By Zephyria 
As the shout echoed, the door burst open, and Cecile’s aides, who had been waiting outside, rushed in.
“Cecile!”
“I’m the attending physician! Please excuse me for a moment!”
While Ethan took Cecile from Alexis’s arms and laid him down on the flat floor, Leo quickly spread a white cloth to cover Cecile’s battered appearance.
They moved with a precision that suggested they had anticipated such a situation.
Alexis stood frozen, his face splattered with blood, struggling to discern whether the scene unfolding before him was a dream or reality.
“Ugh, ah!”
Even in that moment, Cecile writhed in pain. His curled fingers clawed at his chest repeatedly.
He arched his back as if in a seizure, pushing against the floor with his heels, the agony so intense that he seemed unaware of Alexis’s presence.
His shallow, rapid breaths were laced with agonized groans. He was reduced to tears, unable to summon the mental clarity to ask for help. In that brief moment, his entire face was drenched.
Ethan examined Cecile’s condition with practiced skill. He lifted the eyelids to check the pupil’s reaction and felt the nape of his neck. The pulse was severely irregular.
While there had been symptoms of vomiting before, this was the first time he had vomited blood to such an extent. Whether the ominous signs were due to a side effect of the medication or the curse Cecile had mentioned would require more thorough examination.
Of course, there was nothing they could do here. As soon as Ethan made his judgment, he shouted urgently.
“We need to move him to Peridot Palace!”
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Alexis had scooped Cecile up into his arms.
Leo hurriedly wrapped Cecile’s body in the cloth, his trembling hands making sure not even a strand of hair was visible.
“Your Highness! I can guide the way…”
“Lead the way.”
Alexis cut him off with a firm voice. At the command, Leo dashed out. He had secured the fastest and most discreet route from the main palace to Peridot Palace in case of emergencies.
Quick footsteps echoed in succession. The operation room, which had just been through a storm, was now filled only with the acrid smell of blood.
Everything was incomprehensible.
The master was vomiting blood and collapsing, yet the attendants of Peridot Palace remained so calm.
The only one in shock was Alexis, while the attendants and the Court Physician were frantically tending to Cecile.
“Bring it quickly!”
At Ethan’s urgent voice, one of the attendants rushed in with a bowl.
The attendants propped Cecile up, half-lifting him from the bed. Ethan forced him to drink water heavily mixed with salt, and it wasn’t long before Cecile retched again.
What poured out was all a vivid red. It was unclear if this was indeed the right treatment. Alexis clenched his fists, glaring at the suffering Cecile and the Court Physician.
“You need to vomit more. Please bear with it a little longer.”
The attendants pleaded desperately. Ignoring their anxious voices, Cecile continued to writhe.
Unable to just stand by, Alexis picked up a remaining wet cloth. As he reached out to wipe Cecile’s body, someone boldly grabbed his wrist. It was Cecile’s head attendant.
“Your Highness, we will take it from here! Please step aside for a moment.”
“Are you telling me to leave Cecile behind… is that what you just said?”
“I sincerely apologize. I will accept any punishment. But right now… for Cecile’s sake, please.”
Contrary to the boldness of pushing the Crown Prince away, tears streamed down Leo’s face.
What if something happened to Cecile? He bit his lip, trying to suppress the worry and fear, his front teeth and lower jaw trembling uncontrollably.
Alexis felt a similar sense of kinship with him. Relaxing his cold gaze, he took a step back.
“I will stay here. However, I will allow you to set up a screen.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Take good care of Cecile. If anything happens… inform me immediately.”
Leo bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching his knees. He then quickly moved to surround the bed with the screen.
Alexis leaned against a distant wall. Even though they were in the same space, it felt as if the world had been divided in two by the screen.
He clenched and unclenched his fists, hearing the near-screams from within.
Alexis could not dare to imagine what was happening inside. Above all, the fact that there was nothing he could do in place of Cecile filled him with despair.
Time passed, and after a while, the screen was removed. The treatment was over.
Alexis stood quietly at the head of the neatly arranged bed, looking down at Cecile. Fortunately, he seemed to be in a deep sleep, and he did not have to witness the earlier agonizing cries.
However, his pale face looked as if he were dead. Alexis checked his shallow breathing by placing his fingers under his nose several times.
“Did he ingest poison?”
He asked, keeping his gaze fixed on Cecile. Ethan bowed his head as if in shame.
“No, it’s not that. Cecile has been taking medication, and this incident occurred due to an overdose.”
“…Medication?”
Ethan bowed even deeper, pleading.
“He has been suffering from heart disease for several years. It’s a condition with no identifiable cause, making it difficult to heal.”
“Cecile never told me such a thing. He never once showed signs of being unwell.”
“He wished to hide his symptoms. He was extremely reluctant to let others know, fearing that if they did, he would be confined to the palace for treatment.”
“……”
“He had no issues in his daily life. Therefore, I believe Your Highness was also unaware.”
Ethan answered smoothly. He had rehearsed this response multiple times at Cecile’s request. Though his mouth moved on its own, the overwhelming presence of the Crown Prince made his expression shrink.
“He collapsed once before, didn’t he?”
Alexis recalled an old memory. It had been nearly three years since he returned from a campaign.
He couldn’t believe that Cecile had been enduring alone, pretending to be fine all that time. How could he not have suspected anything while being by his side? Even as he watched him grow thinner recently.
Gingerly, he brushed Cecile’s bangs aside. Thanks to the attendants’ diligent care, Cecile lay asleep looking as clean and noble as ever.
Fearing he might break him, Alexis hesitated to touch his face. Seeing this, Leo bit his lip and finally spoke up.
“Your Highness, I’m terribly sorry, but… may I make an impertinent request?”
“Speak.”
“If Cecile awakens, please exclude the Court Physician from all duties.”
Alexis’s gaze, which had been directed at Cecile, slowly rose. Leo dared not meet the Crown Prince’s eyes and kept his head bowed.
“He absolutely needs to rest, but he won’t listen to us. Cecile only thinks of you… If you give the order, he will follow.”
“You are the one who has been closest to Cecile. You know him better than anyone.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you think Cecile is overexerting himself to help me?”
“……”
“It’s okay to speak honestly.”
“…I apologize.”
Leo offered his apology. That alone was enough of an answer.
Alexis turned his gaze away again. Watching Cecile’s peacefully sleeping face, he recalled the agonizing moments from earlier. It was something that must never be repeated.
“Do not worry. Your master will no longer suffer.”
It was a promise he made to himself.
They say that usually, one regains consciousness within a day after losing it. However, three days passed, and Cecile showed no signs of waking.
Alexis could not leave his side for a moment. Occasionally, in a dazed state, Cecile would mumble sounds that resembled groans, and it felt as if he were calling out his name.
He opened Cecile’s lips and pushed a few grains of coarse salt and a pea-sized nutrient supplement inside.
He longed for these lips to soon utter mischievous words, hoping that the tightly shut eyelids would open to reveal those gem-like eyes.
Cecile’s head attendant quietly approached and said.
“Your Highness, I think we need to change his clothes.”
“Very well.”
Alexis pulled the chair back and stood up. It was a kind of agreed-upon act. They had promised to step aside during the times when they would change his clothes and clean his body.
The head attendant of Peridot Palace had said that Cecile was extremely reluctant to show his bare body to others.
From past experiences, Alexis knew that this was not a lie. He accepted the attendant’s request humbly, fearing that if Cecile woke up, he would feel shame.
Outside, the night had grown dark. Alexis slowly wandered through the lonely and silent Imperial Palace.
Even though he was pressed for time with preparations for war, nothing was more important to Alexis than Cecile at that moment. He thought without hesitation that if the nobles found out, it would be a shocking thought.
As he wandered aimlessly, he found himself in front of the training grounds. His slow footsteps came to a complete stop. Under the pale moonlight, two figures caught his eye. They were familiar faces. Claude and Yuria.
Standing face to face, whispering to each other, they looked like lovers.
Yuria had a flushed face, tears streaming down, while Claude appeared pained to see her crying, his face contorted. He clenched and unclenched his fists, unable to hold back, and grabbed Yuria’s face.
He took a moment to absorb the sight of the two kissing. Strangely, he felt nothing at all. Alexis turned away with a calm expression, suddenly letting out a chuckle.
“If Cecile finds out, it will be chaos.”
It was clear he would be overly excited as if it were his own affair. He could vividly picture the flush spreading from his forehead to his neck, staunchly defending his side.
He missed that face, longed for that voice. Alexis covered his eyes with his palm, swallowing a bitter smile.
Cecile, it seems I love you after all.
Even though he was aware of his feelings, the fact that he could not convey them tightened his heart.