Chapter 98.2: A gentle touch

When she shut her mouth tightly and covered it with the palm of her hand, Arnold looked increasingly sullen.

“I’m telling you to drink.”

“No. Your Highness should be the one taking this antidote.”

She looked up into his blue eyes and desperately pleaded.

“Your Highness’s body is more important than mine.”

“…”

In an instant, his eyes took on a frosty glint.

Arnold moved the bottle away from Rishe and silently slurped down the bottle of antidote. Seeing this, Rishe breathed a sigh of relief.

Great, His Highness will be fine after taking this.

Arnold must have retrieved one of the five bottles of antidote she had concocted.

She wondered if the seamstresses who received the remaining four bottles were all right. They must have been suffering from high fever, but she hoped they wouldn’t suffer any after-effects.

With that in mind, she looked at Arnold absentmindedly. However, the well-defined larynx showed no sign of swallowing.

While she was wondering with a head in a whirl, Arnold suddenly grabbed her by the chin and turned her toward him.

And then she was given a somewhat assertive kiss.

“Hmm …!?”

Rishe’s lips were opened, and the sweet potion was trickled in.

Even though she realized his intentions and resisted, she couldn’t get any strength into her arms.

No! This antidote is for Your Highness…

Though she was screaming deep inside, Arnold refused to let her go.

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He clasped her waist when she tried to get away and tipped her chin to thwart her throat.

It was an instinctive reflex to swallow when someone did that to you.

In spite of her attempts to resist, Rishe choked.

“Gulp…”

After he was sure she had swallowed, he finally released her.

Rishe scrunched up her face and looked up at him, feeling at a loss.

“W-Why?”

“…”

After wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Arnold then wiped Rishe’s lips with his thumb.

Although his hand was gentle in doing so, there was a hint of smoldering irritation in his eyes.

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“I’ll tell you what, I’m pissed off right now.”

“…”

Arnold glared at her from close range, almost hitting her forehead with his.

“I’m not going to apologize for being rough with you…This time, you can hit me if you want.”

Rishe knotted her lips and reached for him. But it wasn’t to hit him.

She brushed his lips while resisting the urge to cry.

Arnold looked dubious when she traced his lips.

“What…”

“Your medicine, Your Highness…?”

She asked because she was really scared, but for some reason, Arnold rolled his eyes for a moment.

Afterwhich, he grimaced and said, “I spat out your blood right off. I feel no difference, so there’s no need.”

“But it’s a deadly poison, you know. While the sleeping potion is working, once it’s absorbed, it can kill you if you’re not careful.

“What matters to me is the fact that you’ve been poisoned by it.”

Arnold stroked Rishe’s neck with his fingers.

There was a bandage wrapped around it.

The wound itself was shallow, but she was bandaged in an overly exaggerated manner, and it seemed to have been fastened methodically.

“I’ve told you before not to take any chances.”

His quiet voice sounded as if loaded with a variety of emotions.

“I’m sorry.”

Because of Rishe’s actions, even Arnold was drawn into the danger.

For the royal family, the crown prince – the heir to the throne, him consuming a poisonous drug was a matter of great importance that could affect the fate of the whole country if not handled properly.

Above all, the mere thought of what might happen to Arnold was enough to make her cower in fear.

“…”

With a pensive look, Arnold laid her on the bed.

Then he asked.

“Are you in pain?”

“No.”

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The fever and the heaviness of her body were still there, but she could still move her fingers. Thanks to the antidote she had been given, she wouldn’t have to go through the pain again.

Arnold placed his hand on her left hand, which she opened and closed, for confirmation. It felt colder than usual because of Rishe’s higher body temperature.

The light from the lamp on the bedside table reflected in his blue eyes, akin to a fishing light she had seen in her previous life.

“You’ll live.”

It was a very sincere confirmation of the obvious.

She had a feeling that if she just affirmed it with words, he would not believe her.

So Rishe intertwined her fingers with his, which were lying atop, and gripped them tightly.

“Yes.”

“…”

Arnold briefly sighed.

Seeing this, she instinctively asked, “Have you ever lost someone in front of you?”

Arnold slightly lowered his eyes.

Seeing the gesture, she realized how foolish the question was.

He has been through war. He definitely witnessed someone’s death before, and did it over and over again.

But then, Arnold told Rishe something unthought of.