IYAMD: 51

Marsilia’s condition was worse than expected.

For a while, Jaha stood at the entrance, startled by the sounds coming from inside, before approaching him.

He bit his lip upon seeing the crimson fever blazes.

The water Malek had prepared was lukewarm, which would hardly help lower the fever.

Should he go out and call Malek?

Jaha, unable to speak, realized that if he needed help, he would have to leave the tent first. But the words the man had said before falling asleep weighed on his mind.

After hesitating for a moment, Jaha made a decision when the man let out a groan of discomfort.

‘I need to find someone.’Resolute, Jaha left the tent and searched for Malek. Expecting him to be waiting at the entrance, he was nowhere to be found.

So, Jaha scanned the area and, seeing Gerald checking the newly arrived supplies from afar, ran toward him.

“What’s wrong?”

‘I’m looking for someone to attend to him.’

Jaha wrote on Gerald’s palm, asking him to find Malek. He pointed to the tent where he thought Malek might be.

“Have you checked there?”

Gerald added that Malek and he shared a tent. Jaha nodded and hurried toward the tent that Gerald had indicated.

Inside, to his surprise, both Malek and the court physician were present.

The physician had accompanied Malek as a precaution for any potential illness. Although the emperor’s abilities were exceptional in healing physical wounds, they could not cure diseases.

Seeing the startled physician, Jaha immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him out.

Why hadn’t he thought of the physician earlier?

That was all because Marsilia had been trying to conceal his condition without alarming anyone. It was obvious he didn’t want anyone to know.

But in this situation, hiding things wasn’t the best choice.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

The physician, pulled along by Jaha, wore a surprised expression. It was only after they entered the emperor’s tent that he sighed.

“It’s because he’s used his abilities too much. A few days of rest should help, but the fever is quite severe. I’ll need to bring a fever reducer.”

While the physician was away, Jaha gently laid Marsilia back down. His limp body was burning with fever.

Even though Marsilia normally ran a high fever, the difference was so noticeable now that Jaha could feel it clearly.

Looking down at the panting man, Jaha furrowed his brow.

A strange urge to do something for him bubbled up. Why did he feel this way?

Biting his lip tightly, Jaha reached for the knot at the collar of Marsilia’s shirt.

The knot, which was tied high on his neck, looked uncomfortable, so Jaha wanted to loosen it. But just as he thought Marsilia was asleep, he suddenly grabbed Jaha’s hand.

“Where have you been?”

Marsilia, his eyes barely open, asked in a hoarse voice.

He must have noticed Jaha leaving for just a moment.

‘I brought a physician.’

Even though Jaha knew Marsilia wouldn’t understand, he answered. After a brief squeeze of his hand, Jaha resumed what he had started.

Loosening the lace around his neck, he untied the tight knot, and Marsilia sighed deeply, seemingly more comfortable.

“Jaha…”

His voice was so faint that it was almost indistinguishable from sleep talk.

“Jaha?”

Jaha nodded, and Marsilia smiled weakly, as if his exhaustion had subsided.

“You are here…”

At his words, Jaha let out a quiet sigh.

‘Alright.’

When Marsilia saw Jaha’s lips move, he finally closed his eyes. Seeing him like that, Jaha let out another long, silent sigh. His chest felt strangely tight.

After a short while, the physician returned with a fever-reducing medicine in liquid form. Seeing Marsilia still unconscious, he looked surprised.

“His Majesty can’t take the medicine just like that. You’ve seen it many times, right?”

Ah. Jaha finally understood the physician’s words. Marsilia was someone who wouldn’t even drink a sip of water without purification.

But if the medicine were purified, would it still work?

Was it safe to give him something that might have poison?

In the Eastern continent, it was common to mix various herbs with toxins to make medicines. If he purified it, the effects might be nullified.

Jaha gestured for the physician to hand him the bottle. After some hesitation, the physician handed it over, and Jaha opened the cap and took a sip of the medicine.

If there was poison, I’ll die first. If not, it should be safe to give it to him.

The physician still looked confused, but seemed to understand Jaha’s intentions, so he didn’t say anything further.

After a few moments, Jaha concluded that nothing was wrong with the medicine. He could now safely give it to Marsilia.

Jaha gently propped him up and offered him the bottle. As he tilted the bottle, Marsilia shook his head and resisted. Even in this state, he refuse to consume anything without purification.

This is awkward.

Jaha exchanged a brief glance with the physician, then took a sip of the medicine himself.

Tilting Marsilia’s head back, Jaha pressed his lips to Marsilia’s and, as he opened his mouth, slowly poured the medicine inside.

Marsilia groaned lowly, then opened his mouth as if instinctively.

Jaha slowly poured the medicine into his mouth. The bitter taste made Marsilia close his lips, but Jaha’s tongue slid inside to keep them open.

Pushing his tongue into Marsilia’s mouth, Jaha poured the remaining medicine inside. After a moment, Marsilia swallowed.

After ensuring that he swallowed all of the medicine, Jaha was about to pull away when Marsilia suddenly wrapped his arms around the back of Jaha’s head.

Jaha didn’t resist and relaxed his body, letting himself be pulled along. Following his lead, he opened his lips. Even in his half-conscious state, the movement of his tongue, brushing the roof of his mouth, was gentle.

Jaha waited quietly, lifting his head and sighing softly, as he waited for the man to pull away.

It was strangely comforting, and perhaps because he had experienced kisses a few times, it didn’t feel as unpleasant as it might have otherwise.

When he saw the physician, who had been turning away, holding the medicine bottle, he lowered his face and accepted it without saying a word.

“If you wipe his body with a wet towel, it will help reduce the fever.”

But the water was lukewarm. Jaha looked toward the water source, and Malek, who had entered separately, came with a basin of water.

It was frustrating that they couldn’t communicate properly, but there was nothing to be done. Jaha just silently observed as Malek wiped the emperor’s neck and face with the towel.

As Malek tried to undress him to clean his body, he suddenly cleared his throat. When he paused while pulling the tunic up, Jaha noticed that Marsilia’s pants were noticeably tented up.

Jaha had no words. Even if he could speak, he felt there was nothing to say in this situation.

So, he simply closed his mouth and moved his hands instead. The reason he had to take action was because of this beast-like man.

Jaha had been tending to the moaning man throughout the night. Dinner had been a quick meal brought by Malek.

As had been heard during the day, it started to rain from the evening. What began as a light drizzle soon grew into a heavy downpour.

Jaha sent Malek and the physician back to the tent. The sight of the sensitive man moaning seemed uncomfortable. It was exhausting trying to communicate with gestures.

After they left, the rain grew even heavier, and occasionally thunder rumbled. The only sound in the space was the deafening rain, and Jaha silently watched Marsilia.

Whenever Marsilia opened his eyes in pain, Jaha propped him up and fed him water again. The fever reducer seemed ineffective, and there was no sign of improvement.

Jaha thought that if Marsilia could just sweat, his fever might break more quickly, but for some reason, the man didn’t sweat at all.

Every time his hand touched the soft and burning body, Jaha had to force himself to hold back a sigh.

As the man squirmed in discomfort, he waved his hand through the air as if searching for something. It was an agonizing sight.

When Jaha held his hand, Marsilia’s face softened and he fell asleep again. This happened several times.

Jaha realized that the man was probably dreaming of searching for him in the dreams. Perhaps he was dreaming of the time he was looking for his soulmate, or maybe of the time he ran away.

Seeing the man so vulnerable made Jaha feel guilty. Though he knew that the man’s wishes were not his responsibility, and that his demands were unreasonable, his weakened state still tugged at Jaha’s heart.

‘Get up.’

Even though he knew the man would be fine after some rest, a sense of impatience mixed with his thoughts.

When Jaha touched his cheek, Marsilia lifted his head. Pressing his nose into the palm of Jaha’s hand, Marsilia let out a deep, relieved sigh.

Perhaps the medicine was starting to take effect, or maybe it was just the long rest that helped him recover. Jaha didn’t know the exact reason, but he was relieved to see an improvement.

Jaha gently stroked his head, then curled up in the remaining space on the bed.

The dim yellow light of the candle illuminated Marsilia’s hair, making it shine brightly.

Outside, the heavy rain continued, but in between, the sound of Marsilia’s calmer breathing filled the space.

Listening to his breaths, sleep slowly began to overtake Jaha. He closed his eyes and exhaled a hot breath.

He hoped that when he woke, Marsilia would be completely fine. Quietly, Jaha prayed and fell asleep.