The crooks of his arms were warm.
Claudio realized he was coming back to his senses as he squeezed that warmth, akin to the genial rays of the sun, so as to make sure it didn’t get away.
He had some problems breathing before—so much so it made him think he was getting his throat crushed—but there wasn’t a trace of those problems left now. Nor was he sweating all over, despite being freezing cold like before.
(What happened to me...?)
His memory after he drank the Kaola tea was hazy, but he assumed that there was some specific reason for his health deteriorating.
He slowly opened his eyes partway. The room was filled with the faint light of early morning. Thanks to his sleepless days and night, the silence of morning was something he wasn’t terribly fond of. Despite the Seed of Mana-Sealing within him craving mana, he felt as if it grew by bathing in the sun due to its plant origins.
As if bothered by the weak light, he pressed his face against whatever it was he was hugging. The somewhat cold and hard sensation Claudio felt as a result made him open his eyes suspiciously.
“...Uh, what?” What appeared before his eyes was a bucket with a beautiful silver gleam. There was not a spot of rust or grime to be found due to it being so well-maintained, no doubt, but the fact remained—it was a bucket. The bright-green ribbon tied to a portion of the handle gave it a rather innocent charm.
(God, what is the world coming to if a bucket has an “innocent charm”?)
Having just woken up, his thoughts weren’t all in order. As he tried to get his gears cranking, the bucket moved slightly. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though he had been sleeping with someone wearing a bucket on their head in his embrace.
“—Good, um... morning.” He could hear a timid, reserved voice come from under the bucket. He gazed, dumbfounded, at the source of the familiar voice before putting his hand on the bucket. After getting past a tiny bit of resistance, he took off the bucket. What appeared underneath it was a beet-red face topped with a head of mahogany hair and a pair of green eyes—features that, for all intents and purposes, made up his wife.
“...Why am I sleeping with you? Also, what is this bucket all about?”
“I-I’m using it for my mental stability!” Rosemarie nervously explained what happened last night. He was informed on the whole thing. He had collapsed from drinking the Kaola tea. The Kaola seed was the same as the Seed of Mana-Sealing. By drinking it, the Seed that was already in his body had sparked an adverse reaction, which caused him to pass out. After a deep sigh, he held his forehead.
“I see... To think that drink was made up of Seeds of Mana-Sealing...”
“Are you mad at me? I pretty much recommended poison to you.” Rosemarie looked ready to cry. When he stared at her, she twitched her shoulder as though frightened.
“What is the point in getting mad? You didn’t know that this Kaola, or whatever it’s called, was the same as the Seed of Mana-Sealing, right? Getting mad over that would be pointless. That aside, why am I here sleeping with you?”
“Master Edel told me that if I slept with you in my arms the whole night, your condition would improve, so... Not very enjoyable for you, I’m sure.”
“—I never said that.”
With her face beet red, Rosemarie tried to distance herself, but she was tucked even closer into his arms.
It was Rosemarie who most likely found it the least enjoyable out of the two. After all, no matter how much she forgave him, she still had to keep the man who treated her so poorly in her arms the whole time.
“I never said that. I enjoyed your warmth.” He hugged her closer, making sure not to crush her, and her sleek hair grazed his cheek. The aroma of the Kaola that put him through hell last night drifted throughout the room, which caused him to knit his brows for a split second before permitting it once he considered that it belonged to her.
✦ ✦ ✦
“P-Prince Claudio, are you sleep talking? I hope you know I’m not a talking pillow...”
“A pillow can’t very well talk.”
“In that case, let’s split off, okay? Oh, you can use my lap as a pillow, though. Let’s do that instead.”
“If I use your lap as a pillow, you won’t be able lie down. It’s still rather early in the morning. If you’re worried about my body, then just keep yourself still.” He softly squeezed at Rosemarie, making her squirm a bit. But she put her face against Claudio’s chest, relaxed, and eased her body into his soon enough.
“—Prince Claudio, I will go to your office for your midday replenishment.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“If you had to ask me whether I am or am not sure, I am certainly not sure, but I am sure enough. At least, I think I am sure enough that I can assure that.”
“...Can you even hear the words coming out of your own mouth?” He couldn’t see her face, but she was probably serious. He knew he shouldn’t laugh, but she was acting downright comical.
“I-In any case! I can get over the fact that I see the heads of people who hold animosity as beasts if it will help you get any better, Prince Claudio,” she declared assuredly as her shoulders tensed up. Just thinking of it made her go on the defensive, so the fact that Rosemarie was willing to get over her fear for his sake filled him with a vague, pleasant sense of embarrassment.
“Just so I’m sure, your eyes even make the heads of people you yourself trust turn into beast heads?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. That’s right. Even when Heidi gets angry, she gets a black cat head.” Rosemarie slowly lifted her head, befuddled.
“I see... That must be rough on you.”
Rosemarie gasped in Claudio’s arms.
“—I can’t quite comprehend just how terrifying it must be to be able to see animosity and negative emotions. However, if you see the heads of people you trust as beasts just because they harbor the slightest bit of dissatisfaction, it’s no small wonder why you’d be hurt by that.” He had been so blinded with resentment up until a few days ago that he never even realized this. It wasn’t the type of animosity one encountered when dealing with bureaucrat or aristocrats; it was a matter of having someone you trust enough to allow into your heart, or even a member of your own family, looking like that if they had any negative emotions at all. You were being unintentionally betrayed by someone you trust. That was most likely absolutely mortifying.
“So, really, you don’t need to overexert yourself.”
A teary film started to form over Rosemarie’s green eyes all at once. She pursed her lips as she attempted to keep the tears from spilling from her eyes, but she shook her head regardless.
“No. Please, don’t spoil me so much. It makes me feel uneasy.”
“My intentions aren’t to spoil you, though. I’m just telling you not to overexert yourself. I’m not telling you not make an appearance. —Aah, don’t cry. Your face will get all puffy and homely.”
“Yes... I’m aware of that!” He finally tried to wipe away the tears streaming down her face, but she suddenly turned her face on him. Her versatile expressions were amusing him and made him want to say all sorts of things, which was an issue.
Claudio pulled the angry Rosemarie closer and smiled wryly at that small hang-up in his head while patting his wife comfortingly on the back.