Please Lend Me 50 Million - Chapter 41

When such a voice combined with the white skin unique to the North, Cecile felt more than piteous—she felt like she wanted to die in her place.

No matter how much of a Halswein’s filly she was, seeing her sickly made her look every bit her twenty-five years.

“Mhm, Cecile.”

“You mustn’t cry, My lady. If you cry, your fever will rise more.”

Hng.

Cecile scolded her again, as if she knew tears were welling up from sorrow. She wiped her eyes with a soft handkerchief, but Asha found Cecile unkind for not saying a single sweet word.

“You’re unkind, Cecile. I’m a bedridden patient right now. Isn’t there something in the servant’s code about treating a sick mistress kindly? Be kind to me, be kind….”

Despite Asha’s pleading, Cecile raised her eyebrows and skillfully placed a cold handkerchief over Asha’s mouth.

“It’s because you keep talking even though your voice is all cracked.”

“Mhm.”

Even though she cleared her throat as if protesting, Cecile firmly pulled the blanket up to her neck. It was a silent gesture telling her to stop and go to sleep. When Asha looked at Cecile with a sulky gaze, Cecile firmly turned off the light, as if anticipating that Asha would keep whining without sleeping if she gave in once. Although only a single light had vanished, the chill of early summer seemed to tickle the tips of her toes.

“Get some sleep, My lady.”

When Cecile even took the last remaining lamp and left, pitch-black darkness swallowed the large room. Her body was boiling, but a cool and eerie sensation never ceased at the nape of her neck. She tried turning her heavy body and even crossing her arms, but the chills would not go away.

‘It’s cold….’

Her body, which had suffered from the fever for a long time, could not shake off the approaching sleep, and before long, her vision dimmed and sank. Had she fallen into a deep sleep like that? Asha’s consciousness rose to the surface at her body, which was aching and stinging. It was sorrowful enough that she was sleeping fitfully due to her poor health, but as she opened her eyes, the same darkness met her. It felt so desolate that loneliness rushed in like a tide before she could make a rational judgment.

She wasn’t a child waking up from sleep, and she knew it was an oversensitive reaction, but….

Huu, a sound mixed with sorrow escaped from between her teeth. It was a groan she thought no one would respond to, but a hot hand touched her forehead.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

Because it was dark, she could only catch a glimpse of a silhouette, but Asha recognized who it was instantly. She felt the rough calluses on her forehead. One might have complained that it stung, but at the warmth that heated her heart, she turned her head to follow his hand instead. As if recognizing Asha’s intention, the hand that had been stroking her forehead cupped her cheek. It was a consideration to let her feel his warmth better.

Due to the difference in their physiques, Harriet’s hand ended up covering half of Asha’s face. Warmth slowly began to rise in her cheek and the nape of her neck.

“…Harriet.”

Asha, who had pushed her heavy eyelids up to confirm it was him with dim eyes, called Harriet. Her voice had been rough when talking to Cecile, but now it was beyond cracking—it was even gravelly. It’s an unsightly voice. Around the time Asha thought such idle thoughts with a dazed mind, her eyes, accustomed to the darkness, recognized Harriet’s gaze.

“Harriet….”

Why are you looking at me with those eyes?

Because she had uttered long words with a harshly swollen throat, her neck stung sharply. Swallowing her saliva to calm her stinging throat, Asha blinked. With her blurred mind, had she seen wrong? Though he was hidden in the darkness, in the eyes she momentarily met, there was more than just worry… there was fear. Even though her illness was merely a cold.

Although she had spoken in a whisper because her throat was not well, it reached Harriet clearly since they were at a close distance. However, he remained silent, and silence descended between the two. After a long while, Harriet, who opened his mouth after the long silence, uttered the same words.

“Are you… in a lot of pain?”

Asha, noticing him trying to change the subject, pouted her lips sulkily. Even if her fever was up, it didn’t mean she had become a fool.

“I asked first…. I asked why you’re looking at me like that.”

At her grumbling tone, Harriet laughed lowly. She was happy she had made him laugh, but she was concerned by his laugh, which was weaker than usual. If only she could shine a lamp on his face. Darkness wrapped around the two like a veil, so she couldn’t make out Harriet’s exact expression.

“What kind of eyes am I making?”

He asked Asha back without giving a clear answer. Even if the darkness had descended like a curtain, how could he completely hide this expression? Asha reached out her hand and cupped Harriet’s cheek. Since the body aches had not subsided, even though she had only twitched a single finger, a stinging pain spread between her joints. Nevertheless, Asha couldn’t help but smile faintly.

If she even showed a hint of being in pain in front of this man, it felt like he would cry at any moment.

“A face like you’re about to cry?”