Chapter 99
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 99
Now that I thought about it, the whole thing did seem a bit premature.
It was at that moment when Kiaros, embarrassed, couldn't formulate a response.
"You were my first priority, that much was true."
At my casual answer, Kiaros's heart plummeted. Even as a tingling sensation spread through his limbs, I replied without hesitation.
"Because back then, I had no other priorities at all."
"Pardon?"
"I had no friends, no family, nowhere to place my heart. Victor cared for me, and he was the only person who thought of me as special in any capacity. I might have accepted his confession if he'd made one."
I continued speaking with a composed expression.
"But I knew he wouldn't confess. It seemed like he wanted me to cling to him desperately. Still, there was no reason for me to indulge such a selfish desire."
Kiaros clicked his tongue inwardly. It was so typical of Namia Loapi.
She perceived others' intentions yet paid them no particular mind.
"Besides, Victor remained my senior, so I hadn't received a confession to reject—if I'd refused him outright, things would have become awkward between us. I simply cared for him and stayed quiet, but today he made something resembling a confession."
Hearing it laid out this way, it was absurdly simple and hollow—he couldn't fathom why he'd been so anxious about it.
"But it wasn't a sincere confession either. It felt more like he was doing me a favor. I was offended and rejected him immediately. Now that I'm his superior, rejecting him isn't difficult anyway."
Namia Loapi spoke with the same indifference she might use to describe the weather.
Then she added a question.
"But why did you ask about that?"
Suddenly, I snapped back to awareness. I couldn't calculate what to say here.
No...
Whenever I faced Namia Loapi, all my calculations crumbled. I'd approach with a plan, only to have everything unravel.
"That is... well."
I blinked slowly before speaking.
"Actually, Minister. I have a secret I've been keeping from you."
"A secret?"
"Yes... It's a secret I absolutely cannot reveal right now... But I swear it's nothing that would harm you, the Scroll Department, or the Empire."
"I see. You can't speak of it?"
"...Not yet."
Someday I would have to tell her everything, and truthfully, I wanted to tell her now, but the time simply wasn't right.
She had genuinely helped me greatly. Yet Namia Loapi's suspicious aspects remained unresolved.
In fact, simply revealing information about the Gaejo Faction had been a major decision for me.
This was a matter upon which the Empire's future hinged. I clung desperately to reason.
* * *
I swallowed dryly as I reflected.
'The fact that I came all this way means... Kibon is truly special to me as well, doesn't he? Tonight, being with Kibon is what I truly wanted.'
Someday I might be able to express my feelings to him, but not now.
I've received considerable kindness from Kibon. But he could be a spy.
In fact, coming here at all was a major decision for me.
This was a matter upon which the Empire's future hinged. I clung desperately to reason.
"I see, so you do have a secret... I had a feeling you might."
I nodded quietly and spoke.
I wasn't particularly surprised, given what Kibon had told me before about his stepmother and such.
And looking at him, it was clear he wasn't accustomed to being beneath someone.
"So you had a secret about your birth... You're an illegitimate child of some noble house...."
"Pfft—cough! *Cough cough*!"
"No? Then perhaps... royalty? No, no. Don't answer. You don't have to. It's fine."
Kibon wore a peculiar expression, but his eyes slowly blinked as drowsiness began to overtake him.
I quietly rose and went to the Restroom for a moment to fetch a fresh damp cloth.
The house was truly... desolate. It was clean, but quite shabby, with very few furnishings.
'At this rate, he could probably afford rent... he's resourceful and admirable.'
Regardless of which noble house he belonged to, it was certain he wasn't receiving a single coin from them.
My heart ached anew at the thought of how he'd scrimped and saved to buy all manner of digestive aids for his meager household.
I'd told him 'this narrow, old house is quite nice' so he wouldn't feel embarrassed, but the state of the place was truly dire.
However, one mustn't intimidate people because of poverty. Speaking an objective assessment of this shabby... no, this house aloud would be a character flaw.
'So that's why he asked me to buy so much food. He has hunger and ambition—that's admirable.'
By the time I rinsed out the damp cloth and returned, Kibon had already fallen asleep.
I placed the cool cloth on his forehead.
* * *
Blink, blink.
Crown Prince Kiaros opened his eyes.
'...What?'
Memories from the past began flooding back slowly.
No matter how ill he was, he couldn't believe he'd simply fallen asleep like that.
The fever didn't seem to have completely subsided, but he felt considerably better than before.
'Ah....'
As he tried to sit up, he froze and caught his breath.
Leaning against one of his arms, Namia Loapi lay sleeping, sprawled across him.
He didn't know exactly when she'd fallen asleep, but it was clear she'd drifted off while continuing to check his fever from beside him.
He felt her warmth through their overlapping arms. The moment he became aware of it, his blood quickened and his heart began pounding fiercely.
'What is this....'
His body went rigid, just as it had when she'd stood before him, striking a tree and threatening to 'pull him up to the end'.
But back then, they hadn't been in such direct contact....
That was when—*crash*—the door shattered.
Just as the balcony floor had cracked or the railing had broken during the banquet, it wasn't of his own volition.
Crown Prince Kiaros's complexion turned deathly pale.
[So there's nothing to be cautious about except jealousy?]
[Ah, please try not to become too excited. That could be even more dangerous.]
[Excited? What do you mean by that?]
[Well... never mind. This should be fine. Surely Namia Loapi wouldn't touch the Crown Prince at close range without their hearts being in accord....]
No, blast it all—that kind of excitement was this kind of excitement?
'But I... just brushed my arm during this sacred act of nursing care, and now I've destroyed the door?'
To make matters worse, the sound of the door breaking caused Namia Loapi to open her eyes.
"Oh, Kibon? You're awake? What was that sound?"
"Ah... the, the door was old and just fell apart..."
"I see! How convenient that the door broke—at least we'll have better ventilation!"
Namia Loapi answered with a remarkably positive attitude before attempting to sit up.
Or rather, she tried to sit up...
"...Ow!"
After holding the same position for so long, she cried out as her back refused to straighten completely.
She lay draped across his chest, laughing sheepishly as she pressed her forehead against his.
"Hmm, you still have a fever."
Their bodies pressed closer together. Her face was mere inches from his. His face flushed crimson.
At that very moment, the kitchen sink right beside the doorway collapsed.
With a tremendous crash, dishes scattered across the floor in a cacophony of noise.
"Aha! The kitchen is old too, then... I was thinking I needed to organize things anyway, so this works out perfectly!"
She sat up. Simultaneously, the Restroom bathtub cracked with a sharp sound.
'Why is everything falling apart just because I moved...'
The warmth of Namia Loapi's body, which had nestled against him moments before, lingered. An overwhelming urge to pull her back into his arms consumed him entirely.
'I'm a patient. I'm a patient...'
Kibon clenched his eyes shut, chanting internally to restrain his emotions. Meanwhile, Namia Loapi's character was simply too admirable.
"Oh, I noticed earlier that the water wasn't draining well from the tub. Now it'll drain completely! Perfect, just perfect!"
Please, stop being so considerate...
Namia Loapi rose fully and reached for a damp cloth.
"Since your fever hasn't broken yet, let me change the compress once more."
Kibon squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. It seemed best to send her away quickly.
He truly couldn't fathom where or how everything had gone so wrong, but wrong it certainly was.
"Yes. It's late—you should head back to..."
That was when it happened.
Namia Loapi coughed. Kibon's eyes snapped open, and he furrowed his brow as he looked at her.
"No, you've already caught it..."
He couldn't finish his sentence.
Blood was trickling from Namia Loapi's mouth.
"Wh-what is this... *cough*!"
Namia Loapi, her expression panicked, coughed again, and blood gushed forth once more.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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