The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 278

Halbern Estate.

Medical staff clustered together, seriously examining a man.

Warren, who had once been my personal physician, and a healer accompanied by a priest stood in front of Mehen and me.

“His Grace the Grand Duke has suffered significant strain to his body. However, there are no major injuries, so with steady treatment and rest, he should recover quickly. He is a very strong man.”

From behind us, several sighs of relief could be heard. They were the retainers of Halbern who had rushed over, setting aside their piled-up work as soon as they heard of the Grand Duke’s return.

“Phew, that’s truly a relief.”

“Indeed. I was terrified, thinking the tragic history of House Halbern was about to be updated again……”

“If His Grace had passed away like this, then Halbern would have……”

The retainers shuddered as they imagined that “worst-case scenario.”

House Halbern was already short-handed, and after Valer’s succession and the purge that followed, there wasn’t even a single collateral relative left who could inherit the position of head if a crisis struck.

Maybe because of that—

After each of them spoke, the retainers’ gazes soon turned toward me.

‘Why are they looking at me like that?’

Their sharp, sparkling eyes looked like people staring at a stock about to skyrocket, and I flinched without meaning to.

“Ahem, ahem.”

“…?”

Mehen, who had been staring at Dad with a serious expression, finally sensed something strange and looked around.

The retainers, who immediately pretended not to notice and acted casual, looked anything but ordinary.

“Ahem. Now that we know His Grace is safe, we should take our leave.”

“Lady Mehen, we’ll see you again later.”

Mehen let them go without saying much. She seemed to already know exactly what was going on.

“Were you very uncomfortable, Arel?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“If you’re uncomfortable—”

“I said I’m really fine. What about you, Mom? Are you okay?”

Mehen’s constantly serious expression finally shifted slightly. Just like when she’d been shocked seeing Dad carried back unconscious, her emotions—swinging between irritation and worry—looked pretty complicated.

“…I was honestly planning to hit him at least once when he came back, but seeing him like that makes me feel conflicted.”

“Dad will be okay.”

“Yes, he probably will be. What about you, Arel?”

“Me?”

As Mehen turned her attention to me, she looked back and forth between the healer and my physician.

They had taken care of me since I was little, but for some reason, the healer flinched the moment our eyes met.

Ah. I know this reaction.

I hadn’t realized it when I was younger, but now I’d become a mage of a much higher level, so the healer was completely intimidated.

It was like showing off wrinkles in front of a chrysalis… kind of.

“Well, with my meager abilities, it’s hard to say……”

The healer answered with a look like he’d hit a wall. At the vague reply, Mehen frowned.

“Eek.”

Completely rattled, the healer hid behind the doctor. My physician, Warren, chuckled and spoke.

“According to the examination results, she’s fine.”

“See? I’m fine.”

Honestly, there was no way I should be fine, which somehow made me even more anxious.

‘My master scared me so much that I was worried about what kind of backlash I’d get.’

But somehow, the aftereffects felt weaker than I’d expected. Surprisingly bearable?

I’m not going to suddenly collapse later… right?

If the Mage Tower weren’t in an emergency, and if the Sky Tower weren’t off in Gairen, I would’ve gone straight there to ask.

As if she’d noticed my thoughts, Mehen gave me a stern look, like she was warning me not to even think about going anywhere.

“Arel.”

“H-huh?”

“For the time being, rest at the estate.”

“Huh? But I—”

“Rest.”

Mehen said it firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

But I still had to retrieve Ether, who was sulking in the Empress’s Palace, see my master, stop by the secret archive, meet Pession, and talk about what happened at the ruins……

“Arel? You’ll rest quietly, right?”

…I flinched at Mehen’s gentle smile. No matter how hard I tried, I could never beat Mehen when she smiled like that.

“Ugh, o-okay. I’ll rest.”

Mehen’s smile softened even more.

“Good choice, Arel. I’ve already prepared everything. Let’s go to your room.”

“Huh? Uh, wait……”

As I followed Mehen, who dragged me off as if she’d been waiting for my answer, I thought to myself—

This is really going to make sneaking out difficult.

‘What should I do…’

At that very moment, while I was deep in thought—

Albert was being turned upside down in an entirely different sense.

 

 

 

****

 

 

Albert had been buzzing with gossip for the past few days because of the Gairen incident.

“Did you hear? The story about Gairen!”

The sacrifice of a certain third-rank mage who sealed Gairen, even giving up his own life.

“I always thought mages were selfish people who only cared about themselves, but it turns out there are those who make such noble sacrifices.”

“I guess there’s a reason people respect third-rank mages.”

“They say people used to call them sages in the past.”

And then there was the protagonist of the midday starlight shower witnessed by the entire continent—the new third-rank mage who awakened in a miracle-like moment straight out of a novel!

“I was so shocked when that pillar of light came down, but to think it was starlight—!”

“A new third-rank mage being born… doesn’t that sound kind of romantic?”

“I want to know more, but it’s a shame the Mage Tower sealed off Gairen, so we can’t go!”

On top of that, the disaster in Gairen, the mysteries surrounding it, and more.

If Arellin had heard all this, she probably would have said,
“People in this other world really are starved for content and completely losing it over high-dopamine刺激,”
as scenes like that played out all over the city.

But above all else, the news that overwhelmingly captured people’s attention was—

Not the “return of the missing crown prince.”

Not the “return of the missing knights.”

But rather!

“Extra! Extra!”

「[Breaking News] Grand Duke of Halbern, Returned!」

「[Exclusive] The Halbern Duke’s daughter, thought dead, found alive!」

It was the story of the Halbern father and daughter.

A man who made headlines even by drinking water.

A man who turned anything he wore, ate, or casually used into a trend.

Always surrounded by rumors—admired by all, yet so overwhelmingly popular that no one could approach him easily—the news of the Grand Duke of Halbern’s return made everywhere buzz with excitement.

“Oh my, could it be that he went missing because he was secretly holding back the Gairen ruins?”

“Hah, who said His Grace lacked character? His sense of sacrifice is flawless!”

“A man this perfect is bound to face trials. I kind of want to be the stain on his life.”

“What crime did the Grand Duke commit to deserve that? Get a grip.”

And beneath all that heated attention, many truths could be buried.

Just as someone intended.

 

 

****

 

 

The Imperial Palace.

Emperor Edward, looking over the front pages of newspapers across Albert, let out an unintentional sigh.

“Why is every single front page this bastard’s face?”

Because it sells the best.

The emperor’s chief attendant couldn’t bring himself to talk back to His Majestic Majesty and kept his mouth shut.

Clicking his tongue, Emperor Edward continued reading.

The return of the missing crown prince—hot news for a whole month—had been pushed to the back pages by the Grand Duke of Halbern.

“My own son getting pushed aside…….”

Once things started bothering him, everything did.

“And they’re all old photos, too.”

Every single one was a distant shot of Valer, taken only when he happened to appear at an official event.

Some newspapers did carry high-resolution photos that clearly looked like they’d been provided from somewhere—but that only made Emperor Edward feel worse.

“Did I make a mistake accepting Mehen’s proposal?”

Halbern wanted to announce the Grand Duke’s return while promoting Arellin’s survival, and Emperor Edward wanted to bury the Gairen story as much as possible. Their interests aligned, creating the current situation.

But for some reason, Emperor Edward wasn’t satisfied at all.

Because even the noble council—who he’d thought would be the most stressed doing cost-benefit calculations—were completely absorbed in Valer’s story!

‘I knew people liked this kid’s face, but I didn’t know they liked it this much.’

It worked far too well!

The whole world was talking about the Grand Duke of Halbern!

It had even become news that people were camping around the Halbern estate just to catch a glimpse of the Grand Duke’s feet.

“Well, His Grace has always been popular. Isn’t that only natural?”

“Hm…….”

Emperor Edward narrowed his eyes.

He could admit Valer was handsome. But the world going this crazy over it still felt strange, no matter how he looked at it.

“Is he really that good-looking? Objectively speaking, isn’t I better?”

“…….”

Count Rohammer had served the emperor his entire life, but this was one question he absolutely could not answer. His eyebrows twitched.

“Hah, I really don’t get it.”

Emperor Edward set the newspaper down and looked at Pession, who had been sitting there without making his presence known this whole time.

“Isn’t that right, my son?”

Pession was staring intently at a newspaper featuring Arellin.

“My son?”

“Your Majesty.”

“What happened to ‘Father’? Why are you calling me ‘Your Majesty’—what are you trying to say now…?”

Despite Emperor Edward’s annoyed response, Pession calmly spoke.

“May I investigate this newspaper company?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“…….”

Don’t tell me.

A thought flashed through Emperor Edward’s mind, and he narrowed his eyes.

“…Don’t tell me this is because of Lady Arellin’s photo?”

Instead of answering, Pession gave a bright smile.

Seeing that, Emperor Edward thought that even though he was his own son, this kid really was hopeless.

“If you’re that obsessed, people say it kills your charm.”

“Is that from your personal experience, Father?”

“…….”

Pession lowered his gaze.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do it carefully so no one notices.”

As if. Everyone will know.

Clicking his tongue, Emperor Edward silently mourned for his future daughter-in-law (tentative). Having to live with a man like this—how exhausting must that be?

‘At least I should treat her well.’