I Don't Want To Work! - Chapter 65
CHAPTER 65
“Ha.”
As a natural course of events, I lay down in pain.
Fortunately, thanks to the power of the fruit of the World Tree and the strength of the elixir I had taken beforehand, I didn’t faint for days this time.
But that saying.
‘It’s a saying that means feeling the pain thoroughly.’
As my fever rose, tears streamed down my face.
Ah, I feel like dying. Seriously.
Already, for the third day straight, it was difficult to even move a finger because my fever wouldn’t go down properly.
‘But still, when I collapsed at the tower, I suffered for over 5 days, so 3 days is better.’
I still want to get a little more of the World Tree’s fruits, but I wonder if it’s difficult.
<Baaaaa…….>
As if worried about me, Shu circled above my head and landed on my forehead.
I guess he was trying to cool me off with his body.
<Pow!>
He flinched immediately.
My ears flapped as if genuinely surprised.
Well, landing on the hot ground with a body that feels like it’ll dry up and die if even a little water drains away…….
“Your Highness.”
With a sharp knock, Liena entered.
“Are you feeling a bit better?”
“Uh……. Uh-huh. Better than yesterday.”
See, I can even speak, can’t I?
On the first day, I couldn’t make any sounds except for breathing because my throat was so blocked.
“Excuse me, Your Highness.”
Liena, who took her seat next to me, fanned me familiarly.
“You’ve dropped a lot. Shall I give you another dose of medicine since the residual fever is still present?”
I weakly nodded my head.
Liena took out the medicine from the basket she had brought and opened the lid for me.
After examining the medicine, which wasn’t much, I collapsed back onto the bed.
Oh, I feel like dying.
But drinking the medicine did make my throat feel much better.
“Still, it’s fortunate that the medicine that was prepared before Your Highness collapsed is effective.”
Of course.
I prepared the medicine in advance just in case something like this happened.
It’s only natural that it would be effective.
Just in case, I also made a few more.
“The rain has been continuing for the past few days, making your body feel sticky, right?”
Liena said as she poured water onto a towel.
“I’ll wipe you down a bit with this cold towel, Your Highness.”
She then wiped my forehead and arms with the appropriately cool towel.
“Liena.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“How’s Arkin?”
Arkin was the first one to rush over upon hearing that I was sick.
“No, sister! Sister, are you okay?”
Arkin, who had frozen for a moment, started crying uncontrollably, apparently seeing me in a worse state than he expected.
Afterwards, he caused a commotion saying he would call for all the doctors in the palace.
After the palace doctors came and went, he stuck by my side saying he would personally take care of me, only to be pulled away by the attendants at the end.
I’ll come back, sister!! As I remembered Arkin being dragged away by the attendants while shouting, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“He came to the palace today as well.”
Liena said again as she poured water onto the towel.
“He comes every day to inquire about Your Highness’s well-being and then leaves.”
“Haha…….”
I laughed lightly.
How adorable. Seriously, my younger brother is so cute, what do I do?
“Oh, and His Majesty the Emperor and Empress, Prince Leonard, and Princess Stella have sent gifts.”
“Huh?”
I blinked my eyes. Why would the Empress and Stella send gifts?
“Because they sent so many gifts, everyone is now stopping their work and organizing the gifts.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Liena replied softly.
“Duke Marcus also sent a large quantity of flowers, herbs, and doctors from his estate.”
Liena sighed heavily.
“Everyone else also sent doctors. I asked them to come back after properly attending to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I slightly exaggerated, and now the reception hall is filled with doctors.”
The reception hall was made by combining two rooms.
Surprisingly, it would be filled like that.
There must have been dozens of doctors.
Feeling amused, I chuckled, and Liena smiled back.
“And honestly, Your Highness’ skills are even better than any other doctor’s.”
That’s true. Even while I was sick, I felt proud. My skills are acknowledged even by the gods?
“That’s enough.”
The towel swept across my forehead once more.
“Thank you, Liena.”
I smiled at her meticulous touch.
“You wiped me down even at night, right? I felt refreshed when I woke up.”
As I said this, Liena’s hands paused as she was organizing the towel and medicine bottle.
Immediately, she smiled and looked at me.
“It wasn’t me, Your Highness. Someone else did it.”
Someone else?
Before I could ask, Liena stood up.
“Please rest, Your Highness. If you need anything, just pull the bell.”
As I nodded, Liena left the room.
“Haah…….”
I took a deep breath.
<Baa!>
Shu, who had been hiding from Liena, suddenly appeared and circled above me.
Since Liena couldn’t see spirits anyway, it was fine for him to be out.
Whenever a person came, Shu disappeared and reappeared repeatedly.
“Shu, aren’t you getting used to humans yet?”
I reached out my hand, and Shu landed on it. More like perched on it.
<Baa!>
“But you should get used to it eventually……. What will the Spirit King do if he avoids humans?”
<Baa?>
He tilted his ears as if not understanding, then flew around the room.
It’s like Undine when you see him like that.
After looking at Shu for a moment, I closed my eyes.
I wanted to take a quick nap.
“Is she sleeping?”
“Shh, be quiet!”
The door opened very gently, and I heard two pairs of small footsteps.
I didn’t need to open my eyes.
There were only two kids who could enter my room like this.
“Sister, are you sleeping?”
Two heads popped up quietly. It was Arkin and Raven.
Blink, blink.
Their red and green eyes blinked simultaneously as they looked at me.
“She’s sleeping, right?”
I nodded. Raven nodded too.
“Okay.”
Convinced that I was asleep, Arkin got up.
“Then let’s proceed as planned, Raven.”
“Yes!”
Raven also got up and opened the door.
Then he mumbled something as if pulling something.
‘What’s that?’
I blinked my eyes. But Raven quickly turned around, so I had to close my eyes again.
“……??”
Raven briefly tilted his head, then immediately started arranging various things on the table.
‘A savory smell?’
Did he cook something?
“What should I do with these flowers?”
“Give them here.”
With a rustling sound, Arkin received the flowers, and the scent reached my nose.
Ugh, as if pondering, Arkin made a groaning sound and then ran off somewhere.
“What if we put them here? Let’s remove these roses.”
Oops, that’s not allowed! The flowers in my room were only the spirits’ flowers. And they were already assigned their places!
“Then wouldn’t Princess dislike it…….”
Phew. Fortunately, Raven stopped Arkin before he could pick the flowers.
“What should we do then?”
“I’ll go ask Mother for a flower vase.”
“Okay!”
One pair of small footsteps exited the room.
Even after Raven left, Arkin continued to move around busily, as if trying to do something.
The sound of small footsteps kept coming and going.
‘It’s the first time I’ve found the sound of footsteps cute.’
Even though I was closing my eyes, I could easily imagine what Arkin was trying to do from the miscellaneous sounds accompanying the footsteps.
Splash, splash.
It sounded like he was pouring water as if putting a towel on my head.
“Hoo, hooo.”
It seemed like he was trying to cool down the food I was about to eat.
And then.
“Why isn’t this working?”
There was a sound of pulling something.
Creak, click.
And then a sound of something getting stuck.
“Arkin!”
“Uh, uh?”
Sure enough, there was Arkin, leaning over to pull the trolley.
“It’s dangerous!”
<Baa!>
Although I tried to lift it, Shu was faster. With a small stream of water, Arkin was gently supported.
Thud!
The trolley, making a loud noise, fell over. Arkin, who was greatly surprised by the loud noise, blinked.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice anything about being supported.
“Sis.”
As he looked at me and seemed relieved, tears welled up in his eyes.
“What were you trying to do?”
I turned my head and looked at the fallen trolley.
“It was locked.”
It was locked to prevent the wheels from rolling. He didn’t know it was locked and forced it, causing the accident.
And inside the trolley were a large number of books, snacks, dolls, and…
“A rock…?”
It was a large stone that seemed to have been picked up from the garden.
It was natural for the trolley to tip over with items like books and stones in it.
But why was there a stone?
“Th-that.”
Arkin pouted his lips.
It wasn’t a mischievous gesture, but rather his lips sticking out because he was trying to hold back tears.
“An acquaintance of mine said if we had this stone, you would get better quickly…”
“This?”
“Yeah, he said it would make breathing easier.”
I looked at the stone again. It had holes drilled into it, indicating that it would have a humidifying effect if water were poured over it.
I chuckled and hugged Arkin tightly.
“Thank you for worrying, Arkin.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“But still, it hurts me when you get hurt, so let’s try not to get hurt, okay?”
In response to my words, Arkin fidgeted with his fingers.
“Sis, sis, you shouldn’t get hurt anymore, okay?”
“Huh?”
“I feel like you always get hurt… Last time and even at the Tower, you were hurt. Prince Leonard told me.”
“….”
“I, I mean, sister, I’m sad because you keep getting hurt… I want to play together, but we can’t do that.”
With that, tears fell from his red eyes.
Oh, really. It was the same yesterday and today. I kept feeling strange.
‘I didn’t know you’d worry about me.’
I knew it in my head.
Because they’re family, because they’re disciples.
People who know me would worry about me.
But why didn’t it sink in?
Maybe because even when I was living among people, there weren’t many who worried about me.
Or maybe because I’ve lived hundreds of lives, unable to properly tell anyone about them, living alone in the Tower.
Or maybe because I’ve died countless times and kept coming back to life, but the fear of death has completely paralyzed me.
‘Or maybe not.’
In the end, I couldn’t find the answer.
Even if I knew, I wanted to pretend I didn’t.
“….”
I remained silent for a moment and then smiled.
“Thank you for worrying, Arkin. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“Why should you be careful!”
Arkin raised his voice.
“I’ll grow up soon and protect you, sis. Raven said the same thing! So, sister, do whatever you want.”
Despite wiping away his tears, Arkin had said what he wanted to say.
Watching him, I burst into laughter and hugged him tightly.
“I got it, Arkin. I’ll trust only you and Raven.”
“Okay!”
Arkin energetically replied and rolled his eyes.
Was there anything else?
“There is, sis.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t tell Raven that I cried. Yesterday, I said I never cry… “
He seemed embarrassed to be caught crying by Raven, his younger brother.
I raised the corners of my mouth.
“If you call me ‘chishter,’ I’ll listen.”
“….”
“Call me ‘chishter,’ okay?”
Hey, where are you going?
Arkin!