* * *
“I was feeling better today, so I even baked some bread.”
“Mm! It’s delicious. So good. The best, as always. You know, sis, I think I had a strange dream.”
“A dream?”
“Yeah, a really awful one. A nightmare, I think. But it’s okay now.”
Nael sighed in relief, letting go of the lingering memories.
He focused only on eating, lifting his spoon.
The warmth of the soup melted the tension from his body.
“Aren’t you going to tell me what it was about?”
“If I did, you’d be shocked. It was so terrible that I never want to dream it again.”
How could he tell her that in his dream, he had been forced to serve a grand duke at night?
That when he had finally woken up, he was on a ship, desperately trying to escape, only to fail?
If he told her everything, she would cry endless tears.
So, he kept his mouth shut.
“Alright, then. Tell me when you’re ready. Do you want another bowl?”
“Yes! It’s way better than what I had on the ship.”
“The ship?”
His sister tilted her head as she took his empty bowl.
“Yeah, you know. I was on a ship, but everything was new. There were so many fruits, the soup had shredded meat, and the bread was unbelievably soft. But… the one you made is way better. It’s fragrant, and it melts in my mouth… but at the same time, it feels unsettling, like I might get sick if I eat too much…”
“I see.”
Slurping down the soup, Nael stood up and fetched an extra pair of shoes from his room.
The gardener had outgrown them, so he had given them to Nael.
As Lily tidied up the dishes, she asked cautiously,
“Where are you going?”
“To fetch more firewood. You get cold easily, and I think we’re running low.”
“I told you, I’m fine now.”
“To stay healthy, you need to stay warm. Just rest, I’ll be quick.”
“Nael! Don’t go.”
Her anxious voice stopped him in his tracks.
Nael pulled her into a firm embrace, gently patting her back.
How long had it been since she’d gone an entire day without coughing?
He couldn’t remember.
That was why he had to work even harder—to gather firewood, take on more work from the viscount’s estate, and earn enough to buy vegetables along with the potatoes.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”
He slung a worn-out axe and frayed rope over his shoulder and stepped outside.
He couldn’t dream of felling large trees, so he settled for gathering branches.
By the time his pile was as tall as he was, dusk had settled in.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he secured the bundle with the rope, making it easier to drag home.
“Whew. This should last us a while.”
He slung the rope over his shoulder and turned toward the cottage.
A tune slipped from his lips, cheerful and off-key. His steps felt as light as a feather.
Then—
“…Wh-what is that…?”
Dark smoke billowed against the crimson sky, swallowing the sunset whole.
Without thinking, Nael ran.
No. No way.
It couldn’t be.
“…Haaah.”
Thick black smoke billowed into the sky from the Baron’s estate, not far from the cabin.
The soot rising from the ground painted the sky in an unbroken shade of darkness.
“A-Ah, no! my sister!”
Nael forced his frozen legs to move and ran.
The cabin came into view, but no matter how hard he pounded the ground, the distance refused to close.
His legs felt unbearably heavy.
No matter how much he ran, he couldn’t reach the cabin.
The stench of burning wood filled his lungs, suffocating him.
The thick smoke blinded him completely, and scorching heat crashed over him like a wave.
The flames swallowed Nael in an instant.
There was no time to resist as his entire body was consumed by fire.
I have to find my sister.
The cabin’s roof collapsed, crumbling helplessly into the flames.
—
“Agh… my sister! It’s so hot…”
His body trembled violently as if seized by convulsions, and Killian held him tightly.
His fever had raged throughout the night, refusing to subside.
They had already administered additional medicine, but his body burned on.
His parched, cracked lips only repeated the same words.
“Norman, bring more medicine.”
“We can’t give him any more. No matter how effective the drug, exceeding the limit is dangerous. At this point, we can only hope his body overcomes it.”
Norman hesitated before continuing.
“It seems… the shock has played a significant role.”
Anyone would have struggled to endure what he had witnessed, even with a clear mind.
But Nael wasn’t a warrior hardened by the battlefield. He had lived an ordinary life until now.
The fact that he hadn’t lost consciousness sooner amidst the bloodshed was remarkable in itself.
“More likely, it’s because his body is weak,” Norman finally said, choosing words that Killian might prefer.
The Grand Duke had always carried himself with composure, even in the direst situations.
Even when surrounded by enemies, he would close his eyes for a moment and emerge with a plan.
Even with death at his throat, he remained calm and found a way forward, as if blessed by fortune itself.
Yet now, that same man refused to leave the bedside of the one he had taken in—just because he was sick.
Killian wiped the sweat from Nael’s body with a damp cloth, sending Ren to replace the water whenever it cooled.
Fatigue was beginning to take its toll.
His normally unyielding physique was worn thin, dark circles forming beneath his eyes.
It had been a week already.
Carefully, he spooned thin, watered-down soup into Nael’s mouth.
When Nael’s throat refused to swallow, Killian held it in his own mouth before transferring it to him directly.
Norman and Ren could only stand by, assisting as needed, bringing whatever Killian requested.
“Nael. When are you planning to wake up?”
The fever had long since broken, but Nael still wouldn’t regain consciousness.
At times, he seemed to sleep peacefully, only to suddenly thrash and call out for his sister.
my sister… my sister…
The sound of it made something inside Killian burn.
Should he have brought her, no matter what?
The damn superstition among sailors—that the sea would grow angry if a woman was on board—was deeply ingrained.
But leaving her to be transported by land had been no choice at all.
She had been far too frail for that journey.
And now, that decision had come back to haunt him.
Killian had weighed every possibility before making his choice.
But he had never expected to become so entangled in someone so weak.
He wanted to claim even his dreams.
* * *
