Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 142

Epilogue.

It had been over two weeks since Vanessa woke up. The late summer heat was intense.

Gideon, attending the joint conference after a long time, frowned in annoyance as he listened to nagging disguised as advice. The absence of Rossini and Jenien was keenly felt, and everyone seemed to think it was a good opportunity to bother him. Even the King had come down, so the purpose was obvious.

“Oh, look who it is! The Duke who keeps Vanessa Rose hidden away! What brings you here?”

“……”

“Do you even work? Where do you find the time? You should be taking care of Vanessa Rose!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty.”

Latitia Hu chirped on about her hard work.

“Everyone was reluctant to contact the Duke, so I went to see him myself, but I was treated coldly… I couldn’t bear it.”

“To crave an old Hu so much. Where has the manners of Friba gone?”

Gideon didn’t even want to respond to the words spoken with a dry cough, and said with a cold expression, “Then, since the agenda is roughly settled, I’ll be on my way. I also need to stop by the Special Task Force office-”

“No, what are you talking about! It’s just beginning. Do you think I came all this way for nothing? I came down exactly when you guys were finishing your meeting.”

The King threw a stack of papers on the table. The faces of the people surrounding the table turned grim.

“Now, let’s have a pleasant evening together.”

The King smiled mischievously.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Gideon massaged his stiff neck from fatigue as he returned to Valder Castle. These days, work was overflowing, and he had to do his best to leave before dawn.

It wasn’t just because of the work he had been putting off. Vanessa, who had supplemented the magic circle of the Night Vandalu [a powerful, ancient magical defense system], had requested several additional measures from the King, and various departments were working together to carry them out. Of course, the Special Task Force couldn’t be left out.

There were other problems besides work. People persistently clinging to him after the meeting. It was difficult to shake them off.

The topic of their conversation was, of course, ‘Vanessa Rose, who saved Friba [the kingdom].’ Of course, Gideon didn’t want to leak a single word about Vanessa, so he kept his mouth shut.

Everyone’s resentment was high, but he didn’t care. Since Vanessa hadn’t fully recovered yet, she needed to be fully protected in Valder Castle, both externally and internally.

He passed through the castle gate with hurried steps and strode up the stairs. Peles appeared and seemed to say something, but he was too rushed to hear properly. He probably nagged him to take a carriage, even if they were close.

Gideon carefully stood in front of the door where she was staying and took a breath. It was true that he had come in a hurry, but he was a little embarrassed that his rough breathing was noticeable.

He finished pretending to be calm and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. The space inside was large, so she might not have heard.

“Vanessa.”

The inside was still quiet.

It wasn’t time to sleep yet. She had been holding a pile of books she wanted to read yesterday, so maybe she fell asleep while reading?

Even so, he had to check.

Fairy tales end with defeating the villain and the sleeping lover waking up, with everyone smiling healthily, but reality was a little different.

Vanessa, who had been asleep for a long time, woke up as lightly as if she had taken a nap, but her physical condition wasn’t very good.

Even the healthiest person would suffer if they lay down for a long time, and Vanessa, who had poured out her magic to the limit, had been lying down for a long time, so she couldn’t be fine. She needed to take care of her body and rest.

In the meantime, Vanessa, except for her diligent exercise, seemed frustrated with being in bed and kept falling asleep in strange places.

A few days ago, he found her dozing behind the bookshelf in the study, on a small chair, and yesterday she was crumpled up on the sofa in the drawing room.

Today, she might be leaning against the window frame, nodding off. No, maybe it’s the sofa again. She seemed to like lying down on the long sofa.

Just thinking about her blinking eyes after waking up made him laugh. Being able to see Vanessa as soon as he returned to the castle was a great privilege he was enjoying. It was a separate matter from wanting Vanessa’s health to be fully restored.

Gideon opened the door. The inside was very quiet, and the scene was almost exactly as he had expected. A black figure curled up on the sofa.

He approached the sofa and tried to pick her up. He was going to pat her to wake her up, wipe the sleep from her eyes, and offer her a light snack.

He certainly would have done so if it hadn’t been for the strange heat floating in the air and the small groan.

“Vanessa!”

Vanessa was trembling without even being able to answer. When he held her in his arms, her head fell limply onto his neck. The forehead that touched him was burning hot.

He quickly froze the air around Vanessa’s forehead, but that wasn’t enough. Magicians and doctors rushed in immediately.

He thought it would be a one-time thing that day, but Vanessa had a fever several times at night after that.

The severity was gradually improving compared to the day she first collapsed, but Gideon was going crazy with anxiety. He even hired more doctors, wondering if there was something that was continuously harming her health.

According to Vanessa’s assessment, ‘Valder Castle was swarming with doctors and healing mages.’

That wasn’t enough, so he stayed by her side himself. Even now, he was sitting at the head of the bed, putting his hand on Vanessa’s forehead every minute. He seemed to be able to feel relieved only by checking like this.

Looking at his worried eyes, Vanessa covered his hand on her forehead. Only then did he pretend to smile.

“It’s just a very mild fever.”

“Don’t call it a mild fever. Didn’t you say you were dizzy and nauseous?”

“…I can’t call this a high fever, can I?”

“It’s been a while since Vanessa has said something right. This isn’t even a mild fever. It’s barely at the level of being called a mild fever! So, do the creepy things after I leave. It’s annoying.”

Jenien, who had heard the news and came to Valder Castle to examine Vanessa, gave a sharp word, but Gideon didn’t even blink an eye.

“Isn’t it clear that there’s a problem somewhere if the fever keeps coming back?”

“No one can know for sure.”

Jenien, who pulled at his crooked nose, fell into thought for a moment and then laid out his thoughts.

“What we know is a very fragmentary part. But there was clearly a very big event for her. She used all the magic she had, and after that, she became a body that couldn’t be filled. Night Vandalu expressed it as a broken glass?”

“Um, that’s right.”

“If I were to guess, it might be a process of adapting to the sudden emptiness of the body. There are also research results that magic reduces inflammatory reactions in the body, so there is clearly a difference between having it and not having it.”

“By the way, did you just call me ‘her’? And there are such research results? That’s amazing.”

Vanessa was just interested, but Gideon was different. His expression was not good.

“Will it continue like this?”

“Well, I’ve never seen it before. I can’t guarantee it. It seems like it will get better gradually.”

Gideon silently swept back his hair.

“The intervals between fevers are getting longer and longer. Unlike the beginning, it’s not even severe! Nothing’s wrong. Loosen up your face.”

Who is comforting whom? Gideon smiled faintly and covered her eyes with his large hand.

“Get some sleep for a while.”

“I’m not really sleepy? Jenien, will you be here until tomorrow morning? Let’s have a meal together and go! Going to Nimrod will only get you vinegar-tasting tea.”

“I’ll take care of it, so mind your own business.”

“How can you always have such a kind tone? I feel like crying. Ah, Jenien! Shall I tell you a touching story?”

Vanessa pushed away Gideon’s hand and sparkled her eyes. Jenien frowned as if burdened.

“Do you know Aberdeen Cha? The magician of the eastern border!”

“I know, that rude bastard.”

Vanessa rolled her eyes at the cold assessment. Somehow, the evaluations that the two magicians gave each other were very similar. I don’t know whose fault it is.

“Rude… Anyway, that magician asked me if I would like to be his disciple.”

“Does that guy have the skills to take in a disciple? He has no delicacy at all and just pushes through-”

“But I said I couldn’t because I’m already Jenien’s disciple. How about it, did I do well?”

Suddenly, Jenien’s mouth snapped shut. After a moment of silence, the skin under his randomly soaring beard began to turn red in places. Gideon glanced at him from the side and chuckled.

“Jenien, you seem to be hot. Anyway, do you have any impressions of this touching story?”

“Cough, cough! W, well, what’s the big deal about something obvious! It’s much better to be my disciple than to be that shabby guy’s.”

Jenien, who kept clearing his throat, quickly got up and walked towards the door with a thud.

“Go to sleep quickly! You have to sleep well and eat well to get better.”

“Thank you for your concern, Jenien.”

As Vanessa greeted him with a smile, he hurriedly ran away.

As soon as the door closed, Gideon pressed his forehead against the bed and laughed, forgetting his worries. Vanessa was the same.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The initial high fever was gone without a trace, and only a mild fever occasionally rose. Trivial enough to be cooled by the wind.

Of course, that was according to Vanessa’s standards, but not for Gideon. He always worried with a new heart. One day, she just pretended that her legs hurt because she didn’t want to exercise, and he was so heartbroken that he carried her around all day.

She just left it alone because she liked the way he whispered in a low voice as if patting her, but the events that followed were unstoppable.

Gideon moved his office to the floor Vanessa was using – which was a complete mess – and began to visit Vanessa’s bedroom more often than his own.

He didn’t even realize it, but he would sleep in his own bedroom and come to check on Vanessa every hour. It was because he was afraid that she would get sick again.

Vanessa later learned this fact from the aides’ conversation.

“What did you say?”

Miguel quickly hit his own mouth at the sight of her blue eyes, but Vanessa was already growling.

“You have to stop him! Then that person won’t have any time to rest!”

“He doesn’t listen to us….”

Vanessa sighed, holding her forehead at Ronan’s cautious excuse.

That dawn, Vanessa flared up when she saw Gideon entering the bedroom. It was the first time in a long time that Gideon could rest comfortably.

“Go and get some rest! I’ll run out if I have a fever.”

“If you have a fever, you’ll already be mentally confused, so what are you going to run out for? I clearly remember you lying on the floor last time.”

“Do you even know how long ago that was? Are you going to keep coming every hour?”

Eventually, she put down her book and got angry, but he didn’t budge. For some reason, she felt wronged because he looked sad.

When are you going to rest?

After several nobles had their names taken away and punished, the list of attendees at the joint conference was reduced, and the places where the Night Vandalu’s magic circle had been were being restored.

In other words, the Duke of Valder, who is the head of the joint conference, and the head of the Special Task Force, who is in charge of incidents related to monsters, were extremely busy.

He needed a deep rest, even for a moment. Not coming to check on someone every hour like this.

Even under her glaring gaze, Gideon just smiled quietly and checked the temperature by placing the back of his hand on Vanessa’s forehead, without saying anything else.

“Okay.”

Vanessa, who had been thinking for a while, made a decision.

“Sleep here.”