Me, a Princess? My Lord! - Chapter 42
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 42
“I have a favor to ask of you. No one must know about this. It must be carried out in complete secrecy. Can you do this for me?”
The priest asked after glancing around once.
“What kind of favor…?”
“Well, you see.”
The King let out a deep sigh. Even after starting to speak, he couldn’t continue for quite a while before finally opening his mouth.
“I would like you to create a magic stone containing my blood.”
“Like the one I prepared for Your Majesty’s wedding day?”
“That’s right.”
The King, who had stopped walking and was looking up at the night sky, spoke in a calm tone.
“At my upcoming birthday banquet, I intend to officially announce Anastasia as my successor. As I’ve planned for a long time.”
“Well, Princess Anastasia is Your Majesty’s only daughter…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The King smiled weakly.
“I’m not unaware that Anastasia lacks the qualities of a virtuous ruler, but what can I do? The Queen left us so quickly…”
“It is truly heartbreaking.”
The priest carefully parted his lips.
“Then Your Majesty needs a special gift to present to the Princess on that day?”
“If that were the case, there wouldn’t be a need for such secrecy.”
The King turned to face the priest directly.
“I would like you to make two of them.”
“Pardon?”
The priest’s mind became tangled in confusion. He carefully asked while trying to guess the King’s intentions.
“Do you intend to give both to the Princess? Or perhaps there is someone else you wish to give one to?”
“There is someone else.”
The priest’s eyes widened.
“Could that other person be…?”
The King turned his head away from the priest.
“Please don’t ask for more details. Right now I know nothing, so I have no words to explain.”
“Your Majesty.”
“That is the only way to end this torment of mine. I can think of no other solution at the moment.”
As if deeply troubled, the King’s wrinkles deepened. He continued speaking while running his hand over his face, which had grown rough in recent days.
“But I promise you. Once this matter is finished, I will tell you everything without hiding anything.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The priest bowed his head. He spoke with a gentle smile.
“It has been more than thirty years since this humble servant began exchanging confidences with Your Majesty. Surely Your Majesty has deep reasons for this.”
“Amar.”
“We must hurry to prepare for Your Majesty’s birthday celebration. I will return at dawn and prepare everything with utmost care.”
The moved King grasped the priest’s hand tightly.
“I’m counting on you.”
Shortly after, the footsteps of the two men gently spread across the stone path again. The usual composure returned to the King’s face.
However, the two men didn’t notice.
“…”
In a corner of the garden, where darkness had settled thickly, someone was hiding and eavesdropping on their conversation.
Rustle.
A light cloak brushed against the grass.
‘Two magic stones needed… I wonder if this information is worth some money.’
* * *
“…Miss Heidi, can you hear me? Are you regaining consciousness?”
An unfamiliar old man’s voice echoed in her ears.
In the dim light, Heidi tried to half-open her eyelids but failed. Her body felt too heavy.
A hand touched her forehead, wiping away cold sweat, and the blanket was quietly pulled over her again.
“First priority seems to be bringing down the high fever. It would be good to cool her with wet towels.”
“The medicine…?”
Eloise’s anxious voice could be heard.
“I’ve already administered it. Because her body has weakened considerably, it’s not taking effect immediately. The medicine will start working soon.”
The doctor looked at Eloise and asked.
“Was there anything that might have strained her body?”
“Well… Perhaps she was tired from attending the banquet? I should ask my brother, but of all times, he had to be away from home.”
Ah.
A pained sound softly escaped from Heidi’s lips.
‘It was because I stood there shivering in wet clothes like that yesterday.’
Heidi recalled standing for a long time in her wet dress last night. The wind that had touched her face was still vivid in her memory.
‘It didn’t seem like something that would make me this seriously ill.’
Though I have had many things on my mind lately.
Heidi curled up her body while breathing shallowly. Her consciousness alternated between becoming clear and hazy in the burning fever.
Someone nearby called her name.
“Heidi.”
It was Eloise.
“Heidi, can you hear me?”
“…”
Heidi lifted her eyelids with all her strength. She nodded her head slightly.
“You’ll get better, Heidi. Don’t worry. The medicine will start working soon.”
Heidi slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
“If you want, I’ll stay by your side all night. Should I do that? Hmm?”
Heidi shook her head. She parted her parched lips with all her remaining strength.
“No.”
“But…”
“I’ll be fine after getting a good night’s sleep. Don’t worry.”
Then Eloise smiled gently and pulled a chair close to Heidi’s side.
“Alright, Heidi. Instead, I’ll stay by your side until you fall asleep. That should be okay, right?”
Eloise’s small, cool hand touched Heidi’s forehead. Her hand gently brushed away the sweat-dampened hair.
“In the past, you always put me to sleep like this.”
“…”
“I’m happy I can finally return the favor, Heidi. Thank you, always.”
Heidi slowly drifted off to sleep while listening to Eloise’s whispers.
* * *
It felt like I had received this kind of touch before.
Heidi tossed and turned in her dreams, feeling the hand that gently stroked her face. It was a dream as warm as spring sunlight.
“Papa.”
At Heidi’s murmur, her father smiled and stroked her head.
“You could sleep more, so why did you wake up already?”
“She must have been hungry.”
A familiar woman’s voice followed.
When Heidi turned her head, her mother was smiling gently. She looked healthy, as she had before falling ill.
“Wait just a little, dear. The bread still has a long way to go before it’s done baking.”
“Mama!”
Heidi ran into her embrace. Even though it was a dream, she could almost feel the body warmth.
“Heidi, are you happy?”
Her mother’s voice tickled her ear.
“Yes… I’m so happy right now.”
Heidi’s eyes, which had been smiling softly, gradually grew moist.
“I miss you. I missed you so much.”
Heidi embraced her dream mother tightly. But the more strength she put into her arms, the more her mother crumbled like sand and slipped away from her embrace.
Gradually, the dreamscape became blurry. The figure of her father looking at her warmly and her mother embracing her back were no longer visible.
“Don’t go, please.”
A single tear rolled down Heidi’s cheek as she woke from the dream. Like returning to childhood, she sobbed and called out her mother’s name.
That’s when it happened.
“…!”
An unfamiliar body temperature touched her cheek. To Heidi, who was burning with fever, it felt refreshingly cool.
‘It’s cool.’
Heidi nestled her cheek against the firm hand. Then he gently brushed under her eyes with his fingers.
“Don’t be in pain.”
The moment she heard his voice, Heidi could immediately recognize him even in her hazy consciousness.
‘It’s Deshion.’
The fingertips stroking her cheek were rough, but the touch wiping away her tear stains was careful.
“And don’t cry either.”
Though Heidi kept her eyes closed, she could feel it clearly. That his face was right in front of hers.
“…”
A distance where she could feel his breath. Each time his breath reached her, Heidi was enveloped in a sensation like fine hairs standing on end.
Time passed that felt both like an instant and like an eternity.
Deshion tilted his head just slightly toward her ear.
In the quiet room, he whispered in a voice so small and low that only Heidi could barely hear it.
“When you cry, I…”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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