Chapter 22: At This Rate

“Urien.”

“…Lord Rodrick.”

It was only after he was being called several times did Urien finally look up. On the table, tea and cookies were laid out for him, but he hadn’t touched them.

There was no light in his eyes, his lips looked dry, and he had an exhausted expression on his face. His room was warm, but the atmosphere in it felt weirdly suffocating—though it fit with how he had been acting strangely in these past five days.

His body would suddenly freeze mid-movement, then he’d lower his eyes, as if sleeping, though he wasn’t. It was clear that he was in a daze.

He used to wander around the western forest and the garden a lot, but now he had avoided both entirely. These days, he only went to visit the shed once in the morning, but other than that, he’d either stay cooped in his room or the library.

“You haven’t touched your lunch. Do you have a stomachache?”

“No, it’s just too much food for lunch…”

“It’s not, it’s the appropriate amount.”

Rodrick didn’t mean to raise his voice, but there was a slightly fearful look on Urien’s face.

‘But, why? This much is normal, isn’t it?’ Before winter, the other man wouldn’t even bat an eye at this. He was so calm and nonchalant about everything, as if he didn’t care about what Rodrick wanted to say.

Immediately, Rodrick sat down on the chair, softening his voice as he asked, “Is there anything you’d like to eat?” At that, Urien’s expressionless face came back as he shook his head slowly.

“No, nothing.”

“But, I heard you barely eat anything for breakfast.”

“It was enough for me. Your usual portion is just too big.”

Urien answered in a flat tone. As he did, Rodrick’s attention was focused on his lips.

He ordered the maid to prepare some cream for him. When they arrived with a vial, he took it and handed it over to Urien with a, “Put it on your lips. They’ll chap.” But, perhaps due to the small time it took for the maid to hand the vial over, Urien’s attention had already drifted off. He was now staring out of the window.

Suddenly, Rodrick stood up from his seat and knelt in front of him. The maids watching him widened their eyes in disbelief, but he didn’t care and opened the vial’s lid.

“What are you doing?”

“Keep your mouth slightly open.”

Urien finally turned to face him again, not even making any attempt to resist him. Rodrick then scooped up some of the cream with the small spatula that came with the vial and applied it to his lips. Urien just waited obediently, and when it was done, he muttered, “It feels sticky,” with a dissatisfied tone.

“Better than getting chapped lips. From now on, apply it occasionally on your own.”

“It feels sticky. I hate it.”

“If you do it on your own, you can make yourself comfortable with it. Your hands, they’re dry too, right?”

Still kneeling on the floor, he took Urien’s hand and was surprised by how cold it was. He gripped his slender fingers tightly, but even after that, his hand remained limp.

Urien leaned back on his chair, looking down on Rodrick with listless eyes.

Winter had only just begun. If this were to keep up, Rodrick had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to last through the season.

‘That can’t happen.’ Thinking as such, he ordered the maid to bring some hand cream and a thick blanket. While he was talking with the maid, Urien suddenly wiped the cream off his lips with his fingers and rubbed them against the back of Rodrick’s hand that was still holding him.

“See? It’s sticky.”

“…”

Seeing that, the maid behind Rodrick let out a terrified “Eek.”

Urien just blinked before turning his gaze back towards the window. Ella, who was also nearby, stared at him, muttering, “M-Madam…” before turning to look at Rodrick in fear.

His actions terrified the maids, but Rodrick was more concerned about Urien’s tea rather than that.

“…Don’t rub it on my hand.”

“You’re the one who rubbed it on my lips without asking first, Lord Rodrick.”

“Fine. That was my bad. For now, try to drink some hot tea first.”

Seeing how the maids’ faces turned red from shock again, Rodrick’s response must’ve been really shocking to them. But, they quickly regained their composure, with one of them coming forward and said, “I’ll prepare the tea.”

Rodrick also told her to add some ginger so Urien could warm his body up a little. After serving the tea, the maids draped a thick blanket over Urien’s lap and left some hand cream on the table.

“Eat the cookie. You’ve been eating too little these past five days.”

“Mm. I’ll eat it.”

Urien said as he took a cookie, but he chewed through it painfully slowly.

Before winter came, Rodrick had accompanied Urien on a walk through the forest a few times. The man would eat any berries he found on the ground or munch on what seemed to be nothing more than grass in Rodrick’s eyes. He tried to stop him, but to no avail; he’d continue to do whatever he was doing as he made his way through the forest with a grin on his face.

Indeed, he used to have such a voracious appetite, but now he had turned like this.

‘Is it because winter in the barony is warmer than in here? The difference shouldn’t be much, but he probably feels the difference more than I do.’

‘Anyway, I didn’t realize he’s this sensitive to cold. I’d need to make sure his room is warmer.’

“Do you not have any appetite? Are you feeling sick?”

“I feel…like usual…”

“Maybe you caught a cold? Does your throat hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

‘If this continues, he’d be eating less than a meal a day when mid-winter comes…’ After a while, Urien finally finished the one cookie he ate. It was so slow that it’d probably take a whole day for him to finish the entire plate.

At that moment, something clicked in Rodrick’s head.

‘Maybe, cold isn’t the issue here?’

“Is it because of your Heat?”

‘Right, he’s an Omega.’

Generally, Omega’s Heat occurred every three months or so. It had been over three months since Urien came to the Edel Estate, so that checked.

Although, the cycle could vary from person to person—some could have it occur once every two months, while others could have it occur once every six.

‘Maybe his loss of appetite is related to this?’

But, that assumption was quickly shut down as Urien answered in a muffled voice, without even moving his lips.

“My Heat doesn’t occur regularly.”

“…Huh?”

“It hasn’t occurred in ages. So, don’t worry about that.”

“…”

A new cup of tea was then poured. The powdered ginger swirled as it reached the bottom of the cup.

“I see. Drink the tea first.” Rodrick instructed, finally standing up after. Meanwhile, Urien only stared blankly at the surface of the tea and rested both his hands on the cup.

His fingers were so white, as if they were the hands of a dead person.

Like the hands of someone who had been long asleep.

‘His Heat doesn’t occur regularly…’

‘That means…’

“He’s under extreme stress.”

That was what a doctor that was specialized in an Omega’s condition that Rodrick summoned said.