I Became a Sick Nobleman

***

—It’s pretty.

Leo was busy looking at the sky covered with numerous stars from Ruel’s lap.

He told Cassion that he was going to bed, then secretly went to the kitchen and asked Astell for two cups of cocoa.

After staying in bed all day, his chest felt heavy and he couldn’t stand it.

He had a hard time rejecting her offer to bring him cocoa all the way outside.

Even so, he had the strength to hold two cups.

“Ha.”

Ruel took a cup of cocoa and exhaled.

Late at night in the training grounds, it was quiet and absent from use.

Kuroo Kuru.

Looking at the spirits rolling around in the training ground, Ruel tried to ignore them by turning his eyes away.

‘Well, it’s quiet enough.’

Leo on his lap was like a stove, and the cloak made by Aris was warm.

Only the fingers holding the cup and the back of his hand were cold.

Leo, looking at the sky blankly, put his head down and diligently licked up the cocoa.

—This is the taste! It tastes similar to a black cake.

“Don’t say anything to Uncle and Aris, Leo.”

—This body has closed lips! I kept the promise I made with Cassion… Oops!

Leo hurriedly covered his mouth with surprise.

Even if it’s a promise, it’s one of the things that’s already passed.

“Do you want a drink, Hina?”

Hina appeared at Ruel’s question.

She sat next to Leo and gently stroked him.

“It’s okay, but did you come out thinking you wouldn’t be caught by the chief?”

“No way.” Cassion must already know. “At least Fran won’t find out. As long as I don’t get caught by Fran.”

At Ruel’s smile, Hina took out her scarf from her pocket and wrapped it around him.

“It’s cold. It’s a big deal if you catch a cold.”

“Yeah, I guess Fran will find out.”

“There are so many stars today.”

“I was sad that I couldn’t see the stars in the Ice Castle.”

“You’ll see it again next time.”

Ruel inhaled Breath and nodded slightly.

Hina rose from her seat and went back into the shadows.

“Have a good night.”

“You too.”

Again, only Leo and himself are left.

‘No, there are spirits.’

It was probably thanks to the spirits that it wasn’t cold.

Leo asked as he reheated his cooled cocoa.

—Is it cold?

“It’s alright.”

—This body is worried like Hina. If you catch a cold, wouldn’t you keep sleeping? This body hates Ruel sleeping.

“I’m stronger than it looks.”

—It’s a lie. Ruel is the most, the most, the most hu…

“The stars are falling.”

At Ruel’s words, Leo looked up urgently.

—Wow! This is so unbelievable!”

They were lucky.

A meteor shower was falling from the sky.

A long tail is connected by biting its own tail.

T/N : This expression is used to describe a situation where a problem or a series of events continues to perpetuate itself, creating a never-ending cycle.

‘I wasn’t able to see it because I was busy at work, but I’m seeing this now.’

He blew before drinking the cocoa that was just warm enough to drink.

‘It would have been better if it was alcohol, not cocoa.’

Ruel regained his appetite and looked at the sky.

‘Still, it’s pretty.’

Whenever the cold wind brushed his cheeks, it seemed as if the accumulated emotions melted away.

Red Ash.

Two princes.

And Ruel’s past.

Even the marks on his body.

How he wish everything would sink in the heat of the cocoa.

***

‘The Kuhn and Lumina families are done.’

An event to honor this year and welcome the next year was held at the Royal Palace two months later.

Until then, most of the work had to be completed.

He had yet to hear from Ganien yet.

Cyronian and the Tonisk Empire are close, so he also asked them to keep an eye on them.

“…Are you listening to me?”

Fran now looked like she wanted to cry.

He woke up in three days, greeted guests not long after, and went out at night with his weakened body to see the stars.

His stomach didn’t feel right.

“Why do you refuse to listen to me?”

“Cough! After watching it for a while, I tried to go back in, but the meteor shower fell just then, so I kept watching it…without realizing it.”

At the sound of Ruel’s Breath, Fran held back her anger several times in her mind.

Ruel himself did not intend to stay that long.

However, he didn’t know if he was lost in thoughts or fell asleep while watching, but when he came to my senses, dawn was already dawning.

—Even this body should have taken Ruel. This body forgot because the stars were so pretty.

Leo buried his face in the blanket and sniffled.

Ruel’s stroking was comfortable.

—…The rising morning sun was beautiful.

He seemed to have seen everything there was to see, whether he was unconscious or asleep.

“I… It’s my responsibility.”

Cassion didn’t know how many times he sighed already.

It was natural to catch a cold because he was exposed to the cold wind with his already weak body.

He also knew that Ruel was going outside.

However, no matter how much he regarded his body as a stone, Ruel knew the extent, so he thought he would come back in time and focused on paperwork.

“I’ll come back later. If your fever rises again, please call me.”

Fran bowed his head and went out.

Cassion called Ruel, sitting in the seat where Fran had sat.

“Ruel-nim.”

“…I made a mistake. So that’s enough nagging.”

His body’s heat was overwhelmingly hot.

It was just a cold, but it wasn’t usual.

Since the power of recovery was allocated to most of the wounds suffered by the Great Man, he was suffering from a cold as it was.

Wi-ing.

He had heard the scream of recovery power when it had reached its limit earlier.

He once again realized that without the power of recovery, it would be difficult for him to enjoy even ordinary things.

Ruel said, wetting his dry lips.

“I want you to borrow a mana storage from my uncle and see what’s going on.”

“It’s just begun. I know it’s urgent, but it doesn’t make any difference to hurry. Also, Tyson-nim said he didn’t need anyone for today.”

He wonders how much mana he drew.

It was clear that he heard Fran running, and that he had caught a cold.

“Yes.”

Ruel pretended not to know.

“…Is it complicated?”

Cassion asked cautiously.

When he brought Ruel into his room, the parts of him not covered by his cloak were extremely cold.

He was worried about Ruel, who already caught colds on a regular basis.

“I let it all go, it’s enough now.”

“Alright. Now, then, go to bed.”

“Discover the back of the Shio family. Money, cough, cough, tread on the whereabouts of funds, and you may find something.”

Cassion waited quietly for the next words.

“Billo must have trained the number one person in the back alleys of Setiria.”

“I know.”

“That’s not enough. Quietly, bring him here so no one knows, and don’t say or do anything until I wake up.”

Cassion’s lips twitched slightly.

What was scarier than violence was the display of overwhelming force.

Don’t even dare to think about attacking me. Ruel was hoping to communicate that message.

“The birds…”

Ruel inhaled Breath.

Due to the high heat, his eyes closed, bearing the fever, before opening again.

“You probably asked for information about the Red Ash that exists in Setiria, right?”

“Yes, it is already ready.”

“…Okay.”

Where is the place where birds roam the most with Jirie?

It was Setiria.

The true enemy was the Red Ash, and in order to uproot them, they had to be pulled out all at once.

They’ll be hiding more secretly, more quietly than the rats.

The promise between Ben Liobenez and the two princes seemed to be to move once the wound was completely healed.

The wound on the stomach had to be healed before the reduced mark became larger.

“Leo.”

At Ruel’s call, Leo raised his ears.

“Sleep with me. You couldn’t sleep either.”

—This body is not sleepy. I don’t have to sleep.

“I won’t sleep long this time.”

—Really?

“Yes.”

Only then did Leo smile brightly.

He dug into Ruel’s arms and waved his tail vigorously.

—This body will sleep with Ruel.

Ruel touched Leo gently.

He looked at Cassion, resisting the hand pulling him to the far side.

“Go to sleep with peace of mind. I’ll make sure to take care of things while you’re asleep, Ruel-nim.”

“…Yes.”

Only then did Ruel close his eyes.

Zzzz.

The high fever made even the sound of breathing rough.

Cassion took out one of his swords from his collection and cleaned it carefully.

“You can’t say anything to me.”

Hina made a sneak appearance.

“I’m not saying anything.”

“I left him alone because he looked refreshed for the first time in a while.”

“I said I wouldn’t say anything.”

“Still, isn’t it admirable that our patriarch is holding on so well?”

Ha.

Cassion gave a smirk.

‘When did it change from the damn Lord to our patriarch?’

“You know, Chief.”

Hina brought a chair next to Cassion and sat down.

“It’s not the chief or the spirit that have watched Ruel-nim the most, but I.”

Her eyes towards Ruel were like looking at her immature youngest brother.

“Honestly, he made us work hard, but he took care of us most of all.”

“Is that so? Why am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

Cassion snorted.

All he received from Ruel was a sword, so he couldn’t think of anything else.

Of course that was enough.

Especially as Turbulent Day was more than fantastic every time he saw it.

“The chief is, uh…”

Hina equivocated her words.

‘Yes, I’m already a fish that he’s caught.’

Cassion said nothing and wiped his sword again.

“Anyway, as I keep watching, I see something in him that makes him feel like my younger brother. I hope he lives a long and healthy life. I mean it.”

“He’ll live long.”

“Yes, I know.”

Hina smiled.

The sound of wiping the sword and humming mixed together to fill the room.

***

“…the throat is still a little swollen, and you have a slight fever, but it’s alright.”

Fran smiled brightly after a long time.

She was in a good mood for the first time in a while because Ruel had really stabilized for two days.

“Ah, the wound is healing well. I’ll disinfect it at once.”

When she removed the bandage, she could see the meticulously stitched wound.

She could see it was definitely healing.

Since there were many spirits, the speed of healing was different.

Fran still smiled and asked.

“How about a new drug that’s been raised to the next level? Do you feel dizzy, nauseous, or have any allergic reactions?”

“I feel drowsy.”

“Are you talking about the feeling of your body floating?”

“That’s right.”

“Alright. Is there anything else?”

“Not yet.”

“Alright. Other than being weak, the disease is getting better little by little.”

Feeling that the drug is definitely effective, Leo said this morning that the mark was reduced to two of his front feet.

It’s not yet possible to be certain, but so far Fran’s strategy seems to be working well.

“I ask you again, my lord, you need to rest. You should never ignore fatigue.”

“You know it. Except for two days ago, I took a good rest in bed.”

“I know you visited Tyson yesterday.”

Ruel saw Cassion standing behind her.

He shrugged his shoulders.

If not him, Tyson was the culprit.

“Lord, the body is valuable and an asset.”

“Thank you.”

Fran’s hand, which was disinfecting, stopped at a sudden remark.

She smiled proudly because she felt his sincerity.

But she soon collected her expression.

It was too early for her to feel flattered that he was feeling a little better.

She had to research more and treat it further.

It wasn’t a normal disease.

Fran wrapped the bandage again and stood up from her seat.

“Well, I’ll see you later.”

Fran went out with Cassion.

“Butler, how about the cough medicine you changed? Now my sister is making something else.”

“It’s definitely better than the previous one. But there’s no sense of a significant reduction.”

“Alright. I’ll take it for a few more days and if it still doesn’t work, I’ll change it to another medicine.”

Fran took out her notebook from her arms and played with her hands.

“As you know, it’s impossible for the cough to stop completely before the disease goes away.”

Soon she folded her notebook and continued her words with an indignant look on her face.

“The butler constantly asked about his breathing steadily, but according to the results of the examination until today, it appears that part of his lungs is damaged. This is not something I can do.”

“Is it damaged briefly because of the illness or separately?”

“It seems to be a complex result. There are scars on his body probably because he had an accident when he was a child.” 

“Yes, I heard there was a carriage accident.”

“At that time, the damage to the lungs came from a strong shock, and it seems to have been damaged by further damage due to the disease.”

Cassion’s expression sank.

“Are you saying that even if the disease gets better, there will be no recovery?”

“Yes, in my opinion.”

“…Alright. I would like you to keep this a secret from Ruel-nim.”

“I’d rather tell him the truth… No. Alright. But if the Lord asks, I have no choice but to answer.”

“I know. Please keep it a secret until then.”

Cassion bowed his head to Fran and stopped for a moment on his way to Ruel’s room.

‘…ha.’

He turned his steps again and headed for the kitchen.

He was craving something sweet.