The kind and affectionate voice made tears well up for no reason.
It’s not even that painful to feel so sad.
‘This is all because that man is too kind.’
With a face that’s not kind at all, looking like he wouldn’t bat an eye even if someone died in front of him, why is he so attentive?
‘I’ve never experienced such kindness before.’
His gentleness was like a terrible germ. A germ that I, with no immunity, was helpless against.
Fidgeting with the blanket with my fingers, I asked in a small voice.
“…What will you do if I’m sick?”
“Hmm.”
I waited for Cedar’s answer with a pounding heart.
‘Will he give me a kiss?’
That’s what I thought familial affection was like.
Kissing the forehead, tucking in the blanket. Maybe patting the chest and singing a song until falling asleep.
‘Cedar seems like he’d be good at singing too. I’m looking forward to it.’
Cedar’s voice was low and soft, so it would suit a lullaby well.
However, Cedar’s answer was completely different from my expectations.
He grasped his chin, nodded, and answered like this.
“You’re right. Until now, I’ve only been saying I’d make you healthy with words. I’ve been neglecting to gather knowledge on how to actually make you healthy.”
The moment I heard those words, chills ran down my spine. I sat up abruptly and tried to stop Cedar.
“Ah! What effort! Don’t do it!”
“Didn’t you just suggest I study medicine? Nutrition would be good too.”
“I didn’t! You’re overinterpreting!”
The vegetable diet Cedar was already preparing was sufficiently painful.
But would the diet Cedar brings after studying nutrition and medicine really be better than the current one?
‘Absolutely not. He might even forbid sugar entirely. I can’t live such a painful life.’
That would be fortunate.
Right now, Cedar couldn’t grasp how different the sturdiness of his body and mine were, so he was making me exercise gently.
But if he properly learned something like ‘exercises even people with no stamina can do’, it seemed obvious the exercise time would increase from now.
‘If Cedar shows any signs of studying, I must stop him with all my might.’
I made a firm resolution, over and over.
Cedar looked at me as if protesting why I was stopping him. I shrugged my shoulders.
“I was just throwing a tantrum. …I thought it would be nice if you gave me a kiss too.”
I thought Cedar would be startled and avoid it if I answered like that. That’s how he had reacted whenever I said let’s kiss until now.
But today, Cedar was different.
Smooch.
His lips touched my forehead and then left. I stared at Cedar with wide eyes.
Cedar chuckled and lightly pinched my cheek.
“You can say things like that a bit louder.”
“I can?”
“Is it strange for a married couple to exchange affection?”
“W-well, that’s not it, but.”
The word ‘married couple’ sounded especially ticklish.
‘Even though he speaks so stiffly, it tickles. Am I the weird one?’
Perhaps because of his low, heavy voice, Cedar’s pronunciation tended to be stiff.
But still, when he said words like ‘married couple’ or ‘love’, it was unbearably sweet.
‘This might be an issue with my heart.’
His eyes gazing at me fully while caressing my face were endlessly affectionate.
As if his emotions had transferred to me, my heart beat faster and faster.
I could feel my face turning bright red.
“Sitting up seems to be making your condition worse again. Lie down quickly.”
Not knowing how I felt, Cedar made me lie back down on the bed. Then he carefully pulled the blanket and spread it flat.
With just my eyes peeking out from under the blanket, I smiled brightly.
“I wondered why someone would throw a tantrum when others can’t be sick in your place, but this is the feeling that made me do it. It feels really nice to have someone worry about me.”
Cedar responded bluntly in an indifferent tone.
“This doesn’t even count as a tantrum.”
Though he said that, the way he carefully folded the edge of the blanket so it wouldn’t cover my face was meticulous.
“Don’t keep indulging me. I’ll get spoiled.”
“So what if you get spoiled? I’ll just indulge you in everything.”
“Oh my.”
I meant to tease Cedar, but the embarrassment became mine. I glared at Cedar sulkily and grumbled.
“You’re good at sweet talk? You don’t look it.”
“I just haven’t had the chance to show my abilities until now.”
“If you had shown that talent earlier, you would have been popular. What a shame.”
“I was already popular.”
“Pfft.”
With no way to verify whether he was popular or not, I just pouted my lips.
Cedar lowered his head and came closer to my face. His low voice echoed in my ear.
“I can say even sweeter things than that.”
“…I was wrong. Please stop.”
I obediently admitted defeat. Cedar seemed amused and giggled.
It was truly rare for him to laugh out loud, so I opened my eyes wide, but the tactless Hail knocked on the door.
“My lady, Sir, I’m here.”
With that, all traces of laughter on Cedar’s face disappeared.
I sighed in disappointment.
Cedar, who had half-risen from his seat, turned his head at the sound of my sigh.
“Should I not go?”
“What?”
“Didn’t you just sigh because you were disappointed?”
He’s teasing me again! I waved my hands.
“No, I didn’t! You should hurry and go to work.”
“I think I should rest today too. My head hurts…”
“Go quickly!”
When I insisted, Cedar sighed deeply and finally got up.
“It’s sad that I’m too healthy to even fake being sick.”
Leaving those words behind, Cedar left the room.
As if worried Cedar might say he wasn’t going to work, Hail closed my door with a relieved expression.
‘Cedar seems to be talking more and more.’
I rubbed my face where Cedar’s fingers had touched with my palm.
The sensation of his wooden-like stiff touch still seemed to linger on my cheek.
‘His attitude towards me has definitely changed, right? Since the ball.’
The ring on my finger felt a bit uncomfortable.
It was natural since I had never worn jewelry like rings before.
I held my hand up in the air and looked at the small sparkling diamond.
The image of Cedar holding out the ring with a serious face came to mind unbidden.
[Marry me, Nelly.]“Oh, how embarrassing!”
I quickly pulled the blanket over my head. My face felt hot and my heart pounded loudly.
‘I didn’t feel this embarrassed facing Cedar before.’
Why is it different now?
When facing Cedar, all sorts of unfamiliar emotions welled up like spray.
I felt strange even though these were my own feelings.
‘Just as Cedar has changed, I must be changing too.’
I was confused but it wasn’t a bad feeling. I wanted to cherish and nurture these emotions I was learning for the first time thanks to Cedar.
‘I should ask Cedar too. If he feels the same.’
Not much time had passed since we parted, but I wanted to see him again. I got up from the bed and pushed aside the blanket.
Then I slowly walked towards the window facing the Dragon Knight Order. I was going to stand there and gaze at the Order if nothing else.
But something strange caught my eye.
It was the dragon egg placed by the window. I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
“Huh? Did it just move?”
The dragon egg, which should have been still, seemed to shake slightly.
I focused my eyes and stared intently at the egg.
But the egg didn’t budge at all. I scratched my cheek.
“Maybe not.”
When I placed my palm on it, I felt a lukewarm warmth. I whispered softly to the egg.
“Zeke, wake up soon. I’m so curious.”
The egg still didn’t move at all.
As I was sighing through my nose, a loud voice rang out from downstairs.
“My lady, Young Master Grisha has arrived!”
“Yes!”
When I pulled the doorknob, a familiar man with long black hair was already standing in front. I called his name with a bright smile of joy.
“Grisha!”
Deep sea-like dark blue eyes curved gently.
“Nelly, I heard you were sick?”
“Yes. I caught a cold.”
“Are you alright now?”
“I had a bit of a fever yesterday, but I’m fine now.”
I raised my arm vigorously to show I was alright.
Right after returning from the ball, I really had a fever so bad I could barely stand like this.
‘But I was able to recover quickly.’
The moment I received a goodnight kiss from Cedar and gained magic, my condition improved as if by magic.
Waving my hand, I thought to myself.
‘Honestly, getting a magic charge from Cedar is better than just lying down like this.’
Naturally, the goodnight kiss I shared with Cedar yesterday came to mind.
‘But yesterday was really so embarrassing.’
Even though we had shared even more intense kisses many times before, last night’s goodnight kiss was somehow different.
The feel of his smooth, thin lips, the low, heavy breath that made my hair stand on end.
[It was an honor to have our first dance with you today.]The kind greeting too.
“What’s wrong?”
Grisha suddenly brought his face close to mine as I was recalling yesterday.
When I met blue eyes instead of gray ones, I came to my senses as if waking up. I asked back in a dazed tone.
“Huh?”
“Your face is red.”
I covered my face with both hands. As Grisha said, my cheeks were burning hot.
“R-really? Is the fever coming back?”
Grisha’s brows furrowed. He gently pushed my back towards the room and said.
“Lie down. I’ll prepare the medicinal herbs.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
