The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health – Chapter 234

Author: Asternkm

“You’re saying you’re leaving?”

Shirua was flustered by Arellin’s sudden announcement.

There had been no hint at all, and now she was suddenly saying she’d return—what was this about?

“At least have lunch before you go—”

She tried to stop her out of habit, but—

“No. I think I need to go right now.”

The firm, decisive refusal made Shirua’s smile waver for a moment.

“Princess Luri really likes you, though.”

“The delegation has arrived now, so she should be fine.”

“Just one more day. No—just half a day more, can’t you stay? Please?”

She even threw away her pride and grabbed Arellin’s sleeve, but—

“I’ve stayed long enough already. It’s been several days.”

That perfectly reasonable rebuttal left Shirua with nothing to say.

“And it feels like there’s no reason for me to stay in the palace anymore.”

“…….”

What did that mean?

At that answer, which made her heart sink, Shirua was momentarily at a loss for words.

Meow!

Siru, who had been lying on his back with his belly exposed, tried to intervene—but!

“Oh my, so cute. Let’s see each other again sometime.”

It wasn’t nearly enough to stop Arellin.

Watching Arellin politely bow and leave the Sovereign’s Palace, Shirua stomped her feet in frustration.

“Ah, what do I do. This is bad.”

No reason to stay?!

“Don’t tell me… she’s trying to leave Pession……?”

After a brief moment of thought, Shirua hurried toward her communicator.

****

After hearing the news that her father’s location had been found, the first place I went after leaving the palace wasn’t the Sky Tower, but the Spherom Hotel.

“Mehen!”

I stopped by to see his face for the first time in a while, and he still looked as busy as ever.

“Arell, did you finally escape the palace?”

“Yeah. I got word from the Mage Tower—did you hear?”

“What news are you referring to?”

“They found my dad’s location.”

Mehen’s eyes widened in surprise.

“So I’m heading to the Mage Tower now.”

“The Mage Tower? But just now, the regent duke from the Holy Kingdom—”

“Huh?”

Clatter!

Before Mehen could finish, the sound of something breaking made us turn around.

Standing there was Regent Duke Ludwig, wearing a completely disbelieving expression.

“……Shione?”

As if.

Mehen quietly rubbed his temple beside me. Oblivious to that, Regent Duke Ludwig approached us, trembling, looking like he was about to cry.

“Shione… do you know how long I’ve—”

He took about five steps forward, then stopped—unable to come closer, yet unable to step back either—staring at me with eyes full of longing. I had no idea how to respond.

Was it really okay to reveal myself like this?

Deciding to humor him just a little, I spoke seriously.

“It’s been a while, Ludwig.”

At my greeting, Regent Duke Ludwig’s eyebrows shot up.

“So it really is Arellin.”

No—he figured it out from just that?

“How did you know right away?”

“Because Shione would never greet me that gently.”

Such a blunt answer left me speechless.

“You’re very good at knowing your place.”

I wasn’t sure whether that was impressive or just sad.

At the phrase knowing your place, the regent’s expression immediately grew gloomy.

“You really do resemble her. For a moment, I thought Shione had come back alive.”

“Hmm. I guess I really do look like her. Everyone who sees me brings up my birth mother.”

Honestly, even when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t think we looked that alike.

Seeing the regent unable to take his eyes off me made me want to tease him for no reason.

I moved this way and that, and his gaze followed my movements every time.

When I kept circling him like that, Mehen finally sighed.

“Please stop teasing him.”

“Oh, you noticed?”

“It would be strange not to.”

At Mehen’s scolding, I puffed out my lips.

“I’m allowed to tease people a little.”

“Arellin is right. She’s allowed to tease people.”

Mehen looked dumbfounded at the regent defending me.

“And you’re the one being teased, Regent Duke. Are you really in a position to say that?”

“What did I do?”

“…….”

Watching the regent act as if he truly didn’t see the problem, Mehen let out another sigh.

“None of you are normal.”

****

When I went to the Sky Tower after a long time, my master was unexpectedly there to greet me.

“You’re here.”

“Oh, Master. What brings you out?”

Maybe because the Sky Tower had been restored—my master, who usually stayed holed up in his own domain, had come out as well.

“I think this is my first time seeing you outside the tower since becoming your disciple, Master.”

“Does it feel any different?”

“I’m not sure?”

My master shot me a dumbfounded look and glanced at my hands.

“Why are you empty-handed today?”

“Master, you’ve gotten quite shameless since I last saw you.”

“……”

My master cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“I found your father’s location, like you asked.”

“So where is my dad?”

“He seems to be in this city.”

My master handed me a map with my father’s location marked.

“Gairen?”

Wasn’t that the city they said was in serious trouble?

“So if I go here, I’ll be able to meet my dad?”

“I don’t know if it’s the father you were hoping for.”

What does that even mean—the father I was hoping for? Are there fathers you don’t hope for?

“Master, you really know how to phrase things in a way that ticks people off.”

My master’s expression darkened.

“It won’t be easy to find him.”

“I figured. If it were easy, he would’ve come back long ago.”

The fact that my dad—who cherished me so much—hadn’t returned for this long already told me plenty. There had to be a reason he couldn’t come back.

“Master.”

At my quiet call, golden eyes turned toward me—eyes that always seemed calm, no matter where or when.

But why was it?

Whenever I looked into those eyes, I was reminded of an immortal who had once followed me relentlessly.

“I’m not usually the type to ask things like this.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Ever since this morning—since I’d seen a falling star symbol on Shirua’s desk, one eerily similar to a pattern I used to see all the time—this question had been stuck in me like a thorn.

“Does Cheyen have anything to do with you helping me? Well… that might not even be the name you know them by.”

My master’s expression darkened further.

So there was a connection after all.

I wasn’t usually one to meddle like this, but for some reason, I felt like I needed to hear this story.

“When I get back, you’ll have to explain everything properly.”

My master looked at me silently for a moment, then slowly nodded.

****

When Pession arrived in Gairen, he was faced with a situation he had never anticipated.

A translucent dome completely enveloped the massive city.

“It’s possible to enter, so up until now fifty-five knights, along with Lord Harun and Lord Johan, have gone inside—but not a single person has come back out.”

Since no one who entered had returned, it was impossible to tell whether they couldn’t come out… or simply weren’t coming out.

They had no choice but to request help from higher up once again.

“……”

Yet Pession, who had come down to grasp the situation firsthand, had his mind elsewhere entirely.

Is Arellin awake by now?

Even though he had firmly entrusted things to Shirua, he couldn’t feel at ease. He felt like he needed to go back and see Arellin with his own eyes.

“Let’s observe for now.”

Under normal circumstances, he would have insisted on entering himself—but this time, Pession chose to hold back.

“If there’s no meaningful change by tomorrow, we’ll send in someone else then.”

Pession planned to see Arellin first—and then enter himself afterward.

After putting out that immediate fire, he took the warp gate back to the palace, but—

Something about the Sovereign’s Palace felt unusually quiet, making Pession frown.

Just then, Shirua came running out, shouting.

“Why are you so late, idiot! And why weren’t you answering your communicator?!”

Whether it was due to the abnormal phenomenon in Gairen or not, his communicator hadn’t been working properly. But there was something far more urgent on Pession’s mind.

“Where’s Arellin?”

“She left! She said there’s no reason for her to stay in the palace anymore! What on earth happened between you and her?”

“What?”

Pession froze mid-stride as he was heading straight into the Sovereign’s Palace.

For a moment, he couldn’t process what Shirua had said. His thoughts ground to a halt.

Arellin said what?

Now that I finally know everything—she’s gone?

It felt like sand he’d barely managed to grasp was slipping through his fingers.

Was it because I realized it too late?

Did she get sick of me? Because I kept calling her a fake, failing to recognize her, pushing her away, treating her harshly?

So she was disappointed… and fell out of love?

A chilling despair struck Pession squarely in the pit of his stomach.