“Hmm? Mmm…” Bertia tossed and turned restlessly on a bed partitioned off by severe white curtains. After our confrontation with Baroness Hironia, as Bertia fainted, I had caught her and immediately carried her to the infirmary. I was initially shocked when she lost consciousness so suddenly, but I soon realized she was just sleeping, which was a relief.
According to the maid and the school doctor, ever since she had been pushed down the stairs, Bertia had been dealing with excessive anxiety and stress. Although she appeared calm, she hadn’t been sleeping well at night. Apparently, feeling reassured that the perpetrator had been caught, she had fallen into a deep sleep, as if her body had decided it was finally safe to rest.
Hearing this, I reflected, “Maybe I should have been more considerate.” I decided to let her rest in the infirmary bed and volunteered to stay by her side. As she slept, I found myself deep in thought.
She must’ve been absolutely exhausted by the state of deep sleep she was in. Watching her rest, I realized how precious she was—too precious to lose. Of course, it was wrong to let her get worn out like this. She was one of the few people who brought joy to my life. She was important enough that I should probably make more of an effort to protect her properly. At least, I wouldn’t let things go unattended like this again.
“Hmm? Prince Cecil?” Bertia’s eyes fluttered open. She was still groggy, barely awake, and looked at me unfocusedly.
“It’s all right now. You can keep resting,” I reassured her.
As I gently stroked her deep crimson hair, she gave a drooly smile and drifted back into her dreams.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hehehe… Such a nice dream…” Bertia murmured with a blissful expression. Observing her smile at me in that unique way, I thought to myself with a wry smile, You’re the only one who smiles at me like this, and decided to relish the comfortable atmosphere.
Indeed… I want to savor it.
From beyond the infirmary door, I sensed people whispering.
“Zeno,” I called out quietly through the curtain, assuming that Zeno, along with Bertia’s maids, was on standby.
He would understand what I meant by just that.
“As you wish,” came Zeno’s prompt response from beyond the curtain.
Listening to the voices beyond the door, I could faintly hear several people whispering among themselves.
“Don’t push me.”
“Why aren’t we going in?”
“Is Lady Bertia all right?”
“Just go in already.”
“What if we’re interrupting something?”
Click.
“Uh? Wait, whoa!!”
“Eh?! Ah!!”
“Please, come in,” Zeno said as he opened the door, and the voices outside suddenly stopped.
An awkward silence ensued.
“She’s resting in the booth at the far end. His Highness is with her.”
“Excuse us,” they murmured after a small cough, as if regaining their composure. Then, the sound of eight sets of footsteps approached briskly.
As everyone drew near, Bertia began to stir.
“Mmm? Eh?”
I really wanted to let her sleep a bit longer, but it couldn’t be helped. They were concerned about Bertia and had come to check on her; sending them away now would have been too cruel.
“Lady Bertia? Your Highness?” A concerned voice called from beyond the curtain.
“Tia, everyone’s come because they’re worried about you,” I gently said to Bertia, who was sleepily rubbing her eyes.
Exposing Bertia’s sleeping face to everyone felt like revealing a secret treasure I had hidden away just for myself, almost regrettable in its necessity.
“Prince Cecil?” Her sleepy eyes slowly focused on me.
“Eh? Oh? Where is this? Did I…” she began, still disoriented.
“We’re in the infirmary. You collapsed due to lack of sleep and exhaustion. Joanna, Charles, and the others have come because they’re worried about you. May I let them in?”
Her still somewhat foggy eyes slowly moved, and her awareness shifted toward the outside of the curtain.
Then, suddenly…
With a burst of energy, Bertia threw off the covers and sat up, quickly tidying her hair before addressing those waiting outside.
“Please, come in!!” Her vigorous reply conveyed relief to those listening.
“Excuse us,” someone said with a measure of caution.
First, Bertia’s friends entered, followed by my aides, arranging themselves around Bertia’s bed.
“Um, everyone, I’m not entirely sure what’s happening, but I’m sorry for worrying you all!!” Bertia said, bowing her head in an attempt to apologize, even though she was still not fully aware of the situation.
Her candid admission of confusion was just so typical of Bertia.
Joanna took Bertia’s hand. “My dear Lady Bertia, we were so worried when you suddenly collapsed.”
Bertia, as if trying to mask a mistake, chuckled awkwardly, “Ehehe.”
Silica approached Bertia similarly and said, “I confronted the school doctor as he was leaving the infirmary… I mean, I held him back to inquire! What’s this about lack of sleep? You’re not Lord Nelt, you need to sleep properly… Later, I’ll bring you my special blend of tea that helps with sleep.”
She spoke in a tone that seemed almost like muttering complaints, showing her concern for Bertia. Nelt looked somewhat uncomfortable—likely he was often scolded for similar reasons.
From beside Silica, Cynthia leaned in and added, “Lady Bertia, if you ever feel uneasy, please tell me or Lord Valdo. We’re always ready to guard you.”
Valdo, suddenly mentioned, looked surprised but quickly nodded in agreement. “Uh, yes?”
Cynthia, since when did you learn enough martial arts to offer protection?
Lastly, Anne chimed in with a knowing nod. “It’s troublesome to be unjustly envied by a third party, isn’t it? I often get wrongly accused by those associated with Lord Charles… I’m always here to offer advice and teach you how to ward them off, so please don’t hesitate to speak up!!”
“Wait?! What?! Wrongly accused?! What do you mean, Lady Anne?!” Charles demanded, flustered by the comment. I decided I should probably ignore that for now.
Shawn clasped his hands tightly and said earnestly to Bertia, “I-I might not be very reliable, but please feel free to rely on me if anything happens!”
After finishing, he looked toward Joanna as if asking, “Was that all right?” Receiving a smile from her, Shawn beamed with pride. It seemed my younger brother was being well trained by Joanna.
“Um, well, um…”
As kind words came one after another, Bertia looked around bewilderedly. When her gaze sought help, I returned it with a smile and nodded gently. “Everyone’s on your side, so don’t struggle alone,” I reassured her.
“Um, I…” Bertia began, her face scrunching up for a moment as if she were about to cry. However, she then shook her head vigorously as if to cast aside whatever was troubling her. “I will do my best!!”
Despite the situation, Bertia somehow found the resolve to keep trying. To redirect her efforts, I spoke up, “No, what I mean is—”
I stopped myself, and I found all I could do was nod instead.
“First, I’ll start by understanding why everyone is encouraging me!!”
Yes, maybe that’s a good place to start? After a moment of collective bewilderment, everyone laughed and said, “That’s so Bertia.”
Indeed, Bertia’s surroundings have to be like this, right? It was this atmosphere that made it impossible for me to stop watching her.