Chapter 9
Cassis opened his eyes only when dawn arrived.
How long had it been since he last slept so deeply?
Ever since coming here to Montes, Cassis had been on edge constantly and couldn’t easily fall asleep.
The pressure weighing down on him was hardly any different whether inside the capital or outside of it.
No matter where he went, eyes representing his parents were always present.
Cassis blinked as he checked his physical condition.
Seeing that the weight that had been pressing on his body all this time had vanished, it seemed Cliff had taken action.
If so, it must have reached his father’s ears as well.
Cassis scowled heavily. Cliff was Duke Urquhart’s man.
He was also someone who monitored and reported Cassis’s condition and behavior at all times.
If it was Cliff, he might have already realized that Cassis hadn’t been taking his medicine.
Cassis tried to get up to check if the box containing the medicine was hidden properly, but paused.
It was because someone was holding his hand tightly.
“Yveline?”
Only then did Cassis discover Yveline sleeping soundly, slumped over by his bedside.
With her mouth even slightly open while sleeping, she looked like a child through and through.
Cassis stopped what he was doing and stared blankly at Yveline.
A girl who possessed what he did not.
That was why, for some reason, he kept wanting to pick on her, and couldn’t bring himself to act sweetly like he usually did.
Cassis still vividly remembered the day he first met Yveline.
The sight of her being doted on in her mother’s arms was something entirely foreign to Cassis.
Cassis had never felt that kind of warmth from his own mother.
The Duchess of Urquhart, always elegant and dignified, was a strict and frightening figure even to her son.
In the end, weak as he was, failing to meet his mother’s standards, he was exiled here to Montes, far away from the capital.
Yes. It was a recuperation period that best deserved the word ‘exile.’
If that incident hadn’t happened, there was no way they would have sent him to recuperate in such a distant place.
Recalling that day’s events, Cassis tightened his grip on the hand that wasn’t being held by Yveline.
If I died just like this, would my parents smile, or would they cry?
No. Maybe they wouldn’t even care.
Cassis laughed self-mockingly at such bitter thoughts. Being sick naturally made crooked thoughts pop into his mind every now and then.
That was why he had deliberately avoided taking his medicine.
He wondered how long he could keep it a secret, but to think Yveline was the very first person to catch him.
Besides, even Paul, who was by his side today, hadn’t known about his condition.
And yet… Why did this tiny girl notice his condition in an instant?
It was so accurate that it felt as if all her attention had been focused on him, which left Cassis puzzled.
Cassis frowned as he remembered her nagging and asking if he was hurt anywhere.
Furthermore, as he was losing consciousness, the last person he saw was also Yveline.
Seeing Cliff by her side, it seemed she had been the one to call him.
Talk about nosy. They should’ve just let me die.
Cassis acted mischievous, pulling gently on the sleeping Yveline’s hair so as not to hurt her.
Though… this child was not at fault.
Cassis envied her peaceful everyday life and warm home.
Dissatisfied even with his own actions toward her, he let out a deflated laugh and gazed out the window.
It was dawn. The faint light filtering through the thin curtains looked just like mist.
Mist that leaves behind only dew when morning comes before disappearing.
Cassis felt like he would turn out just like that.
By the window, the lilacs Yveline had picked were drying nicely.
The dried flowers were a deep purple, just like Yveline’s eyes.
‘I think I could live a little longer if I saw the lilacs blooming outside…’
Recalling the words he had said to Yveline, a chuckle leaked out.
Though they were words spoken on an impulse because he wanted to tease her, they were also words that were somewhat genuine.
Seeing Yveline smartly picking lilacs despite huffing and puffing, he had somehow thought that maybe he really ought to try living a little longer.
Because she had huffed so much, he had intended to stop picking on her.
However, she had started trying her absolute best to bother him, and naturally, his teasing had no choice but to stretch out endlessly.
“Yveline. I’m sorry for teasing you.”
“……”
The sleeping Yveline did not reply.
After staring at her for a long time, he muttered like a soliloquy.
“But what should I do? Whenever I see you, I just keep wanting to pick on you.”
“……”
“So Yveline, I’m apologizing in advance.”
Because playing with you is actually kind of fun.
Cassis swallowed the rest of his words back down his throat. He didn’t want to voice those words aloud just yet.
Cassis closed his eyes once again to try to sleep.
It was a very comfortable dawn.
Ah, without realizing it, I fell asleep in Cassis’s room.
My whole body felt stiff and sore from sleeping slumped over.
Stretching my arms out, I stared moodily at Cassis, who still hadn’t opened his eyes.
Was Cliff a quack?
He clearly said Cassis would be fine, so how could he sleep until now without waking up even once?
Wondering if Cassis might actually be dead, I brought my finger under his nose.
At that exact moment…
“What are you doing?”
“Yikes! You scared me! If you’re awake, make a sound!”
Startled, I shouted as I pulled my body back.
At that, Cassis didn’t even reply, simply raising his upper body and leaning against the headboard.
He looked like an angel when sleeping, but with his eyes open, he had that rotten expression again.
“Why are you fiddling with the face of someone who’s sleeping?”
“You wouldn’t wake up, so I was checking if you were dead.”
“Now that you know I’m not dead, go back.”
With those words, he reached out toward the glass of water by his bedside.
Watching him drink the water blankly, I initiated the conversation.
“Why didn’t you take your medicine?”
“What are you talking about? Paul took good care of me and gave it to me on time.”
“Don’t play innocent. I saw everything hidden under the bed.”
“……”
Cassis bit his lips tightly, seemingly giving up on denying it.
I spoke calmly to him since he was no longer insisting.
“Right. The medicine is a bit bitter. It’s understandable that you don’t want to take it.”
“What?”
“I mean, isn’t it? Even if they say the bitter medicine is good for the body, drinking it is such a chore. I understand everything, Cassis.”
“Hold on. You’re misunderstanding something—”
“What misunderstanding? You secretly spat it out because you didn’t want to take your medicine, right? Seriously, a kid who claims to hate kids acts like a kid in every possible way.”
“……”
Cassis’s eyes shook violently, as if he was deeply shaken up.
Right, how flustered must he be now that I’ve hit the nail on the head?
Then he should have taken it properly in the first place. Why pull a cheap trick and make the adults worry?
I didn’t want to see Cassis skipping his medicine and collapsing ever again.
If that happened, my parents who were caring for him would be the ones criticized.
That’s right. This was all for my parents’ sake.
A bad habit of stashing medicine away might have worked in the capital, but it wouldn’t work here.
“Do you hate medicine that much?”
“Yeah. I hate it.”
Cassis admitted obediently with an exhausted look on his face. I patted his shoulder softly.
“It can’t be helped then. Let’s do this: if you take your medicine properly, I’ll go get you those Marie cookies or whatever they’re called.”
When I offered as if granting a favor, Cassis crumpled his face drastically and protested.
“Who would ever eat that kind of—”
“You like sweet things, don’t you? Before, I saw you eating cake really well.”
“That’s because I had to finish all of it for you to leave my room.”
“Awww, is that so? My bad, I completely failed to realize that.”
“You, seriously…”
Cassis trembled so hard that he couldn’t even finish his sentence.
He seemed thoroughly displeased that I was treating him like a child.
Yet, he didn’t make an effort to deny the part about liking sweet things.
To say he hated them, Cassis had eaten the cake far too deliciously that day.
At any rate, always pretending to be mature when he’s just a kid.
Teasing him was quite fun, but it was time to move on to serious blackmail.
“Really? Then should we go see Cliff right now with the medicine box from under your bed?”
“Are you threatening me right now?” Cassis asked back in a cold tone.
I made an excuse as if asking how he could say such a thing.
“Threatening? I’m just saying this because I want you to get healthy quickly.”
“Don’t lie. You dislike me. Because I keep bothering you.”
“It’s true that you’re annoying, but it hasn’t reached the point where I dislike you yet. Just a little unlikable, maybe? So don’t worry.”
“I was never worried!” Cassis yelled out loud.
He then pulled the blanket up over his head and turned his back to me.
Oh my, oh my. What was the point of suddenly yelling loud enough to tear the roof down?
Frowning, I covered my ears.
Right then, Cassis asked in a creeping voice, “You won’t tell, right?”
“Huh? Tell what?”
“……”
When I pretended to be oblivious and asked back, Cassis only squirmed under the blanket without answering.
I snickered and tapped the top of the blanket softly.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell.”
“…Why? Isn’t this the perfect chance for you to report my behavior that only you get to see?”
“Geez, do I look like someone who’s desperate to beat you at everything?”
“……”
Cassis affirmed with silence.
Haha. Right. I really did run around diligently trying to win against you, didn’t I?
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I scratched my cheek and made an excuse.
“Ahem. Winning like this isn’t fun. Besides, it seems like you really want me to keep it a secret. I can’t just ignore that.”
“……”
“But Cassis, no matter how bitter medicine is, you have to take it to get healthy. If you don’t take it because it tastes bad, you’ll collapse like today, and then my mom, dad, and all the servants will worry.”
“It’s not like there’s any guarantee I’ll get better even if I take it anyway,” Cassis replied bluntly. His trembling voice sounded inexplicably mournful.
He must be scared.
Scared that he might die.
For some reason, I wanted to give him courage. So, on an impulse, I opened my mouth.
“Well. I feel like you’ll definitely get better, though?”
“Are you Cliff? How do you know that?”
When Cassis pulled back the blanket and reacted pettily, I shrugged my shoulders.
“That’s because you’re…”
Because you’re the male lead.
However, I concluded this conversation with a different set of words.
“Because you’re still young.”
“What?”
“They say children have an incredible recovery rate. So you’ll definitely get healthy soon and be able to return to the capital.”
So if you ever come to Montes again, will you please leave our house alone?
“In all my life, I’ve never heard such a carefree statement.”
“In all my life, I’ve never seen such a stubborn kid either.”
“Haah. Yveline, now that you’ve seen that I’m awake, go back. Looking at your state, it seems like you stayed up all night here.”
Cassis muttered as he lay back down on the bed.
“Are those the words to say to someone who nursed you all night, Cassis-kun? At times like this, you say ‘thank you’—”
“Thank you.”
“……”
Wondering what I had just heard, I looked down at Cassis with my eyes wide open.
Cassis chuckled as he looked at me, and said once more, “Thank you for nursing me all night.”
“Uhh, yeah. Sure.”
“I’m going to sleep a bit more, Yveline.”
Ending with those words, Cassis closed his eyes. I just blinked and rolled my eyes while my mouth gaped open and shut.
Hey, he just smiled at me, right? It was definitely a different smile than usual.
Feeling my face strangely flushing hot, I walked out of the room as if enchanted.
