Chapter 64

The third volume of the novel will be released on December 20, so I wrote a special short story to commemorate it!

The result of the vote held on Twitter was that the story from Silas's perspective, which was the most popular last time, has been chosen again!

I hope you enjoy it (*^^*)

The third volume of the novel is a new story that takes place after the third chapter of the web version. You can enjoy it even if you haven't read the third chapter.

In the third volume, the female characters play a significant role. The story revolves around Olivia, who, opposed by the Queen Mother to her engagement with Silas, works hard with Barbara and another reliable supporter!

Not only Olivia, but Barbara is also very cool in the third volume! Please look forward to it!

"Olivia Fainted?!"

Silas threw the documents he was holding and shouted.

While watching the documents flutter down from the ceiling, Colin slowly shook his head with a sigh.

"She didn't faint, she's just resting."

"It's the same thing!"

"How is it the same?"

"She must have fainted and then started resting, right?!"

Ritzburg, who was in the room, was frantically gathering the documents that had fallen to the floor.

The documents Silas had just thrown were quite important, but upon hearing that Olivia was resting, Silas no longer cared about them.

"She didn't faint. According to Taylor, Olivia wasn't feeling well this morning but insisted on coming to the castle to finish her work. After completing her tasks, she began to feel dizzy, so she was allowed to rest in her room—Hey! Your Highness! What about your work?!"

Ignoring Colin's warning, Silas rushed out of the room.

Since she was resting in her room, it meant Olivia was still in the castle.

Given her dazed state, there was no way she could return to the ducal mansion.

Silas ran down the corridor and knocked on Olivia's door five times in quick succession.

The door opened slightly, and Taylor's face appeared.

"Taylor, I heard Olivia fainted."

"She's not fainted, she has a fever and is resting. The castle physician has already diagnosed her with a seasonal cold."

Taylor didn't open the door wide to prevent the cold from spreading.

Silas, unable to see inside the room, grew anxious.

"I want to see Olivia's face."

"Your Highness, you can't. It would be terrible if you caught her cold. The king has ordered her to stay in the castle until she recovers, and the physician will visit her regularly, so she'll be fine."

The castle physicians are among the best in the country.

Taylor assured him that there was no problem since the physician would be treating her, but Silas wanted to be by Olivia's side.

"I'll be fine."

As Silas tried to persuade Taylor to let him in, he heard footsteps approaching.

"Olivia has a fever, and I came to check. Sure enough, you're here."

Turning at the exasperated voice, Silas saw his mother, Barbara, standing there, shaking her head.

"Taylor, I'm sorry for the commotion. Silas, Olivia has a cold, so you can't go into her room. You know that seasonal colds are highly contagious, right?"

"When you had a cold, Father went into your room."

"Please don't bring up your father conveniently only when it suits you."

Silas clicked his tongue at her sharp words.

If it were just Taylor, he might have managed, but with his mother here, it would be difficult to persuade them.

(If I keep making a fuss, Olivia might wake up... I should come back later.)

If he kept arguing, Silas might be put under surveillance.

Deciding to act compliantly for now, Silas told Taylor to inform him if Olivia's condition improved and returned to his office.

Just imagining Olivia with a fever made him restless, but he had to hold back.

(I'll go see the physician and check on Olivia's condition first.)

Silas hurried back to his office, quickly processed the documents Ritzburg was holding, and told Colin he would skip today's practice, then headed to the castle's medical room.

(...Good, no one is here.)

Night.

Silas was looking at the area where Olivia's room was from his balcony.

Although it was a bit of a distance, he could reach it by following the balcony.

He couldn't do it in broad daylight, but at night, when the guards were the only ones awake, it should be fine.

(It feels like I'm a burglar.)

He carefully made his way along the balcony to avoid falling, and finally reached Olivia's balcony. However, he realized his mistake when he got there.

The door was locked.

It was still warm, so Silas had left his window open, but Olivia was a woman. A competent maid like Taylor wouldn't leave her mistress's bedroom window unlocked.

The curtains were also drawn, so he couldn't see inside.

(What should I do...)

Silas didn't know how to enter a locked room.

He had read somewhere that a lock could be picked with two thin wires, but that was for a door lock. The balcony door could only be locked from the inside, and there was no keyhole on the outside.

A burglar might break the glass near the lock, but Silas wasn't there to steal.

If the balcony window was found broken in the morning, it would cause a commotion.

(Give up... No, but...)

He had come this far and wanted at least to see Olivia's face.

The physician had said she would be fine if she rested, but he couldn't help worrying about his feverish lover.

Was she in pain? Was her fever rising? He couldn't settle until he saw her with his own eyes.

Silas sat on the balcony, trying to think of a way to open the lock.

(A way to open a lock without breaking the glass... Hmm... I think I read something about locking a door from the outside, but... I think it needs to be set up beforehand.)

Olivia might know, but she was in the room on the other side of the balcony door.

No brilliant ideas came to mind, but he couldn't give up. As Silas was thinking, a small noise came from inside, and the curtain opened slightly.

Looking up, Silas saw Olivia, with a slightly dazed look, peering out from the gap in the curtain. He quickly stood up.

"Olivia!"

"…Your Highness Silas?"

Her eyes, moist from the fever, were wide with surprise as she opened the balcony door.

"What are you doing here...?"

Even Olivia couldn't have guessed that Silas had come to her room via the balcony at night. She looked at the night sky in confusion and then up at the balcony.

"Did you fall from above...?"

A rather silly question for Olivia.

(Probably because her head isn't working due to the fever.)

Reaching out, Silas gently touched Olivia's cheek, which felt quite hot. Her fever might have risen during the night.

"I'm sorry for waking you, Olivia. But you need to rest. Come, let's go back to your room."

Olivia, who usually would have blushed and panicked, simply nodded and headed to the bed. Taylor was resting in the adjacent room, so Olivia was alone in the room.

When Olivia lay down, Silas noticed a bowl of water and a towel on the bedside table. He wet the towel and placed it on her forehead.

Olivia let out a sigh, seemingly relieved by the coolness.

"Are you okay? Are you in pain? Is there anything you need?"

As he stroked her head, Olivia smiled with her eyes half-closed.

"I'm fine. ...I was a bit lonely, so I'm glad you're here, Your Highness..."

Due to the fever, Olivia said something she usually wouldn't, making Silas blush.

(Oh, what should I do. An honest Olivia is so... No, she's always honest, but...)

Olivia, who was usually shy, rarely said such affectionate words.

While he could sense her feelings from her expressions and gestures, it was still nice to hear them.

Thinking that kissing a sick person was inappropriate, but that a quick kiss wouldn't be too much of a burden, Silas tried to come up with an excuse.

As he hesitated, Olivia let out a small laugh and slowly closed her eyes.

Thinking she was inviting him, Silas leaned in, but stopped just as his lips were about to touch hers.

"...To have you in my dream, I'm so happy."

Silas, who had stopped just a centimeter away from her lips, ruffled his hair.

What was he trying to do to a feverish Olivia who couldn't even tell the difference between a dream and reality?

Feeling self-disgust, he adjusted the towel on her forehead.

"I'll stay by your side in your dream until morning, so rest easy."

Considering Olivia's mental state, it was better to let her think it was a dream.

Although a bit disappointing, he was content just to see her face.

Olivia, who had been smiling happily, soon began to breathe steadily in her sleep.

The next morning, Silas returned to his room via the balcony before Taylor woke up. Two days later, he came down with a fever and had to rest, which was his own doing.

When Barbara came to check on him and asked, "You didn't sneak into Olivia's room, did you?" he couldn't hide it and was scolded, which was also his own doing.

Thank you for reading!

Here are the announcements for the books being released in December:

If you're interested, I hope you'll pick them up (*^^*)

↓Kakuyomu Web Contest 9 Entry↓

☆Title: The Girl Who Lost Everything Blossoms in the Neighboring Country

https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330667744499608

↓Books Releasing in December↓

12/5➡Even Though I'm Supposed to Be a Neglected Princess in the Future, Something Seems Off... (Novel) Volume 2

Label: D Novel f (Shueisha)

ISBN: 978-4-08-632017-7

Illustrator: Yasuyuki Tsuburi

*Book-off exclusive acrylic coaster (paid extra) available

12/18➡I Married the Great Magician ~Though I