His crimson eyes clearly showed his displeasure. The deeply furrowed brows made me feel so relieved that I almost cried. To be honest, I was so surprised that I almost shed a tear. Terdeo, who had just opened his eyes, carefully examined my face.
"Why didn't you respond?"
"Did you even know how you looked just now, saying something like that?"
"Me?"
Terdeo frowned, as if trying to recall.
"Oh, I lost consciousness?"
"Lost consciousness? How long do you think...!"
How worried I was.
"...When I called your name, you woke up right away?!"
I felt so wronged that I choked out my words, and Terdeo raised an eyebrow in a way that seemed to disapprove.
"So, you called that name and said those words to wake me up?"
"Yes! If you didn't wake up, I was going to do something you hate!"
"Never do that again."
Terdeo answered firmly.
"Absolutely not with that suspicious guy."
"..."
"If I heard you were doing something with him, even from hell, I would feel so bad that I would come back to life."
What a jerk. Terdeo gazed into the air with a dazed expression. When I was about to approach, worried that he might be in pain again, he spoke.
"You appeared in my dream."
"..."
"It was a very unpleasant dream."
Terdeo narrowed his eyes and spoke in a chilly voice.
"For some reason, you were crying very sadly. Seeing that made me feel so unpleasant. I never want to have that dream again."
I clenched my fist instead of biting my lip and hit Terdeo's arm. Thud.
"...Why suddenly..."
"I told you, if you have to bite your lip, just take action!"
Terdeo looked at me with a bewildered expression, having been hit unexpectedly.
"Do you know how long you've been unconscious?"
"How long? Not just a few hours?"
"Three whole days! How shocked Selphie and I were...!"
"...What? Three days?"
"Where did you start hearing from? My muttering?"
"...From the moment you said you were going to have steak with Adeus?"
How much did he hate hearing Adeus's name that he reacted to it? At that moment, I was inexplicably grateful to Adeus.
"Then you should have said you were awake right away! Why did you take so long to speak!"
Seeing his face, now safely awake, I felt so relieved that I almost cried.
"My lips wouldn't move, and my voice wouldn't come out... More importantly, did I really lie here for three days?"
Terdeo, surprised by the news that he had been unconscious for three days, sat up in bed. However, he swayed and pressed his forehead, still suffering from a high fever. I hurriedly supported his upper body.
"Don't get up. Your fever hasn't gone down yet! I'll call the doctor."
"Before that, my throat is sore... Do you have any water?"
I handed him a cup of water I had prepared in advance. Terdeo, who hadn't been properly hydrated for three days, drank it greedily. The droplets that ran down his chin passed over his prominent Adam's apple and fell onto his chest. Feeling the water droplets on his chest, Terdeo lowered his head and looked at the shirt, which was unbuttoned and seemed to be put on carelessly, with a puzzled expression.
"Why is my shirt like this...?"
"Ah, because you were suffering from a high fever, I had to use a wet towel to cool you down..."
"What?"
Terdeo, seemingly surprised, opened his eyes wide.
Well, it's understandable. Suddenly waking up with your clothes almost off would be shocking. I supported Terdeo and laid him back down, explaining step by step.
"So, it was the best measure to bring down your fever. Even after giving you all the medicine that's good for high fever, it was still dangerous."
"..."
"And you hate being touched by others, right? So, I used a wet towel to cool you down every hour."
A surprised exclamation escaped Terdeo's lips.
"Don't worry. I didn't look at you inappropriately... Of course, I did clean you thoroughly, but..."
"Thoroughly..."
"It was a necessary and proper action for medical care! I didn't have any strange thoughts while looking at your naked body!"
"Strange thoughts..."
"Ah, no. And while cleaning, I kept thinking, 'This is a sick body, a sick doll, a sick lump of muscles.'"
The more I explained, the more it sounded like a strange excuse, but I tried to convey that there was nothing to worry about.
"But."
"Yes?"
Terdeo, who had been listening to my story, looked at my face closely and frowned.
"Why does your face look like that?"
Huh? My face? I touched my face, wondering if something was on it, and Terdeo continued.
"You look pale."
"Ah. Selphie said I look like a black cat with only my eyes showing. Is my face that bad?"
"You look pale. Did someone bother you while I was sick?"
Terdeo, lying in bed, scanned me from head to toe.
"If someone bothered you, tell me now. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Come on. Who's worrying about whom right now? And no one bothered me. ...Ah, if I have to say, you were the one who bothered me."
"..."
"Didn't I just say that? I cleaned you every hour. Thanks to that, I couldn't eat or sleep properly for the three days you were sick."
Terdeo, seemingly not thinking about what I said, opened his mouth in a daze. I replaced the cold towel and sat down, then wiped his forehead as usual.
"I'm your wife, after all. I should be the one to take care of my husband. Who else would do it?"
Each time my fingers touched his forehead, Terdeo's body visibly tensed.
"You... took care of me?"
"Yes."
I habitually reached out to wipe his chest and abdomen with the wet towel. However, I quickly withdrew my hand when I saw his muscles stiffen from tension.
"Sorry. I did it without thinking."
"No, no... it's fine."
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. I put down the wet towel and laughed awkwardly.
"Selphie is probably still sleeping, so I'll tell her you're awake tomorrow. I'll call the doctor first, so please wait a moment."
To escape the awkward atmosphere, I hurriedly got up. At that moment, I heard Terdeo mutter from behind.
"I've never had anyone take care of me when I was sick."
His voice was hazy, as if he were in a dream. I had never seen him like this, so I stopped in my tracks.
"Or, maybe I've never had anyone by my side when I was sick."
"..."
"Even as a child, I wished someone would be by my side when I was sick. But because of this damn curse, no one could be near me."
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Terdeo's gaunt face.
"Fereshati."
Terdeo turned his head. His crimson eyes made me feel as if I were falling off a cliff.
"You are truly amazing."
"..."
"How... can you do that? It's as if you see right through me, saying the words I most want to hear and doing the things I most want to do."
"..."
"What are you, exactly?"
I couldn't answer his question. Of course, I had never done such a thing.
"So, Cersia, Selphius, Ailet, Phineas, and Gloria..."
"..."
"Are all captivated by you?"
For some reason, my fingertips tingled. It felt as if the curtain of a dark night had lifted, revealing a twinkling star.
"Then, is it my turn to be captivated by you?"
Terdeo was smiling at me. It felt as if his crimson eyes had bound my entire body, making me unable to move. My body tingled as if I had been struck by lightning. I struggled to part my dry lips.
"Are you just joking again?"
Terdeo's face contorted, and before I could react, he sprang up from the bed.
"Lie down! You still have a fever!"
Startled, I shouted, but Terdeo ignored me and approached me. His face, still flushed from the fever, seemed even redder up close.
"Why? Is it wrong for me to be captivated by you?"
Terdeo's hot breath seemed to seep into my body, making me feel hot and itchy. Ah, I get it. His fever must have spread to me.
"Ah, it must be because your fever hasn't gone down yet."
One of Terdeo's eyebrows arched.
"Are you saying I'm just delirious because I'm sick?"
"Of course, when someone is by your side when you're sick, it gives you strength and makes you feel grateful. So, I might seem more special to you..."
"You think I'm a child who doesn't know anything."
Terdeo tilted his head and looked down at me intently. When he lowered his gaze, his long lashes cast a shadow, creating a strangely decadent atmosphere.
"Have you been spending too much time with Selphie that you might start seeing me as her age?"
"Selphie and you are different in every way."
I turned my head away, avoiding his gaze. My heart pounded fiercely from the intense, hot stare I felt from the side.
"Initially, our marriage was for a year to achieve what we both wanted."
"Yes."
"But why are you suddenly saying such things..."
As I trailed off, Terdeo also closed his lips. In the quiet bedroom, a strong heartbeat, whose owner I couldn't identify, echoed loudly. I pressed my fist to my heart and took shallow breaths. I could feel Terdeo's hot gaze on me.
"...You don't need to be so scared."
"Huh?"
When I turned my head, Terdeo had already turned his body away.
"With this curse, I won't fall in love with anyone."
"..."
"Besides, I said it's my turn to be captivated. I didn't say I'm already captivated by you."
Ugh. I felt embarrassed all over at Terdeo's words. My face suddenly felt as if it were on fire. This must be because Terdeo's fever has spread to me.
"I know, I know!"
Terdeo, who had turned his body, walked back to the bed. His broad shoulders, still weak from illness, drooped.
"Then, I'll call the doctor, so please wait here!"
Terdeo's ears seemed to turn red, but he didn't argue. He must still be sick because of the fever. I quickly opened the bedroom door, worried that Terdeo might call me again. At that moment, I heard footsteps running down the hallway. When I turned my head, I couldn't see who it was, but it might have been a servant.
Suddenly, Terdeo's words from a moment ago came back to me.
'Is it my turn to be captivated by you?'
Just thinking about those words made my whole body feel hot. I have to find the doctor quickly.
'I need to take the medicine to bring down the fever too.'
I fanned my burning face and hurried to call the doctor, not even noticing the door closing behind me.