The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 196

“Arellin woke up?!”

Up until that morning, Pession had been floating on air after hearing the good news that had come flying in from Halbern Manor.

“Yes. Lady Arellin wishes to see Your Highness. What would you like to do?”

“Of course I’ll see her!”

Pession accepted immediately, then belatedly froze.

Wait… do I even have time today…?

Sensing his young master’s thoughts right away, Graham neatly organized the schedule.

“If you finish just one class after lunch, you should have about two to three hours free.”

“Graham!”

“Yes, yes. I’m quite capable, aren’t I?”

He said that lightly, but seeing Pession smile brightly for the first time in a while made Graham smile too.

Kids really did look best when they smiled.

“Did Arellin get better?”

“I don’t know that much. We were only told that Lady Arellin wishes to see Your Highness.”

“I hope she really is better…”

Either way, the fact that Arellin had gotten up after lying down for half a year was good news.

If it were up to him, he wanted to cancel everything today and rush straight to see Arellin, but that wasn’t realistic.

“When is Master coming back from the Northern Fortress anyway?”

It had already been a year since Duke Muibisk had been sent to the Northern Fortress to cover for the absence of the Grand Duke of Halbern and the Saren Knights.

He had gone in as if it were just a short trip, but with the endless waves of monsters pouring out of the Abyss, it seemed he had settled there for good.

After the Grand Duke of Halbern suddenly disappeared, no one even thought of calling him back, and the military was just relieved that at least the Saren Knights had returned to the Northern Fortress.

“It seems the Duke of Muibisk is quite satisfied, actually.”

“He says the monsters there are fun to cut down.”

“…Fun to cut down.”

“He said they feel different from inland monsters. He even told me to come visit someday.”

“….”

Duke Muibisk, what on earth did you say to Albrecht’s future?

Watching Pession talk about the Northern Fortress—humanity’s final line of defense and an endless battlefield—like it was some kind of tourist spot, Graham swallowed his urge to sigh.

It had been a long time since Pession had chatted this much. He couldn’t interrupt him.

Seeing Pession like this, so cute it naturally softened anyone’s expression, made Graham smile again.

Compared to the last half year, when Pession had spoken little and wandered around without energy, this version suited Crown Prince Pession much better.

“Your Highness seems very motivated today.”

“Huh? His Highness is smiling?”

“What’s going on? Something good happen?”

Graham wasn’t the only one who noticed the change in Pession. Everyone who met him today made a comment like that.

Even at lunch, Sirua frowned slightly when she saw Pession. Catching his rude look toward her, she snapped back.

“What, why.”

“No, it’s just…”

“?”

“You looked awful when you were moping around, but now that you’re walking around smiling, it’s annoying in a different way.”

At Sirua’s words, full of complicated feelings toward her brother, Pession snorted.

“What are you saying. Give me Siru.”

Meow—.

“Siru, want me to touch your belly?”

Mrrp.

The captured cat offered up his belly, and peace returned. Sirua, Siru’s owner in name, narrowed her eyes.

“Siru is a free spirit. Let him go, you villain!”

“Who are you calling a villain?”

“You!”

“Yes, you.”

“You’re only one year older than me!”

“Hmph. If you’re mad, you should’ve been born earlier.”

“You’re so annoying. I hate you. Just die.”

“Behave and call me ‘big brother.’”

“I’ll never call you that even if I die!”

The two children growled at each other, full of pride.

“Siru! Come here, your owner is me!”

Meow.

“Stop ignoring me.”

The divine beast, much older than he looked, wanted nothing to do with this fight.

Escape!

“Ah!”

After watching for an opening, Siru bolted in an instant, leaving both Pession and Sirua flustered.

“See? You scared Siru away.”

“Hah. Don’t be ridiculous. That was your fault.”

As they blamed each other, the youngest, Therion, handed each of them a piece of bread he’d been eating.

“Eat this and calm down.”

The tense expressions on their faces melted instantly as they looked at each other.

Once again, Therion’s cuteness protected the peace of the Imperial Palace.

 

 

****

 

 

 

At last, the time had come.

After lunchtime, until it was time to meet Arellin, Pession thought he was going to die because he couldn’t focus at all during class.

The professor’s voice didn’t reach his ears, and the letters written in the book didn’t enter his eyes. All of his attention was fixed on Arellin.

They said they were developing a cure at the Magic Tower—did they finally succeed? But for her to be up and walking around like this, was she really okay? I want to see her quickly.

Maybe his intuition knew that a moment like this would never come again; he could hardly hold back his excitement.

When class ended, Pession barely bothered to exchange greetings and hurried Graham along.

“Where’s Arellin?!”

“She is in the garden.”

“I’ll go see her!”

“Your Highness!”

As Pession headed toward the garden with quick steps, he spotted Arellin’s figure far off in the distance. His heart began to pound violently.

It’s really Arellin.

“Are—!”

He had been taught that he must never forget the dignity and conduct befitting a crown prince, and that he should never run inside the imperial palace—but in this moment, Pession completely forgot and ran.

His heart was in too much of a hurry for him to walk.

Every second felt precious.

“Huh?”

Arellin, who had turned toward him, suddenly stopped and staggered. In an instant, her face turned pale.

Without realizing it, Pession stopped in his tracks.

The white hand covering Arellin’s mouth was stained red.

Drip. Drip.

Red drops of blood fell.

Even seeing that, Pession didn’t immediately recognize it as blood.

In the moment Pession froze, unable even to blink, Arellin’s slender body began to collapse.

His mind screamed that he had to run to her at once and catch her, but his body wouldn’t move.

As he stood there stupidly, only watching her fall, unfamiliar arms caught her small collapsing body.

For a brief instant, their eyes met.

Indifferent golden eyes glanced at Pession, then looked down at Arellin. The white robe was stained red.

“Why already… She should have been fine for a few more days…….”

The man, his expression twisted, held onto Arellin and hurriedly vanished. Only after blankly watching him dissolve into light and disappear did Pession finally come back to his senses.

“Huh?”

What just happened?

“Arellin?”

She was gone.

Without a trace.

“Arellin?”

Had he dreamed it?

What had happened?

Who was that man?

In a stretch of time where everything felt frozen, as if time itself had stopped, Pession closed his eyes and then opened them.

The adults’ consideration—not wanting to interrupt the reunion of two little kids meeting again after a long time—had turned into poison.

Some time later, Graham appeared, having sensed something was wrong.

“Your Highness? Has something happened?”

“Graham.”

“The commotion—”

“Arellin, Arellin…….”

As Graham looked at the lone Pession and wondered what on earth had happened this time, Pession kept thinking, unable to figure out what he should say.

“Arellin…….”

She coughed up blood. She lost consciousness. She collapsed. She turned pale.

Countless sentences came to mind, but there was only one thing Pession could say.

“……Arellin disappeared.”

 

 

****

 

 

 

The imperial palace was thrown into chaos.

The shocked crown prince couldn’t give proper testimony, and in the end, talented individuals were summoned by order of Empress Ageni to assess and deal with the situation.

In the midst of that, Halbern—who seemed like he would immediately demand that Arellin be found—was unexpectedly quiet. Empress Ageni only resolved her doubts after meeting Mehen in person.

“ I have a rough idea.”

When Halbern reacted like that, the investigation was naturally halted, and both the imperial palace and Halbern fell silent regarding Arellin’s whereabouts.

Arellin, who had vanished like that, never returned.

“Graham, where is Arellin?”

Even so, from the day Arellin disappeared, Pession asked about her whereabouts every single day.

“You still don’t know today?”

“…I’m sorry. I have nothing to tell you.”

Rumors spread widely that Arellin was dead.

Pession was furious, but Halbern—the one who should have taken a firm stance—issued no position at all.

Halbern had always been difficult to approach, but after the rumors, even Mehen, who had handled external affairs, went into hiding, making Halbern completely inaccessible.

“That makes no sense.”

He couldn’t believe it.

This has to be a dream.

Pession denied reality.

“I have to go to Halbern myself.”