Chapter 31: Coming Down with a Fever

The gentle patter of rain rustled against the wooden roof outside.

Thick, gloomy clouds hung low in the sky, shrouding the entire morning in a cold, somber blanket of gray.

Kael slowly opened his eyes, feeling the lingering exhaustion and lethargy in his muscles after the long night they had spent together.

To his right, Lizzy was still fast asleep beneath a thick blanket that covered her entire body, breathing softly in the warmth of slumber.

"It’s raining, huh...?" Kael murmured quietly. However, when he turned to kiss his wife’s forehead, he suddenly froze.

Lizzy’s face looked even paler than usual. The familiar rosy hue that normally colored her cheeks was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her skin was deathly white and glistened with beads of cold sweat.

Kael hurriedly touched her and checked her temperature.

Hot!

Lizzy’s body temperature was soaring, even though they had just spent such a wonderful, warm day together yesterday.

Kael immediately realized the cause. This high fever had to be the result of accumulated physical exhaustion, extreme mental stress, and severe sleep deprivation over the past several days, when Lizzy had been constantly crying and hurting herself because she believed Kael had abandoned her.

"Kael...?" Lizzy slowly woke, her eyelids half-lowered and heavy with fatigue. She blinked sluggishly, then let out a few small coughs.

Kael gently stroked his wife’s white hair, his face filled with concern.

"Your body is burning up, Lizzy... It looks like you’ve come down with a high fever. Does anything else hurt?"

Lizzy weakly shook her head. In this sickly state, the woman who was usually so energetic suddenly seemed incredibly fragile, helpless, and utterly adorable.

She sneezed several more times, clearly unable to withstand the cold air seeping in through the gaps. Kael immediately got out of bed to fetch some clean clothes and an extra thick blanket.

"Wait here for a moment, sweetheart. I’m not going anywhere."

With careful movements, Kael helped his wife change into warm clothes, tucked the blanket snugly around her up to her neck, and made sure she was lying comfortably.

"Is there anything you want right now? Just tell me, and I’ll do my best to bring it to you."

Lizzy weakly shook her head again against the pillow, her fingers gripping the hem of Kael’s shirt tightly.

"I... I just want to be with you."

Kael smiled sincerely.

"Ah, all right. I understand. In that case, I’ll head to the kitchen for a moment and make you some warm soup."

"Don’t be gone too long..." Lizzy whimpered, acting far more clingy than usual. It was a side of her personality that emerged whenever she fell ill and felt helpless around her husband.

Kael briefly kissed the back of his wife’s hand before hurrying out toward the inn’s kitchen. Since the ingredients available in the communal kitchen were limited, he stepped out to the nearby market to buy fresh vegetables and some quality chicken.

Upon returning from the market, Kael immediately prepared the ingredients in the kitchen and cooked them with great care.

In between stirring the pot of soup, he repeatedly made quick trips back to the room to check on Lizzy, worried that his wife might suddenly become excessively anxious and hysterical again.

However, his fears proved unfounded. Lizzy appeared calm as she rested beneath her warm blanket.

Not long afterward, the savory aroma of chicken broth filled the room. Kael carried a ceramic bowl of steaming hot soup to the bedside.

Lizzy, who had closed her eyes to endure the dizziness, slowly opened them when the appetizing aroma reached her nose.

"Come on, let’s eat first, sweetheart. You need to fill your stomach so you can regain your strength," Kael coaxed gently, helping Lizzy sit up and lean against the headboard.

Kael blew gently on a spoonful of warm soup before bringing it to Lizzy’s lips.

"How is it? Does it taste good?"

Lizzy chewed slowly, her eyes heavy with fatigue, then gave a feeble nod.

"It’s delicious... Anything you cook always tastes good, Kael. I love this food... and I love the person who made it even more."

"Then make sure you finish it, okay? Once your stomach is full, take your medicine and get some good rest so you can recover quickly."

Watching Lizzy become so much quieter, more obedient, and clingier while sick, Kael felt a wave of warmth spread through his chest.

Although he felt deeply sorry to see his wife suffering, deep down, he secretly had to admit that this vulnerable side of Lizzy was incredibly cute, fragile, and soothing.

Outside, the heavy rain continued to pour without showing any signs of letting up.

As he cared for his wife, Kael’s thoughts briefly drifted to another matter.

He recalled the offer Princess Elara had made to him a few days earlier. At the very least, the princess had given him a full month to prepare before he was required to appear before her at the palace.

Elara had also prepared an official contract bearing the royal seal and promised to send part of his advance payment through one of her subordinates soon.

On the other hand, Kael knew perfectly well that the royal court had now officially recognized him as the hero who had put an end to the chaos.

He was also certain to be formally awarded the honorary title of Orc Slayer of Vex City for his contribution to bringing down the enormous monster.

Later, when he finally set foot in the palace to meet the King, he would undoubtedly be showered with generous rewards for saving Vex City, killing the Dark Mage, and foiling his plans.

Although detailed news about his role as the Orc Slayer had yet to spread widely throughout Vex City, since not many people knew about it... once Elara officially announced the news and declared that Kael was aligned with her faction, his reputation would explode, spreading across the entire kingdom in the blink of an eye.

For now, however, he pushed all those ambitions, palace politics, and noble titles far from his mind. His absolute priority today was just one thing: taking care of the woman sleeping beside him until she had fully recovered.

After finishing her meal and taking her medicine, Lizzy lay back down beneath the blanket, softly whining in a hoarse voice.

"Don’t go... Stay here..."

"Yes, I’m not going anywhere, Lizzy. I’ll stay right here with you until your fever comes down completely," Kael promised sincerely.

"Hold me..." Lizzy whispered, her eyes growing teary again as she struggled with the discomfort of aching joints and a heavy head.

Kael let out a sigh filled with affection. He quickly climbed into bed and gathered his wife’s warm body into a tight embrace, giving her the extra warmth she needed to soothe the fever-induced shivering that plagued her.

His touch and the warmth of his embrace proved to be the most effective medicine of all. Lizzy sighed in relief, her breathing gradually becoming steady, and within minutes, she had fallen peacefully asleep again in her husband’s arms.

However, there was one amusing thing that made Kael smile faintly.

Whenever he tried to loosen his embrace even slightly or shift away to grab a glass of water, Lizzy would immediately let out a sad whimper, as if she were about to cry, even while fast asleep.

And the moment Kael pulled her close again, the woman would instantly calm down, her breathing settling into a peaceful rhythm once more.

Kael gazed intently at his wife’s face in the dim light of the room, its windows shrouded by the rain.

He would undoubtedly solve the mystery of her past, find Lizzy’s biological family, and uncover the root of whatever had stolen her childhood and turned her into an assassin.

Whether they belonged to the Empire’s highest nobility or some other prestigious noble family... if it turned out that those people had hurt, abandoned, or cruelly mistreated Lizzy in the past, Kael swore that he would personally come for them and make them pay!

"I have to keep training and grow stronger..." Kael whispered with determination into the silence of the room. "...so that I’ll have the strength to protect Lizzy."