CH 29

At some point, he got used to her smiling face. And her actions that made them closer became more natural to him.

Inside the tower, where only the two of them stayed, when he knew that her eyes would be directed at only him, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Albert watched Rosé as she slept. There was no dark expression to be seen on her sleeping face.

His headache seemed to have disappeared. Albert narrowed his eyes, leaning down closer to Rosé and whispered into her ear.

“Everything’s so easy for you, Rosé.”

Albert used to think that he knew Rosé, but she turned out to be a difficult person to understand. After asking him to kiss her so shamelessly, when their kiss ended and their gazes met, her eyes were so stained with embarrassment that it seemed like she was a completely different person.

This sight made him think that he had hallucinated somehow. Because people don’t change so easily.

When he and Rosé were first trapped in this tower, he remembered exactly what kind of gaze she had. The glint in her eyes, with a barely hidden sense of possessive desire, was something that he saw so many times throughout his life, to the extent that he had already gotten sick and tired of it.

However, she really had changed.

Why, he wondered. He thought that this fact would make him feel relieved, but really, it made him feel bitter.

Rosé would distance herself from him the moment they would step out of this tower. Perhaps she would never try to see him ever again.

Albert was also someone who was very grounded in reality and lived in it entirely. And he knew that their status difference meant that they lived in completely different worlds.

Albert caught himself with a bitter smile on his lips.

Glancing down at her sleeping face, he whispered to Rosé.

“Rosé. Give me permission to touch you.”

Because of the contract, he had to ask Rosé permission every time he touched her. The contract wasn’t something enforced and bound by magic, but Albert was a man of his word.

‘Still, I didn’t know I’d feel this reassured that the contract wasn’t formed with magic.’

He had never once been rejected, yet this certainly made him uneasy. It wasn’t only once or twice that he cursed himself for signing that contract so readily.

But, as he was regretting what he had done,

“Mmh… Okayy…”

Not knowing what she was saying, Rosé gave him permission as she talked in her sleep. Albert smiled languidly. Soon, he made a strong vow to himself.

‘I shouldn’t let you sleep in front of others for the rest of your life.’

Raising one eyebrow, Albert recalled her sleeping habits. Then, he raised her slightly as he slid his arm underneath Rosé’s neck. Now, Rosé was leaning against him.

Holding Rosé in his arms, Albert moved her to the bed. This would be better than sleeping on the floor.

Since she must have been busy nursing him to health all night, letting her have a restful sleep would be better for her. Albert gently touched the sleeping Rosé’s cheek.

Rosé’s bucket list kept poking at his subconscious.

She wrote many things that she wanted to do with the fledgling dragon that she met here, but Albert’s existence had completely disappeared.

As if he was never part of her life from the very beginning.

Once they leave the tower, the time would come that they’d surely part ways. And Albert didn’t want Rosé to be in danger.

He would be waging a coup after leaving the tower, and blood would naturally be shed. He didn’t want to show that to Rosé.

He knew very well about how Rosé was afraid of his true self. Rosé was as easy to read as words written on plain white paper. Even if she tried to hide her emotions, it was evident for him.

Lightly stroking Rosé’s chin, Albert whispered.

“Even if you leave this place, don’t go too far away from me.”

Even if you leave this place, I will find you.

Wherever you are.

Every word uttered by this hushed voice was sincere.

Albert let go of Rosé’s chin, a sense of longing for the touch remaining in him.

He carried her over to the place where he had been sleeping just a while ago. That part was still warm, so he thought it would be better to place her there.

As he picked up the wet towel that fell on the bed, he dipped it in the basin and wiped his face. At that moment, Albert frowned deeply.

“Ugh…”

The headache had returned once more. Pain shot down through his entire body yet again.

Enduring the pain with his eyes shut tightly, he groaned and lay down on the bed.

It was time for him to go back to sleep.

Sleep was his only respite. He wouldn’t need to think about what expression he had on his face. He wouldn’t need to hide his feelings.

As long as he was asleep, nothing would be able to bother him.

* * *

As I stirred awake, I was surprised at the much softer feeling of my makeshift bed. I didn’t expect that the bed I made would be so nice.

I really like this rug.

…But wait. Isn’t this too soft for a rug? Why can’t I feel the hard floor underneath it?

Anxiety poured in. As I blinked and opened my eyes, I realized the truth of the matter.

No, the rug wasn’t as soft as the bed. I was lying on the bed.

How in the world did I come up here? Did I sleepwalk or something?

Looking around with a puzzled face, I found Albert lying down on the rug. It seemed like he was the one who moved me here.

When I rose to my feet and looked out the window, I found that it was already deep into the night. I slept for quite a while.

Then it was all for nothing that I kept myself awake all that time… After sighing and touching my forehead, I changed the water in the basin and woke up Albert so that he could move back to the bed.

I was grateful to him, but at the same time, I felt apologetic for taking his bed. Why did you have to take care of me when it’s you and not me who’s sick?

…You keep making my heart flutter.

I averted my gaze to hide my feelings.

“Your Highness, you do know that you’re the one who’s sick, right?”

Albert laughed at my words that were full of disbelief.

“Rosé, you’ve been speaking up a lot lately.”

When I faced Albert, whose voice was gentle, I felt goosebumps rising up my spine.

These days, I was more scared of seeing Albert smile rather than seeing him without any expression on his face.

I’m probably feeling more sensitive because he was sick, but there’s no reason to continue a pointless argument. I decided to change the subject.

I decorated this place with all my heart yesterday!

“Prince, did you see the room’s new design?”

“…Yes.”

He answered after a moment of silence.

“…Do you like it?”

I asked, as if I was a student waiting for her test results. I was worried about my decorations being completely different from his taste.

Albert glanced at me and raised the corners of his lips.

“You did a good job.”

It was a smile that Albert did only whenever he was in a good mood. A wave of relief washed over me only then.

Those words seemed light, but they weighed a lot more to me. After hearing this, I felt a lot better.

“That’s a relief.”

I smiled broadly with pride.

After that, I wiped him off and changed him into new clothes again, just as I did this morning.

This was the second time I was doing it, so it’s easier than the first time… It was so much more nerve-wracking the first time to the point that I felt like dying.

Physical contact with Albert made me feel the same things no matter how many times it happened. It’s the same as with me not ever getting used to his looks.

After changing his clothes, I made dinner for him. I made porridge already, so I cooked some additional stir-fried potatoes and fresh kimchi. Except for the other ingredients, only the potatoes were chopped as strips and cooked in oil. Stir-fried potatoes were the perfect quick side dish to pair with rice.

I gave a serving of the potatoes and some porridge to Blanc, then I went back up to the room and ate dinner together with Albert.

Fresh kimchi matched anything and everything. When I took a spoonful of porridge and garnished it with the spicy kimchi on top, the flavors went well together.

The prince’s headache was getting better, too. Though of course, he always just kept saying he was fine. But just to be certain, I observed that the times he frowned or clenched his hands into fists had gotten lesser.

It was entirely Albert’s fault that I’d become this good at reading people’s mannerisms.

However, this time, another problem sprung up.

It was my own physical condition.

Albert’s sickness wasn’t even a cold that I could catch, but my head also started to throb as though I’d caught the bug from him.

It felt like someone was hammering on my head. But I didn’t show that I was in pain because I wasn’t the patient.

I was used to enduring like this, too. And, well really, I was used to pain as well. It’s not a big deal for an office worker to have a light migraine.

I thought it would get better as time passed by.

That’s why I let it happen.

So, since Albert had now gotten better,

“…Rosé?”

I was the one who collapsed in pain this time.

* * *

Rosé’s physical constitution seemed to be weaker than I originally thought.

But rather than the fact that I’d fallen ill, what flustered me more was Albert’s overprotective reaction.

I tried to refuse, but Albert laid me back down on the bed. There was also that unexpected touch.

It was unfair that he said I agreed to it while I was half-asleep, but it was fine since he let me lay down on the bed.

Anyway, now that I was here with our roles switched entirely, Albert stared down at me with a serious expression.

“Hm…”

Albert placed his hand over my forehead, which was so warm that his hand felt cool. He compared our temperatures by alternately touching my forehead and then his own.

With a tone that expressed how he couldn’t understand the situation, he muttered.

“It wasn’t an illness that could have been transferred to you. This is strange.”

I had the same questions, really. I took in a shaking puff of breath and spoke slowly.

“At least, I don’t think it was something I caught from Your Highness… But I also don’t know why I’m sick like this…”

The headache got worse and worse.

“I had cast a spell so that the tower’s magic wouldn’t be passed to you, so why…”

Albert’s murmurs rang loudly in my ears. It felt like someone was shouting right next to me.

“…I-I feel cold, too…”

Did I catch a cold while we were in the north?

My symptoms were similar to what Albert had felt, but at the same time, it was different. I also broke out in cold sweat, but I didn’t have a fever.

I decided to look at this situation positively. It couldn’t be helped because I was sick anyway, but.

“I’m glad that you’re all better, Prince.”

Anyway, Albert was standing in front of me, and he looked a whole lot better. That’s enough for me.

I felt comforted by the fact that the person I was taking care of was now not sick anymore. Psychological pain was much crueler than physical pain.

“I can’t believe this…”

Albert laughed in disbelief as he heard my words, then he ruffled my bangs. Crackle, crackle. Static electricity suddenly appeared right then.

“Ack! Prince, it’s prickly!”

When I protested, Albert sighed and straightened my hair again. As though he was shaping pottery, his touch was delicate.

Since the situation was like this, I should rest well. I made up my mind like that. As though I was determined to cash in on my monthly leave from work, I declared firmly.

“Prince, let me have a break from work for a while.”

“I really can’t believe this…”

Albert pinched the tip of my nose lightly, but soon let go. Ouch… You’re just hurting me more.

“Prince, it hurts…”

As I protested with all my might, Albert replied with a low voice.

“Do I seem like a person who’d still make you work when you’re like this?”

Only then did I realize he was a little angry. Oh, he did deserve to be angry. Albert’s gaze, which had been looking around over my face without anything to focus on until now, reached my eyes.

His eyelashes fluttered as though they were butterfly wings as he blinked. His eyes shone like rubies.

The fingertips that were arranging my hair soon swept down to my jawline.

This touch, seemingly charged with a lot of conflicting emotions, seemed to want to lift my chin up. However, he soon let go.

Albert whispered quietly.

“Get some rest.”

And his voice was like a pleasant echo to my ears.