Red String (Series #1) \\ Ateez ✔

xix. andromède

JANGMI

Later that night, I found myself inside the unfamiliar walls of a distinct chamber while attending to an unconscious man nestled in the large bed.

Our bed, to be exact.

The elevated walls of the bedroom are darkly painted, the ceilings are grey and the room is wafted with a single candle and lavender incense. I sat on the stool beside the bed whilst looking at the Second Prince with weary eyes.

And out of the blue, the Prince gradually turned his head on mine, blinking profusely.

Our eyes met, the black of his irises looking back at me with an unexplainable emotion. Expecting him to get furious that I was here, instead, I was taken aback when he weakly smiled at me.

A smile that held so much warmth.

"Mimi?" He called out to me, his voice low and hoarse.

Hearing the sudden name, I can only sit still in perplexity. That's not my name.

"You're here." He slowly reached out to poke my cheek. "You're pale."

My lips parted at the sudden move, almost could not believe that the man in front of me was the same infamous man everyone called the Malicious Star.

It was an uncanny sight to see the Prince lovingly say a certain name, after all. The emotions I see in him on a daily basis are completely the opposite.

The Prince was slashed with a molten sword during the incident. His injury wasn't that alarming, but the unbearable pain of the scorching sword was enough to make him unconscious and momentarily confined in the bed.

"Please rest," I told him whilst making sure the blankets were steady on his body.

Midnight struck and I continued sitting at the edge of the bed where he slept peacefully. Both of my hands rested under my chin, my gaze never leaving him as if I would miss a single move or a complaint of discomfort in his body.

Guilt crept in. I was the reason for this. Trying to overlook my remorse, I turned down sleep and decided to shoulder the burden of keeping an eye on him throughout the night.

Even so, often. I would replace the damp cotton fabric on his hands and temples and frequently check his forehead or palms to see if his fever has passed. His temperature was not going down anytime soon.

I released a long sigh as tiredness crept into me but again, I still refused to sleep.

The Prince's previous natural tanned skin morphed into a pale complexion. His black raven hair that draped on his pillow was ruffled and slightly wet from the damp cloth. His sculpted face was serene as he slept like he was vulnerable to pain.

While I was completely immersed and drowned in my thoughts. It took me aback when the figure sleeping on the bed was stirring awake.

A low grunt destroyed my thoughts, my attention was finally on the man slowly regaining his consciousness.

Seonghwa's eyelids trembled slightly, his lashes starting to flutter and his eyes then slowly opened.

He must have sensed a presence at his bedside and locked his gaze on the grey ceiling before moving his gaze in the direction where I sat.

"Good to see you're finally awake, Your Majesty," I told him with a gentle voice.

Seonghwa's eyes widened as he seemed to register the situation. My eyes dimmed with confusion as he tried lifting his body, only to be slammed by an agonizing pain as a result of his groaning in discomfort.

"Take it easy." I hastily told him whilst ushering his body to lay back down.  "You shouldn't get up yet. You're still recuperating."

"What are you doing here?" He coldly spat whilst eyeing me up and down.

I merely sighed before reaching out to grab the damp fabric from the metal basin. "Looking after you,"

"Why-"

"This is not the time for you to act up. Of course, I am here, I am your doctor after all ain't I?"

He seemed to want to banter back but he then bit his tongue and quickly averted his gaze away from me.

"This is a minor wound," His tone carried the same coldness as usual, totally the opposite as he was earlier. Attempting to ignore his coldness by placing a damp cloth on his forehead, he instantly shooed my hands away.

"Yes, a minor wound." I retorted calmly. "A wound that caused you a fever that isn't going down anytime soon."

At the mention of fever, he instantly held his hand on his temples and was dawned with the realization that he had indeed fever. Horror etched his face but I interrupted him. "No, this fever is not from the poison,"

"That doesn't make it any less good."

"I know, so please don't push me away. I'm here for you and I'm not going to leave you alone" He was too weak to argue with me and I took the hint that he was finally giving in.

When he closed his eyes once again. My hands worked skillfully on submerging a damp cloth in a basin full of ice and mint since I'd be plastering it on his temples. It would be of great help to relieve the warmth in his body.

Out of the blue, my fingers then held his hands, the coldness of my fingertips colliding with the warmth of his skin. My eyes widened as if there was a bulb of light that illuminated the top of my head.

I reached out both of my hands and clasped them. My lips turned into a frown when I realized this was a bold move to make when I could've taken advantage of the cloth instead. Pulling my hands away, I gasped in surprise when he suddenly pulled my hands closer to his palms and clasped them tightly.

Was he asleep? My mouth parted in disbelief. He must've found comfort in the coldness of my hands and sought for it when it disappeared.

My hands were benefiting his searing palms so I continued staying in the same position for what seemed like forever. Numbness crept in my arms and longing for sleep was the only thing I could ever think of, and taking me by surprise— Seonghwa began to groan in his sleep, sweat trickling in his temples as he struggled whilst being engulfed with such heat.

I realized that this was no longer the same fever earlier, this was the fever agitated by the poison inside of him. Getting into my shoes I instantly grabbed a vial in my pocket, popped it open placed it at the edges of his mouth and watched it seep in slowly. Panic was the only thing I was feeling as he groaned and sweat continuously trickled on his temples and travelling down to his neck.

I couldn't feel relief even after the medicine was given to him, without a single thought or reconsideration of my actions. My body tirelessly crept into the bed beside him and encircled my arms around his body.

As I lay beside him, his head naturally nestled in my neck as I embraced him closer and tighter. I certainly did not choose this. But my reluctance of letting him suffer from his raging fevers left me with no choices.

Ease flowed in me when I could feel how his body started to no longer feel warmer than it used to. Deciding to get up after a few minutes, yet unbeknownst to me— I fell asleep with him in my arms.

..