The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

24~ A FEVER

"Ouch. It hurts," I murmured the moment I opened my eyes.

Except for my eyelids, I could barely move any part of my body. My arms were sore, and so did my legs. As for my back, it felt like being pinched by millions of needles. But I expected this to happen, given it was my first time doing physical labor. Although Mez went easy on me by allowing me to hold only one bucket as I ran, it was still hard.

"Miss, the water is here." Lumina's voice echoed throughout the room as she opened the door. "Dila will bring the food later."

I suppressed the urge to groan when I turned my head to the side, watching Lumina carry the ewer and the basin into the room. Although there was no strength in me, I still smiled in satisfaction at seeing her again. Thanks to Valdemir's arrangement, I got to apologize to her last night. And now, we were back to where we once were.

"Alright. I'm getting up," I said, trying my best to bring my sore body up. But when I stepped out of bed, my vision suddenly became blurry, making me fall back onto the mattress. "Oh, no." I closed my eyes as the wave of dizziness hit me.

"Miss, are you okay?" asked Lumina in a worried tone.

"I...my head hurts," I said. My hands were massaging the temple.

Lumina must have walked toward me by now because I could hear her footsteps. Then I sensed her hand on my forehead. "Miss, you're burning hot." She gasped in horror. "I think you have a fever."

Am I? I thought to myself.

I took the temperature with the back of my hand to find that my skin felt hotter than usual.

"You should get back into bed, miss," said Lumina.

"No." I shook my head. "I'll be late. I need to get ready."

"Ready for what?"

"Training." I opened my eyes slowly, waiting to see if another wave of dizziness hit me again. Thankfully, it didn't. "I need to go to the training camp."

"In this state?" She asked with her eyes widened.

"I'm fine, Lumina. This is probably the after-effect of my physical labor yesterday. Everything will be fine after I wash my face and eat breakfast." I got up to my feet. "See? I can stand up now. I'm fine."

"But you—"

"I can't be weak. I'd made a promise to myself that I'd put my heart into the training. I have to do it." I turned to Lumina and took her hands in mine. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

Lumina's eyes were full of hesitation. Still, she nodded. "If you say so."

"Thank you." I squeezed her hand in assurance.

"Breakfast is here, miss." Dila's voice brought our attention to the door.

"Thank you," I looked at Dila with a smile. Then, I looked back to Lumina's. "Both of you can leave now."

"No. I'll stay. I'll help you get ready," said Lumina.

"Don't." I shook my head. "We can't disobey Valdemir's order. Remember. He told me to do everything myself."

"But you're not well today. Can we make an exception?" she asked. "Besides, King Valdemir isn't here. He's out at the border with Sir Gerold. As long as Dila and I don't say anything, he won't know."

After arranging for me to meet Lumina last night, Valdemir came to my room afterward and told me I wouldn't be seeing him for the next few days. He and Gerold needed to go to the border again.

"We can't. I've told you, haven't I? I don't want to stay weak. I need to strengthen myself," I said. "Besides, if we don't obey his order just because he's not here, that's cheating. I can't do that."

"Miss…" Lumina trailed off. Her lips kept opening and closing as if she wanted to say something. Still, there wasn't a single word coming out.

"Go. I'll be alright. I promise that I'll take care of myself." I smiled, hoping it would help to convince her.

"Come on, Lumina. If that's what Miss wants, we have to respect her decision," said Dila as she came to stand next to Lumina and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Alright." Lumina sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat. "But you have to promise me one thing, Miss."

"What is it?" I asked.

"If you're feeling unwell, you must tell Miss Mez right away. You mustn't endure the pain and let it get worse."

"Okay. I promise." I smiled.

And with that, Lumina and Dila left the room, closing the door behind them. I dragged my feet toward the ewer and basin with heavy breathing, finding the distance from my bed to the table was farther than usual. By the time I reached my destination, I was almost out of breath. It seemed this fever was more severe than I'd thought.

You can do it, Lae. Be strong. An encouraging voice popped up at the back of my head.

"Yes. I can do it," I said aloud. "I won't let them look down on me just because I was the only human in the training camp."

Yesterday, a rumor said that having me join the training was a waste of time. They said that my presence would drag them down. So, I had to prove them wrong.

"No pain, no gain. You're not the old Lae anymore. Time to face new challenges," I muttered to myself and took a deep breath to calm down. Then I washed my face, got dressed, and ate breakfast, trying my best to ignore the feverish sensation in my body.

After getting ready, I walked out of my room with my shoulders hunched and my teeth chattered. I wasn't sure if it was just me or the weather was way too cold, but the air felt like freezing. Even with the thickest dress and cloak, I couldn't stop my body from shaking.

"You look pale today. Are you okay?" asked Edward as he stood waiting at the causeway of my secluded castle.

"I'm fine. See?" I straightened my back and moved my hands and legs to prove that I was alright, even though my muscles screamed the word pain inside my head.

"Are you sure?" He narrowed his eyes on me. It was as if he wasn't convinced.

"Come on. Let's hurry. I don't want to be late. Mez promised she would teach me how to use a bow. Now that I finally get to learn archery, I won't miss it for the world." I walked past him.

I tried my best not to limp, hoping he didn't notice my fever.

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