Just as I was about to speak, an uncontrollable cough escaped my lips and I hurriedly covered my mouth. Reus immediately climbed the stairs and came to where I was standing.

“Did you just cough?”

Even with his extremely stern voice, I shook my head a couple times with a rather brazen expression. Reus seemed slightly confused, as if I truly appeared unaffected.

“What is it?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Although his expression still looked dubious, Reus naturally extended his hand to escort me. I also placed my hand on his, trying my best to act normal. And it was only after taking a few steps that-

“Cough…”

The cough I had been holding back burst out. But the problem was, once the cough started, it kept going. No matter how much I tried to hold it in, the more I suppressed it, the more frequent the coughing became.

“Cough…! Cough!”

And by the time I finally managed to stop coughing, my nose started acting up.

“…Sniffle.”

Reus, who had been standing still and staring at me, frowned as if it was extremely absurd.

“Roel, are you really going to be like this?”

“No… I just had a momentary dry cough. Sniffle-.”

At my nonsensical excuse, Reus’s expression changed as if to say it was quite ridiculous.

“This is why I can’t take my eyes off you.”

“…It’s not serious, really.”

“Didn’t I tell you to at least wear a light jacket when going out in the evening since it’s still chilly?”

“Well, I didn’t think I would be out until evening…”

I answered gloomily, but as expected, Reus didn’t seem willing to let it slide. Even as we walked, he kept nagging me with words I couldn’t refute.

At first I agreed, but then I couldn’t tell if he was worrying about me or scolding me, so I unknowingly grumbled.

“If I’m that unlikable, why don’t you just stick by me all day and keep watch?”

I felt regretful as soon as I said it, but Reus’s immediate response made me quickly forget my mistake.

“Is that alright with you?”

…Would it be alright?

Not hiding my disbelief at his seemingly serious gaze, I spoke.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just carry me around the ducal castle like last time?”

Anyone could tell it was said in a slightly sarcastic tone. But I had underestimated this man. As soon as I finished speaking, Reus swiftly picked me up.

“Reus!”

“Weren’t you the one who said it was okay to carry you?”

“No, I didn’t really mean- Cough…! That’s not it…! Cough, cough!”

Perhaps because I raised my voice a little, the coughs came out in succession.

Reus moved forward, as if it was a good thing.

Behind us, Dewin stood frozen with a shocked expression. Even with a slight glance, the words “That person has finally gone crazy” could naturally be read on his face.

Embarrassment rushed over me and my face felt hot.

“Anyone would understand that I meant don’t do it…!”

I spoke resentfully, but Reus absolutely refused to put me down.

* * *

In the end, just like last time, I was carried all the way to the bedroom. Of course, we encountered numerous servants along the way.

Why were there so many servants roaming around the ducal castle today of all days?

Moreover, we kept running into knights who weren’t usually seen much, doubling my embarrassment.

I thought about brazenly pretending to be asleep, but the coughs kept escaping, making it impossible.

Fortunately, unlike last time, the servants didn’t look at me as if they had witnessed something unsightly.

Separate from that, my face eventually turned bright red…

Perhaps because my condition truly wasn’t good, I didn’t have the energy to say anything to Reus today. Feeling my body shivering a little, I quietly rested my head on his shoulder.

Pressing my body close to him did make me a little warmer, but it was essentially a gesture of giving up.

However, Reus seemed to think my reaction was due to feeling unwell. Judging by the various emotions appearing on his face, he was barely holding back from nagging.

Not wanting his mouth that had finally gone quiet to open again, I tried my best to suppress my coughs and lowered my gaze.

Does he think everyone has a body made of steel like him? I might eat less than him and have a weaker body.

‘Fussy man…’

Soon we arrived at the bedroom. As Reus tried to set me down on the bed, I slightly wrapped my arms around his neck and resisted.

“I want to change clothes before lying down…”

I naturally thought he would take me to the dressing room, but my body immediately touched the bed. Reus smoothly knelt on one knee and took off my shoes.

“It’s fine. You’re going to be sick all night anyway.”

“No. Sniffle, my body just feels a bit chilly. I’ll be perfectly fine after sleeping.”

Reus, who had placed my feet on his hand, lifted both my legs onto the bed with an expression that seemed to say “as if that would happen.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone catch a cold in the summer.”

“There are actually quite a few people who do, you know? And I don’t have a cold.”

“Let’s go with that then.”

“…”

He’s not even pretending to believe me anymore.

No, I’m not trying to deceive him, it’s really not a cold. Does it make sense to catch a cold in the summer like Reus said?

Still, rather than being scolded for being sick, I felt good that he was worrying about me like this.

“Why are you smiling when you’re sick?”

“No reason…”

“No reason?”

Reus placed his hand on my forehead with a tap-. Perhaps because his hand was so large, it felt a bit heavy.

“You said you’d be careful, but here you are catching a cold in less than a day.”

Soon, Reus pressed down on my forehead with a slight force, as if he found it quite irksome. Then he continued in a deflated voice.

“There’s nothing I can do for you right now.”

He already went overboard by carrying me all the way to the room when my legs aren’t even injured, so what more is he trying to do?

“I want to at least warm your body, but I can’t always use my power.”

“Ah…”

Right. Reus could use magic.

I had completely forgotten about that. Since he used his power every time he carried me, I thought he could use it anytime, but I guess that wasn’t the case.

Come to think of it, even when I injured my foot upon first arriving at the ducal castle, he didn’t use his power.

Perhaps once he uses it, he can’t use his power again for a certain period of time.

‘But is it alright for him to use that power just to subdue this level of pain…?’

Regardless, Reus seemed unable to easily withdraw his worried touch, as if it was bothering him.

‘Just worrying about me with words, without magic, is already more than enough…’

Seeing the rather serious look in his eyes beneath his loosened gaze, I quietly pulled the blanket up a little without a word.

* * *

“Cough, cough!”

‘I’ve really never caught a cold in the summer before.’

Of course, when I stayed at the Evelle estate, I constantly had colds. It was mainly from autumn to early spring, but that was because the storage room I stayed in always felt chilly except in midsummer.

So catching colds then was inevitable, and since both the library and bedroom weren’t cold at all, I was confident I wouldn’t catch a cold just from being exposed to the chilly wind for a short while.

However, despite confidently insisting all night that it wasn’t a cold, I was lying in bed unable to move, suffering from a fever as if to prove myself wrong.

‘Am I really weak and sickly?’

I had endured well even when I was more ill at the Evelle estate, so I had always thought I had a robust constitution until now.

“Cough… Cough, cough!”

When I finally came to my senses, I saw Reus sitting next to the bed. As I couldn’t stop coughing, a brief tongue clicking sound was soon heard.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Reus sat up my limp body. Then, making me lean against the headboard, he personally fed me water and medicine.

Although it was a bit embarrassing to receive such treatment as an adult, I was truly too weak to even lift a finger today, so I just accepted everything Reus did for me.

And then I had no choice but to lie back down on the bed.

I was blankly staring at the ceiling for a moment when a white cloth suddenly entered my line of sight. I looked at Reus in surprise. But my head turned back to face forward and a cool cloth gently touched my forehead.

“Do your colds usually last long?”

“Hmm… If it’s long, it can go for a week to ten days… Cough, but… Cough! Cough, cough!”

Even without seeing his face, I could roughly guess what kind of expression he was making.

“I’m sorry…”

It had to be when he was busy that I got sick and caused him trouble. I did want to spend time together and get along well, but I didn’t want to become a burden like this.

“Don’t apologize for being sick.”

“Still… Cough…! I feel like I keep bothering you… Cough, cough!”

“Were you bothered when you treated my wounds?”

“No…! Of course not…”

“It’s the same for me.”

“…”

“If you really feel sorry… Don’t get sick from now on. Please be a little more careful.”

Although his tone was blunt, anyone could tell it was a caring remark filled with warmth.

Reus clearly drew the line, so I shouldn’t misunderstand, but my heart keeps fluttering at such trivial concerns.

Of course… The words that followed were all nagging.

“What will you do when I can’t use my power, or when you’re alone in a foreign country?”

“In that case, I can just… Cough…! Take medicine.”

Seeing me unable to speak properly due to the cough, Reus muttered softly.

“As if that would work.”

No, if you put it like that, what am I…

“Didn’t I always tell you to eat a lot of food?”

I’m not sure what that has to do with this cold though.

“Like I said, I eat… Cough… as much as I can every day.”

“You eat a lot and still catch a cold in early summer?”

“I don’t think, sniffle… that’s related?”

“Why wouldn’t it be related?”

In a slightly grumbling tone, Reus went on a very long spiel about eating a lot of food and a balanced diet from now on.

At first, I tried to argue back a little, but lacking the energy to do so, I decided to just listen to it as a lullaby.

“And exercise too… No, it’s better if you don’t do that.”

Excuse me, what exactly are you telling me to do?