Chapter 19
***
Uh....
"Miss, what's wrong?"
A reddish tinge shadowed the corners of Amber’s large eyes, as if she had a fever.
"Are you unwell?"
Meti looked at the small woman, puzzled. She was shorter than her and slender. She was her age, but she was the kind of person she wanted to take care of like a little sister.
Meti touched her forehead, just in case. She looked at the bed to see if it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't.
Amber's eyes were still red. Her nostrils flared red and she looked embarrassed, but there were no tears.
"If you're still in a lot of pain, do you want to take some medicine and get some more sleep? I think that would be better."
Amber shook her head.
"Um...."
"Yes, go ahead. Miss."
Meti perked up at the sound of the exhausted voice.
"Did His Highness really carry me here, and not Aiden?"
"Yes. I was on my way to call on my brother, and I ran into His Highness, and he asked me where I was going, and I told him the situation, and he came here himself, and then he told me to fetch the doctor while carrying you to bed."
Meti chattered. For some reason, her voice seemed to rise a little more at the part about the Grand Duke moving Amber.
"My brother just fetch the doctor. Doctor Rico came.”
"Rico?"
Amber questioned, not knowing about the doctor.
"There are two doctors at Bliss Manor, one male and one female. Rico is the female doctor."
Both were skilled physicians, but Rico was particularly well-versed in Eastern medicine, even beyond the continent.
Eastern medicine was not yet readily accepted in the Reuben Empire, but it was slowly spreading, thanks to the work of Grand Duke Cliffrid.
Despite the small age difference, Rico and Mrs. Zendle were close friends.
"Is it really true that His Highness came to my bedroom?”
Amber's voice trembled slightly as she asked again.
"Yes, indeed, why would I lie about such a thing, His Highness picked you up and carried you to bed, and knowing how careful he was with you..."
"Enough, Meti. I get it, you don't have to explain anymore."
Amber cut Meti off hastily, then bowed her head heavily. Meti saw it before her small face fell.
A flush spread across her blank face. And trembling eyes.
The golden eyes were as true as they were unusual. They were as clear and transparent as a child's, revealing the feelings of their owner.
Meti thought Amber was embarrassed and made a grim face.
"His Highness is a very large man, and his height makes you look very small in his wide arms. He didn’t want to put too much pressure on you afraid of hurting you, but he couldn’t be careless either. I've never seen he so restless."
A small sigh escaped her small body.
‘I'd be embarrassed if I were her.’ Meti thought.
After all, the Grand Duke and Amber Caida were engaged to be married. Given their relationship, it was natural for Lady Amber to be embarrassed.
After all, Grand Duke Listan Cliffrid was the kind of man who could set the hearts of many women aflutter with his looks alone. Even married noblewomen had forgotten their situation when they met him.
Amber Kaida, on the other hand, was pure purity in Meti’s eyes. Beautiful, mysterious, and untainted by worldly things, like the fairies of the mythical Golden Forest.
That was why she was so embarrassed, and she didn’t know what to do.
Meti chalked up Amber's sighs and blushes to shyness and excitement, and it was almost tempting to tease her.
"When he heard you were so ill, and how the Grand Duke was in such a hurry to get here, I thought he was angry, but now that I think about it, he wasn't."
"Meti......."
"I think it's because he was so worried about you, that's why he had that look on his face. That's what men do in romance novels, they worry so much about the heroine who's in pain that they end up getting angry, I'm sure."
"Stop it, Meti."
The voice crawled out of her crunched face. Meti pretended not to hear, even as she realized that Amber was overly embarrassed by the event.
I shouldn't have done this.......
But the look of panic on her innocent face made it impossible to stop.
"Have you read them, Miss? I love reading romance novels, and I'm sure I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but I think His Highness is just like the men in romance novels. No, I think he’s even better than those in the novels, and I'm sure it's not just me, I think every woman in the Empire feels the same way."
A mischievous glance turned to Amber.
"...."
"You're the one who's getting all the attention, and if you saw the way His Highness was flustered that day, I'm sure you were thrilled."
"Meti, Meti."
"You should have seen how much more charming he was when he was so different than normal. I'm sure Mrs. Zendle was quite surprised, too."
"Meti…"
Meti rambled on as if she were the author of a romance novel.
She was so engrossed in her story that she didn't even hear the call. Amber grabbed her sleeve and shook it, and she looked up at Amber.
"Yes, yes. Miss. Is there anything you need? What can I do for you?"
"I'm hungry."
"Really? That's good, you haven't eaten in days, so of course you're hungry. I'll go get you something to eat, and here's some warm water, I'll be right back."
"Okay."
"Drink slowly. I'll also bring some sweet candy for your sore throat."
Putting the glass of water in her hand, Meti left the room with a shuffling step.
***
"Hah...."
As soon as Meti left, Amber sighed out loud.
Why did she let her guard down, why did she let herself get caught up in a scene that wasn't even funny. How long had she been here, how pathetic could she be?
She should have been more careful. She should have tightened her nerves and not done anything stupid. Amber scolded herself.
She couldn't make excuses for what she'd done, that it was a mistake.
It was a mistake, inexcusable, considering all that she had to accomplish, all that she had to do for the greater good.
What she was trying to accomplish was a footprint in history. It was so important, and she'd shown herself to be weak before she'd even had a chance to establish trust with them.
The corners of her eyes narrowed.
How pathetic Mrs. Zendle must think her, and how ridiculous... the Grand Duke must think her.
If Aiden shook his head at the absurdity of it all, she had nothing to say.
Embarrassment and fever rose again as she thought about the fact that the Grand Duke had to carry her after she collapsed.
Thanks to Meti’s description, the ridiculous scene unfolded before her eyes. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst at any moment.
Fever flared up in the corners of her eyes. Tears threatened to fall from uncontrollable self-pity, but Amber didn't cry.
She'd shed enough tears when her precious home burned down and her family disappeared in a puff of smoke. She had shed all the tears she would ever shed in her life, so she couldn't cry anymore.
On the train to Byrne, she made a hard and painful decision. She would never cry again.
No matter what happened, she would never show tears in a strange place, among strange people.
Tears weigh down a weak heart. It was a resolution she knew would not help.
"Ha...Ha...."
Left alone, Amber let out a long, deep breath. It was her way of stopping the tears and releasing the tightness in her chest. She hoped it would make her heart feel a little lighter and her self-pity fade away.
Still, the most embarrassing scene would not go away. Meti had gotten a little too excited.
‘I wish we didn't have to talk about that.’
Amber lifted the glass in her hand. She sipped the lukewarm water slowly, going over the day's events.
She could hear Meti’s excited voice in her head, as if she were recounting the details of a favorite romance novel.
A scene flashed through her foggy memory. She was barely sitting on the stool in the bathroom when she caught a glimpse of a figure before her eyes slid shut against her will.
A large figure paused in the doorway of the bathroom, and she could see it in her mind's eye.
"Miss, you've been waiting a long time, so I brought you a clear stew for your comfort."
Just as the image of the large man was about to flash before her eyes, Meti walked in. Amber let out an involuntary breath. It was a breath of relief.
It was better not to know. Not that kind of embarrassment.
Dawn was breaking, but there wasn't enough light for a meal. Pulling a small table to the hearth, Meti moved around the room, lighting it.
Straightening herself, Amber pulled on her robe.
"You should eat somewhere warm, my lady, so you can digest it better."
Meti’s voice was cheerful as she helped Amber up. Still cheerful, she didn't hear the faint whinnying of horses outside the window.
***
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