Wife of The Demon Prince
Chapter 162: Watching over her

Chapter 162: Watching over her

Merek carried Anne in his arms running down the hill. She was lighter than he’d expected, but she was burning up while shivering. Why the heck did she even come out today when she wasn’t feeling well?

Merek’s expression darkened as he could feel her body trembling in his arms, she held on to his shirt tightly with her eyes closed as he was running down in full speed.

"Merek...you are going too fast, be careful not to fall." Her voice was faint in his ears.

"Don’t worry, am almost there!" He increased his speed and she clung on tightly. Anne couldn’t help but smile at the fact that Merek cared this much for her, the worry in his tone and how flustered he seemed warmed her heart. Even though she was feeling this much cold...She still wished he would hold her in his arms like this forever. If she were to die this way...

She’d gladly die happy in his arms. The cold was too intense to the extent she felt pain in her bones.

Merek finally reached the carriage, where the coachman was also drenched completely. He quickly managed to open the carriage door not waiting for the coachman and stepped inside with Anne.

The coachman was taken aback seeing the mistress in the servant’s arms, but he didn’t comment and quickly snapped the reins for the horses to start moving.

Merek didn’t know what to do to stop Anne from trembling, so he just simply hugged her to his body to give her some body warmth. After a long ride and difficulties, the carriage finally reached the Boxton mansion in the downpour. Without wasting time, Merek took her straight to her room while instructing Maya to follow him on the way.

The rain was pouring heavily outside, hitting the roof in full force.

Maya panicked seeing Anne’s condition, she knew the mistress wasn’t feeling well, but now in the downpour, there was no way to get a physician to the mansion to treat her. Moreover, the general or the young Lord weren’t at home at the moment, and she was sure they wouldn’t be coming back tonight with the heavy rain.

"Change her wet clothes, I’ll be back in a minute." Merek instructed Maya, who quickly nodded and started to look for another set of clean clothes for Anne.

Merek left the room, and few minutes later he came back in changed dried clothes with his hair still damp. He walked towards Maya, who was adding more blanket to the trembling Anne. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw she hadn’t stopped trembling yet, she looked pale with her eyes closed.

"Get me some warm water and a towel immediately." He instructed Maya, his normally calm voice tinged with unease, Maya left and soon came back with a bowl of warm water and a small towel. Merek took it from her and she left him alone with Anne to go close the windows in the mansion, which the butler had instructed her to do before coming here.

Merek slowly sat at the bedside and glanced at her chattering teeth, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy seeing her in such a condition. If he knew it was going to rain, he wouldn’t have let her go out today!

He soaked the towel in the warm water and slightly squeezed the water out of it before using it to wipe her forehead. He repeatedly did the same thing until the warm water turned cold. The trembling finally stopped a bit, but he heard her murmur hushly,

"Merek...am cold..."

"I’ll raise the heat in the fire place, so you should feel better in a little while."

Merek stood up and strode to the fire place, he added more woods to increase the heat in the room. He then walked back to the bedside and stared down at her fragile curled up body. He had never felt this kind of anxiety for someone before. He’d witnessed death countless times, and many by his own hands. Death was not new to him, and he had become numb to any feelings of grief or worry.

However, for the first time in his life he was worried about someone. He couldn’t watch to see her in pain...

"I am still cold...I want my sister. She always sleeps beside me whenever I get cold..." Anne murmured her voice sounding like it was about to fade out with her eyes still closed. Merek noticed a tear rolled down one of her cheeks. He frowned at the sight before he placed his hand on her forehead to feel her temperature.

He sighed in relief knowing she wasn’t that hot like before, but it hadn’t gone back to normal. He slowly wiped away the tear on her cheek. He heard her murmured again, "Please, don’t leave me, Merek. Stay here with me..." She said as she drew his hand and hugged it to her body, making him lean in. He hesitated a bit before sitting down completely beside her on the bed with his head leaning against the headboard.

The warmth and softness of her body against his arm was the first pleasing body contact he’d ever experienced with the opposite gender in his entire life. In Merek’s black orbs were a flicker of embarrassment as the tips of his ears slightly turned pink.

Soon, Anne’s breath turned steady as it seemed she’d finally fallen asleep still hugging his arm.

However, her temperature wasn’t back to normal yet, they’d still need a physician to check up on her tomorrow.

__

Anne started to stir in her sleep because of the loud voices in her room. How long had she been sleeping? Her eyes were still closed and her vision was dark so she couldn’t see the faces of the people in her room. However, she could vaguely make out an unfamiliar voice speaking,

"Her fever has gone down. It’s not that serious anymore. You should give her those medicines once she’s awake."

Who’s voice was that? Where was Merek? A familiar voice spoke next, it was the angry voice of her father,

"Butler, why on earth did you let her go out alone?! How dare you allow a mere servant accompany her outside the mansion without guards! What if something worst would have happened?"

Even without seeing his face, Anne knew that he was terribly angry. The butler’s terrified voice came next, "I apologize for my incompetence, my Lord. The mistress had insisted on being alone. I am sorry I let her go with the servant."

"I’ve heard words about that servant always being around Annette. I don’t want that young man near my daughter ever again, unless you want to face the consequences!"

Anne wanted to get out of bed and face her father, Merek wasn’t just a servant, he was the man she’d choose to be with, but she couldn’t because she was listening to everything in her subconscious mind. The atmosphere in the room continued to crackle but fortunately, it was Henry’s calm voice that spoke next,

"Enough, father. It’s nobody’s fault that your daughter insisted to go out with the servant alone, besides Maya told me the servant had helped Anne’s fever go down last night. You shouldn’t blame the butler nor the servant for this. It’s your daughter’s fault, don’t make a big fuss, I’ll make sure to add more guards to watch after her from now on."

Despite Henry’s assurance, her father’s displeased voice rang again, "If there’s nobody to properly watch after my daughter, I think it’s time I send her to Zari to live with my sister, Muriel will look after her like a mother, since Arabella is no longer in the mansion."

"That would be much better then, father. Aunt Muriel will be so happy to have Anne live with her in Zari."

Their words about sending her to Zari struck a blow to Anne’s heart. She doesn’t want to live with their aunt. No! She wouldn’t leave!

With that thought in her mind, Anne fell into another slumber once again. Sounds drifted in and out of her consciousness, from the voices of the maids wandering around to the voice of the physician, whose face she hadn’t seen yet. But the voice Anne was expecting to hear did not come.

’Where are you Merek?’ Perhaps her father had sent him away when she was unconscious? Did they punish him because she took him with her?

Different questions and worries twisted in her head. He was beside her before she fell asleep. She missed him already, she wanted to hear his voice and to make sure he was alright. Anne finally opened her stiff eyes before she carefully pushed herself up to sit on the bed. Her body was still aching, but she had to find Merek, he’d taken care of her last night. She looked around and noticed it was night already, she’d slept for a complete day?!

Anne was about to get off the bed, when suddenly her room’s window swung open and Merek causally jumped inside. She stared at him in astonishment. How did he come in that way?! Her room was on the third floor for goodness sake!