He finally admitted the truth. Lu blinked and looked at him, then tried to slide down his thigh, moving her buttocks back. However, Hayden easily supported her back and blocked her from coming down. Where are you trying to escape?

“Why are you trying the test again when you just jumped around earlier, why…”

He said as if he didn’t want to say it, but he ended up saying it when Lu rolled her sprained foot on the ground again.
It was far from obvious, but questioning him would undoubtedly not make any impression.

“I’m worried about your leg. Please listen to me saying that you’ve done too much at once.”

I thought it was okay. I wasn’t tired, and apart from shedding blood, I didn’t feel any pain. Hayden hugged her tightly, muttering.

“I kept the strength in your legs just in case you get depressed if you can’t move at all in bed, but my goodness, it’s making my heart drop…”

Lu was startled. She had no idea. Well, how could she know if he didn’t speak.

Late, the bright light from Chosunso that had wrapped her and calmed her down came to mind. Clearly, it was the treatment she had done back then. Not magic to relieve pain, but a magic that put strength into her legs entirely?

No, it included not only the legs but also the arms. Lu looked down at her arms, which now had enough strength to eat and wash herself, and was shocked.

“Then you’re overexerting yourself, Your Majesty. It’s okay. I’ll just stay still until I get better without moving in bed.”

Continuously supporting Lu’s body without strength in real-time was by no means an easy task. It had to be kept close, and double the power had to be used to bear her share of strength. Lu scolded herself for not doing this.

“Even if you can take a walk, it’s annoying for someone who kicked the ground because they were annoyed. You don’t like not being able to do anything.”

But he said, quite indifferent, and laid his chin on her shoulder as if it were a trivial story.

“Being able to eat with a spoon properly, and even if you can walk, how sad is it that you can’t control your own body, even for a few days?”

You knew. You knew everything. You knew everything but endured without showing it, so she wouldn’t feel helpless and sad.

“I tried not to say it, but if I don’t say it, you don’t know how precious your body is.”

Hayden complained to Lu, who couldn’t say anything.

“Please be a little more selfish so that I can worry less. Don’t fight so recklessly, breaking your body. I’m happy to protect you, but still, you have to be gentle to live long.”

“Your…”

“‘You.’ There’s no one here now, Lu.”

Correcting her tone, he whispered low to her.

“Really…, what am I saying.”

The words that had been lingering inside finally honestly faced the person involved.

“What am I saying like this…”

It was really nothing. Nothing at all. A pitiful and incompetent person. Even now, without help, she couldn’t do anything and didn’t know anything, just causing trouble.

A voice mixed with laughter answered the thin, trembling voice.

“What are you talking about? Nowadays, every time I open my eyes, I think it was a good idea to survive just to meet Lu.”

“You too…, you’re going to have a sore leg. Stop it.”
What he was doing, taking over Lu’s leg and arm strength, ultimately meant that he was sharing and handling her symptoms. It wasn’t really worth going to such lengths. Lu’s voice began to tremble.

“I’m not in pain.”

Hayden spoke gently, wrapping his arms around her, mirroring the starting shakiness in his voice.

“It’s okay because I can walk a bit more than Lu. It’s not a big deal, so don’t be impressed. I can do more than this.”

“I, I…”

She was cowardly. Too cowardly and lethal.

It wasn’t that she took the opportunity to choose freedom relying on Hayden’s kindness; she didn’t seize the opportunity on her own with her strength.

And even now, relying on his kindness, she couldn’t give a proper answer. Even if she had to push him away properly, she couldn’t do it; she couldn’t shake off her lingering attachment.

Even now, she couldn’t say a word properly, couldn’t figure out what to do. Clearly, it was an impossible relationship, but even after calculating it with a clear head, she was still holding on.

“You’re my hero.”

A bitter laugh burst out from above her head.

“What on earth are you talking about? Saving a person’s life is a big deal, but if you saved the emperor’s life, you’d be a founding hero of the empire.”

A large and warm hand wiped away the tears clinging to her eyelashes and brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen.

“I almost starved to death, Lu. If it wasn’t for that, I would have died from being beaten.”

Born into the imperial family, she could have died the most miserable and wretched death. At an age when she needed a protector, she had no choice but to suffer abuse on the battlefield.

“It’s not easy to feed, clothe, and raise a person. I’m not even a blood relative, and I didn’t even complain about how terrible it was.”