A Broken Body

“…So, how is he?”

“Shh. Please be quiet.”

“S-sorry…”

Reprimanded by the doctor examining Jonah, Carlo scratched his head.

When Priscilla had rushed in pale as a ghost, he had been shocked, but now he had regained some composure.

“…………………………”
“…………………………”

In the corner of the room, Aurora and Priscilla watched with grave expressions.

From the moment they met, they had taken a liking to Jonah; though they sometimes got carried away, they had been diligently caring for him.

Moreover, they had been the first to witness Jonah in agony.

No matter how skilled the maids, it was only natural they would panic.

“Phew…”

Finishing the examination, the doctor stood and let out a deep sigh.

“So, what’s Jonah’s condition?”

“…For now, outside.”

From the doctor’s grim face, it was clear the news was not good.

Carlo left Jonah in Aurora and the others’ care and stepped out with the doctor.

“To be frank, his condition is the worst possible. His pulse is irregular, his heartbeat weak. The other organs and his entire body are in a gravely serious state…”

“…!? No way! Jonah was just smiling and acting normal a minute ago!”

“If that’s the case, then it can only be called a ‘miracle’. Regrettably, he should not even be able to move his body properly.”

Jonah was sharp-minded and calm, but in every other respect he was just like any child his age.

His movements were a little stiff and clumsy, but no one would have guessed he was in such a state.

“I haven’t conducted a detailed examination, so I can’t say for certain, but he has likely been suffering from these symptoms for quite some time… perhaps even since birth.”

“Wh-what do you mean…”

The Jonah who had been perfectly fine just moments ago, and the Jonah the doctor was describing.

They could not possibly be the same person; Carlo’s mind was in utter chaos.

“Crown Prince Carlo, hadn’t you noticed anything in his daily behavior? He must have been enduring pain so severe it would make one wish for death. Were there no signs…?”

“No… or rather, there weren’t any…”

Carlo tried to recall, but aside from the occasional lonely look, Jonah had always been smiling.

Who could ever imagine he had been enduring such pain?

Then—

“Your Highness! Master Jonah—!”

“…!? What happened to Jonah!?”

Carlo and the doctor rushed back into the room.

There, Jonah—still clearly in pain—was desperately reaching out.

At the end of that reach was Jonah’s bag.

“Master Jonah! Here!”

Priscilla grabbed the bag and brought it to his side.

“Ah… m-med… icine…”

“M-medicine!”

Catching Jonah’s fading voice, Priscilla opened the bag and searched inside.

There were two kinds of medicine; she couldn’t tell which one Jonah wanted—or if he needed both.

“Master Jonah! Which medicine…!?”

When Priscilla held out the bottles, Jonah tremblingly took one and threw it into his mouth.

“Nn… nngh…!”

Swallowing the medicine, Jonah closed his eyes and looked up at the ceiling.

After a while, his ragged breathing gradually steadied, and his expression softened.

And then—

“Suu… suu…”

The ashen color finally returned to his face, and Jonah began to breathe in the steady rhythm of sleep.

“…How is he?”

“For now, it seems he has passed the critical point.”

At the doctor’s words, Carlo, Aurora, and Priscilla all let out sighs of relief.

“However, as I said earlier, his body has already reached its limit. The fact that he carries medicine with him proves it.”

“I see…”

The examination complete, the doctor left; only Jonah, Carlo, and the two maids remained in the room.

“You… just how much are you carrying all by yourself…!?”

He was still just a child, yet he had fled the Langheim house to travel alone, his body ravaged by a fatal illness.

And in this small body, he had endured pain that even adults could hardly bear.

“Crown Prince Carlo… please, Master Jonah…”
“Crown Prince Carlo… please, Master Jonah…”

“I know. Until Jonah is well again, he can stay here as long as he likes.”

No matter how much Jonah carried—his body included, no matter what burdens he bore—none of it mattered.

“Jonah… I swear, I will save you…!”

Gazing at Jonah, who kept living with earnest smiles despite his harsh circumstances, Carlo clenched his fists tightly.