The Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health Chapter 310

“Why are you making such a fuss over it? They look perfectly fine.”

Mehen clicked her tongue.

“They’re dating pretty cutely, you know.”

Just watching Arellin and Pession talk made them seem like they existed in a completely different world, so much so that no one else could easily butt into their conversation.

“What’s cute about that.”

“That’s plenty cute.”

Having unintentionally witnessed all kinds of scandalous affairs in high society up close, Mehen actually found the two’s innocent behavior refreshing.

“Compared to people who rush off to bed the moment they make eye contact, isn’t this extremely cute?”

“Hah. Since when did nobles ever date?”

For nobles, where political marriages were the norm, romance was a pastime enjoyed after marriage, once an heir was secured.

Well, the imperial family was a different story.

Valer openly twisted his face in irritation.

Albrecht, which had grown so large it dominated the entire central continent, had no more land left to conquer.

Only a few nations rivaled its scale—the ancient western Shugra Empire, which had prospered since antiquity, and the Uyo Alliance, formed by displaced smallfolk and nomadic beastkin.

There was also the Southern Empire, Phytal, said to be a remnant of an ancient kingdom—but in truth, it couldn’t compare to Albrecht.

Perhaps because of that, the Albret imperial family historically valued internal stability over diplomatic gains through political marriages. Thanks to that, successive emperors were able to seat women they personally chose as empresses.

Even so—

“I don’t like it.”

How was he supposed to explain this swelling feeling in his chest?

That he had burned everything he had just to barely keep Arellin alive, only for Pession to swoop in and take her away—how was he supposed to describe that feeling?!

And that wasn’t even the most infuriating part.

“Arellin.”

“What.”

“The fact that that brat knows every single one of my cute, lovely daughter’s cute, lovely moments pisses me off.”

Worse still, Pession knew more of those moments than Valer himself did.

Because Pession had met young Arellin before he had.

“It annoys me that there’s no version of my daughter’s cuteness that’s mine alone.”

No matter how petty and grumbly Valer sounded, Mehen’s response was ice-cold.

“If it bothered you that much, you shouldn’t have dumped Arellin on me. You should’ve raised her yourself.”

“I never dumped her.”

Valer felt wronged.

“That was the best choice I had.”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“I’m serious!”

“Yes, yes.”

“What’s with you, honey. You know you’re the only one I have.”

“You bastard, I swear I’ll kill you.”

Even though she should’ve been used to it by now, Mehen still got chills every time he called her honey. Disgusted, she punched him.

Despite taking the hit, Valer laughed cheerfully, clearly amused and in a better mood.

“You’re laughing? Is that funny?”

“How could it not be?”

When Mehen turned away in irritation, Valer grabbed her. Mehen wanted nothing more than to ditch him and leave, but—

“You know I don’t have any friends besides you. You’re really going to leave me alone?”

This infuriating jerk always knew exactly where to hit people where it hurt, so all she could do was click her tongue.

“Tone it down.”

“So you won’t even indulge me anymore?”

“I’ve indulged you more than enough.”

When Mehen glared at him like she couldn’t possibly give any more, Valer nodded obediently.

“That’s true.”

Mehen didn’t know it, but Valer already knew very well what an unindulgent Mehen was like.

He’d experienced firsthand just how firm she could be—too firm to fall for cheap tricks like this.

Maybe that was why he poked at her even more.

“Mehen.”

“What do you want, creep.”

“That’s harsh.”

“Oh, what now?”

Valer propped his chin on his hand. His ribbon-adorned face looked unnecessarily picturesque.

“Have you ever resented me?”

“I resent you constantly.”

“Not that. I mean—have you ever been truly hurt, or annoyed, or upset?”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to find times I wasn’t like that around you?”

“Is that so.”

Valer smiled like a boy.

That struck Mehen as strange. Time had passed, their bodies had grown, they’d aged—yet Valer still looked like a boy.

Still, something felt…

After hesitating, Mehen finally spoke.

“I think you’ve changed.”

“Yeah?”

She couldn’t explain it clearly, but something had changed. It was subtle, but Mehen could feel it.

“It’s like… something gloomy that used to hang around you is gone.”

There had always been something invisible weighing down the air around Valer—but now, everything surrounding him felt calm.

Where was this difference coming from?

As Mehen sank into thought, Valer looked at her and smiled brightly.

“You really know me well.”

Brushing his hair back in a good mood, Valer spoke casually.

“I’ve never felt this good before.”

It felt good to have saved Arellin.

And—

He thought he finally understood his sister’s heart, at least a little.

“Be happy, my little brother.”

The question that had tormented him again and again.

Was he worth the sacrifice and love she had given?

Had she been rewarded for her devotion to him?

With every breath, Valer had been haunted by the illusion that his life was made from his sister’s flesh and blood. In those moments, he wanted to go mad.

Yet he couldn’t die—because he didn’t have the right to decide his own life.

This life was one his sister had saved.

So—

“By saving you, I’m saving myself.”

He hadn’t understood her.

How was that salvation?

He thought he never would. Until now.

Opening the eyes he’d been holding shut, Valer smiled more lightly than before. Even when he didn’t want to, a smile kept slipping out.

He no longer saw the vision of his sister hugging him and telling him to be happy.

But the legacy she left behind was still entirely his.

Everything young Valer had eaten, worn, and seen had been given to him by Sione herself.

Raised exactly as she taught him, it was only natural that her little brother grew up looking only at her, like a sunflower.

From the moment Sione disappeared, Valer’s time had stopped.

And that time had only begun to move again—recently.

When Valer saw Arellin.

His daughter, who looked just like his sister, yet had a completely different personality.

Sister, I think—

By carrying out your will, I saved myself.

The fact that she wasn’t here still made his chest ache.

But Valer no longer felt guilty about being happy.

“Mehen, thank you.”

“For what, all of a sudden?”

“For staying. For not leaving.”

“…….”

As Mehen glared at him uneasily, clearly thinking ‘What kind of nonsense is this idiot about to pull now?’, Valer couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“I’ve never said this before, but I know the mansion became hard to endure after my sister left—and that you thought about leaving more than once. Still, every time I came back and saw you there, I felt relieved.”

Mehen wasn’t sure if Valer was talking about their childhood, or the time after he disappeared and returned.

Maybe he meant all of it.

Even so, hearing this now felt unbearably embarrassing.

“…I’m your retainer. Of course I stayed.”

“Is that so.”

Valer smiled playfully at her blunt reply. Mehen sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“Well, technically, you picked me up first anyway. A street rat who was about to starve to death.”

“Mmm.”

“Sure, sometimes when you make me want to kill you, I think it might’ve been better to die back then. But, sigh… what can I do? My fate’s all tangled now.”

“Hahaha.”

The one who tangled her fate laughed cheerfully, looking genuinely happy. Mehen glared at him, then sighed again and waved it off.

“So don’t thank me. I resent you plenty, but I’ve also received a lot from you. I used to think I’d pay it all back before leaving—yet somehow things ended up like this.”

“Received? What did I ever give you?”

“You took me in, fed me, educated me at the academy, gave me a title…”

“That was all so I could work you harder.”

“Exactly. If you were just going to use me, you could’ve done only that. Why treat me so well that it’s hard to leave out of spite?”

“So you wouldn’t leave?”

Valer’s smile deepened.

Mehen was speechless.

“What reason do you even have to keep me around?”

“Well… too many to count.”

As Valer lowered his gaze, Mehen thought about all the responsibilities he’d dumped on her. Without her, Halbern would definitely—

“Relax. Even if I leave, I’ll hand everything over properly.”

Despite having no intention of leaving, Mehen grumbled anyway. Valer blinked slowly, rubbed the back of his neck, then suddenly hooked his arm through hers.

“Mehen, want to hear something interesting?”