CHAPTER 017
"Does it still hurt a lot?"
"Honestly, the pain has gotten a bit worse since earlier."
The Emperor replied with a slightly exaggerated grimace to Arabelle's question.
As soon as they entered the Emperor's bedroom, Arabelle began to move busily. She helped the Emperor sit on the edge of the bed, went to the bathroom next to the bedroom, brought a basin of water, and carefully cleaned the wound on his shoulder.
She diligently ground the herbs she had brought and gently applied them to the torn area, not forgetting to blow on it with her breath, 'ho, ho.'
Every time her ticklish breath touched him, the Emperor's long throat bobbed, but Arabelle, thinking it was due to the pain, blew even more earnestly.
Focused entirely on the Emperor's injury, Arabelle didn't notice that the chest wound he claimed to have sustained while riding wasn't there or that his large pectoral muscles swelled and subsided with each touch of her hand.
Normally, Arabelle would not have even been able to meet the Emperor's eyes as he waited for her, leaning against the head of the bed, having removed his tunic after she emerged from the bathroom.
With the same care she would treat an injured animal, Arabelle tended to the Emperor's wound. Looking down at her small, diligent head, the corners of the Emperor's mouth softened into a gentle smile.
However, he had to clench his teeth to ignore the growing discomfort below his navel. The truth was, he had felt uncomfortable ever since he had brought her on horseback.
After wrapping the wounded area with clean cotton cloth, Arabelle finally sighed in relief.
As her tender hands withdrew from his body, the Emperor's brows furrowed. Unintentionally, the Emperor reached out, gently grasped Arabelle's wrist, and brought it back.
"Is something bothering you?" Arabelle asked, her large eyes growing even wider.
The Emperor weakly nodded.
"It seems the injury is worse than I thought. I might have internal injuries."
"It doesn't seem like a severe injury..."
"I'm telling you, I might have internal injuries. Sometimes wounds that are not visible on the surface can be more dangerous."
"In that case, we should call a doctor. I'll go quickly."
As Arabelle tried to stand up, the Emperor hurriedly shook his head, not letting go of her hand.
"Didn't I tell you? Calling a doctor could make things worse. Even within the palace, we keep quiet when the Emperor is injured for this reason."
Arabelle had no reason to doubt the Emperor's words. Sitting back beside him, she reached out and placed a hand on his forehead.
"You seem to have a fever. Your hands and face feel warm."
It was actually due to a different reason that his body was heating up, but the Emperor didn't voice this thought. Glancing at Arabelle, who was looking at him with worried eyes, he said,
"Indeed. I feel cold and shivery despite the fever."
"Please lie down. I'll cover you with a blanket."
The Emperor obediently lay on the bed like a well-behaved child, and Arabelle covered him with a thick blanket.
It was a warmth he had never experienced before. Having never felt it, he hadn't yearned for it. Watching the small hands patting the blanket up to his neck, the Emperor's gaze deepened.
"I'll go get you some warm tea."
"Prepare the tea later. More importantly..."
The Emperor grabbed Arabelle's hand again as she stood up, speaking in the weakest voice he could muster.
"I need treatment before the internal injury gets worse."
"I don't know what more I can do for you... I'm sorry."
Arabelle bowed her head, feeling helpless that she couldn't even call for a doctor. At that moment, the Emperor's low voice reached her ears.
"Didn't you heal me before?"
Arabelle, not understanding his words, lifted her head to look at him. Seizing the moment, the Emperor's red eyes captured her gaze.
"Have you already forgotten? You completely healed the wounds of the beast in the cave."
"That... I don't know how the black panther's, I mean, Your Majesty's wounds healed. When I woke up in the morning, the wounds were completely gone. I didn't heal them."
With her eyes drooping, Arabelle replied, and the Emperor shook his head.
"No, it was definitely because of you that the black panther's wounds healed. It's an animal's instinct. That's why I'm taking you to the palace."
"But I didn't do anything special."
"If you think carefully about what you did that night, you might find a clue. What did you do first?"
Emphasizing his role as a patient, the Emperor pressed on the bandaged shoulder, making Arabelle think deeply.
"I gave you the medicine my father made..."
"That shabby fake medicine made my wounds worse."
Arabelle's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the Emperor's words. She continued, recalling her actions one by one.
"Then... I didn't do anything special... I'm sorry. I didn't heal you. I think maybe you have a self-healing ability when you're in your panther form."
"No. Even though the injuries weren't severe, I've been injured many times before. I've never healed myself. I was definitely dying that night."
The Emperor added, furrowing his brow.
"Think of what else you did in the cave."
Arabelle tilted her head, listing her actions one by one.
"I brought wild berries because I thought you might be thirsty, and knowing the panther didn't have the strength to chew, I chewed them myself and made you drink them. Then, feeling sorry that you were dying, I hugged your neck and cried. That's all. As I said, I didn't do anything special."
The Emperor's red eyes sparkled as he gazed into her sorrowful eyes.
"Then it must be one of two things."
"...?"
The Emperor brought his face closer to Arabelle's confused one and whispered.
He slowly ran his long fingers over her eyelids.
"The thing that healed my wound was either your tears or…"
The fingers that traced her trembling eyelashes slid down her cheek and stopped at the center of her lips.
"Or the liquid inside here. Maybe even both."
Arabelle's eyes widened in shock. As she nervously bit her lower lip, the Emperor's finger was caught between her teeth, making it look as if she had bitten him seductively.
Startled, Arabelle quickly released his finger and tried to respond calmly. Her cheeks reddened under the Emperor's persistent, intense gaze.
"I-I think you're mistaken. I don't have any healing powers, and I've never heard of using bodily fluids for healing. Normally, healing energy flows through the hands."
"That might be true, but we're in a dire situation in the Empire. We must consider every possibility."
What had started as a shoulder injury from a falling branch had now escalated into the Empire's dire situation. Arabelle had absolute faith in the Emperor's words.
In her eyes, Emperor Maxwell was the most benevolent and excellent ruler in the world, who had saved her from falling off a cliff, rescued a dying fawn, and restored a forest burned by an arsonist.
The Emperor, seeing the conviction growing in her kind eyes, spoke again. His dry voice carried no hint of personal interest.
"We have no choice but to test it ourselves."
The Emperor reached for the fruit bowl on the table beside the bed.
He picked the ripest, sweetest-looking peach and brought it to Arabelle's lips.
"Take a bite, and let's test it. We can't afford to delay any longer."
The Emperor's expression was deadly serious as if conducting an important scientific experiment, making it seem strange to feel embarrassed.
Seeing the Emperor wince slightly as if in pain, Arabelle slowly bit into the peach he held.
***
"Wh-Who are you? Do you know who I am?"
Prince Eric, returning to the Empire on a ship with the delegation, shouted as he encountered pirates.
The delegation and his knights were helplessly thrown into the sea by the pirates. Prince Eric, unable to think of fighting, cowered in a corner, trembling all over.
"I-I am the uncle of Emperor Maxwell of the Helterd Empire. If His Majesty learns of this, you will not be safe."
He cried, invoking the name of Emperor Maxwell, who usually didn't even meet his eyes, but it was to no avail with the pirates, their faces covered by hoods with only their eyes showing. These rogues, seemingly from nowhere, were unaffected by the Emperor's renowned name.
Prince Eric, pale with fear, shut his eyes tightly as he watched his soldiers, who had guarded him since childhood, fall before him. The sound of pirate boots approached, and Eric knelt, bowing his head and clasping his hands in a plea.
"P-Please, spare me... I'll pay any ransom... Please, I beg you..."
While enjoying a pleasant study abroad with beautiful ladies, Eric received shocking news: an imperial order to subdue the Northwestern Allied Forces. He had only wielded a sword in staged duels to impress ladies, yet he was given the position of vice-commander.
As he was practically dragged back to the Empire on a ship, he now faced ruthless pirates.
He was about to lose his life before even reaching the battlefield. The unfairness of his life made him curse his fate. Not becoming Emperor was a lifelong regret, but now, he would die without even marrying.
It was all because of that damn Maxwell, the unlucky one who took his throne. Tears streaming down, Prince Eric curses his nephew, Emperor Maxwell.
As he lowered his gaze to the ground, he saw the sharp tip of a sword. Resigned, Prince Eric covered his head with his hands.
Swish.
The pirate leader crouched down next to him and whispered in his ear.
"Calm yourself. The Empress Dowager sent us."
The cold, black eyes smiling unpleasantly entered the bewildered Prince's sight.
"If you don’t want to go to the battlefield, you must be injured as if taken hostage. We will take you for a while, so don't worry, Your Highness."
The pirate leader exaggeratedly raised the hand holding his scabbard.
Thud. With a dull sound, the prince was struck on the back of his head and collapsed to the floor.
"Take him."
At the leader's command, a large man lifted the prince onto his shoulder and disappeared.
"Tell the Empress Dowager we succeeded."
The pirate leader, giving orders, trampled over the bodies sprawled on the deck, sneering.
"To save her son from the battlefield, she discarded her loyal guards like dogs. The palace is more ruthless than the sea. Not that I'm complaining, with the money coming in."
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