The Male Lead's Sickly Aide Is My Type - Chapter 25
Translator and Editor: Nana and Nabi
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Chapter 25
“Are you okay?”
He looked as if he had pulled an all-nighter for several days.
She had never seen such dark circles under someone’s eyes before. It was like he had panda eyes.
“Didn’t you sleep?”
“I’m… fine.”
Archen’s tired blinking did not make it convincing at all.
He stood by her side until Carinne and Iris climbed into the carriage, although he was supposed to be the one who needed help. When she tried to get into the carriage, he swayed, and she had to support him to help him find his balance.
“You didn’t stay up for three nights straight, did you?”
“….”
Although he didn’t say anything, his reaction felt like an affirmative gesture to her. At the same time, Fragments of the original story briefly flashed through her mind like a panorama.
He had been weak before, and there had been a few occasions when he fell ill after being burdened with excessive work. She worried that it was because of her who caused him to fall ill unnecessarily. Looking at him, Carinne thought she should talk to Duke Lucas and ask him to take care of Archen after the trial.
Lost in her thoughts, she held him back for a moment, but during that time, Archen nodded briefly, as if waking up from a short nap.
“Feeling a bit sleepy. Besides that, I’m fine.”
He offered an unsolicited response.
Maybe he had just dozed off for a moment. It didn’t seem like he was only a little sleepy. His previously blue eyes were now red and bloodshot, resembling a rabbit’s eyes.
Carinne looked at him with concern before withdrawing her hand from his blue coat.
“Please get in quickly. We don’t have much time.”
Urged by his words, she boarded the carriage without taking her eyes off him, fearing he might stagger again.
Archen, with his eyelids half-closed, followed her into the carriage.
Iris lived on the outskirts of the capital city. It took about an hour to reach the palace, and throughout the journey, Archen dozed off, resting his head against the carriage wall and occasionally jerking awake with each bump on the road.
It seemed like he was dozing off and waking up repeatedly. However, as time passed, the frequency of his jerking reduced. Eventually, he fell into a deep slumber, appearing as if he had passed away.
Carinne quietly gazed at the sleeping Archen.
She recalled his face, pale like it had been on the day they saw the stars. Though less intense, he was still as wan now. There were only two touches of color on his currently lackluster face–a shadowy hue under his eyes and a faint pinkish tint on his lips. Other than those two, there was no color to be found on his face.
He looked like a patient afflicted with a terminal illness.
Even though she loved the delicate charm of the fragile man, seeing him in such a weakened state, worry overshadowed any romantic feelings.
“He looks incredibly exhausted.”
As Iris opened her mouth with concern, Carinne nodded in agreement. She felt sorry for being upset about not hearing from him, as he must have been deeply asleep.
“He must have worked very hard. Maybe it’s all because he likes you so much.”
Iris speculated.
This time, Carinne couldn’t nod.
“What do you mean?”
“If he didn’t like you, would he have worked so hard like this?”
“Iris?”
“Yes?”
“Could you please be quiet?”
Seeing her grimacing expression, Iris closed her mouth while Carinne quickly checked Archen’s face. Fortunately, he was deeply asleep. His eyelids were tightly shut, not even showing the slightest movement.
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“You can’t talk like that when the person is right in front of you. What if he hears you?”
“Oh, really? I’m sorry.”
Iris sheepishly smiled.
‘Enough with the talking.’
Carinne grumbled and turned her gaze out the window.
Although he had tried to help her, it didn’t mean she could jump to conclusions that he liked her. She didn’t doubt for a moment that they were friends. Despite the change in Archen’s attitude towards her, it didn’t necessarily mean he had romantic feelings for her.
Even if he did develop such feelings, it might happen later.
In the meantime, Iris seemed to have realized she should be careful and remained silent for the rest of the journey.
How much time had passed? Finally, the carriage arrived at the palace.
“Wake up.”
Even though the carriage had stopped, Archen didn’t wake up, so Carinne had to shake him. After saying ‘wake up’ three times and shaking him five times, he opened his eyes.
“Oh, I dozed off.”
He seemed flustered and avoided looking into her eyes. After helping Carinne and Iris to disembark, he also got off the carriage. Perhaps thanks to the short nap, he didn’t waver this time.
“The courtroom is over there.”
He led the way towards the main gate of the palace. The trial took place in the grand hall of the palace.
With trembling hearts, Carinne followed Iris and Archen into the hall. The news that the Second Duchy could disappear into history sparked curiosity among many people. They pushed through the crowd, making their way to sit beside Duke Tricia.
As the Duke was seated on the left, an elderly man with a white beard that reached his chest sat on the right.
It was the first time Carinne had seen this grandfatherly figure.
Lastly, the King sat on a raised platform in the center, his face stern as he rested his chin on his hand. Although it was called a trial, in reality, there wasn’t much to it. It involved representatives from Duke Tricia’s side and the bearded man’s side presenting their arguments, and then the King would listen and make a ruling.
Duke Tricia caught sight of Carinne and brightened his expression.
“My daughter, your father believes only in you.”
“….”
She didn’t reply.
Duke Tricia hadn’t been of much help in resolving the matter. Even when she mentioned Archen’s assistance, he seemed more focused on exclaiming, “My daughter is amazing!” and squeezing her cheeks like a pastry.
Because of that, she had no expectations from Duke Tricia whatsoever.
“Now, quiet! We will begin the trial.”
The hall, which had been chaotic, fell silent at the King’s words. People who were leaning forward to get a closer look at the tragic protagonist froze in surprise and stood still.
“By the way, it would be better if anyone were to refrain from making absurd arguments claiming that people don’t understand the ancient laws. Yesterday, we found an interpretation that has been passed down through generations within our imperial family. It’s only allowed to be read by the imperial family.”
What?
‘So, they’re going to keep the interpretation to themselves?’
Although she hadn’t personally prepared for the trial, having access to the interpretation would have made the preparation much smoother. The King had little flexibility, or rather, none at all. How could such a person be king of a country?
“How unfortunate.”
“Quiet, please.”
Carinne murmured under her breath and saw Archen. When she glanced up, he appeared as calm as usual. The drowsy figure from the carriage was nowhere to be seen, and instead, his blue eyes sparkled brightly.
While the dark circles were still there, his mind seemed perfectly clear.
“Who will speak first?”
The man with the beard raised his hand. When the King nodded, the white-bearded grandfather sitting beside the bearded man began to speak.
“Ahem, according to the ancient law provisions, it is written that any promise made in the ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ must be kept without fail. Failing to do so could cost one’s life, as it is also written.”
“So, this is a very simple problem that doesn’t even require a trial. Duke Tricia made a promise in the ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ during a bet to pay ten billion gold if he lost, and he lost. So, he must either pay ten billion gold or pay with his life.”
The man with the beard sneered from the side. Seeing that, Carinne couldn’t contain her anger and shouted.
“But ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ written in the law surely refers to the secret meeting room in the palace, doesn’t it? I heard that the name of the secret conference room in the Imperial Palace was ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ in the past. Naturally, that’s what it’s referring to.”
During her stay at Iris’ house, she hadn’t just been idling around. Based on the information Duke Tricia provided, she investigated various things and found significant help in Iris’ house, which had a library-sized bookshelf due to Iris’ love for books.
After delving into books related to ancient times, Carinne finally discovered what ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ originally meant.
At first glance, ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ seemed like a place where dragons lived, but it was, in fact, a different name for the secret meeting room in the ancient capital. The reason a law was established that breaking a promise in the ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ would cost one’s life was that people in ancient times had a rough temperament and didn’t trust each other, making lying as common as eating food.
Therefore, the ancient King of Esmeril, hoping to avoid lies even in the secret conference room, designated it by law. However, what a coincidence that Duke Tricia and the bearded man gambled in a tavern called ‘Dragon’s Cradle.’
“The ancient law does not precisely specify what ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ refers to. Therefore, it could refer to either the secret meeting room in the palace or a tavern.”
The white-bearded grandfather concluded while stroking his beard.
Cunning, indeed. So, the bearded man and the white-bearded man were taking advantage of the ambiguity in the ancient law to stubbornly insist that ‘Dragon’s Cradle’ refers to a tavern.
“What? Are there such ambiguous laws? Then, if I put up a sign here saying ‘Dragon’s Cradle,’ would that law apply? And you say the ancient laws are outdated and not in use!”
“So, is there a law that says we can’t use the ancient laws? Hmm.”
“Well…”
Carinne wasn’t a legal expert, so she had no idea. Looking at her, the King looked at the quiet her and asked.
“So, is Duke Tricia’s side’s argument all there is?”
“No, it’s not.”
It was Archen’s voice. He stepped forward and began to speak with a clear voice.
“You said the promise was made inside a tavern, right? Was it inside the tavern building?”
The courtroom fell deathly silent. No one could figure out the intention behind his question. Others seemed just as puzzled as Carinne, as they saw question marks on the faces of those watching the trial and even the king.
“Ah, I made a mistake. I suppose everyone was wearing shoes, right?”
Despite thinking that he was asking some strange questions, Carinne listened attentively to what he was saying. Since she trusted him implicitly, she wasn’t worried or anxious. Rather, she was just curious why he was using such strange phrasing to convey his point.
As the silence dragged on, people in the courtroom began to whisper to each other, exchanging confused glances with the king.
The bearded man, however, was an exception.
“What are you trying to say? It seems like you’re just blabbering out of sleepiness.”
He mocked.
While Archen did look quite tired, but… what was this man saying? Carinne almost lost her composure, trying to stand up from her seat but quickly sitting back down. She knew causing a commotion in front of the king would lead to nothing good.
In the meanwhile, Archen didn’t seem to pay much attention to the bearded man’s sarcasm and continued to speak.
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Zepelim
Vai la! Pisa neles!!!😈👹
Andi
I seriously am wondering if Archen is a fairy. Like.. in a little mermaid type story, he became human, maybe? There’s just something too strange about how the Duke’s thoughts about Archen seem to be fleeting and everyone seems to forget Archen even existed after he was gone, even the readers somehow. Plus, it seems like his vitality is being magically drained.
Mangagirl4
Ahh yes I can’t wait for the next update, take him down Archen!!
Daisy Duke
Archen is the best! Ty for the translations.