The Male Lead's Sickly Aide Is My Type - Chapter 40
Translator and Editor: Nana and Nabi
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Chapter 40
Archen walked silently, following Carinne. He had a depressed look on his face, his eyes fixed on the ground and not saying a word. It was impossible to ask about the secret in this mood.
Carinne, who had been worrying, bit her dry lips and spoke in a cheerful voice.
“I’ve been seeing you a lot lately!”
“….”
“Isn’t it so?”
“…I see.”
He replied belatedly. It was clear that he was answering without even knowing what he was saying.
“What did I just say?”
“….”
He stopped walking and met her gaze. His hazy blue eyes moved from her eyes to her nose and finally down to the ground.
“Oh, no! It’s cold, let’s go quickly.”
As Carinne forced a smile and waved her hand, pulling his arm forward, he weakly followed her as she pulled him. When she let go of his arm, he returned to his previous state, looking like a pilgrim performing a silent pilgrimage.
‘I’m going crazy… how can I lighten the mood? The situation was so bad that I couldn’t even think of what to say. Should I ask about the secret later?’
However, who knew when she would have another chance to see Archen again?
Ah, that was right. Carinne didn’t miss the opportunity to ask.
“And by the way, what happened to the dinner? You said the Duke was inviting me and Iris, but why haven’t we heard anything yet?”
This time, there was a reaction.
He turned his head to where Carinne was and said in a gentle voice.
“The Duke has been very busy lately. Dinner will probably only be possible after the end of the year.”
“Ah, I see… There are only a few days left until the end of the year. Then, I’ll see you soon, right? I mean, at dinner.”
Thank goodness. Even if she failed to find out the secret today, she would have another chance in a few days. Was Archen going to die during those few days? No way, right?
Carinne felt more at ease.
“Well…”
Though he made a puzzled face and trailed off.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to see the Princess again.”
‘…What does that mean?’
Her eyes widened in surprise. He licked his lips and looked embarrassed and confused. When Carinne, who couldn’t wait, urged him for an answer, he opened his mouth.
He gazed down with his eyes.
“I’m going back to my hometown for a while.”
“Hometown?”
Was he ever gone from the original? The feeling was like the author of the original story bringing a hammer and saying, ‘You didn’t know this, did you?’ She felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.
Going back to his hometown… she never thought of that.
“Where is your hometown?”
“That’s…”
Archen swept his bangs roughly and avoided Carinne’s gaze. His golden hair was all messed up, and he only scratched his lips. His appearance seemed to be hesitating whether to answer or not.
“… It’s a little hard to say.”
She knew it, but Carinne wasn’t the type to give up easily.
“Then, how long will you be gone?”
“I don’t know either.”
This was a completely different answer than before. However, the content was unsatisfactory.
“What are you going to do there?”
“Rest.”
“So what exactly are you going to do while resting?”
“….”
“You must have some kind of plan.”
“You’re quite persistent.”
“I’m a little… No, not that. So, there’s nothing you can tell me?”
“….”
He shut his mouth and said nothing.
It was strange. It could be understandable that he wouldn’t tell her where his hometown was since it was personal information.
Still, couldn’t he at least tell her how long he would be gone and what he would be doing there? It wasn’t that she didn’t know that he was an orphan and couldn’t understand why he would go back to his hometown, but she wanted to know more about his reasons.
However, they arrived at the store before she could ask more questions. It was a different store from the one she went to with Iris last time.
Carinne followed the sad-looking Archen to the women’s clothing section.
There were all kinds of clothes there. She rummaged through the hangers and found a fur coat that she liked.
“Archen, look at this. How about this?”
She tried to continue the conversation and lighten the mood. But his answer lacked any soul.
“It suits you well.”
“Then, how about this?”
“That looks good, too.”
“Oh, this one is nice too. What about this?”
“That one is also suitable for you.”
It was like talking to a robot.
Carinne let out a sigh of frustration before she put her lips together and hung the clothes she was holding on the clothes hanger. Simply exchanging words was not enough to change the mood. It was a moment where a clever change was needed.
“Wait here for a moment. I will change clothes and come back.”
She went inside the store and whispered something to the clerk’s ear. The clerk nodded and smiled before doing what she asked.
A little later, Carinne came out wearing different clothes and stood in front of Archen.
This time, he couldn’t ignore her.
“How is it?”
As expected, Archen’s eyes widened and he froze, his lips slightly parted in surprise. How surprised he was, his face instantly lost any trace of sadness.
“What is this…”
“Doesn’t this suit me?”
Carinne was wearing a checkered shirt and corduroy pants. She tied her long, curly hair up and put it in a beret, giving her a mischievous look like a street urchin.
“I’ve always wanted to try it on.”
“But…”
“Oh, come on. No one will know it’s me.”
Carinne handed the blue coat to Archen and looked at the clerk.
“I’ll wear the clothes I have on. Leave the tabs to the Second Duchy.”
Then, she grabbed Archen’s arm and pulled him out of the store. With a smirk, she turned to him and asked.
“Before we go back, do you want to take a look at the flowers?”
“I have to follow the Duke’s orders.”
He hesitated for a moment before answering. His eyes were still fixed on Carinne’s pants.
“Come on, it’ll be fine. Just for a moment. Okay?”
“The Duke won’t be pleased if we’re late… Princess.”
“I don’t know, I don’t care. I don’t care about that.”
She grabbed his arm and happily dragged him along.
Even though he gazed awkwardly at her, his bangs falling over his forehead, he couldn’t bring himself to push her away as she pulled him towards the flower garden. To get to the flower garden, they had to pass through the central square where the fountain was located.
Unlike a little while ago, the central square was now filled with people enjoying the festival. Dancers wearing colorful clothes sprinkled with glitter and vendors selling drinks and food took up their stands. There were also peddlers who were trying to lure pedestrians by offering them services.
Carinne was mesmerized by the falling glitter and snapped out of it. It wasn’t the time to be enjoying the festival.
“Let’s go that way.”
She dragged Archen towards the direction indicated by a sign.
They finally arrived at the Ashite Flower Garden, where fields of blue flowers spread out as far as the eye could see.
Ashite flowers were plants that lived for a year and bloomed in late winter, from spring to early winter. What was interesting was that if they grew Ashite flowers in a greenhouse, they wouldn’t wither even in winter.
The Ashite flowers outside the greenhouse, on the other hand, could be compared to people who were impatient. They couldn’t wait a little longer and withered before the arrival of spring.
People had a festival when the Ashite flowers bloomed and celebrated the end of the year. They blessed themselves for enduring the cold and welcoming the warm spring… At least, that was what Marie told her.
Carinne crouched down on the ground to get a closer look at the flowers.
“They’re so pretty. The color is really blue.”
Five flower petals were hanging together on the flower stem. Carinne brought her nose close to the flower and smelled it. It had a rich and sharp scent.
“It smells good, too.”
When she looked up, Archen was back in his melancholic mode. His gaze was still fixed on the pile of Ashite flowers. He had returned to thinking about his secret.
‘Now’s the time.’
“Archen, you know…”
“You can’t judge by appearances.”
He muttered so softly that she could barely hear him. It seemed he couldn’t hear his own words either.
She didn’t hear what he said and asked nonchalantly.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s the language of flowers. If you mix the juice of Ashite flower petals with other herbs, the mixture becomes so toxic that one drop can kill ten people without any pain. Those who drink it die instantly.”
Archen uttered something shocking as if it were nothing.
Carinne quickly removed her nose from the flower. Suddenly, her spine felt a chill.
“That was a scary, poisonous flower. It’s beautiful, but it’s an ingredient for poison. Whether it’s a person or a flower, you can’t judge by appearance alone. If someone needs this flower, they’ll have to wait another year if they miss this opportunity.”
It was an obscure statement. It was strange to say it was not a poisonous flower, though a medicinal herb. Who would need a flower that was used as an ingredient for poison…
“Wait a minute. Could it be…”
At that moment, a rational suspicion arose.
‘Could it be that the secret he mentioned is actually that he needs the flower?’
Archen’s image of being a submissive person flashed through her mind like flipping through a book. The empty look in his eyes when he was scolded by the mustache guy, the sadness he showed when he heard her question on a rainy day, and the incomprehensible things he said in the dressing room…
“I understand what you’re thinking, but it’s okay. It’s no longer any of my concern.”
The sad expression he had after receiving compliments on their way to meet Marta. The ambiguous expression he had when they looked at the stars together. The commonality between all these events was magic.
The moment Archen was scolded by the mustache guy, he responded with no reaction, and the next words out of his mouth were a sneer that he couldn’t become an imperial mage.
On a rainy day, he became sad when asked why he didn’t use ‘magic.’ The conversation in the dressing room was also related to the imperial mage. The same went for their walk to meet Marta. She had complimented him for his ‘magic skills.’
Now that she thought about it, his face darkened immediately after mentioning magic.
On the day they looked at the stars, he even used ‘magic’ himself, so it was no wonder the thought would linger in his mind all day. On top of that, he had the scent of grass on him from a few days ago. It was clearly a medicinal herb that could be mixed with the Ashite flower.
‘I understand now!’
Carinne felt like she had emerged from a dark tunnel.
That was right. It was because he couldn’t become an imperial mage due to his commoner status and, therefore, couldn’t fulfill his dreams that he fell into depression. Some might say that it was ridiculous to fall into depression because of that, but considering his delicate and sensitive personality, it made sense.
And when she thought back to what happened a few days ago, it made even more sense. It would be strange if he didn’t fall into depression while being persistently harassed like that, and death was closely related to depression and was predictable but unavoidable…
‘How dare the author give my favorite character such a setting?’
Carinne stood up from her seat with determination.
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Mangagirl4
Ahh can’t wait for the next chapter thank you!
Zepelim
Tadinho cara, agora fiquei ainda pior por neném
Obrigada pela tradução