I opened my eyes slightly and gazed at Dante’s sleeping face.
His brow was furrowed in distress.
What kind of nightmare could he be having?
I raised my hand and gently rubbed his brow, smoothing it out as if it had been ironed.
As I looked at his peaceful face, emotions surged within me.
“...I’m sorry.”
For not knowing anything, for misunderstanding you, for being afraid.
For hurting you.
“I’m sorry for leaving like that.”
Even though it was something that hadn’t happened yet, I felt an overwhelming sense of regret towards myself.
After offering an apology that Dante, who was already asleep, couldn’t hear, I found it hard to fall asleep for a long time.
* * *
Not long after Serafina forced her eyes shut, Dante’s eyes, which had been closed, quietly opened.
His gaze landed on Serafina’s back, which was turned away from him.
He woke up to the touch of her hand gently caressing her brow. The reason he didn’t open his eyes immediately was the lonely tone of Serafina’s voice.
...I’m sorry?
If he wasn’t mistaken, she had clearly said she was sorry for leaving.
What does leaving even mean?
Could it be...
Dante’s eyes began to tremble helplessly.
Today, Serafina’s back looked fragile, as if she might turn to ashes and disappear at any moment.
Dante wanted to reach out and pull her into an embrace right away.
He wanted to beg her not to leave, holding her tightly so she couldn’t go anywhere.
But there was nothing he could do.
All he could do was clench his fists tightly and hold his breath so that no words would escape.
And so, the night passed with no one able to easily fall asleep.
* * *
“Ah, ah, ah-choo!”
The loud sneeze drew everyone’s attention.
Dante, who was eating across from me, and Ena, who had come to check if the food was okay, and even Barhan, who had come for a quick report.
Thank goodness I didn’t have food in my mouth.
I felt a wave of relief wash over me at the simultaneous gazes directed my way.
I almost showed a tremendous spectacle in front of everyone.
If I had shown such a sight, I would have wanted to refrain from eating for days.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I think it’s just the change of seasons that’s making my nose itch. I’m sorry for sneezing during the meal.”
As I wiped my nose with a handkerchief and forced a shy smile, everyone subtly turned their heads away.
It was clear they were trying to be considerate, worried I might feel embarrassed.
It had already been about ten days since the tea party had successfully concluded.
In that time, the weather had shifted from early autumn to fall.
Perhaps due to the rapidly cooling weather, I found myself sneezing and dealing with a runny nose at every opportunity.
No. Is it just the change of seasons?
What about my dignity as a human being? Sniff. Sniff.
I stifled the runny nose again and shivered from the cold on my shoulders.
It was two days later that I realized it was the precursor symptoms of seasonal flu.
“What should we do, my lady? Are you very sick?”
Siena asked, her voice trembling with concern, and I responded by waving my hand.
“Siena, I told you not to talk to the lady.”
“But I’m worried...”
“The more you worry, the more you should help her stay calm.”
I could faintly hear Siena grumbling at Mari’s firm advice.
I could feel both of them worrying about me in their own ways. Ah, I wanted to say thank you, but my voice wouldn’t come out.
Cough, cough.
I didn’t have the strength to speak, yet I couldn’t stop coughing.
Every time I coughed, it felt like my throat and lungs were being torn apart.
My feverish eyes were hot to the point of pain, and I felt a burning pain in my ears as well.
Ah. I’m going to die.
At this rate, I really might die.
At first, I thought it was just a simple cold, but my condition had rapidly worsened since early dawn two days ago.
“Serafina. Are you okay? Serafina!”
I felt Dante calling me urgently as he woke up from the sound of my coughing. I weakly pushed him away with my hand.
“...I’m going. What if I spread it...”
“Is that really the issue right now? Your forehead is burning. When did this start... sigh.”
The last memory of that early morning was his sigh filled with worry. Feeling his hot breath, I fainted.
After that, I kept drifting in and out of consciousness.
I had no idea how time was passing. Each time I opened my eyes, the person I saw was different.
Sometimes it was Siena, sometimes it was Mari.
Barhan would come to check on me with concern, or Ena would bring cold soup.
They said the flowers in the vase were placed there by Markops.
I think I saw Hetherson at some point too...
Ah. I don’t know. I feel dizzy. It hurts so much. Someone save me.
“Ugh. Huh...”
As the fever rose, tears began to flow.
Sweat and tears mixed together, making my face damp.
“My lady. My lady!”
With Mari and Siena’s cries, I closed my eyes again.
How long did I swim through the darkness of unconsciousness?
...Ah. What is this? It feels refreshing.
A coolness, like a gentle rain, touched my hot body.
Cold and firm.
I slowly opened my eyes. Through the gaps in my hazy vision, I saw someone’s face.
“Serafina.”
Ah. It’s Dante.
Even in the darkness, the contours of his face were clearly asserting themselves.
Wow. Even when I’m sick, he looks really handsome.
As I let out a silly laugh, the moisture that had gathered at the corners of my eyes rolled down my cheeks.
His cold, firm hand, which had been resting on my forehead, quickly wiped away my tears.
My mind was still hazy.
Is this a dream or reality?
As I blinked, Dante whispered softly.
“Go back to sleep. It’s hard if you stay awake.”
“...Is this... a dream?”
“Yes. It’s a dream. So close your eyes again.”
“Ah. It’s a dream.”
Somehow, I thought it would be.
I chuckled and closed my eyes as Dante instructed.
However, I didn’t keep my mouth shut.
“Can’t you touch my cheek?”
“...”
“It feels nice and cool...”
When he didn’t respond right away, I opened my eyes in dissatisfaction.
Why won’t he do what I want if it’s a dream?
I squeezed my eyes tightly, putting all my strength into them, and tears flowed down again reflexively.
Once more, a large hand wiped away the tears from my eyes.
See? It feels so refreshing.
I pressed my cheek against his hand, afraid it might pull away.
“...It feels nice.”
The hesitant hand slowly began to rub my cheek.
I let out a foolish smile and drifted off into a deep sleep.
I realized it wasn’t a dream around dawn that day.
I felt my hot breath become lighter.
The dim sky outside the window caught my eye.
It’s dawn.
I slowly raised my body. I had been lying there sweating, so my back felt so damp.
Ah. I want to wash up.
Thinking this, I felt like I was finally starting to feel better.
As I slowly lifted my upper body, I felt something heavy in my hand.
Huh? What is this...
Turning my head to look at my hand, I was startled.
A large, white hand was resting on top of mine.
It was a familiar hand.
Slowly following the hand with my gaze, I saw, as expected, Dante sleeping with his face down on the bed.
At the same time, the dream from before came to mind.
The dream where I held that hand, saying how refreshing it was while rubbing my cheek.
Could it be.
“...Was it not a dream?”
Oh my god.
I touched my forehead with my empty hand. It was still hot.
...Right. I’m a patient, so that makes sense. When a patient is very sick, they might not be in their right mind.
I successfully wrapped up my embarrassing past.
Once the moment of embarrassment passed, gratitude surged within me.
Did he stay here taking care of me from night until dawn?
I had clearly told him not to come, saying it might be contagious.
But seeing him here by my side made me feel grateful...
People are truly fickle.
Even though others had worried about me and stayed by my side, strangely, Dante’s presence felt a little more special.
Even if we are a couple with a predetermined end, perhaps it’s because we are family.
It was the first time since childhood that I received care from family.
The significance of that seemed to resonate more deeply than I had expected.
I miss my mom and grandma.
The faces that came to mind brought both laughter and tears.
I sniffled and wiped my tears before carefully opening my mouth.
“Thank you.”
Really, truly thank you.
“I won’t forget, even if I leave.”
Yes. Even if we become strangers, today’s events will remain in my heart for a long time.
Perhaps because I had cried, I felt a hot pressure on my eyelids.
“I hope you’ll be happy even after I’m gone.”
Tears flowed down again.
Unable to handle the tears that kept flowing, I lay back down.
Heat began to rise again through my tightly closed throat.
I held onto Dante’s hand tightly.
His lukewarm hand was no longer cool, but I still didn’t want to let go.
Oh dear. I guess being sick has made me more clingy.
I let out a hollow laugh and closed my eyes.
My face and back were damp with moisture. Even though I thought it was uncomfortable, I quickly fell asleep.
And so, I didn’t realize.
What kind of gaze Dante had on me when he opened his eyes shortly after.