By Zephyria 
The horse galloped at a furious speed. It deliberately avoided the eyes of the people, choosing only the rough, unrefined paths, but the rider was so experienced that they quickly emerged from the forest.
Once out of the hunting grounds, it was a straight shot to the palace. Even at full speed, it would take a couple of hours, but there was no time to waste.
The jolting from the ride shook his entire body. If even a healthy person felt it was tough, it was needless to say how difficult it was for Cecile, who was barely holding on.
Cecile, gripping the horse’s mane, began to sway more and more. As the horse jumped over a fence, Cecile lost his balance and fell forward.
If Alexis hadn’t instinctively reached out his arm, he might have fallen completely. Alexis steadied himself, holding the reins with one hand while calming his startled heart.
“Are you struggling? If you can’t hold on, just say so now.”
“…No, I’m fine… Huh, I’m okay.”
Even though he looked as limp as a wet blanket, Cecile shook his head insistently, claiming he was fine.
Alexis clicked his tongue in frustration.
Whom did he inherit this stubbornness from? Well, that bloodline has to show somewhere. Anger bubbled up inside him, but he thought it would only be a loss for both of them to delay any further, so he urged the horse on again.
Gripping the reins, he wrapped his left arm around Cecile’s chest. It was a position that required a good sense of balance and physical strength, but for Alexis, who had spent years on the battlefield, it was not particularly difficult.
The problem was that Cecile’s condition was deteriorating. His hands had long since lost their strength, and he could no longer support his own body. Through the thin summer fabric, Alexis could feel the warmth radiating from him.
As he quietly guided the horse, Alexis closely monitored Cecile’s condition through his left arm.
Cecile, with his head drooped low, was exposing his pale neck. He was sweating so profusely that the beads of sweat were clearly visible as they trickled down his skin.
“Cecile.”
Alexis slowed down a bit and called out to him. But all he could hear was Cecile’s labored breathing; he did not respond.
Eventually, he stopped the horse to properly check on him. Placing his hand on Cecile’s forehead, he felt a heat like that of a burning ember.
The wound had already stopped bleeding, but why was Cecile in such a state?
With such a high fever, his face was as pale as a corpse. It seemed as if he might stop breathing at any moment, and his shallow breaths were irregular.
Thinking that they would be in serious trouble if this continued, Alexis brought the horse to a complete stop. Fortunately, he spotted a small cottage nearby.
Dismounting, Alexis briefly set Cecile down in the cool shade of a tree. He then approached the cottage alone and spoke to a woman who was tending to something in front of her house.
“I have a favor to ask. If you have any fever reducers, could you share some with me?”
“Fever reducers? Who are you to suddenly ask for fever reducers… Eek!”
The woman had looked up absentmindedly and was so startled that she dropped her basket. The small fruits she had gathered rolled across the ground, but she had no time to worry about that.
When she saw the shiny fabric of his clothes, she thought he was just a high-ranking noble, but the gleaming platinum hair made it clear who he was. A commoner woman who had never encountered royalty in her life prostrated herself on the ground, showing her humility.
“Y-Your Highness! I am unworthy and did not recognize you, committing such a rude act. Please forgive me!”
“You were not rude. That said, I would appreciate it if I could receive the fever reducers quickly. If possible, could I also get some drinking water?”
“Of course! I will bring it right away!”
The woman hurried into her house. Fortunately, since she had children, she always kept emergency medicine like fever reducers on hand.
A short while later, the woman reappeared, carrying various items in her arms. She dared not meet the prince’s gaze, only looking at the area around his chest as she handed over what she had brought.
“This is the fever reducer. I don’t know who will take it, but… it might be a bit different from what you would find in the palace, as it’s made by commoners like us.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Alexis accepted the medicine bottle without concern. It was true that the ingredients would differ from those prepared in the palace, but Alexis had a fair amount of trust in folk remedies.
He shook the bottle. The viscous liquid inside the dark brown glass bottle sloshed around.
“The fever reducer is quite unique.”
“Yes. Since my child mainly takes it, I made it like syrup. About two spoons should be enough.”
“Hmm, not bad.”
He had been wondering how to get the medicine into Cecile, and a diluted syrup form would actually be helpful for someone who was barely conscious.
Alexis then looked for water and rummaged through his belongings. With nothing suitable, he ultimately detached a button from his hunting outfit and handed it over.
“Just take this for now. It’s all I have at the moment. I will make sure to compensate you for the medicine once I return to the palace.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she looked at the obsidian button that had rolled into her palm. Such a precious gem! To receive several months’ worth of wages for just some fever reducers and water was enough to make her smile involuntarily.
“Y-Your Highness! If it’s alright with you, I’d like to give you this as well…”
She hurriedly handed a small pouch to the turning prince. What could this be? The woman explained, bowing her head in gratitude as Alexis gestured with his eyes.
“These are blueberries I grew myself. They are ripe, so please taste them. They have been washed clean.”
Would the prince, who had only ever tasted precious and fine things, even look at blueberries grown by a commoner? But the woman felt that what she had received was too much, and she was also worried about the person who would take the fever reducer. Her children always needed something sweet like fruit or candy after taking their medicine.
“Thank you.”
Alexis graciously accepted the woman’s kindness. Afterward, while the woman prostrated herself in gratitude, he turned back toward where Cecile was.
Cecile, sprawled out in the cool shade, was still unable to gather himself and was suffering. His condition had worsened, and he could not claim to be fine.
Alexis knelt down and faced Cecile.
“Cecile, open your eyes.”
Cecile, weakly resting his head against a tree trunk, managed to lift his heavy eyelids, albeit faintly.
His vision was completely blurred. He knew the person in front of him was Alexis, but the high fever made it difficult to see him clearly.
“I brought medicine. Take it, and we’ll set off again.”
There was no energy left in Cecile to respond to Alexis’s voice, which danced between kindness and indifference.
Cecile found it hard to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality. Even the effort to open his eyelids was too much, and they closed again.
With Cecile unable to move a finger, Alexis personally opened the medicine bottle and lifted Cecile’s chin.
He forced his mouth open with his thumb and tilted the bottle. As he poured the syrupy fever reducer into Cecile’s mouth, it spilled out because his tongue wouldn’t move.
“Why are you making this so difficult?”
Seeing that the medicine he had gone through so much trouble to obtain was not being taken, Alexis frowned in displeasure. He let out a short sigh and brushed his damp bangs aside. He couldn’t just leave it behind; what to do…
After glaring at Cecile for a moment, he brought the bottle to his own lips. After holding a suitable amount in his mouth, he grabbed a handful of Cecile’s hair.
He pressed his lips against Cecile’s, pouring the fever reducer into his mouth. Even after going this far, Cecile’s mouth remained limp.
Alexis pressed down on Cecile’s tongue, which showed no sign of movement. As he squished the soft body of the tongue with the tip of his own, Cecile’s throat finally began to open.
As the syrup slid down his throat, Cecile’s mouth tightened. After confirming that the medicine had been swallowed, Alexis finally pulled away.
“Damn, what a taste…”
Whatever herbs were in it, the medicine was incredibly bitter. Could children even take something like this? But it was too late to complain.
While the taste lingered, Alexis quickly took another sip of the fever reducer. He repeated the act of pressing his lips against Cecile’s and touching their tongues.
Perhaps because of the absurdly bitter medicine or the reckless kissing, Cecile began to regain some consciousness when the second dose went down. His hand, which had been weakly hanging, clutched the shoulder strap of Alexis’s hunting outfit tightly.
It was so weak that it was hard to tell whether he was pushing away or clinging on. But inside his mouth, their tongues were fiercely wrestling against each other.
Alexis lightly subdued the rebellious tongue and finally got him to swallow all the medicine. When their lips finally parted, Cecile was completely sprawled out.
“Why do you look like that? Anyone would think I did something inappropriate.”
Alexis rinsed his mouth with cold water as he spoke. To him, the kiss just moments ago held no significance. It was merely an act to get the medicine into Cecile.
Cecile, who had just barely regained his senses, gasped in disbelief. With a wry smile, his eyebrows furrowed. His mouth was bitter, far too bitter.
“Open your mouth.”
With that command, Alexis thrust his finger into Cecile’s mouth. As a few blueberries rolled in, Cecile froze again, dumbfounded.
“Are you not going to move your mouth? Do I need to chew this for you?”