The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 86

Chapter 86. Without Him (2)

“All done, Louid. Wake up quickly.”

Fortunately, Emilia stopped there and covered his body with a blanket.

‘Phew….’

Louid let out a sigh of relief inside. If she hadn’t stopped, he probably would’ve wanted to die of embarrassment.

“Louid, I’m going to wash up too.”

After speaking, Emilia stood up, and he heard the sound of her moving away toward the bathroom.

And after some time passed, Emilia came back and lay down beside him. A pleasant fragrance came from her.

Emilia moved closer to Louid to take care of him.

“Get better quickly, Louid.”

Lying on her side while looking at Louid, Emilia gently brushed his thick hair.

At her touch, it felt as if a sleeping draught was smeared on him, and drowsiness poured over him. Feeling as comfortable as if he had returned to his childhood, Louid slowly drifted into sleep.

***

“Your Highness the Grand Duchess, His Majesty is looking for the Grand Duke. A notice came that he is to come to the imperial palace this morning.”

The next day, Eddie came to the bedroom and reported. Emilia’s face darkened.

For His Majesty the Emperor to call for Louid at a time like this. What should she do?

Emilia’s gaze turned to Louid. He was still lying there without moving, his eyes closed. He was barely breathing. Her face filled with dismay.

Should I go in his place?

“Do you happen to know what His Majesty is calling the Grand Duke for?”

If it was something she could go for in his place, she briefly thought about making an excuse to His Majesty and going to the imperial palace instead of Louid. It also seemed like a good chance to see His Majesty after a long time and thank him for sending them on the trip.

“He said he has something to ask about the regions inspected last time.”

“Mm….”

That wasn’t something she could answer in his place. During the inspection, when Louid worked, she had been separated from him.

Louid being sick was top secret. If rumors spread that the person destined to become the next emperor was ill, it would become gossip among the nobles and also reach the ears of the culprit who ordered the ravine incident.

‘And His Majesty wouldn’t stay still either.’

If the emperor learned about it, he would probably turn the nobles upside down to find the culprit. In the end, they wouldn’t catch the culprit, and only the fact that Louid was unconscious would become known.

Rumors would breed more rumors, all kinds of speculation would be added, and who knew what sort of scandal would spread. Rather than blowing things up, it seemed better to keep it secret and investigate quietly behind the scenes.

“Tell him that the Grand Duke caught a severe cold and might pass it on to His Majesty, so he will come to pay his respects in a few days.”

Having made her decision, Emilia instructed Eddie.

“Yes, understood.”

Hm…. A cold in summer.

The imperial capital in August was in the height of summer heat.

Louid heard the entire conversation between Emilia and Eddie.

He had an extremely healthy constitution and had never once caught a cold until now. He worried whether his brother would believe that excuse.

Still, not letting his illness be known outside was the right choice. Even if the other party was the Emperor.

‘Well done, Emilia.’

Louid praised Emilia inwardly.

***

“Your Majesty, we received word that His Highness the Grand Duke has caught a cold and is worried about passing it on to Your Majesty, so he won’t be able to come for the time being.”

Louid caught a cold?

At the attendant’s report, the emperor tilted his head slightly.

He had never once caught a cold even as a child, so had his constitution changed after living in the north?

The emperor felt that something was strange, but since Louid himself said so, he had no choice but to believe it.

“Tell him to rest well.”

***

A few days later, at dawn, Louid’s eyelids fluttered a few times as if they might open, then slowly opened.

No matter how much effort he made, he couldn’t open them before, but now, suddenly, the paralysis in his eyes had lifted.

Unable to believe that he had woken up, he slowly blinked his eyes several times. Seeing that his eyes moved, it didn’t seem to be a dream.

However, strength had not yet returned to his body, so he couldn’t move even a single finger. He couldn’t turn his head, but he directed his eyes toward where Emilia was and quietly looked at her.

Emilia was sitting on a chair beside the bed, asleep while leaning forward against his waist.

Emilia.

He wanted to call her, but his lips wouldn’t move and no voice came out.

Only when the poison was completely neutralized would the paralysis lift, and it seemed only the paralysis in his face had eased.

Why was she sleeping uncomfortably like that instead of lying down?

He wanted to pull her into his arms and let her sleep comfortably, but he couldn’t.

He had never imagined that being unable to move his body freely could feel this frustrating. Louid tried to reach out his hand toward Emilia, but his body didn’t respond at all.

It was the first time someone had taken care of him like this. His mother had passed away early and he had only seen her in a portrait, and his nanny was frightening, and he had also lived apart from his older brother.

So from childhood, he had tried not to get sick. His current sturdy build and health were the result of that effort.

And yet, to be poisoned.

‘I should train my body more. Emilia too.’

It was fortunate that it happened to him. If it had happened to Emilia, she would have died without anyone being able to do anything.

He thought that he and Emilia needed to train themselves more.

This kind of thing would happen again.

Until the culprit’s objective was achieved.

After a while, as he continued to look at Emilia, his eyes blinked a few times and then slowly closed again.

The next morning, Louid kept his eyes tightly shut, pretending not to have woken up. His body was still not free from paralysis anyway, and he couldn’t speak, so he decided to just keep pretending that his consciousness hadn’t returned. He was also curious about what Emilia would do.

“What should I do to bring him back to consciousness?”

I need to wake him up quickly….

Emilia muttered as she looked at Louid, who still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Right. I should go pick that.

After giving Louid his medicine and soup, Emilia went to the greenhouse and picked a pedra flower. The pedra flower had a smell similar to mustard. Because the scent was strong, she thought it might help wake someone who had lost consciousness.

She placed the pedra flower in a vase and set it on the bedside table.

‘What is that smell? Can I smell things now?’

A sharp scent stimulated his nose. His eyes stung too. Yesterday his eyes had opened, and today he could smell things. The paralysis in his nose had lifted. But the smell was strong and unpleasant.

There wouldn’t be perfume like this.

“Huh? Louid, why are you crying?”

Emilia’s voice sounded right beside him.

I’m crying?

Louid couldn’t understand Emilia’s words. He had never cried like this before in his life. All he felt was that his eyes and nose were burning badly.

“Does it hurt a lot? Your nose is running too. I guess you really did catch a cold.”

Emilia’s muttering was heard, and another layer of blanket was placed over his body.

It’s hot….

He was someone who always felt hot even in midwinter, and with two blankets over him, heat rose and sweat poured down.

“Oh my, you’re even sweating cold sweat.”

No, please. Just get rid of that smelly thing.

Louid screamed inside, but since he was pretending not to have woken up, there was nothing he could do.

“Helen, call the physician.”

“Yes.”

Emilia urgently pulled the bell cord and called for Helen, then gave the order. A moment later, the physician came in.

“Your Highness, did something happen to the Grand Duke?” asked the physician with a startled expression.

“It’s not that, but I think the Grand Duke has caught a cold.”

“A cold?”

The physician’s doubtful voice was heard.

“He has tears, a runny nose, and he’s even sweating cold sweat.”

“Is that so?”

The physician approached Louid and began examining him.

“He has no fever and his pulse is stable. I don’t think it’s a cold.”

“Is that so? That’s strange. Look here. Isn’t he shedding tears?”

Tears were still streaming down from Louid’s eyes.

After looking around the bedroom for a moment, the physician pointed at the vase on the bedside table.

“It’s because of that flower. The Grand Duke is allergic to pedra flowers.”

“Gasp. Is that so? I didn’t know.”

Emilia learned one new fact about Louid.

“I’ll get rid of it right away.”

“Yes, that would be best.”

“Then why is he sweating cold sweat?”

“I think it’s because he’s hot. It’s summer right now, isn’t it?”

Ah, so that’s why. Emilia realized it once again.

Soon, the blankets were removed as well.

‘Ha. Now I can live. So it was the pedra flower.’

Only then did Louid understand why he was shedding tears and having a runny nose. He had a healthy constitution, but he’d been allergic to pedra flowers since he was young. If the pedra flower was far away, he was fine, but today, it seemed it had been too close.

Emilia ordered a servant to take the flower outside.

“Then how am I going to wake Louid up now?”

After the physician left, Emilia sank deep into thought. The physician said to wait and see, but now was not the time for that. She couldn’t just wait quietly, she had to wake him up no matter what.

Ah!

She remembered seeing in a novel she had read once that you sprinkle water on the face of someone who has fainted.

Looking around the bedroom, Emilia took a glass of water in her hand. Cold water fell onto Louid’s face. At first, she carefully let fall one or two drops, but soon beadlike drops fell one after another.

“Huh?”

Emilia paused. It seemed like Louid’s tightly shut eyes were frowning a little.

It seemed to be working.