Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 56

4

His wife fainted at some point. Or maybe she was acting again.

Eirik sighed deeply, rose from his chair, and walked to the bed. He carefully laid Miesa down.

He couldn’t fathom why she was so stubborn about something that could be resolved with a few words. He gazed down at her pale face.

Maybe, five years ago, Tilberg’s appearance might have been more appealing, and it wouldn’t have been surprising for a fifteen-year-old girl to open her heart out of loneliness and fear.

He himself had been engaged before. He had no intention of holding her past against her. But fainting, or even pretending to faint to hide something, was confusing.

Eirik thought he was just angry that she had deceived him.

But if she’d been honest and told him how she felt about Tilberg…

The thought alone made his blood boil. He didn’t want to acknowledge the disgraceful emotions he felt and quickly left the bedroom.

His purposeless steps led him to the training ground. Knights who had come out early for dinner and a workout greeted him.

“Commander, what brings you here at this hour?” one knight asked.

Eirik gave a slight nod and strode to the inner part of the training ground. He casually picked out a practice bow, and a squire ran up to him.

“Shall I fetch your bow, Commander?” the squire asked.

“No, it’s fine,” Eirik replied.

As he assessed the bow, the squire swiftly brought a quiver of arrows. Eirik drew an arrow and nocked it.

He aimed at a human-shaped target made of bundled logs. After taking a moment to hold his breath and check the wind, he released the arrow. A sharp sound sliced through the air, followed by a dull thud.

“Oh! Right in the eye!” exclaimed one knight.

“That bow’s smaller than the one he usually uses, but he hit it perfectly in one shot,” said another.

“Alright, enough of that, everyone,” the squire said, shooing the knights away. Silence settled.

Eirik drew another arrow. The string stretched taut. The arrow sliced through the sky and embedded itself in the target’s right eye. Forehead, neck, and heart—all were pierced by his arrows, leaving no room.

He finally accepted the messy emotions inside him. Any saint would be angry in this situation, he thought. What was a twenty-five-year-old Tilberg thinking, playing with a fifteen-year-old princess?

Eirik would rather Tilberg have had another motive. A mere ambition for advancement, perhaps. Even a twisted loyalty to the royal family that morphed into a desire to possess the princess would be preferable.

The thought of Tilberg harboring pure affection for Miesa, someone Eirik didn’t know back then, made his stomach churn.

And what was his wife, Miesa, trying so hard to hide?

He closed his eyes tightly. ‘If her fainting earlier had been an act, if she had tried so hard to hide something from me, I’m not prepared to handle that yet.’

Dusk had fallen. After sparring with the knights, sweat dotted Eirik’s forehead. He called the squire standing behind him.

But when the squire approached, Eirik was at a loss for words. Telling the squire his intentions would be pointless since the person he needed to talk to officially didn’t communicate.

“Did Gella return to her room?” Eirik asked.

“The doctor always returns around this time. Shall I fetch her?” the squire replied.

“No. I’ll sleep in the knights’ quarters tonight. Just tell her to take care of my wife.”

From Gella’s perspective, being summoned again so soon after returning to her quarters was certainly not pleasant, but having witnessed everything earlier, she had no choice but to head back to the mansion.

When Gella heard the story from the Captain of the Guard, she had been utterly shocked. But seeing how composed the young master was upon hearing the same story, she assumed he must have already known. However, when the young master announced he would be staying in the knights’ quarters for the night, she started to think maybe he hadn’t known. If that were the case, the fault lay with the young madam.

In her heart, the scales of blame were tipping towards the young madam.

‘If it was difficult to talk about, she should have at least hinted at it to me. The Captain of the Guard might have made a fool out of our commander without anyone knowing. How upset he would be to find out later, especially after he cared for her so tenderly and affectionately.’

Muttering to herself, Gella climbed to the third floor and knocked on the bedroom door. There was no response.

“Can I come in…?”

She awkwardly turned her head after realizing she had announced herself unnecessarily and met the gaze of Vallek, the knight standing in the hallway.

“Ha…”

Well, she had always knocked just a few times before entering. Maybe she was a bit out of sorts today. Gella quietly opened the door and slipped inside, making sure to lock it securely behind her.

“Baby madam?”

The young madam was lying on the bed, covered with a blanket, her body stretched out straight.

Not asleep, it seems. Gella, already aware of her sleeping habits from the young master, approached the bed.

“Young madam, it’s time to eat. The servant said you haven’t had dinner yet.”

She didn’t move a muscle, her eyes closed. Something seemed off.

“Baby madam?”

Her cheeks were flushed, and sweat glistened on her forehead, dampening her hair. Gella quickly touched her forehead and gasped.

“Oh dear, you’re burning up.”

Gella hurried to a corner of the room and grabbed a first-aid pouch she had prepared earlier. With practiced hands, she swiftly mixed a powder with water to prepare a fever reducer and, while waiting for it to dissolve, she dampened a cloth and wiped the young madam’s face.

“How did you suddenly get such a fever? What’s going on?”

As she mumbled, the young madam suddenly opened her eyes wide. Gella brought the medicine bowl and helped her sit up.

“Young madam, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Miesa replied weakly, taking the offered medicine.

“It’s a bit bitter, but it works best. Oh dear, you’re so hot. Do you think you can eat something?”

“I don’t feel like eating.”

“At least drink plenty of water. Since you’re up, have some more now.”

Despite Gella’s chattering, Miesa stared blankly into space.

“Lie down and rest.”

As Miesa lay back down, she whispered softly, “Thank you.”

Seeing her so drained, Gella’s heart ached for her. Well, it would have been hard to tell her husband about past engagements. With that thought, Gella’s feelings towards the young madam softened once again.

***

“Sir Vallek, could you please go and inform the young master?” Gella pleaded, her feet tapping anxiously on the floor.

“Now? At this hour?” Vallek, the knight standing in the hallway, looked at her with surprise.

“It’s nearly dawn. The young madam’s fever hasn’t gone down, and she keeps vomiting everything she eats. I need to fetch some medicine, but I can’t leave her alone.”

“Alright. But shouldn’t we ask the head maid for more help?”

“The head maid isn’t available right now. And you know the young master doesn’t allow just anyone to tend to the young madam.”

“Alright then, take this,” Vallek said, handing over his sword with a hint of unease.

Gella accepted it absentmindedly, waving her hand urgently. “Just hurry. And on your way back, grab a blue pouch from the infirmary. It’s about the size of a palm.”

A short while later, Eirik entered the bedroom first, still dressed in his pajamas. It was clear he had come running as soon as he heard the news.

“Can you manage on your own?” Eirik asked.

Gella blinked at the unexpected question. “Are you suggesting I call for more help? The young madam’s condition is so severe that it might make things worse.”

She knew that high fevers could cause delirium, and the presence of strangers could be risky. Surely, the young master understood this.

“I mean to help you myself,” Eirik clarified, his expression unreadable.

Relieved, Gella smiled. “Your presence is already a great help.”

However, when they began caring for the young madam, Eirik moved with practiced ease. It made sense, given his experience on the battlefield since his days as a squire.

While Gella fetched a change of clothes, Eirik carefully wiped Miesa’s body with lukewarm water and covered her with a thin blanket. He even ensured the medicine was at the right temperature before slowly feeding it to her with a spoon.

Administering medicine to someone unconscious was no easy task. Gella was both surprised and reassured by how tenderly Eirik cared for the young madam.