After a while, Eria came in with a doctor. The doctor checked if my arm and leg were moving normally and if the sensation in my limbs was intact before leaving.

“Now you can be at ease, Lady.”

I completely relied on the doctor’s words. Now, the medicine even tasted sweet.

“Why hasn’t Lord Londe come…?”

I unconsciously thought that Lord Londe had saved me and was waiting for him.

But if it wasn’t Lord Londe, I would have to ask Eria when she came back from fetching the medicine.

Just as someone knocked on the door, I welcomed them with joy.

“Come in.”
However, the person who entered the room was not Eria but Kaidel Gongja.

Male visitors to the imperial palace go through quite a cumbersome procedure. I thought he hated it so much that he jumped over the window, but today, unexpectedly, he endured it and formally came to visit.

“Hmm. Lady Loar.”

He covered his mouth with his fist and pretended to cough in a dignified manner, then took out a bouquet from behind and replaced the flowers in my vase with it.

The color combination of the flowers was astonishing…

“Wasn’t this trimmed by Eria? Is it the work of Kaidel Gongja?”

I stared at him with my mouth wide open.

A skin-deep ominous premonition surrounded me, and my skin felt so dry that it was almost cracking.

He was still hesitating in front of me. It was an unusual sight for the usually easy-going Kaidel Gongja.

“What are you doing now…?”

“Lorisha, I’ll call you that from now on.”

“…?”

I was puzzled as to why it was Kaidel Gongja who seemed crazy when the person talking was me.

Probably due to my head injury, my memory slowly resurfaced.

“Ah. His Highness Gracian called him a lunatic.”

I smiled brightly, lowering my head slightly.

“I don’t like it, Gongja-nim.”

Upon hearing this, Kaidel Gongja abruptly stopped.

After blinking for a moment, he sat down beside my bed. Then, turning slightly towards me, he smiled, remarkably charming.

“…”

Although I realized how foolish my current expression might look, I didn’t care.

Honestly, for a moment, my breath stopped at that smile. My heart seemed to pound like a drum.

But one should not blame people with instinctive reactions. People eat even a cake poisoned with sweetness because it’s a person.

Talking about Kaidel Gongja’s excellent appearance or charming aura was meaningless. The important thing was that he started to flaunt it in front of me.

I tried hard to regain my composure and alternately looked at the fresh roses emitting a strong fragrance and him.

“Gongja-nim?”

Instead of answering, his gaze deepened.

He moved his lips leisurely and said, “Speak.”

… Why did his voice become so deep?

“Are you okay?”

I was confident for a moment that a faint and short spasm passed over Kaidel Gongja’s eye area.

However, he casually responded with a calm smile, “That’s a question I should ask. Are you okay?”

“It’s the doctor who said I can be at ease now. I’m a bit robust for no reason.”

“That’s not for no reason. It’s a blessing.”

“Um…”

I almost asked him again if he was okay, but if I did, he would say he was okay again, and our conversation would go round and round.

“You seem different today.”

“Because I am. My heart, my mind. Everything.”

“How, different?”

When I cautiously asked, he suddenly bent forward towards me. It was as if he was conveying a secret message.

“What does it seem like?”

This guy is really!
Suppressing my irritation, I managed to ask calmly, “Did you happen to seek refuge again, Gongja-nim? …Again?”

However, the discontent embedded in my “again?” was not hidden.

Kaidel Gongja slightly raised his eyebrows as if my reaction hurt him, then nodded.

“Yes.”

“Ugh…”

I sighed, lying down with a thud. Only then did I become aware of his gaze, and I subtly pulled the blanket over me.

“When I heard screams from the forest, I immediately knew it was you. And… you were about to die.”

Kaidel Gongja’s voice was heavy and moist. Although I was the one who almost died, his words made me feel guilty.

I dropped my head deeply and murmured, “I caused trouble.”

“Trouble, you said?”

Kaidel Gongja’s voice sharply rose.