A sweet aroma filled the room. Rosemarie put the cup to her face as to fully appreciate the aroma of the soothing Kaola, but she let out a small sigh, nevertheless.
“Princess? Whatever is the matter?”
“Prince Claudio really is coming home late, isn’t he?” Heidi, who had already readied for bed, came into the lounge to check on Rosemarie. The princess replied in a dejected tone.
“I understand you must be lonely, but he will be coming home any moment now.”
“It’s not that I’m lonely... exactly...” She was simply worried whether his health had suffered due to going afar. Claudio was the type who hated showing people his vulnerabilities. Alto may have always been by his side, but not even he would have had a hard time noticing Claudio’s poor health.
(Am I lonely, though? I’m not too sure about that...)
Admittedly, she had looked forward to the mindless chit-chat they shared during their morning, noon, and night hand-holding sessions these past few days.
She sighed again. Then, it happened. There was a soft knock at the lounge door.
“See? Your much-awaited Highness has made his return.” Heidi hurried to open the door as Rosemarie put down her cup on the table, trying to keep herself from blushing. As soon as she stood up from the sofa, true to her expectations, a rather worn-out looking Claudio entered the room.
“Welcome back. You must be tired.”
“Were you about to go to bed? I saw that the lights were still on, so I dropped by...”
“Yes, I was, but it’s perfectly fine. It isn’t that late yet, after all.”
Claudio’s black hair was damp, most likely because he’d taken a bath upon returning and come right over. All he had on was a plain shirt and pair of trousers. Gone was the ornate jacket of this morning, with all its buttons and embroidered designs. This was her first time seeing Claudio wearing something more casual that wasn’t his sleepwear. It was filling her heart with the joyful idea that he was letting himself be more relaxed around her.
“Would you care for something to drink?”
“Sure. That’s quite the sweet aroma. You’ve been drinking that ‘Kaola’ or whatever that tea is called, right? You sure do love that stuff.” Claudio sat down on the sofa and looked at the cup sitting on the table. Rosemarie smiled, sitting beside him.
“Yes, because it’s delicious. —Would you care for a spot, Prince Claudio? I’ve heard it helps relieve fatigue. It is a little on the bitter side and does take some getting used to, though...”
“You mean it’s not sweet?” Claudio looked somewhat disappointed upon hearing that and Rosemarie cocked her head, perplexed. She’d never taken him for the kind to like sweet things, but maybe he had a sweet tooth despite appearances.
“You’re more a fan of sweet things? It’s delicious even with some sugar added.”
“I’ll give it a try, if that’s the case.” Claudio nodded to comply. Rosemarie was about to send Heidi to brew him up a cup, but Claudio took the cup that was already on the desk.
“This will do.”
“Huh? But I’ve been drinking out of that one, and it’s not all that swe... Ah!” She tried to stop him, but she was already too late as Claudio took a sip. His brows immediately furrowed as a result.
“What is this? People drink this... I mean, it has an interesting taste.” Claudio tried to smooth things over without badmouthing, despite having the biggest grimace on his face. He was acting funny, and Rosemarie found herself smiling because of it.
“I will bring you some water, okay?” She turned around with the intent of asking Heidi to go fetch a glass, but in the next instant, Claudio suddenly doubled over while holding his throat in pain. Rattle rattle went the cup as it wobbled, spilling Kaola onto the table.
“Prince Claudio?!” Clueless as to what just transpired, she stroked Claudio’s back as he writhed in distress.
“Heidi, send for a doctor!” Rosemarie barked, the all-too-sudden call causing the maid to stand straight up and at attention. She then rushed from the room in a panic.
Once Rosemarie managed to lay the wheezing Claudio down on the couch, she noticed the massive amount of sweat pouring from his forehead.
(What? What went wrong? He drank the Kaola, and then...)
Her mind confused, she held onto Claudio’s large hand. Although she presumably left to go call for a doctor, Heidi soon returned back to the room.
“Heidi, is the doctor here yet?”
“Squire Clausen has gone off to call for him, so he will return shortly. Everything is under control.”
She looked up at Heidi with tears in her eyes. The maid nodded and stroked Rosemarie’s back to reassure her.
Rosemarie glanced at the brown tea spilled over the table, huddling closer to Claudio on her knees as he breathed erratically. The sweet aroma encompassed the room, but at the moment, her patience with the smell was running thin.
(How could drinking the Kaola make his collapse...?)
No matter how much she loved it, she’d never have recommended it to him if she’d known this would happen. It was too late for regrets now, however. She fretted over what she could do now.
“...Make him vomit? Maybe I can relieve him by making him vomit up what he drank.”
“Don’t. Barely conscious, so making vomit would suffocate him.” A voice stopped Rosemarie, and she turned toward it. She had no idea when they had showed up, but there was Archmagus Edeltraud, the same hood still covering their face, practically sliding over to her.
“Claudio passed out, so I came. What happened?”
“It was all my fault. I let him drink Kaola tea...” On the verge of tears, she stared at Edeltraud beseechingly as they looked at Claudio with his pained expression.
“Where is this ‘Kaola’?” As Edeltraud pulled down the skin under Claudio’s eyes, looked at the pigmentation of his tongue, and checked his pulse, Rosemarie presented them with what was left of the Kaola.