I’m All Out of Health!

Chapter 7

I held up a hand for a pinky swear, giving Kaisar an intense glare that conveyed that if he was going to protect me, he’d better do it well.

He didn’t argue and raised his hand as well, which was meticulously encased in a black glove.

“Oh…”

I groaned when his gloved hand touched mine. I quickly dropped my hand, and Kaisar lowered his, probably wondering what he was supposed to do. The situation would have been awkward for any other person but not for him.

“Please take good care of me,” I said with a sweet smile. I smiled with as much liveliness as I could muster and pleaded with my eyes, Help me! Keep me safe!

As for my hands, I kept them under my knees, and Kaisar seemed to take note of it. He must have put his gloves back on the moment he finished washing up.

“I really don’t like people,” he said, clenching one hand. “I will keep my promise to Rubenio and keep you perfectly safe, but that’s it. Do not expect more from me.”

I made a face because it felt like he was turning me down, but it wasn’t like I was asking him out or anything. Still, the offer wasn’t too bad. I didn’t want to get close to him either.

“As long as you do your job, I will respect your personal space.”

I tried to give my best “nice doing business with you” smile in an attempt to welcome him.

In the original story, Kaisar even escorted Meya to a ball despite his fear of germs. Even though he was refusing to explain, the story had stressed more than once how important the promise he’d made to Rubenio was to him. He did seem to have some issues, but I knew he would live up to his promise, so I wanted to respect his personal space.

But then he said, “Mayflies live for about a day. Even if they live longer, they cannot make it past two weeks.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” I asked.

“Does that kind of life have any meaning?”

He seemed genuinely curious. My heart felt cold as I looked into his pitch-black pupils.

“It is my motto to live every moment of my life fully, whether it lasts for a day or two weeks. I supposed I’m like a mayfly in your eyes?”

His gaze would have been enough to snap anyone’s will to live, yet I refused to be discouraged.

I gave an angry huff and turned to lie down.

“You won’t live long,” he said in a voice that struck my spine like lightning.

I had no choice but to turn back to him.

“Are you picking a fight with me?”

“I would never hurt you.”

“You sound like you want to hurt my spirit at the very least.”

“That wasn’t my intention…”

He wasn’t asking out of malice—he really wanted to know.

“Even if you want to break me, I won’t go down so easily. I’m quite resilient, you see. Since you asked me first, I want to ask you something too. And I expect you to give me an answer.”

“I’m listening.”

“You said I wouldn’t live long. Well, that’s a fact everyone is aware of, myself included. Nevertheless, no one has said that to my face before. So why are you telling me that?”

He remained silent for a long moment.

“I don’t want to hurt you with my words,” he said.

Whatever came to his mind for a reply must have been quite harsh.

“What, you thought it was funny? Or that I’m being foolish?”

That must have been exactly what he was thinking.

So you have at least a little conscience—enough to not say that aloud.

“Don’t you pity me?”

He didn’t say anything, so I said, “No, I wasn’t asking you to pity me. It’s just that it’s been a while since anyone looked at me without feeling sorry for me. Your gaze is a bit cold, but it makes me feel comfortable. You wouldn’t bat an eye even if I fainted right now. You’d help me, but you wouldn’t be concerned.”

“I’m glad to be helpful.”

I was being sarcastic, of course, so his straightforward reply was a bit embarrassing for me. It wasn’t like he wasn’t aware of my sarcasm—he just seemed that broken.

Poor man. He asked me a meaningless question, but it only clawed at my already damaged heart.

We meant nothing to each other. There was hardly any relationship between us.

* * *

The life of Ninenya was tiring and boring.

“Lady Ninenya, how do you feel?”

The maids all gave excellent massages, their hands working to relax my muscles until they felt like molten cheese, but it wasn’t enough. I was bored. It was driving me crazy.

“I want to go out.”

The three maids all flinched and exchanged glances. Their eyes said the same thing: We can’t let her!

Their heads turned left and right, shaking in unison to emphasize their point.

They certainly have great teamwork. I heaved a sigh. Fine, forget it.

The maids were desperately trying to pretend they hadn’t heard me, so I decided not to push it.

Still, the weather’s amazing today. I wish I could stretch out in that sunlight.

I laced my fingers together and extended my arms forward—I could do that much. But once I put my hands behind my back, things started to go wrong.

“Ugh…”

The world spun around me, and I was visited by yet another headache. It had happened countless times during the last two weeks or so, but I still wasn’t used to it. Then again, I doubted it was possible for anyone to get used to something like that.

“Lady Ninenya, are you okay?”

“You really shouldn’t move like that.”

“I…”

I gasped and clutched the windowsill. The physician had instructed me to lie down immediately whenever I got dizzy, but I didn’t want to. I’m lying in bed all the time and I still get dizzy. So why bother?

I bit my lip until it bled. My more-than-half-dead body was incredibly beautiful, but there was nothing good about it. Even when I was wailing in pain, my beauty amazed people. Not even the maids, who must have served Ninenya for years, were immune to the effect.

“My lady…”

Their voices were choked with worry and pity, yet their eyes sparkled. It gave me the creeps. They were mesmerized, and it was killing me. I knew it wasn’t their fault—they were only human, and it only made sense for them to be attracted to beauty. After all, humans as a species were supposed to rely on their eyesight.

Now I’m thinking of Kaisar. I can’t believe I’m missing his indifference.

However, I didn’t want to summon him for such a silly reason and face the consequences. So instead of blaming the maids, I chose to look away.

But then I spotted Meya washing a horse in the garden.

“Huh?”

Yes, this scene was in the original novel…

Meya and Ninenya had many things in common. First, they were the same age. They’d both lost their mothers at birth, and their fathers had been desperate to save them. Moreover, the rebellion that had happened the year they were born affected their lives greatly. Ninenya was sent to a countryside house, far away from her father, and Meya became a homeless orphan who didn’t even know who she really was. Ninenya’s life was miserable because of her weak body, and Meya’s life was equally miserable because she was a slave.

Still, Meya’s life was one hell of a ride. She was just a helpless child, and before long, she was sold into slavery by some scumbags. When she was old enough to think for herself, she started disguising herself as a boy to avoid an even rougher life.

The problem was that Meya wasn’t cut out to be a slave. If there were such a thing as a noble spirit, Meya had one. She could endure when she was treated wrongly, but she couldn’t look away when others suffered. Not long after she became a slave, she talked back to her master and got punished again and again. She nearly died on numerous occasions. She would risk her own life to save a fellow slave, only to have them turn a blind eye to her later.

Even so, Meya didn’t change. She was like a tall tree that would snap rather than bend. When Ninenya found her, she was on the verge of breaking.

“You’re going to die soon.”

Ninenya openly looked down on slaves, and Meya was the first one she ever took an interest in.

“Don’t you want to live?”

Despite Ninenya’s interest in her, Meya didn’t plead to be saved. It intrigued Ninenya even more, so she bought her.

And then, she forgot all about her. She probably never thought of Meya again until this moment on this day. After all, that was what Ninenya was like.

But I wasn’t her.

“Hmm…”

“Oh, my!”

“L-Lady Ninenya! We will punish the boy for that immediately.”