"So, every day, my madam bathes me?"
The man was so close, awake, and now stood behind Harriet.
The relief shrouded in another feeling that welled up in Harriet's chest and drowned her. Harriet blushed but felt a little irritated. Why was the first thing the man did as soon as he woke up to tease her?
"Milord!" Harriet wanted to protest.
"Yes, Madam?"
The deep voice and the soft breathing that Harriet felt behind her ear made Harriet palpitate even more.
"I-I-I am your wife! Why are you teasing me when I try to serve you as a wife or because I sleep in the same bed with you–"
"Pfft…"
Harriet was getting annoyed at the man who was holding back his laughter. Her heart ached a little when she remembered that she wasn't this man's destined mate, which explained why this man might not like Harriet around him.
Amidst his laughter, Liam innocently asked, "Couldn't Madam consider my feelings? I'm still a man with pride. When I found out that Madam was the one who bathed me while I was unconscious, did Madam think I wasn't embarrassed?"
"You don't look embarrassed at all!" Harriet turned to the man.
And sure enough, Liam didn't look the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he wore a triumphant expression on his handsome face. The smile on the man's face widened at the annoyance on Harriet's face.
"Madam is right; I'm not embarrassed but amused. Does madam know? I feel like I've been dreaming of Madam a lot lately," Liam said. "Is it because Madam bathes me daily, or do I miss Madam?"
Harriet needed help understanding. Her impression of this man was getting further and further away from her first impression. Handsome prince? The phrase was immediately banned from Harriet's mind.
At that moment, Harriet saw the man's brows slowly furrow and his body wobble slightly. Harriet quickly propped him from falling. "Milord?"
"Ah, this time, my time is shorter than before…" Liam mumbled, making Harriet even more worried.
The man smiled gently at Harriet.
"When is the next full moon, Madam?" his voice grew weaker, and Harriet kept trying to help him get back into bed.
When they got to the bed, Harriet answered the man. "Five more days… is the full moon."
Liam smiled and obediently let Harriet press his shoulder to lie down. The two of them simultaneously wondered how the man had woken up. His body should have been too damaged to be able to wake up randomly like this.
"Let's chat with the physicians about my body condition during the full moon... because we have more time during that time... later..." Liam said in a low voice.
Harriet nodded.
"Madam..." Liam whispered.
"Yes, Milord?" Harriet replied.
"Let… the two of us… talk too…" Liam's eyelids grew heavy.
Harriet agreed patiently and held back the pain in her chest, seeing the man in front of her trying his best to fight his tiredness and sleepiness.
Just as Liam was back in his deep sleep, the room door was knocked and opened from outside.
Everyone saw Harriet kneeling on the side of the bed, her hands intertwined with Liam's, looking at him sadly. For a moment, they did not have the heart to interrupt the moment.
Daniel came forward with the physicians, and hearing their footsteps, Harriet looked back.
The woman smiled reassuringly.
"Young Lord just fell back asleep. Let's give him a health check before the sun goes down so as not to disturb his rest," said Harriet softly.
Daniel nodded.
Harriet stepped back and let out a long, silent sigh. After all the physicians finished examining Liam and discussing with each other, they felt that they did not see any changes in Liam's body, just like before.
The servants and healer withdrew, leaving Daniel and Harriet in the room to accompany Liam, who was asleep. Harriet never looked at Liam's body, and Daniel was worried.
"From today onwards, I will rest in this tower every night," exclaimed Harry.
Daniel batted his eyes in confusion at her sudden statement.
"Didn't Madam previously refuse because you don't like high places?" asked Daniel.
"What else can we do?" asked Harriet with a chuckle. "My husband lives in the tower like a confined princess–"
Daniel stifled a laugh.
Harriet smiled to hide her sadness. She asked Daniel to send her dinner up here, too. She was lost in reverie, seeing her husband, who was back motionless on his bed.
***
Daniel walked down the tower. At the base of the building, the servants and physicians serving upstairs had gathered. Daniel announced the condition of their Young Lord and calmed everyone down.
"Young Lord seems to like the new Luna," said one of the maids.
"That's right... I pray that the Young Lord can find peace in his last days," said another.
Daniel smiled faintly at that.
This castle was filled with sorrow for decades because of the Young Lord's deteriorating condition. Everyone had accepted that the man would die sooner or later, and sometimes, they were no longer surprised to see the change for the worse in their master's condition. It was because they had gotten used to assuming Liam was dying and with one foot already in the grave.
But for a newcomer like Madam, it must still be hard to accept. After all, she was his new wife. Everyone saw Harriet's attitude as the normal wife behavior who had a dying husband, and everyone felt that was a positive thing. They were happy to have a future Duchess who worried about their Young Lord.
But Daniel felt this could have been a better thing.
Daniel hoped Harriet wouldn't fall too deep into grief whenever she saw Young Lord's condition. Oh, there was no doubt no one was worried about Young Lord more than everyone in this castle, but everyone had accepted that and was prepared if something terrible happened to Young Lord.
However, Harriet was undoubtedly different. Daniel was sure Harriet would be sad.
Even though she was just a replacement mate, even though they had never met or interacted before, even though they probably didn't love each other until now… Daniel felt Harriet would take the hardest hit if Young Lord left them.
This was just Daniel's intuition.
"Don't forget to deliver dinner for Madam and prepare her daily necessities to live in the tower from now on."
Aksara