned earlier, it is indeed a remarkably simple matter. According to other clauses of the ancient law, it states that the ancient law applies to those who tread upon the lands of Esmeril. Therefore, both Duke Tricia and Viscount Frank, not being directly present on Esmeril’s soil at the time of this incident, are not subject to the ancient law.”

“….”

“That concludes my argument.”

Ah, so there were such provisions in the ancient law. If Archen’s words held true, then Viscount Frank had practically dug his own grave.

As I fervently exclaimed earlier, much like how the whitebearded man stood up with passion.

“What nonsense! Clearly, treading upon the land does not signify—”

“Earlier, you mentioned that ‘The Dragon’s Cradle’ could refer to either a secret meeting room or a tavern. By that reasoning, the notion of treading upon the land can also take on a meaning of being directly present on the land, isn’t that right?”

Archen delivered a chilling response. Well, it was tit for tat. Since they had already made unfounded claims from their side, there was no choice but to return the favor.

Just as I had been momentarily silenced earlier, the whitebeard found himself dumbfounded and returned to his seat.

Observing him from behind, I offered a sardonic smile. Contrary to expectations, whitebeard resorted to spluttering in anger when facing Archen’s determined gaze. The other spectators chimed in with their opinions, transforming the once quiet court into a bustling market square.

“Enough!”

Indeed, the King remained a king. With just a brief statement, the previously clamorous hall hushed abruptly.

“I shall deliver my verdict. Duke Tricia has no obligation to bestow 100 billion gold to Viscount Ffrank, and I shall release the Duke from captivity.”

“Hooray!”

Overwhelmed with joy, I leaped up from my seat, shouting in elation.

The King cleared his throat and descended from the platform while the onlookers dispersed, engaged in lively conversations.

“What incompetence…”

Unable to express his feelings directly to the King, Viscount Frank vented his frustration towards whitebeard instead. Fuming at someone so stern, it was unlike him to get angry at a stern person. At the same time, while I watched him struggle, I couldn’t help but feel it was like a dream, the possibility of retaining my noble status.

‘A soft bed! A warm cup of tea!’

It was almost as if I wanted to dance with joy.

“Carinne, this is wonderful!”

Iris beamed, offering her congratulations.

Beside her stood Duke Tricia, whose behavior seemed out of character as he bounced up and down in his place. His rotund belly jiggled merrily, and in his immense happiness, he appeared adorably amusing. I couldn’t resist hugging him, thinking how heartwarming it would be.

So, that was what I did.

However…

‘…Huh? Was Duke Tricia always this thin?’

“…Princess?”

Perhaps I had become too ecstatic and lost my sanity. I found myself embracing the wrong person.

* * *

Upon raising her head, she was met with Archen’s bewildered expression. He seemed unsure of where to place his hands and awkwardly held them up, with his cheeks slightly flushed.

‘…Goodness, gracious!’

What had she done to the person who helped her?

In an instant, Carinne returned to her original position as if she had taken back a stretched spring.

“Oh, s-s-sorry!”

Since she had hugged him with all her might, she could still feel the contours of his body from where her arms had been. Realizing her blunder, her face turned noticeably red with embarrassment.

Carinne covered her face with her long hair.

“I, I-I mistook you for Duke Tricia, no, my father.”

Her chest swelled visibly as it rose and fell repeatedly, as she stood there for a while, trying to calm her startled heart. After an uncomfortable silence passed, she finally lowered her fiery cheeks and gracefully smiled.

“Anyway, thank you so much. Thanks to you, I’m alive.”

Archen finally relaxed his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief. Seeing him unwind, she decided to banter a little more.

“You must have gone through a lot because of me. Did you have to interpret the entire ancient law? I heard the whitebeard, that old grandfather, took a week to interpret a single sentence.”

He fiddled with his glasses and stared at Carinne’s face for a few seconds. Like a delay in turning on and off a machine, it seemed he needed time to return to his usual self.

“…Don’t worry too much about it. Fortunately, the answer came to me right after I interpreted the first sentence.”

He finally returned to his calm demeanor and responded with a casual smile. If what he said was true, he had interpreted the entire ancient law in just three days. Nonetheless, it was still quite remarkable.

“Oh, by the way, what about what you said earlier…”

Since he had interpreted only the first sentence, it seemed that Archen’s confident display of interpreting the ancient law from start to finish was just a bluff. He had seen through the fact that whitebeard didn’t fully understand the ancient law.

A clever person, indeed.

Carinne praised him, raising her thumb.

“Oh, I see. Still, it’s impressive. Indeed, being the top student at the Academy is not an easy feat!”

Upon hearing those words, Archen faintly smiled, and the fact that he found him amusing delighted Carinne. Her face brightened, but noticing the dark circles under his tired eyes, she quickly spoke up.

“Now that it’s all over, just go and rest.”

“Still, Duke Lucas is coming, and I have to go.”

She was taken aback.

“You’re not going to work right away, are you?”

“Assisting the Duke is part of my duties.”

“But…”

Would he really assign tasks to someone who has dark circles from staying awake for three nights?

‘That Lucas, the Duke, is such a ruthless employer.’

Carinne thought irritably.

Should she propose again at this moment?

At the thought, she spoke gently while trying to soothe him.

“Well, that’s true, but don’t you think it’s a bit too much? You see, you helped save my Duchy, so the offer is still valid.”

Just then, they spotted Duke Lucas walking towards them. It was true that when you talked about someone, they showed up.

Carinne shook her head with a little sigh.

“Second Duchy will always welcome you, and if you ever feel unwelcome, just run away, alright?”

“….?”

“Forget about being the aide’s tomb or anything like that. As long as I’m here, Second Duchy will be the heaven for aides.”

She observed his reaction to see if her proposal was accepted.

However, he looked puzzled.

“Weren’t you originally from the Second Duchy, Princess?”

Oh, dear. Carinne realized her mistake and lightly slapped her hand to her mouth.

“Oh, uh, right. My tongue slipped. I don’t know why I’m acting like this today. Anyway, remember! If you feel like it’s not right, pack your bags and run to Second Duchy!”

“Understood.”

Caught off guard, she stammered out haphazard words, and to her astonishment, he responded with a subtle upturn of his lips. It wasn’t a fleeting or obscure grin but a distinct smile visible to anyone. Emotions welled up within her, and she was unable to continue speaking.

Carinne cherished his warming expression, much like she would savor a cup of hot tea.

‘I have seen various rare expressions today…’

She thought to herself.

Had it not been for Duke Lucas’s arrival, she might have remained rooted there in a state of bewilderment until the sun went down. Duke Lucas, observing her from a distance, momentarily halted in his tracks, seemingly trying to say something.

However, Carinne was quicker.

“See you next time!”

She waved cheerfully and quickly linked arms with Iris before leaving briskly. As he watched Carinne move away, Duke Lucas could only bring his lips together. He wanted to say something to her, but she had already left so swiftly.

In the end, he asked his aide instead.

“Was the trial concluded without incident?”

“We won.”

“Well done.”

He smiled contentedly and then suddenly scrutinized Archen’s face as if he had realized something.

“You look quite tired. Can you handle work today?”

“I’m fine.”

“Alright then, let’s go to the conference room.”

As Duke Lucas moved on to the conference room without giving him any further attention, Archen followed without a word.

Even though he said he was fine, in reality, he was anything but fine. Not only that his mind was filled with smoke as if he was burning straw inside, but his eyelids felt as heavy as blocks of iron. His shoulders and back were also screaming in pain from sitting in front of the desk for three consecutive nights.

This was the first time since graduating from the Academy that he pushed himself to his limits like this.

Did it have to be like this? He could have chosen not to help the Princess, or even if he did, there was no need to stay up for three nights.

If someone were to ask why he went to such lengths, he wouldn’t have an answer. Did he suddenly become interested in ancient languages? Or was it the chance to showcase his skills after a long time? Or… the face that smiled at him so radiantly.

Was it all to see that face?

Briefly recalling Carinne’s face, which seemed to slip through his fingers, Archen faintly smiled before he quickly regained his senses.

‘…This is not right.’

He realized that he was entertaining an absurd idea. It made no sense, and although it was highly unlikely, it could all just be his delusion. Yet, there was a slim chance, a faint hope in that one assumption.

But even so, it couldn’t be.

There was no point in hoping for something that would never come true.

He wanted to spend the remaining time in tranquility. He didn’t want to harbor pointless expectations and then watch them wither away, causing him pain. So, before he could regret anything and before it became irreparable, he needed to erase her from his mind.

Archen tried to shake off thoughts about Carinne as he walked alongside the Duke.

Still, it was far from an easy task. Like stubborn pencil marks that refused to be erased and instead smeared, every time he tried to erase her from his mind, her smile became clearer, vivid, and engraved in his thoughts, tormenting him in the end.

In the end, he eventually lost the battle against himself. Even in his foggy state of mind, her face remained a vivid image, thrillingly disarraying him.

Carinne would never know that he had interpreted the entire ancient language just to consider all possibilities.

That was something only he knew.

* * *

“Carinne, congratulations. I’m glad things worked out well for you.”

Iris sincerely rejoiced as if it were her own problem that had been resolved.

“He seems like such an amazing aide.”

As she praised Archen, for some reason unknown to her, it felt like she was the one being praised instead. On the other hand, Iris suddenly came to a halt, clasping Carinne’s hands within her own, her eyes gleaming with a sparkling intensity.

“Now you can prepare for the party with peace of mind.”

“Prepare for what?”

“The party. The one I said I’d host last time.”

‘Ah, right. That almost-certain-to-be-canceled party.’

Carinne nodded with a determined expression. As high expectations often lead to greater disappointment, she thought she should comfort Iris well if the party were to be canceled later.

“By the way, how about we go together to get our dresses?”

Huh?

“I’ll come to your house in two days!”

She hadn’t anticipated this. She was in no way prepared for the party at all. Naturally, Carinne hadn’t even thought about it… but now, they were going to get dresses?

“I can’t wait! It’s my first time going to buy dresses with a friend!”

Even before hearing her reply, Iris excitedly chattered away, like a child promised a visit to an amusement park with their mom.

‘…Well, clothes could be worn many times in the future.’

Carinne answered that she understood.

Iris was quietly action-oriented. Just two days later, as she rubbed her eyes and woke up, Carinne had to rush to finish his morning routine upon seeing Iris’s carriage waiting for her.