Chapter 29

Kaizen pulled Astelle up onto the water at once.

-Cough cough-

Astelle coughs and spits water out.

White ice was seen as the snow piled up on the floor scattered.

From a distance, it looked like a snowy field, but this was not a field but a lake.

Snow was piled up on the frozen lake.

Astelle, soaked in water, was looking at him, shivering.

Kaizen reached out his hand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes… Your Majesty, thank you.”

Astelle grabbed his hand.

The watered dress was drooping.

Kaizen grabbed her with his hands and pulled her to help her stand up.

“It would have been a big deal if you didn’t come. Thanks.”

Astelle just smiled.

Unlike Kaizen who soaked in water, Astelle’s condition was a little more serious.

The dress was torn in several places, and the hair that had been twisted up tightly was scattered.

The knees seen through the torn dress were hurt and bleeding out.

“You’ve been hurt a lot.”

Two horses wandering along the lake came to Kaizen.

One was the white horse that Astelle was riding on, and the other was Kaizen’s horse.

Kaizen captured the horse he was riding on.

The mane was cold and wet because of drowning together.

He patted the horseback and apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

Next to it was a white horse that Astelle was riding on.

He grabbed the reins and reached out his hand to Astelle.

In that state, it seemed to be difficult to get on the horse. So he carried Astelle.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Kaizen picked up Astelle and sat it on his horse.

And he dragged two horses and went out to the lakeside.

Kaizen suddenly asked.

“But what were you doing here?”

Astelle just laughed slightly.

“I was just… I was looking at the scenery.”

This was the center of the forest.

It was too far to come to see the scenery alone.

It seemed like a lie, but Kaizen didn’t dig deeper anymore and went on to his words.

While returning to the castle the two trembled in the cold.

They had fallen in icy water and crossed the forest wet.

It was cold enough to shake Astelle’s fingertips.

Kaizen had a very healthy constitution, but Astelle looked pitiful enough.

Her pale blue lips trembled.

Would you like me to hold your hand? Kaizen thought about it, but he stopped because he seemed to bother the sick person for nothing.

After wearing wet clothes and crossing the forest in the wind blowing, Astelle got a fever and lay on the bed.

The next morning Astelle apologized to Kaizen who visited her.

With a faint smile on her pale tired face from high fever.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Don’t mind me and enjoy the hunting with other people.”

Astelle looked as pale and slender as her white eyes.

A long loose white blonde and a white face without a complexion.

Her arms and wrists protruding over her blanket are as fine as branches.

Astelle was lying in a bed in a pure white pajamas. There was a bandage on her slender finger without any skin.

It was because her skin had been scratched while saving Kaizen.

‘……’

At that moment, he thought about staying with Astelle.

It wasn’t because he really liked or felt sorry for Astelle, but because he was worried that he would look bad if he still went on a hunt with his sick fiancee.

She also got hurt while saving himself and got sick.

But the time to worry was short.

“Yes, then take care of yourself.”

Kaizen walked out of her door.

And he didn’t go to Astelle until the day was over.

* * *

Kaizen, recalling his old memories, stopped his steps.

The cool breeze from far away gently shakes the tranquil forest.

The setting sun sprinkled the last remaining light on the green forest.

He raised his head and turned to Astelle.

The sunset shined on Astelle’s head sitting on the grass with her knees bent.

A white nape is visible under the lifted head.

Her shoulders and back had graceful lines as before, but she looked much thinner and weaker than at that time.

Astelle was prying the herbs without hesitation with her hands as delicate as willow branches.

She was the fiancee of the former Crown Prince, and she was the highest aristocratic’s daughter in the empire.

Far from plowing and growing medicinal herbs, she did not even take care of the flowers in the garden.

Even the flowers put in the vase were not cut directly.

It was surprising that Astelle touched the soil casually and picked out herbs, and it was so pathetic.

He knew she had lived a hard life, but it was a moment to see with his own eyes how miserable Astelle’s environment was.

Kaizen regretted that after the divorce, he was indifferent to Astelle.

He had only sent money, estates, and her grandfather’s pensions.

He would have given a new mansion to her grandfather, the Marquis, if Astelle didn’t insist that she wouldn’t take it.

If so, she would have lived with fewer troubles.

Looking back on his old memories, Astelle gave herself all her devotion to him as his fiancee.

She always tried to right by his side and even saved himself and hurting her finger.

Even if it was a loveless engagement, Astelle has put a lot of effort into it.

But when he regretted he couldn’t look back.

Sitting with her knees bent and digging for herbs, Astelle turned her head to the sound of the heavy steps behind her.

Kaizen, who had been a few steps away, came close to her.

Astelle was surprised and raised her body.

“Your Majesty…?”

It was Kaizen’s red eyes that caught Astelle’s first gaze.

The eyes with a dark red color like blood.

His red eyes, always filled with his arrogant self-confidence.

Without her words, Kaizen took off his coat and put it over Astelle’s shoulder.

His long black coat covered her skinny shoulders and stretched to her ankles.

“Your Majesty?”

‘What is this?’

“Wear it, you’re not in good shape.”

Astelle was wearing a thin dress.

She wasn’t very cold, but she was a little chilly as the sun was setting.

Still, it wasn’t cold enough to get the coat on.

‘Why are you doing this all of a sudden?’

The muddy Vellian also looked over here in amazement.

Perhaps because of the emperor’s clothes, she was very warm even though it was a light and luxurious fabric.

Astelle rolled up the coat with her calm hand and held it back to Kaizen.

“Thank you for your consideration, but I’m okay.”

“I take off my coat, but do you need to throw it away?”

“I didn’t throw it away.”

Rather than throwing it away, Astelle politely arranged the coat and brought it back to Kaizen.

Kaizen clenched his teeth and accepted the coat.

“Huh… yeah, do whatever you want.”

Whatever he thought, Astelle didn’t want to go along with Kaizen’s whims.

Astelle walked slowly and found a small white flower that had bloomed a step away.

She grabbed and pulled a small flower stuck between the blades of grass.

“Your Majesty, I found the flower.”

Astelle called Kaizen.

“I have found all the herbs I need. We have to go back to the castle now.”

Kaizen, who had walked a few steps forward, turned and approached.

Kaizen’s red eyes carefully looked at the flowers in Astelle’s hand.

And he looked at Astelle with a cool gaze.

“Isn’t it better to find a little more?”

“This is enough.”

She looked for medicinal herbs to make a cure for fever.

The eye’s medicinal herbs that were secretly found were put in the basket.

If you look for more, it will be difficult to keep.

“Theor will be waiting, so now I want to go back to the castle.”

“You’re really very devoted to him.”

Suddenly an old memory came to mind.

The memories in the forest that Kaizen talked about.

Snowy forest. Frozen water was as cold as a blade.

The aftereffect of falling into ice water caused Astelle to suffer from a fever overnight.

It was a fever that made her whole body tremble.

Astelle suffered from a high fever and waited for Kaizen all day long.

May Kaizen, who returned from the hunt, come to see herself at least once.

However, although she waited until the sun went down, she looked out the window, but Kaizen did not come to see Astelle in the end.

Astelle shed off her useless memories of the old days and replied honestly.

“That’s obvious, it is because Theor needs me.”

“……”

“Can I go back to the castle now?”

After a breath passed, the answer came back.

“Yes, let’s go back to the castle.”

* * *

After returning to the castle, Kaizen returned to the main building with Vellian, saying that he would wash and change clothes.

Astelle returned to the castle tower alone.

There was a young maid in the castle tower.

“I have been ordered to wait for you, Lady.”

She decided to use the room separately from Theor, so she will need a maid to take care of him.

She won’t worry too much anyway.

Because she only sleeps in the next room with the corridor in between.