Chapter 15.2

I could feel my face burning up as I was feeling ashamed.

I tried to take the most polite posture possible by creaking my body, which wasn’t able to move well due to muscle pain but, of course, it didn’t go my way. From the beginning, the clothes weren’t even courteous as it was just roughly a women’s gown.

“Ah, thank you for your concern…”

I didn’t notice it at first because I was surprised by Raniero’s presence as soon as I woke up, but somehow, my muscles under my skin started to feel like they were being lacerated.

Ugh, this is dangerous…

This feeling was familiar. Is it body aches? In addition, I also feel nauseated. Am I going to get sick just because I overdid it?

‘Maybe, I’m too stressed…’ 

“You look pale, Empress.”

Asking the question, Raniero held my chin and grinned.

…Of course, I’m pale because I’m sick.

As I thought so to myself, I gazed at him with the feeling of unfairness on my face without realizing it. Why did I push myself so hard today? Who was it for? He knows it all… I’m sure it must be fun to see it like this because you know it all!

I almost breathed out my nose, though I held it back by pricking the palm of my hand with my fingernails.

‘Let’s not forget. I’m able to entertain Roniero, but I shouldn’t be arrogant.’

In the meantime, the body aches were inflating in real-time. Even the muscles that were fine yesterday are hurting now as well. My forehead and temples throbbed in sync with the beating of my heart as if a belt had been wrapped around my head.

This is my limit. I need to rest.

“I…”

Nonetheless, as I opened my mouth, I shut it again as I didn’t know how to say it to him.

I wished he would leave soon. I want to lie down!

Perhaps, he read my thoughts of wanting to lie down with the expression on my face, Raniero pushed me onto the bed and laid me down. Gathering the strands of hair on my forehead and moving it to the side of my shoulder, he put a blanket over my chest and put it on my forehead.

His hands were chillingly cold.

“You have a fever.”

Soon, the back of his hand moved down as though measuring the heat against my cheek.

“No matter how much I think about it, you’re too weak.”

…Yeah, I know.

It’s sad, really.

“You’re weak and even foolish. Didn’t you realize that you have to rest when you’re tired?”

I wasn’t even angry at this remark. It was because this wasn’t intended to insult me, but a question made up of genuinely pure curiosity.  The ecology of a herbivorous human like me was something a top predator had no understanding of at all. Still, although I didn’t do anything, I was sad.

The first reason was because I was sick, and the second was because this country was full of people who didn’t understand that people could be so weak… 

Even though I tried not to cry, the moment I became conscious of the tears, it became even more difficult to hold back my tears.

Tears began to well up in my eyes.

 ﾟ· : * ✧ * :· ﾟ

“Huek…”

“Oh, I know. I know. Breathe. If you’re tired, you have to rest.”

“But—”

The pale face of the Empress, Angelica, turned red as the fever rose due to body agitation and crying. Although he thought everything about her was small, the tears dripping from her round eyes were as big as her eyes. Raniero sat down on the bed and began to watch Angelica’s crying face in earnest.

She looked very ashamed that she was crying. It was strange to him. How could she be proud of her weakness and ashamed of crying?

Angelica, who normally answered all questions within five seconds, struggled for a long time to stop her crying. As a result, he had to wait a long time to hear her answer, but it was fun to watch her cry, so he decided to let it go.

“But?”

When he urged once more, she answered with beady tears running down her cheeks.

“I’m really trying not to die…?”

Raniero laughed out loud.

Usually, Angelica would’ve been a little more careful about her appearance though whether it was her cold or muscle pain, she made an expression of disdain for him before putting the blanket up to the top of her nose and covering it. It felt similar to when he sat her on the throne. She seemed to be trying to do something similar to a rebellion, yet sometimes she was vaguely arrogant. Still, she was quite good at understanding the subject and she was too trivial to pose a threat.

“You won’t die.”

This was sincere. Nonetheless, Angelica seemed to have accepted it a little differently.

“Aiik—”

She was furious at the carefree remarks. The girl in front of him trembled for a moment as she looked for her words, but soon seemed to have given up trying to make him understand.

‘That’s amusing.’

In the meantime, it seemed that her tears stopped flowing because of her anger. Angelica grabbed her aching body and dug into the quilt as she groaned. The blanket that was covering the top of her nose went up to the top of her forehead.

It was a sight that made him laugh.

“Bring cold water and a silk towel.”

The blanket that was creeping up came down at his words. At the same time, Angelica’s round eyes fluttered relentlessly at Raniero’s order to the maid. She always had that look whenever he said he would stay at the Empress’ Palace for a long time.

Raniero had fun.

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