Chapter 54

Third Person’s POV

Lena rushed through the castle halls with Miu still unconscious in her arms.

Servants, guards, and attendants alike turned their heads as she passed. The usually composed queen was moving with a speed and urgency that few had ever witnessed before, her long strides echoing sharply against the marble floors.

It was almost as if she wasn’t carrying any weight at all.

“DALIAH!” Lena’s voice rang through the corridors.

Behind her, Earn hurried to keep up. The knight had already offered to carry Miu when they arrived at the palace, but Lena had been too frantic to even acknowledge the offer. Her focus had been entirely on getting inside as quickly as possible.

“DALIAH! WHERE ARE YOU?!” Lena called again, her voice louder this time.

At the far end of the hallway, a door suddenly opened.

“Yes! I’m here, Your Majesty!”

Daliah emerged in a hurry, nearly breaking into a run as she approached them. Despite her age, she moved as quickly as she could.

“Miu collapsed!” Lena announced the moment they closed the distance.

Daliah gasped when she saw the unconscious woman in Lena’s arms.

“Oh dear! Hurry, we must lay her in bed!”

Without wasting another moment, Daliah turned and began leading the way toward the Queen’s chambers—a room that had long since become the shared space of the newlywed queens.

The doors swung open, and Lena stepped inside.

She moved straight to the bed and carefully lowered Miu onto the soft mattress, adjusting her position with a gentleness that sharply contrasted the urgency she had shown moments earlier.

Daliah quickly stepped forward, pulling the blanket over Miu before placing two fingers against her wrist.

The room fell quiet as she checked the pulse.

After a moment, Daliah exhaled softly.

“Her pulse is strong,” she said calmly. “She appears to be in a deep sleep.”

Still, the elderly caretaker continued her examination, brushing Miu’s hair aside while checking her forehead, neck, and arms for fever or rashes.

Across the room, Lena paced restlessly.

“But she fainted,” Lena muttered, running a hand through her hair before turning sharply. “We shouldn’t take this lightly. Bring Dr. Fahlada here immediately.”

Daliah’s expression softened with regret.

“I’m afraid the royal doctor is currently in Cambridge for a charity drive,” she said carefully. “It will take no less than six hours for her to return.”

Lena stopped in front of the tall window.

Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth in frustration.

One hand rose instinctively to her chin as she stared across the room at Miu lying quietly on the bed.

Her jaw tightened.

“Earn.”

The queen’s voice finally broke the silence again.

Her eyes never left Miu.

Earn straightened instantly.

“I want you to head out and go to Dr. Fahlada at once,” Lena ordered. “The moment she finishes her errands, drive her straight back here to the palace.“

“Understood, Your Majesty,” Earn replied firmly.

“Use a royal car,” Lena continued. “Take a convoy with you so you can secure a right of way.”

Earn nodded and turned toward the door, ready to leave.

But just as she reached it—

“Earn.”

The knight stopped and looked back.

For the first time since they had arrived at the palace, Earn clearly saw Lena’s face.

The queen’s gaze was still fixed on Miu.

But the expression she wore now… was not the steady composure of a ruler. It was something far more vulnerable.

“Please hurry,” Lena said quietly. “I’m worried.”

Earn held the look for a moment. Then she bowed her head once.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

And without another word, she rushed out of the room.

—

As the hours slowly passed, Lena never once left Miu’s side.

The room had grown quiet as the day faded into evening. The golden light from the setting sun filtered softly through the tall window, stretching long shadows across the floor of the chamber.

Lena sat beside the bed the entire time.

Not a single moment had she stepped away.

Her eyes remained fixed on Miu’s sleeping figure as her thoughts circled endlessly in her mind.

At the center of them all was one thing.

Self-blame.

“I should’ve been more careful…” Lena muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible in the quiet room.

Her head hung low.

She knew Tungsten’s rehabilitation was no simple task. Even though she had assigned several capable people to assist Miu, the responsibility had still rested heavily on her shoulders.

And Miu… never knew when to stop.

Yet she had allowed it. Allowed her to return to Tungsten. Allowed her to walk the fields from dawn until dusk.

“How can I be so careless?” Lena murmured as she leaned forward, resting her forehead against her clasped hands.

Her eyes closed tightly as frustration tightened in her chest.

It wasn’t just exhaustion that worried her.

The dangers in Tungsten were far from gone.

The Ducaines could still be lurking somewhere within the outskirts.

And worse—

“What if she caught some kind of plague?” Lena breathed anxiously.

The thought immediately sent another wave of worry through her mind.

The slums had only recently begun to recover. Illness spread easily in places like that.

Lena straightened slowly, her gaze drifting back to Miu’s pale face resting against the pillow.

Right.

That was it.

Once she woke up, Lena would forbid her from going back there.

Every discussion, every report, every decision regarding Tungsten could be handled here within the palace walls. There was already more than enough work to be done without adding constant travel between the city and the capital.

The long rides alone must have been exhausting.

Once she wakes up… I will—

“Hmmm…”

The quiet murmur beside her cut through her spiraling thoughts.

Lena’s head snapped up instantly.

Her eyes locked onto Miu.

For a moment, she didn’t even breathe. Then slowly—very slowly—Miu’s eyelashes fluttered.

Her eyes opened.

Lena remained completely still as she watched her.

Relief surged through her so suddenly that it left her frozen in place, as though moving might somehow break the fragile moment.

Miu blinked a few times, her gaze slowly wandering across the room as if trying to understand where she was.

Eventually, her eyes found Lena. A faint smile touched her lips.

“Good morning…” she said weakly.

Lena’s breath caught.

Then Miu turned her head slightly, noticing the fading orange light of the sky visible through the window behind Lena.

“Oh…” she murmured softly. “Is it evening already?”

Lena’s jaw tightened as she watched Miu slowly push herself up from the bed.

“Do not push yourself,” Lena said immediately.

She stood and moved closer before Miu could strain herself any further, carefully lifting the pillow behind her and adjusting it so Miu could lean back comfortably.

“How long was I asleep?” Miu asked, her voice still faint.

Lena sat down on the edge of the bed and exhaled slowly.

“Not for long,” she replied. “Are you feeling alright?”

Miu studied Lena’s face as she spoke. The tension in her expression was impossible to miss—the tightness in her brow, the stiffness in her shoulders, the way her eyes never left Miu’s face as if checking for signs that she might faint again.

Miu realized then that Lena must have been terribly worried earlier.

So she smiled. A warm, reassuring smile.

“Yes, I feel fine,” Miu said gently.

A weak chuckle slipped from her lips.

“I must have been more tired than I realized to fall asleep so suddenly,” she added, still smiling.

Instead of relaxing, Lena’s expression twisted into something sharper.

Her lips pulled into an unintentional pout as she glared at Miu. “You could at least pay half as much attention to your own body as you do to your duties!”

The sudden rise in Lena’s voice made Miu flinch.

Lena gasped immediately afterward, realizing what she had just done.

The room fell into an awkward silence. Neither of them spoke.

Then Miu’s lower lip began to tremble slightly.

“I…” Lena started, but the words faltered in her throat.

Before she could recover, Miu quietly pulled the blanket up around herself and slowly lay back down, turning her back toward Lena.

“Well,” Miu said softly, “I’ve never felt like this before anyway.”

She kept her back facing Lena as she continued.

“I did feel a bit tired… but not enough for something like this to happen.”

Lena frowned.

“A bit tired?” she repeated incredulously. “You’re driving me insane.”

She leaned forward slightly, frustration spilling out before she could stop it.

“Why are you pushing yourself like this? There’s no need for you to rush things in Tungsten. You can take your time. Take care of your health and—”

A soft laugh suddenly interrupted her.

Lena blinked in confusion.

She stared at Miu’s back.

Sure enough, Miu’s shoulders were trembling slightly as she tried to muffle her laughter beneath the blanket.

Lena huffed in disbelief.

Just as she was about to scold her again, Miu slowly turned her head—just enough for her eyes to meet Lena’s.

“Is this you being worried about me?” Miu asked lightly.

A teasing smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “It is, isn’t it?”

Lena simply stared at her.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then she let out another quiet huff. But instead of answering—

She leaned forward.

And gently pressed her lips against Miu’s.

Miu froze instantly.

The soft contact lasted only a few seconds, but it felt far longer than that.

It was the first kiss they had shared since their wedding night.

But that night barely counted.

Lena had been drunk.

This time… she wasn’t.

When Lena finally pulled away, her eyes remained fixed on Miu’s stunned expression.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips.

“How did I…” she murmured softly, “…end up falling in love with someone who worries me this much?”