CH 24

Albert tilted his head to the side, his jawline clearly visible. It was a smooth, angular line.

“It’s an order, then you’ll say it.”

I couldn’t openly deny that. I expressed my opinion in a roundabout manner.

“Have I ever gone against Your Highness’ orders?”

“Right.”

Albert smiled.

“But you wouldn’t go beyond that.”

He seemed to leave more unsaid.

I crouched near him while he was lying down, then I looked at him. Albert, who slightly raised his upper body, made eye contact with me. His deep eyes had an intense gaze in them.

Love could be achieved through timing and serendipity. And if the timing wasn’t right, that love would cool down.

It was a short window of opportunity, but this situation seemed to be enough for it. I realized this much while being able to interact with Albert like this.

If the tower wasn’t the special place that it was—from the fact that I never would have gotten the chance to meet him, to the cold truth that both our ways of thinking and our values were very different.

There’s a saying that goes like this—if a crow tit walks like a stork, it will break its legs.¹

Meaning, people should know their place.

Romance is possible with a chaebol² in dramas. But this is because everyone knows that this wouldn’t happen in reality.

And it’s the same with a prince and a maid. Romance could flourish only here inside this tower where there were no obstacles, but it will not be able to last.

People need to stay within their lanes. This is what reality dictates.

“Prince. I know my place.”

“Your place, you say.”

He spoke in a hushed voice with a bitter expression.

“You make me speechless.”

What can I say to that?

After contemplating, I answered.

“I’ll draw the line.”

But as soon as I finished saying this, Albert muttered firmly.

“Don’t do that.”

“……”

“Don’t draw any lines. Don’t go further away.”

“……”

“Just. Just stay where you are.”

If you say that with pain so evident in your eyes, I can’t say anything more. I bit my lips hard.

“Because if you really change, I don’t know how I’ll change, too.”

Staring at me as I remained silent, Albert added in a low voice.

“This is an order.”

“……”

“Listen to me, Rosé.”

I couldn’t say anything. Even as he said it was an order, it sounded more like a plea.

Instead, I just nodded.

The air around us became heavy. Albert’s tone of voice changed, perhaps due to the atmosphere.

“Now I’m sure that I’m sick. I keep saying words I wouldn’t normally say.”

The topic of the conversation changed. Albert was trying to be considerate of me. After sighing inwardly, I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them once more.

All I could do right now is to provide proper care for a sick person.

I tried to speak in a cheerful tone.

“That’s also what I think. That’s why I should go down for a bit and bring back some water. May I?”

Albert’s grip loosened.

While we were talking, sweat formed on his forehead again. I wiped his forehead one more time.

“I’ll be right back.”

After lightly pushing Albert’s hand, which was holding my wrist, I headed down to the kitchen with Blanc in tow.

Blanc looked back towards Albert’s room as if he was worried.

Arriving at the kitchen, I first filled a large jug with water for Albert to drink.

He was sweating a lot, so of course he had to replenish his fluids. Rather than going back and forth into the kitchen, it would be better to get a lot at once.

I groaned all the way back up the stairs while carrying the huge jug. Going back to Albert’s side as he was now lying back, I placed the jug down and grabbed a cup, which I filled with water for Albert.

“Prince, please drink this.”

While holding the cup in one hand, he breathed deeply. I observed his condition.

As he was sitting up now, I saw that Albert’s shirt was soaked in cold sweat.

“Goodness…”

How long did it take me to get the water? Albert’s condition was much worse than before.

As I looked at him, I asked anxiously.

“Prince, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I just need to sleep for a bit.”

His voice was no different than usual, but how he looked was completely different. His usual languid expression had disappeared, and now he was all pale.

I was doused with fear. Something serious might really happen with Albert.

He’s the male lead of this story, but the contents of the novel have changed ever since I’ve come here.

Without one year even passing by, Albert already knows how to get out of the tower. He even went out for a little while to save his vassal from black magic.

Since he wasn’t supposed to go out at this time… Because of the aftermath, would something wrong really befall Albert?

The novel never mentioned anything about Albert being sick. He was an ever-reliable male lead.

…But right now, Albert didn’t look like a male lead.

He was just one person. And that’s making me worried.

I let out a prolonged exhale.

There’s nothing wrong with Albert.

There’s a reason why he’s a main character. There’s no way he’d die in a place like this.

However, as I was watching him being sick like this in front of me, I couldn’t help but be anxious.

“Here, Rosé.”

Albert managed to drink the water and now he was handing me back the cup.

Taking that cup from him, I was lost in thought again.

What can I do?

There’s no medicine here.

And I can’t ask anyone to bring some in.

There’s nothing I can do.

I never felt more frustrated about the fact that we’re trapped here more than I am now.

“You don’t have to do anything, Rosé.”

Albert smiled faintly as he felt my restlessness.

“I’ll be fine after three days of this.”

“Not just one day but three?!”

Oh my god! That’s too long! Anyone who’s sick knows that time goes by too slow at a time like this, and it’s terrible just to hear that it’ll last for three days.

Albert looked at me with a calm expression. He was quiet, compared to me while I was making a fuss. At this moment, I was confused about who it really was that’s sick, me or him.

Though he was sweating profusely, Albert maintained his regal aura. That was amazing in itself.

As I wiped the sweat off his forehead again, Albert whispered.

“It’s the price to pay. This much is a light penalty.”

He could read me like an open book, seeing as how he was comforting me.

I told you not to say you’re fine when you’re not, but you’re repeating the same thing again.

“How can this be a light penalty? Your Highness is someone who doesn’t even want to show that you’re sick, but you’re like this now.”

“It’s been a while since I went out, and Liam’s condition was worse than I thought. I’m like this now because I could endure well enough.”

“…Are you bragging about yourself?”

Just how great Albert was—the heavens know this and the earth knows this as well. But that’s not important right now.

Rising from my seat, I quickly wracked my head and thought of what I could do for Albert.

Albert sighed heavily and said,

“I think I need to change my clothes.”

With his short hair sticking to his cheeks like this, as I peered at his bare face, I could even see his natural beauty shining through.

I can’t believe I’m thinking about something like this towards a sick person.

With my lips pursed, I quickly moved.

“I’ll get a change of clothes right away!”

It was true that Albert was soaked in cold sweat.

Opening a drawer, I took out one of Albert’s shirts. The rather rough texture was completely different from the clothes I received in the guest room earlier. And I also recalled the coats and outerwear that Schubert and Liam were wearing.

The fabrics they were wearing looked to be fancy and of good quality.

…That’s also what Albert’s used to.

Strangely, I felt guilty. As I was clutching the well-folded shirt in my hands, I bit my lower lip.

No. It was Rosé who did that, not me. I shouldn’t overlap myself with Rosé to that extent.

Shaking my head, I turned back and gave the shirt to Albert.

He squinted and looked alternately between the folded shirt and the sweat covered shirt clinging to him.

“…Help me.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking you to help me change, Rosé.”

No no, it’s not like I didn’t understand that part…

Smirking, Albert had whispered in a languid tone. This wet look of his seemed awfully dangerous. To the point that I gulped dryly without even realizing it.

The moment he handed back the shirt to me, his finger grazed mine for a moment and left. The instantaneous contact made me nervous.

“Haven’t you seen my body many times before?”

Yeah, sure, I’ve seen the prince’s body before, but… isn’t this a bit different…?

I wanted to say no. It was too much to look at him and touch his bare skin at the same time.

Right then, I decided to refuse, so I opened my lips to speak quickly.

“Your Highness, I…”

But then I saw it.

His hands trembling because of his high fever.

…I can’t be shy here. There’s something that needs to be done.

Albert is a patient.

He’s a patient lying in bed because he couldn’t even control his own body properly.

Albert wasn’t his usual self right now.

Mumbling as though brainwashing myself, I nodded. Then, I asked with a grim face.

“How should I help you?”

As if he was waiting for it, Albert sat up against the headboard.

He tried to unclasp the buttons of his shirt, but soon, this left him exasperated. He sighed and said,

“Unbutton my shirt first.”

Albert only said his first request, but why was my face heating up? This was just the start, the first request, but… why does it feel like I’ve dug my own grave?

But there’s nowhere to run now. I answered resolutely with all my willpower.

“Yes.”

After gulping once, I reached out to the first button around the collar of his shirt. Just under this button, this shirt, his bare skin was about to touch mine.

My finger lightly grazed Albert’s adam’s apple, but it was only for an instant.

Albert raised his head.

I was too flustered to meet his gaze.

At this, I was solely focused on just the buttons. And with my intense gaze on them, I was worried that the buttons might wear out.

——

¹ this line pertains to a korean proverb that means, someone who’s trying too hard to fit in by becoming something they aren’t. a crow tit is a short bird, so if it tries to walk like a long-legged stork, it’ll just hurt itself. this saying is similar to ‘a leopard can’t change its spots’.

² a chaebol family is a conglomerate/super rich family, and there’s a common trope in k-dramas that a third generation or smth smth chaebol heir is the commoner fl’s love interest, very much like what we see in romance fantasy novels with princes and dukes tbh