Chapter 69

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

---

Altair's thoughts abruptly came to a halt, as if they had hit a cliff. He had never failed to find a clear basis for his thoughts and actions. Why was it so difficult to find the answer to this simple problem? Altair stroked his furrowed brow and thought, "Maybe I have a stronger possessive and exclusive desire than I thought."

He had always believed that such things did not exist, or rather, he had always believed that such things were not part of him. But when he imagined Nadia smiling brightly at Prince Orca and saying, "I'm a fan!" or "I like you!" his heart felt like it was being turned upside down. The fact that he couldn't bear to see "his wife" getting close to someone else clearly showed that he had not known himself well enough. Excessive possessiveness and exclusivity were emotions to be avoided. Altair tried to calm his turbulent heart, taking deep breaths as if he were holding a sword, to focus his mind. But his heart remained restless. Perhaps it was because he didn't have a sword in his hand. Altair abruptly stood up. He felt that he could only calm his turbulent heart by going to the training ground and swinging his sword. However, before he could finish preparing, the bedroom door opened. Nadia had returned.

"Nadira?"

At the sound of her name, called with a tone of surprise, Altair's heart, which had been turbulent just moments ago, suddenly melted away.

"Hmm."

The heart that had felt like it needed to be vented through some action now melted away as if by magic.

"Phew."

Can a person's heart change so abruptly? Just because I saw Nadia? Altair was bewildered by the sudden change in his emotions, and his eyebrows twitched.

---

Nadira entered the bedroom and was startled to see Altair. The room was filled with a strange atmosphere, sharp and piercing.

"Nadira?"

She called his name in surprise, and his cold eyes met hers. Altair's eyes were always cold, but the atmosphere was subtly different from usual. She wondered why, but soon recalled a reason. She had left the room, leaving only Melissa and Altair, and it was clear that the girl had upset him.

'Melissa is good at making people uncomfortable, so she must have made Altair's life miserable.'

To try to ease Altair's mood, Nadira approached him and gently tugged at the hem of his clothes.

"Are you upset?"

As she looked up at Altair cautiously, his eyebrows twitched. He was indeed very angry.

'I was trying to prevent Melissa from meeting Altair...'

Feeling guilty for not having defended him properly, Nadira's shoulders slumped.

"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"..."

Altair remained silent, his lips tightly pressed together. He looked at her with a complex expression, which seemed far from anger. His silence made her even more confused.

"What do you mean it's your fault?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not angry at all."

"But... you definitely seemed angry..."

As she hesitated and tried to gauge Altair's mood, he let out a hollow laugh.

"You're right. I was definitely a bit annoyed until just a moment ago. But..."

Altair's voice trailed off as he bent down, bringing his face very close to hers. She widened her eyes in surprise, and for some reason, Altair's face contorted.

"Why does my heart calm down the moment I see your face?"

Confused by his words, which sounded more like a question to himself, Nadira's eyes darted around. Her heart was already racing due to the close proximity, and Altair's silent gaze made her break out in a cold sweat.

"I've always been logical. Every action had a reason. But why... why..."

Altair furrowed his brow and reached out to caress her cheek.

"Nadira."

His low voice made her shoulders involuntarily tense. She looked at him with intense focus, and he spoke to her with a blank expression.

"There's no reason."

"Huh?"

"There's no reason. Not when I was angry, and not when I calmed down. There was just no reason. If there was any reason, it was just... you."

"But... I didn't do anything..."

"That's right. You didn't do anything. But why am I like this?"

Altair sighed deeply and buried his face in her shoulder, then pulled her into a strong embrace. Nadira was even more confused by this unusual behavior. A thought quickly crossed her mind.

"Altair, are you in pain?"

"Pain?"

Altair, still with his face buried in her shoulder, turned his head to meet her gaze. Concerned, she nodded, and Altair furrowed his brow.

"Now that you mention it, my heart does feel a bit painful."

"What? Your heart?!"

Startled, Nadira jumped and quickly tried to pull away from Altair's strong embrace. Altair, seemingly amused by her efforts, stepped back.

"How is your heart in pain?"

"It's hard to describe. It feels like someone is squeezing it tightly, and it stings, and it beats wildly..."

As Altair continued to describe his symptoms, Nadira felt her blood run cold.

"Are you sick? Heart disease is serious."

"Does it look like I'm sick, Nadira?"

"Who knows!"

Of course, Altair looked healthy, incredibly healthy. But she had heard many stories of people who suddenly died of a heart attack.

"I can't let this go."

Determined, Nadira grabbed Altair's hand and led him out. Altair, much taller than her, looked around awkwardly as he was dragged along.

"Where are we going?"

"Obviously, to Leon!"

Realizing their destination, Altair sighed and stopped in his tracks. With Altair determined to stay, there was no way to drag him. She glared at him, and he sighed deeply.

"Nadira, I'm not sick."

"But you said your heart hurts."

"That's..."

"Even if you're not sick, you can still get a check-up. Please."

Altair, who was about to argue, closed his mouth and clutched his chest.

"...It stings again."

Seeing him mutter to himself, Nadira's suspicion that Altair had a heart condition grew into near certainty.

"See! We can't just leave it like this!"

Feeling more confident, she loudly pulled Altair's arm again. Altair followed her without resistance. They hurried to Leon's laboratory and arrived in no time. Without hesitation, she knocked on the door and called out.

"Leon, are you in? Can you see a patient for a moment?"

"A patient..."

Altair protested softly, but she focused on knocking. Surprised by the word "patient," there was a commotion from the other side of the door, and it soon opened. Leon poked his head out, his gaze wary.

"What kind of patient?"

Leon looked at Nadira and Altair, clearly thinking neither of them looked like a patient. She confidently pushed Altair forward.

"A patient."

"...This overly healthy person?"

Leon frowned and scanned Altair from head to toe. She quickly followed his gaze, but...

'Well, he does look overly healthy...'

But Altair was not lying about being in pain.

"He said his heart suddenly felt constricted and painful."

"What?"

Leon's eyes widened at her explanation. Heart disease was not something to be taken lightly!

"How did the pain feel? What was the interval? Did you have any headaches or digestive issues? Ah, come in first. We need to check your condition quickly."

Leon opened the door wide, and the interior of the laboratory, which had been hidden, was revealed. The scene inside was unexpected.

"...Huh?"

She stopped in her tracks, blinking in surprise. A person she had not expected was sitting there with an awkward smile.

"Marie...?"

Blinking in confusion, she called out the name of the unexpected visitor. Leon made a strange sound and pressed his forehead with his hand, clearly trying to hide Marie's presence but getting distracted by the "patient."

Marie, regaining her usual calm, stood up and bowed.

"Lady, Lord."

It was a perfect, respectful greeting, but Nadira was too stunned to respond.

'Marie said she had business outside the castle...'

Why was she in Leon's laboratory? An awkward silence filled the room. Marie broke the silence first.

"Doctor, can I come back for my medicine tomorrow?"

"Medicine...?"

Leon, looking unusually dazed, repeated her question. Marie's eyes widened, and Leon snapped his fingers.

"Marie's medicine... Ah, right. That medicine. Yes, you can come back tomorrow."

His tone was oddly stilted.

'Why is he acting like that?'

Confused by Leon's strange reaction, she tilted her head. Marie quickly approached her.

"I've been having headaches, so I asked the doctor for medicine, Lady."

"Did your headache get so bad that you came to the doctor as soon as you returned to the castle?"

It was common for servants to inform their masters upon returning from an outing. Marie, who knew this, must have been in a state that required immediate attention. Concerned, she asked, and Marie shook her head with a reassuring smile.

"The doctor said it wasn't serious and that I would get better with the medicine. Right?"

"Ah, yes, of course."

Marie's request for confirmation made Leon nod unenthusiastically. Worried that Leon might not be treating her properly because she was a servant, she was about to say something when Leon offered Altair a seat.

"Let's check Lord's condition first. Please sit over here."

Realizing the urgency of their visit, she quickly helped Altair sit down. For some reason, Altair couldn't take his eyes off Marie and Leon, and his gaze seemed to hold a strange suspicion.

"Ahem."

To shake off that gaze, Leon cleared his throat loudly and placed the stethoscope on Altair's chest.

"Can you describe your symptoms in detail?"

"It's not serious. It feels like someone is squeezing my heart tightly, and it stings, and it beats wildly... that's about it."

As Altair described his symptoms, Leon's expression became increasingly strange, and Marie's was no different. Leon's lips moved as if he was trying to find the right words. Was it a serious illness that he couldn't easily describe?

"Perhaps..."

Worried, she looked at Leon, who sighed and said,

"Did you come here to complain?"