I Married a Sick Husband

‘… How did you get here?’

 

Meredith stood up with a hardened face when an unexpected voice was heard.

 

She went outside to check the situation herself.

 

“I want to look at the situation. Just the situation…!”

 

“Your Highness.”

 

The owner of the voice was Fabian.

 

Meredith looked at Fabian with her brows furrowed.

 

As soon as Fabian found Meredith, he approached her as if he had found a savior.

 

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

 

“How did you get here?”

 

Meredith looked quite embarrassed.

 

‘You already know about His Majesty’s condition.’

 

The Emperor’s health was a top secret, and since she had already ordered the palace doctors to contain the news, the situation did not look good.

 

“I heard that His Majesty has collapsed.”

 

Even so, Fabian did not seem to notice Meredith’s expression.

 

It was unclear whether he did not notice Meredith’s unkind gaze, or whether he was pretending not to notice.

 

“I came as soon as I heard the news.”

 

“I asked the palace doctors to suppress the information, but it seems to have leaked out.”

 

“…..”

 

“How annoying.”

 

It was an ambiguous expression that made it unclear whether she was referring to the palace doctors or Fabian.

 

Fabian flinched and hurriedly explained it.

 

“They are innocent, Your Majesty. The palace doctors rarely move in groups, so I just happened to find them and asked them.”

 

“…..”

 

“So you should hold me accountable.”

 

“Your Highness, please be especially careful with your mouth. If you don’t want the palace to be in an uproar over nothing.”

 

“Is it really nothing? But if he collapsed…”

 

“It’s probably just overwork. He has been in poor health lately, but he must have overdone it.”

 

Meredith quickly repeated what she had said in front of the palace doctors earlier.

 

“You don’t have to worry too much. He’ll wake up soon.”

 

“Well, that’s fortunate, but… Would it be okay if I saw him for a moment?”

 

“You won’t see much difference now.”

 

“Please, Your Majesty. I’m so worried.”

 

Fabian’s expression as he asked Meredith was filled with genuine concern.

 

“……”

 

Meredith also thought that she couldn’t doubt him when she saw his eyes.

 

‘Just checking his condition won’t be a problem.’

 

Besides, hadn’t he already figured out the situation?

 

Meredith nodded.

 

“Please come in.”

 

Fabian entered the room with Meredith.

 

“Ah…!”

 

And when he saw Theodore lying on the bed, he made a face as if the world was going to end.

 

“Brother, how could this be…”

 

His face hardened and he immediately approached Theodore.

 

He held his hand tightly and bowed his head.

 

Looking at Fabian, who was suffering for a while without being able to continue speaking, Meredith began to wonder.

 

‘Is there really something in their relationship that I don’t know about?’

 

His current appearance of suffering didn’t seem fake.

 

He can’t pretend to be sad like that.

 

Meredith was staring blankly at Fabian with a face that seemed to be at a loss for words.

 

“Your Majesty must have been very surprised.”

 

“… Ah, yes.”

 

Meredith finally opened her lips.

 

“In front of me… he was talking and suddenly he collapsed.”

 

“….”

 

“I was so surprised. This is the first time I’ve ever felt this way since entering the palace.”

 

“Did the palace doctor really say that he’d wake up soon?”

 

“That’s what I heard. I should believe that.”

 

Meredith sighed and changed the subject.

 

“Anyway, since you came running here in right away, His Majesty the Emperor will be delighted with His Highness the Prince’s loyalty when he wakes up.”

 

Fabian’s expression turned a little strange at Meredith’s words.

 

It didn’t look that good, so Meredith thought back to see if there was anything uncomfortable in what she had said.

 

But there wasn’t anything like that.

 

“… If you think that way, I’d be very happy too.”

 

After a long while, Fabian opened his mouth again.

 

“Will Your Majesty the Empress take care of His Majesty personally?”

 

“It was my job.”

 

“You really love my brother.”

 

If the voice sounded a little sharp when he said that, was it her imagination?

 

Meredith looked at Fabian.

 

“Because he’s my husband and the Emperor of the Empire.”

 

“….”

 

“Of course I love…”

 

As she said the last words, her heart tickled slightly.

 

‘… love.’

 

Because she had never thought of that word as being appropriate for their relationship.

 

“You look so close… I envy you.”

 

“Your Highness will soon find a good match.”

 

Fabian simply smiled incomprehensibly at those words.

 

“Anyway, don’t push yourself too hard. Your Majesty’s health is also an important issue for Valtejain.”

 

“Thank you for your concern. I will do so.”

 

“Yes. Then I will take my leave.”

 

Fortunately, Fabian checked Theodore’s condition as he had said and took his leave.

 

Only then did Meredith let out a sigh of relief.

 

‘Then I will do my part.’

 

Until night fell, she planned to hold Theodore’s hand while attending to state affairs or sleeping.

 

***

 

Meredith even had dinner with Theodore and spent most of the day taking care of him.

 

“This cake is delicious. Can you bring me some more, Diane?”

 

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

 

Diane had worried that Meredith might be heartbroken by Theodore’s sudden illness and that she wouldn’t eat anything and would wallow in sadness.

 

‘Fortunately, my worries were justified.’

 

In fact, she seemed to be eating better than usual.

 

Of course, there was a reason for that.

 

Since she had been continuously giving him vitality right after he collapsed, his energy was greatly drained.

 

‘I have to eat well, even for His Majesty.’

 

So Meredith gathered all her appetites, both those she had and that she never had, and had a rich evening.

 

After dinner, she held Theodore’s hand and fell into a short sleep.

 

She was feeling sleepy, but she had to go to bed quickly for the investigation work that morning.

 

Meredith woke up around midnight.

 

‘Let’s move slowly.’

 

Meredith moved to the study and was about to go out using the secret passage.

 

“Your Majesty.”

 

Felix called Meredith.

 

Meredith looked back at him with a face that asked what was going on.

 

“Shall I come with you?”

 

“Sir Felix?”

 

“Yes. I think it would be better for two people than one. It would be hard to read all those books alone.”

 

“Oh, are you thinking of me now?”

 

As Meredith asked, her playfulness unknowingly sparking, Felix quickly coughed with an embarrassed face.

 

“It’s all for His Majesty’s speedy recovery.”

 

“Of course. Thank you for thinking of me.”

 

“…..”

 

“But it’s okay. It would be much easier and less trouble if I were to move alone than if the two of us were to move together.”

 

“If there’s trouble…”

 

“If something goes wrong, I can say that I acted alone.”

 

“You seem to be getting bold all of a sudden.”

 

“Well, I’m going to be leaving soon.”

 

Meredith shrugged her shoulders as if she had nothing to hide anymore.

 

“But Sir Felix must stay by His Majesty’s side. For a long time.”

 

“……”

 

“So I’ll go alone. If anyone finds out, this has no connection to His Majesty the Emperor. I trust you to cover it up.”

 

“Don’t worry about that…”

 

Felix still looked worried.

 

Meredith smiled to ease his anxiety.

 

“I’ll be back.”

 

“Take care and don’t overdo it.”

 

“Yes. Please take good care of His Majesty.”

 

After leaving a short greeting, Meredith began pulling out books from the bookshelf that opened the secret passage.

 

-Wooong

 

After a while, the heavy bookshelf opened with the sound giving way to a passageway.

 

Meredith walked through the open path with a solemn expression.