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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: Harrison's Secret
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The moment I opened my eyes in the morning, the news I heard was about Harrison.
“Miss, the guest who was carried in here woke up at dawn.”
Nanny informed me excitedly while tying my hair.
“Really?”
“Yes, you were so worried since he arrived so badly injured, right?”
I hadn’t been too worried because I’d seen him briefly wake up yesterday before falling asleep with a peaceful expression.
“I’ll go see him right away.”
“Will you eat breakfast after seeing the guest? Or would you like to eat together?”
Nanny asked as if she’d expected that.
“Can the guest eat anything?”
Shouldn’t he be careful with food after such a severe abdominal injury?
It felt odd that Nanny was suggesting we eat together.
“He had some soup at dawn, but that’s not nearly enough. After treatment with divine power, you need to eat a lot and well.”
“Is that how it works?”
“Yes. Since it draws on all the body’s strength for healing, you have to replenish your energy. Your body will crave food.”
As expected of a romance fantasy world.
One setting overrides all medical common sense.
Of course, if you needed months of bed rest after divine healing, it wouldn’t be romance fantasy anymore.
‘Come to think of it, it really is amazing.’
I hadn’t noticed yesterday amid the chaos and tension, but that massive wound had healed cleanly in just a few hours.
Magic was wondrous, but divine power was no less astonishing.
Of course, full recovery of health would still take time.
But the huge hole in his abdomen had completely vanished.
‘Long live romance fantasy settings.’
No need to worry even if I get hurt later.
“What would you like to do? Shall I prepare breakfast separately for you, Miss?”
“Hm? Oh, I’ll eat with the guest.”
“Understood. I’ll tell them to prepare plenty. Judging by the guest’s size, he’ll eat a lot.”
After asking Nanny to handle it, I headed to Harrison’s room.
Knock knock.
Since he wasn’t unconscious anymore, I knocked before opening the door.
Harrison didn’t seem to hear the knock. He was leaning against the bed, lost in thought, his face pale.
His expression was extremely heavy, as if he were shouldering all the world’s gloom. I almost felt like I shouldn’t have come.
‘I thought he’d be happy to be alive…’
I couldn’t just leave, so I knocked again.
Only then did Harrison slowly lift his head.
When he spotted me, he startled and forced a smile.
“Ah, you’re here.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
I stepped inside first.
“Yes. The priest healed me, so I have to be. I’m all better. Thank you.”
His voice lacked any strength.
I thought he was finally shaking off the gloom and regaining his confidence.
But he was turning back into the timid Harrison.
How could he become the stoic, cool sub-male lead like this?
“But why do you seem so down? You should be happy if you’re all better.”
“I feel strangely listless. Probably because my stamina’s drained.”
‘Well, it would be weird if someone who just recovered was bouncing around already.’
I sat in the chair near the bed, meant for nursing.
I wondered if now was the time to ask this.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, anything.”
“I want to hear how you managed to show up exactly at that dangerous moment.”
Harrison flinched.
It was a guilty reaction.
‘That’s unexpected.’
For some reason, I basically trusted Harrison.
Not just because he’d been loyal to Luciano until the end in the original story, but because of the personality I’d seen in him.
‘He’s too soft and straightforward to scheme.’
He didn’t seem to have ulterior motives.
I just thought it needed confirming since he’d appeared at such a perfectly timed moment to save Luciano.
But his reaction seemed suspicious.
“…Does His Highness suspect me?”
Harrison’s face grew even more dejected.
“No. Right now, it seems like gratitude is all there is.”
Was it just gratitude?
Loyalty had definitely formed toward him.
But that wasn’t my story to tell. I held back.
‘He needs to experience Prince Luciano’s changed attitude himself to fully savor that joy.’
A brief look of relief crossed Harrison’s face, then it clouded over again.
“Then… do you suspect me, Miss?”
His eyes glistened as if they might spill tears.
It was just one question…
‘Such a tofu-hearted spirit.’
He really was timid beyond his size.
I couldn’t let him burrow into the ground.
“I trust you, Harrison.”
I answered quickly.
At those simple words, life slowly returned to his green eyes.
‘He’s got such an easy-to-read personality.’
I couldn’t imagine this Harrison turning into the mature, overflowing-with-charm character later.
Had I met him too early in his chibi phase?
Of course, his size wasn’t chibi.
“But we still need to understand the situation. How were you able to step in at such a perfect moment?”
Seeing him perk up at my words of trust, I quickly added.
Harrison deflated again and mumbled.
“Actually…”
He glanced at me as he said it.
Actually?
Harrison dragged out the word oddly.
I leaned forward to show I was focused, and he whispered in a voice like he was crawling into a hole.
“I was tailing His Highness.”
“…”
What did I just hear?
I stared blankly, and Harrison bowed his head, avoiding my gaze.
“You were tailing His Highness? Why?”
I’d said I trusted him, and he’d done that?
I must have sent a distrustful look without realizing.
“I absolutely didn’t mean any harm. I was just trying to protect him!”
Harrison startled and defended himself frantically.
‘So you were still tailing him.’
As I stared, at a loss for words, Harrison looked wronged.
His gaze brimmed with resentment, as if I’d asked him to tail Luciano.
“Didn’t you tell me to protect His Highness, Miss?”
Right, I had told him to protect His Highness… Huh?
Wait, what?
“Did I say that?”
Bewildered, I asked again.
“Yes. At His Highness’s birthday party, didn’t you tell me that?”
Harrison answered firmly.
‘When did I?’ I wanted to argue, but he was serious.
I clutched my head for a moment, recalling that day.
Then a certain conversation flashed by.
‘But if it’s what I think it is, something’s off.’
-If you wish it, Miss, I’ll protect you.
Harrison had said it first, like he was doing me a favor.
-No. Not me—you need to protect His Highness.
Something like that.
That wasn’t telling Harrison to secretly follow Luciano around right away!
It meant, you want to protect Luciano from now on!
“That wasn’t what I meant.”
“Wasn’t it?”
Don’t make me even more flustered by asking back like that.
And that was when he became a knight.
Of course, Harrison’s achievement was too great to nitpick.
If Harrison hadn’t secretly followed Luciano.
If Cael had been even a little later.
I didn’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened.
But even if the outcome was good, I had to point it out.
“I never said to secretly tail and protect him. Why would I tell you to do something that could cause even bigger trouble if His Highness found out?”
“Y-You’re right. It would’ve been a disaster if His Highness caught me.”
Harrison seemed to realize the danger late, stammering in panic.
It wouldn’t have been just a disaster—Luciano would’ve kicked him out of his life entirely.
“So, you didn’t have any specific information that made you follow him?”
I’d thought maybe he’d heard something and was on standby, but apparently not.
A shame—I’d hoped he might keep providing info.
“Huh? No. Didn’t you know something, Miss?”
“Me?”
“Yes. The attack happened not long after I started close protection because of what you said.”
Harrison had the wrong idea.
“…I told you, that’s not what I meant.”
You’re the one who misunderstood the conversation.
Since the result was good, it was hard to really scold him.
Just as I tried to let it slide positively.
“Understood. I’ll keep it a secret.”
Secret all of a sudden? What?
Harrison gave another offbeat reply.
And he looked somehow pleased.
‘He’s misunderstanding something ridiculous again.’
I considered correcting him but gave up, not wanting to seem nagging.
“Thanks to you, we could protect His Highness. That’s a relief.”
“Yes. Thanks to you, Miss Espin, we could protect His Highness.”
Harrison replied with a stiff expression.
He didn’t look proud despite saying he’d protected him.
I couldn’t read the emotion behind that rigid face.
Relief?
Or regret?
“You did well.”
Hoping to cheer him up, I gave concise praise.
Compliments were best for gloominess.
‘Hm?’
But Harrison’s reaction was strange.
He froze, then sent a slow gaze my way.
His eyes trembled, as if he couldn’t hide overflowing emotions.
“Did I… do well?”
His voice was hoarse, like a choked sob.
It felt like I’d touched some complicated part of his heart.
‘He must regret saving Luciano after all?’
Harrison’s desire to protect Luciano was genuine.
But taking a sword meant for Luciano was another matter.
Sacrificing your life for someone else wasn’t simple.
Honestly, if I were in his shoes, I wasn’t sure I could throw myself in like Harrison.
Luciano was my precious friend, true.
But my life was just as precious.
So while I thought his action was admirable.
I suspected he might be depressed from regretting it himself.
“You did well. It was something not just anyone could do.”
That was all I could say.
Just those words.
Yet his green eyes shook with emotion.
His eyes grew misty, as if he might cry.
“I see. I did well.”
As if accepting my words.
Or perhaps.
“I did well.”
Muttering it to himself.
Over and over.
And finally, he smiled faintly.
A relieved smile, as if he’d shed a burden from his heart.
