“Because of me?”

When I asked in confusion, Mihail nodded with a stern face.

“But I wasn’t even there.”

If I was the cause of his madness, shouldn’t I have at least whispered “Kashar, you fool” at the scene?

But I was completely mistaken.

“That’s the problem. Signs of madness appeared right after the young lady disappeared.”

Kashar came to find me in the square immediately after talking with Mihail.

As soon as he confirmed I wasn’t in the square, he ordered Mihail.

It took less than 10 minutes for Mihail to search the entire castle with magic.

“You suddenly disappeared, didn’t you? Not in the garden, not in the bathroom, not even in your room.”

But I couldn’t be found anywhere.

‘Because I was at the corner store.’

It was like a magical space.

Strictly speaking, I had left the castle by crossing through a door to another place.

‘But how do I explain this?’

I’m actually a possessed person, and a crazy teddy bear opened a door to another dimension for me!

If I said that.

‘Wouldn’t they suspect I have some mental problem?’

It would be more credible to say I had a hobby of falling asleep in closets rather than trying to explain this one by one to appear normal.

Instead of answering, I asked something else.

“…What do you mean the medicine isn’t working? And that he stopped taking it?”

I didn’t know he had stopped taking the fruit since he still seemed fine.

“It’s been since before the young lady came to the castle. He’s been eating food made by Lady Eileen instead of the medicine.”

“My food?”

This was a fact I had never heard before.

I knew his sense of taste was returning through my food.

But I didn’t know it was affecting his madness as well.

“Was it effective?”

“Yes. More than the fruit.”

Mihail smiled faintly.

“So much so that I wondered if the young lady herself, beyond the food, might be the cure for his madness.”

The signs of madness subsided even though he wasn’t taking the fruit.

Moreover, the side effects left by the fruit weren’t something that could be cured.

Yet one person was solving that.

“He took the fruit again just before the madness erupted, but it didn’t work.”

Kashar’s body reacted as if it had been tamed only to me.

Suddenly I recalled his words about thinking I had disappeared.

‘Could it be he thought I had left?’

Then what did it mean that he was still deceiving me now?

For a moment, Kashar acted as if he knew I was hiding something.

“Madness affects the speed of its influence depending on the subject’s mental state. The sudden worsening of symptoms… was probably due to anxiety over the young lady’s disappearance.”

Madness accelerates when unstable.

After finishing his words, Mihail placed water and snacks by the bedside.

“So please stay by his side. You are the only one for our lord. I’ll take my leave now.”

After Mihail left, the room fell into silence.

I was still in a daze.

It felt like I had heard from Mihail all the things he hadn’t told me.

‘Why didn’t he tell me in advance?’

Or how much does he know about me?

My mind was tangled with various curiosities.

‘But what’s clear is.’

That I could be his cure, but I could also worsen his condition.

‘Since it doesn’t heal him instantly.’

He said the fruit no longer had any effect.

If I was the reason for his madness outbreak, it was clearly dangerous.

He had become like a time bomb that could explode again at any moment.

Then wouldn’t it be better to root it out at once?

‘Shouldn’t we contact the temple about this?’

I was worried about being turned away because of blowing up the donation ledger.

Yet I couldn’t help but recall what the black rabbit had said to me.

[The sub-male lead will end up falling for the female protagonist as originally intended.]

The black rabbit knew something.

‘The original work will return to its original course?’

How could that be possible?

If it returned to before, Kashar was destined to die with his head cut off on the battlefield without fulfilling his love.

‘To call that stringing along, that’s absurd.’

Just wait till I meet that rabbit again.

While I was inwardly vowing revenge, Kashar was breathing evenly, snoring softly.

[This is the timeline separator]

Three days later, in the morning.

Kashar was the first to open his eyes.

He regained consciousness the morning after his madness outbreak, and there had been no other issues since then.

In any case, it seemed no other abnormalities occurred as long as I was by his side.

But there was a different problem.

“Open your mouth.”

A fork with a piece of steak on it was held up to my mouth.

After hesitating, I accepted it just before the meat juices could drip onto the sheets.

“Is it delicious?”

“…Yes.”

After chewing and swallowing well, this time it was salad.

When I didn’t open my mouth, the fork stopped in mid-air.

“Kashar should eat too.”

“I find this more fun.”

He seemed to have taken a liking to feeding me.

When I reluctantly accepted the salad, the utensil retreated with satisfaction.

‘It seems to have gotten worse than before.’

He didn’t imprison me like in the original work, but it wasn’t much different.

‘Because he’s trying to keep me in his arms all the time.’

Even by afternoon, I hadn’t crossed the threshold of this room.

He even tried to carry me to the bathroom himself when I said I wanted to wash up.

After eating various things from him, I was quite full.

On the other hand, the plate that came as his portion looked untouched.

“Kashar?”

The hand that was bringing strawberries to me stopped.

He was giving me time as if telling me to speak.

“I’m going to the kitchen for a bit.”

“Why?”

“I want to make something for you myself.”

His sense of taste was still not fully recovered.

I thought he might be putting off eating because he could only taste what I made.

‘Plus, they say it helps with the madness too.’

Whether he knew my intentions or not, Kashar shook his head.

“It’s fine. Just stay by my side.”

“But still…”

Kashar ignored me and buried his face in the nape of my neck.

Was it because of yesterday?

He looked particularly listless today.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

I was worried he might have developed another headache.

When I asked with concern, Kashar shook slightly.

After laughing into my neck for a while, he raised his head and said,

“I’m sick. So don’t go.”

“…You’re lying.”

He’s not a child, lying about being sick.

He didn’t even seem to be trying to deceive me at all.

“I’ll get up now.”

When I tried to break free from his embrace, Kashar took my hand and placed it on his forehead.

The forehead I touched was actually quite hot.

“Oh? You do seem to have a bit of a fever.”

“Right?”

As if showing off that he was sick, Kashar rubbed his cheek against my hand.

“Since I’m really sick, my fiancée must take care of me.”

It was pure whining.

Perhaps because I had directly witnessed his madness.

Even this behavior felt like a huge beast acting cute towards me.

“Alright.”

Once again, I couldn’t leave Kashar’s side today.

It was after we finished eating.

With a knock, Ashtra and Mihail entered.

They pretended not to notice me in Kashar’s arms, but I was just glad to see them.

‘People, real people!’

It was the first time in three days I’d seen faces other than Kashar’s, as they only came and went while I was asleep.

I quietly called out to Ashtra who was about to clear away the meal.

“I’ll take the dishes.”

“Wait a moment!”

The hand clearing things away paused.

I seized the opportunity to speak to Ashtra.

“Ashtra, how are the princes doing? And the annex?”

“They were a bit surprised, but both are fine. The annex is being quickly restored with the help of magicians.”

It had been so long since I’d heard news from outside.

“That’s a relief. The princes aren’t looking for me?”

“Prince Michael has been comforting them well. They’re probably playing with the foals now.”

Somehow, it seemed they were following the new nanny more than their former one.

It was reassuring to hear they were fine, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit hurt.

‘They say raising kids is all for nothing!’

I had hoped to use the children as an excuse to slip out, but it was impossible.

‘Come to think of it, I didn’t get to thank Frigia either.’

She just came to visit but ended up having to work.

I thought I should ask for a crystal ball to be brought later so I could thank her.

It was after Ashtra had left with the tray.

Mihail, who had been standing, approached the bed.

“Excuse me.”

Mihail was holding a letter in his hand. He held it out to Kashar.

“A message has arrived from the Shaina Temple.”

From the temple, to Kashar?

While I couldn’t take my eyes off the letter, Kashar didn’t even try to take it as he spoke.

“Ignore it.”

“It’s a letter with the Holy Emperor’s seal.”

Not just the High Priest, but the Holy Emperor himself.

Still, Kashar showed no intention of accepting it.

Mihail’s gaze shifted to me.

I extended my hand to him.

“Give it to me.”

Only then did Mihail look relieved.

I opened the envelope in front of everyone.

‘This is.’

As soon as I opened the letter, I saw the seals of the Holy Emperor and the Holy Maiden side by side.

I read the first line of the letter.

“The Holy Maiden’s first blessing?”

“…Is that what it says?”

Mihail asked, seeming surprised.

“Yes. Kashar’s name… is written here.”

The Holy Maiden chooses the recipient of her first blessing as soon as she ascends to her position.

It’s a sacred act that cannot be refused by anyone other than an emperor in countries with Shaina temples.

Usually, it’s proper to bless the emperor of each country or their heir, but Kashar Bladis’s name was listed as the recipient of this blessing.

‘Even the date of the visit is set?’

This was practically a notification.

Even this differed from the original work.

‘Elsious’s first blessing went to the emperor after all.’

A party is held at the imperial palace to celebrate the Holy Maiden.

In the original story, Elsious gives her blessing to the emperor on the temple’s orders.

“…This is practically forced, isn’t it?”

As Mihail put on a grave expression, something happened.

“Huh?”

Kashar snatched the letter from my hand.

After throwing the letter somewhere, he pulled me into his arms again.

“Tell them I’m insane. That I might kill them if they just visit.”

“But…”

Mihail trailed off.

If they really conveyed such a message, the emperor would surely intervene.

Mihail’s gaze turned to me again. His eyes seemed to be asking me to try and stop this somehow.

“It might help with the curse, you know?”

At my words, Kashar let out a hollow laugh.

“I don’t need anyone but you. So stay by my side.”

Somehow, it seemed my fiancé had gone off in a different direction.

“Well… I guess we can’t refuse.”

In the end, the visit became a foregone conclusion.

Two weeks after the letter arrived.

Flags bearing the emblem of the goddess Shaina were fluttering in front of the Duke’s castle.