Chapter 65 …
Deep in the night, Delma, who had been nursing Chloe, succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep with her head resting on the bed. Yet, at the slightest sound, she would jerk her head up to check if Chloe was okay, repeating this over and over.
âDelmaâŚâ
At the sound she heard in her sleep, Delma furrowed her brows, then flinched like someone burned by fire and snapped her head up.
The lord, who had been asleep for an entire day, was now sitting on the bed, gazing quietly at her. Relief flooded through Delma, mixed with an overwhelming surge of emotion that blurred her vision. She quickly wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and scanned the lordâs gaunt face.
âMy lord! Are you alright now?â
âYeah. Sorry. I mustâve scared you.â
Even as she spoke, her throat burned, but Dong-hee tried her best not to show any sign of pain. Delma looked more like the patient than she did. Delma kept touching her forehead, cheeks, and hands to check if the fever had gone down.
âIâm fine, so go get some proper rest.â
âIâm fine too. But⌠why didnât you say anything when you were feeling so sick?â
Delmaâs face showed worry and a hint of reproach.
âI was so clueless I didnât even realize you were illâŚâ
Hearing Delma blame herself made Dong-hee feel even guiltier.
âI wasnât sick before. It just hit me suddenly on the way back. Iâm really okay now.â
Dong-hee deliberately lifted her arm and pretended to flex her bicep. She tried to show strength, but to Delma it looked weak and flimsy.
Still, just seeing her awake and speaking brought immense relief. The dizziness had faded, and she could breathe easier now. When Chloe forced a weak smile, Delma suddenly remembered something and asked:
âArenât you hungry? You havenât eaten a thing since yesterday. Should I bring you some warm soup? The dural soup came out great. The chef tried a new recipe, and itâs so rich and savory. Want me to bring you some?â
She asked gently, eager to get something into her. But Chloe only gave a feeble smile and shook her head.
âNo, just some water. I donât think I could digest anything right now.â
âYes! Oh, the doctor said you should take your medicine as soon as you wake up. Itâs safe to take on an empty stomach, and you have to take it.â
She didnât really want to take it, but to ease Delmaâs worries, Dong-hee nodded.
Delma immediately handed her a cup of water and a small round pill. It was smaller than a pea and dark green in color, with a strong grassy smell.
The smell alone made her hesitate, but Delmaâs pleading eyes left her no choice. She popped it into her mouth and chewed.
âUgh!â
It was so bitter her hair stood on end. Compared to this, that tea she drank at the Enol village chiefâs house was nothing.
âDonât spit it out! You have to finish it. Should I dissolve it in water? Itâll make more to swallow, but itâll be easier.â
Delma quickly cupped her hand under the lordâs chin, sure she was about to spit it out. But Dong-hee shook her head frantically. No matter how disgusting it tastedâlike alien acneâshe couldnât spit it into Delmaâs palm.
âMmf, swmmâng.â
Afraid that opening her mouth might make her spit it out, Dong-hee kept her lips sealed tight as she mumbled. Delma, watching her valiantly chew, offered a small candy the moment she gulped the last of the pill and sucked in a sharp breath.
Dong-hee popped the candy into her mouth as if it were oxygen itself. Only then did her scrunched-up face relax a little. Delma handed her a cup of warm water that smelled faintly sweet.
âThanks.â
Dong-hee blew on the steaming water and sipped slowly. It wasnât scalding, but chugging it all at once would have been hard. She worried the bitter pill might upset her stomach, but it seemed the doctor wasnât a quackâshe actually felt better than before.
Delma waited until Chloe finished the water, then gently laid her back down on the bed.
As if handling fragile glass, she moved her with great care, tucking the blanket up to her chin.
Dong-hee pretended to sleep quickly so Delma could finally rest.
Delma checked her forehead again, tucked the blanket once more, stifled a yawn, and after several more checks, finally left the room.
Only after hearing the door close did Dong-hee slowly sit up.
Even after taking the local medicine, she still felt uneasy.
âI should take some acetaminophen or somethingâŚâ
Dragging her lead-heavy legs, she made her way to the front door.
Beep, beep, beepâŚ
But before she could finish pressing the four-digit code, darkness closed in, and Dong-hee collapsed to the floor.
Moments later.
Above her head, a blue status window shimmeredâand then a silver-haired man suddenly stepped out. A glowing blue hourglass spun on the back of his hand, bigger than before, and shining even brighter.
ââTaechangâ is making an appearance. All guests, pleaseâŚ
The status window flashed wildly, putting extra emphasis on the words âTaechang.â
âShut up.â
Taechang snapped his head toward it and glared like he could smash it to pieces, jaw clenched tight.
âI mean, I donât have a mouth, so I canât really shut up, but hey, if you insistâŚ
The window kept chattering, but he ignored it, just scowling in annoyance. Then he looked down at Dong-hee lying unconscious on the floor. His expression clearly said: Do I really have to touch her?
He didnât look thrilled about it. After glancing a few times at the spinning hourglass on his hand, he reluctantly knelt beside her.
âTick-tock, tick-tock. Timeâs running out. If she canât fight off the side effects and dies, thatâs your last chance gone, buddy.
Taechang waved his hand irritably, and the blinking status window vanished.
He slid an arm under Dong-heeâs head and lifted it gently, then gripped the hourglass on his hand and twisted off its lid with a flick of his thumb. More than half of the blue light had already trickled down to the bottom.
He tilted it to his lips like a wineglass, and the shimmering blue light poured into his mouth. When the upper chamber was empty, he snapped the lid shut.
His tightly knit brows turned toward Dong-hee, who lay unconscious with her eyes closed.
He grasped her jaw firmly, parting her lips slightly. Then he brought his own lips close and exhaled, sending the blue light flowing from his mouth into hers. The light had dimmed a little, but it still gleamed brilliantly.
Just as the last of the glow slipped into her mouthâ
The status window popped back up and poked him on the head. His lips, which had been hovering slightly open over hers, now pressed firmly against them. Startled, he tried to pull away, but for some reason, his lips wouldnât budge, stuck like magnets.
That was the moment Dong-hee opened her eyes.
She saw Taechang sucking on her lips and froze wide-eyed.
âMmph! Mmmph!â
Taechang felt wronged. He had zero desire to kiss this foolish userâbut right now, anyone looking would think he was assaulting an unconscious woman.
Just as Dong-hee was about to bite down hard, his figure started to blur and got sucked back into the status window. Her teeth snapped on empty air.
She shot up, ready to grab the lingering status screenâ
The blue surface rippled, and iridescent letters writhed like worms across it. Dong-heeâs angry glare softened into a dazed expression.
âYouâre getting sleepy. Very sleepy. This is a dream. A wonderful, rare, and beautifulâŚ
âWhat a f***ing dreamâŚâ
âA f**ing dream⌠huh? Wait, thatâs notâ*
The voice cut off as the status screen froze mid-sentence. Dong-heeâs blinking eyes rolled shut, and she collapsed again.
The window hurriedly added, a beautiful dream, before fizzing with static and vanishing completely.
The next morning, Delma walked into the bedroom and nearly fainted at the sight of her lord sleeping on the floor.
By lunchtime, Dong-hee had fully recovered. Noâshe was practically bursting with energy.
âDelma, what is that medicine? How does it work so well? It tasted awful, but wow.â
She was convinced her miraculous recovery was thanks to the green pill. Sheâd planned to grab some over-the-counter meds from the convenience store, but had been too tired and crashed instead.
Delma, overjoyed at the lordâs renewed vigor, answered brightly:
âItâs from a doctor in Phron. They say heâs famous for his exceptional skills.â
âReally? No wonder. I feel amazing. So light!â
Dong-hee twisted her waist in circles, then swung her arms around. Her body felt overflowing with strengthâlike she had leveled up.
Leveled up?
Something felt off. Panicking, Dong-hee immediately shouted in her mind for the status window.
