Reina's normally quiet room was now filled with the sound of footsteps of servants and palace staff coming and going. The silence of the previous night had turned into a cacophony of excitement. Yosan, who had been lying ill for a long time with slow signs of recovery, finally opened his eyes, bringing a new ray of hope to everyone in the palace.
By the bedside, the palace physician was checking Yosan's pulse with a serious, yet hopeful look on his face. His partially bleached hair combined with the remaining black strands still exuded the old man's aura of authority. He looked like someone who had witnessed many miracles in his life, but this moment still made his heart tremble with anxiety.
The palace physician sighed, adjusting his glasses for a moment before speaking, "It's a good thing you woke up soon, Yosan. Otherwise, it's certain that someone's head would have been cut off for getting you hurt."
Yosan who heard those words frowned, clearly not understanding. "What does Uncle mean? And who will be beheaded?"
The palace physician did not answer, only shrugged while glancing at Reina. His gaze was meaningful, as if instructing Yosan.
"Your Highness." Yosan called softly while looking at Reina. The woman who had been holding his hand immediately tiptoed in surprise. She immediately turned her head in the other direction, reluctant to make eye contact with Yosan.
Feeling Yosan's gaze that seemed to demand an explanation, Reina puffed up her cheeks in annoyance. Her face looked flushed, but she still refused to look directly at him.
Sensing something to hide, Yosan looked at Reina questioningly, while his weak hand grasped Reina's fingers tighter. "Does this have anything to do with you, Your Highness?"
Reina who could not bear that stare finally let out a rough breath, with both cheeks still puffed up in annoyance. "It has nothing to do with me," she replied quickly, though her tone of voice was even more suspicious.
The palace physician smiled faintly, stifling a laugh. "Ah, Her Majesty our Queen is indeed unpredictable. But one thing is for sure, she has already sent half the palace into a panic because of you. If I'm not mistaken, some palace workers have even vowed not to sleep until you open your eyes."
"Uncle is right, Yosan. And if the worst case scenario is that you never wake up again, it's certain that the Lumina Kingdom will be in chaos," chimed in Nils, who had just walked into the room.
"She can't think straight and often overwhelms the people in the palace while you're unconscious," added Beile as he folded his arms, recalling the chaos where Reina would often scold people for no apparent reason, leave some important work unattended, or show excessive sensitivity.
"Until I had to take over some of the kingdom's important affairs because of it." Harzel said in a half-joking tone, glancing at Reina, who just looked away as if she didn't care, though her cheeks were flushed again.
"Love can indeed make people blind." Beile muttered with a chuckle, making Reina glare and stomp on Beile's foot.
Beile screeched in pain. "Your Highness, what are you doing? It hurts, you know! What if my leg develops serious complications? Will you take responsibility?"
Reina glanced sharply at Beile, making the man shrink. "That won't happen. And even if it does, I'll gladly cut off both of your legs," she replied coldly.
"You can't cut off people's legs at random, Your Highness." Yosan admonished, making the defensive Beile feel moved.
"You are indeed my best friend, Yosan." Beile said, teary-eyed, and immediately hugged Yosan tightly. Everyone squealed in shock, sensing the pain Yosan was feeling.
"Mr. Beile, it hurts... don't hug me this tight." Yosan complained.
"Get away from him, you fool! You're hurting him even more." Reina snarled, immediately pulling Beile's body and throwing him backward into the wall.
"Aaa .... I was raped." Beile hugged herself, having found her clothes crumpled and slightly open due to Reina's actions. "You are so cruel ...."
"Shut your filthy mouth, Beile!" snapped Reina, kicking both of Beile's hands that were covering his stomach several times, ignoring the poor man's moans and apologies.
Everyone who witnessed that frowned. "Uh, that looks like it hurts."
Meanwhile, the palace physician returned to treating Yosan, who had winced in pain from Beile's actions.
Satisfied that Beile had been sufficiently battered, Reina stepped away, brushing her hair calmly.
"You three better get to work before I cut your paychecks." Reina added in a stern tone.
Nils, Beile, and Harzel looked at each other with flat expressions. Again the threat of a pay cut.
"You're too much, Your Highness! You can't do that to us! We're the ones who keep working hard, harder than you!" protested Beile immediately standing up with his waist ruffled looking at Reina's annoyance.
"Hmph! That's appropriate. You're just my right arm and leg, nothing more. Unlike me, a queen." Reina retorted while folding her arms with a proud expression.
"You're just my legs, my right and left hands. Not like I'm a queen." Harzel mimicked Reina in a mocking tone, making Nils chuckle.
The palace physician could only shake his head at the interaction between the queen and her three confidants. Their behavior really hasn't changed, he thought as he continued his examination.
"Very well, Yosan," said the palace physician. "Your condition is improving, though you still need a lot of rest. Don't try to get up before I give you permission. Understood?"
Yosan nodded obediently, though his eyes remained fixed on Reina. Unintentionally, however, he noticed something strange. In the doorway, Elexon stood still, watching from afar without approaching like the others. The old man's gaze left Yosan a little puzzled, but he said nothing.
Making sure there was nothing else to worry about, the healer signaled the servants to clean up the medical equipment. Before leaving, he patted Yosan's shoulder gently. "Get some rest. And you too, Your Majesty," he said to Reina before leaving the room.
After the doctor's departure, the room became quiet with Reina sitting on the edge of the bed again and holding Yosan's hand, though she still avoided eye contact.
Yosan smiled a little at Reina's awkward demeanor. In a low but teasing tone, he said, "Are you really worried about me? Like what Lord Nils, Harzel, Beile, and the palace physician said earlier?"
Reina looked at him with raised eyebrows, her cheeks flushed. "Of course I'm worried. You are my servant. How could I not be worried if something happened to you?" she said, trying to sound cool, though her voice trembled slightly.
Yosan chuckled weakly, despite the pain in his chest. "Of course, your poor servant is lucky to have such a caring employer."
"You're right," Reina replied quickly, but the faint smile on her lips revealed another feeling. She let out a long breath before finally looking at Yosan gently. "Don't ever make me worry like this again."
Yosan closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the warmth he felt from Reina's grasp. In his heart, he vowed to take better care of himself, not only for himself, but also for the woman who had shown him how precious life was.