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Mozu didn’t understand. It was just a little cold. Rare as it was for her to get sick, this kind of thing happened sometimes. She always pulled through with no issues in the end. She tried to explain this to Céline, but…
“No.”
“Aw c’mon, Céline. I’ll be fine in a few days at-”
“I said no, Mozu.”
The villager was wrapped up in a bundle of blankets much warmer than she was typically used to, and her head propped up under two fluffy pillows as Céline placed a cold, slightly damp rag on her forehead, and a small bag of ice on top of it. Afterwards, Céline stood up and walked to the other end of the room where she had a still-warm kettle of tea sitting on the table, from which she began pouring a cup.
“I don’t care if you say you ‘feel’ fine. You’re going to rest, Mozu, and that is final.” Céline spoke, her tone unusually more stern than she ever got with her. She couldn’t understand why. It was like a switch flipped in the princess as soon as she heard the word “sick.”
“...But do I have to use your bed? I don’t wanna- ooo… get you sick… or make people think a commoner’s makin’ a princess take care of her.” Mozu said as she watched Céline tense up at that weak moan in the middle of her sentence. The princess took a deep breath before sighing.
“Mozu please… just let me do this for you. You know I don’t mind what they say.” Céline spoke as she approached the bed with a gently steaming cup of tea. After taking the cup, she gently blew a few times to cool it down before carefully lifting it towards Mozu’s lips. “Now open up.”
“Céline I don’t-”
“Mozu.” Céline narrowed her eyes sharply. Mozu wasn’t about to argue further and opened her mouth, allowing Céline to poor some of the warm liquid slowly down her throat. “It’s a medicinal tea, perfect for easing sore throats. Just give it time.”
Mozu let out a low cough as she swallowed the tea. It might have still been a little too warm to be drinking yet, but Céline was right about one thing–it was already starting to ease her sore throat. She looked up at Céline and gave her a small smile. “Y-yeah… it’s helping a bit already. Maybe… still a bit too warm, though,” she said. That seemed to earn at least a faint smile from Céline, finally.
“Good… good.” Silence then hung over the room for a minute before Mozu spoke up again.
“Hey Céline?”
“Hm?”
“....What’s got you so wound up? You’re… so wound up about a little cold. You’re not usually like this.” And just like that, Mozu saw that deep frown return to Céline’s face. She looked away, considering how to answer this. She hadn’t told Mozu about Alfred yet. There were only a select few that knew here in Askr, and most of them were from Firene. Would it be right to tell her? Should she-
Her train of thought was interrupted by a coughing fit suddenly hitting Mozu. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched the sight with growing worry. It may not have been the agonizing-sounding coughing fits she had heard from Alfred over the years, but that did little to put her mind at ease. Not until Mozu began to ease up and her coughs would subside after about 40 seconds.
“Ack… sorry… One sip of that tea isn’t enough, I reckon…” Mozu said, followed by a weak laugh. Céline would pause for a moment and sigh again.
“No I guess not… Open up.” She commanded again. This time, Mozu listened without hesitation and opened up for the princess to pour another sip of the tea into her mouth. A soft “Mmmm…” came from the commoner as she swallowed and sighed contently. Before she could say anything else, however, Céline spoke up again.
“You’ve spoken with my brother, yes?”
“Alfred? Yeah… He’s such a sweet guy, and was… actually super supportive of us. It made it a lot easier to do things with you in public, y’know?”
“Mm…. Alfred is indeed a man with a heart more golden than the crown I wear upon my head. But… have you noticed anything off about him?”
“Off….? N-no not really… Maybe that he pushes himself to work a lot harder than most crown- ACHOO…! Ugh… most crown princes do.” Céline spoke a simple “Bless you” and grabbed a small amount of tissues, handing them to Mozu who wiped her nose.
“It’s true, he does. But do you know why he does?” Céline asked. Mozu simply shook her head. “This must not leave this room. The people who need to know, already know. I’m telling you this because I care about you, Mozu.” Mozu raised an eyebrow as Céline took a deep breath before continuing. “Alfred is… dying.”
“HUH???????” Mozu exclaimed and sat up, before Céline immediately put a hand on her head and gently pushed her back into a lying position before re-placing the towel and ice pack.
“It’s true. Ever since he was young, poor Alfred was beset by illness. As long as I can remember, he was bedridden and weak. Every single day was a gamble on whether he’d survive the night. Firene’s greatest doctors could do little to aid his condition, and it was expected he’d surely pass away at any time.” Céline spoke somberly. It had all begun to set in for Mozu why Céline was so freaked out by the notion of Mozu being sick.
“So that’s why you were… mmm… so worried about me…” Mozu spoke. Céline nodded as she handed Mozu some more tea, which she gladly accepted. “But… Alfred doesn’t look sick at all to me. But he’s… dying”
“Loathe as I am to say it… yes. It is true that one day he had made a miraculous recovery. For a time, all was well. But the ailments he carried for so many years still haunts him. There are times where he becomes absolutely crippled with pain… the same pain he had lived with for many years. The same shortness of breath, coughing fits, temperature raises… It truly pains me to see or even think about… Those who know–including him–know that his illness will claim him for an early death. It… truly puts a heavy burden on our family…” Céline lowered her head as her face fell. She could feel tears approaching when she felt a hand place itself on hers. Looking toward her hand, she saw Mozu’s on top of it, clutching it firmly as she stroked the backs of her hand with her thumb.
“I had no idea… All this worrying about me… You were reminded of Alfred, huh?” Céline could only nod in response. “Well… I’m sorry about him. Really. But… I’m not going anywhere… Célly.” Mozu spoke with a hopeful smile. Céline was silent for a moment before breaking into a soft giggle.
“...Célly? Really?” Céline was trying to sound stern, but the sudden nickname had clearly gotten through to her.
“Heh… Got you smiling, though, didn’t it?” Mozu let out a soft laugh of her own, which actually seemed to lift Céline’s spirits just a bit more.
“Yes, yes it did. Célly…. Ha… I’d be lying if I said I hated the idea of a nickname like that.” Céline spoke, now gripping Mozu’s hand, which the commoner gladly returned.
“Just… relax, okay? I’ll be out of bed and back to my ol’ self in no time. And when I do, I think we should share some of that tea you really like.”
“The one I save for special occasions?”
“Yeah. That one. And let’s invite Alfred. I’d like to talk more with him too.” Celine paused for a moment before nodding.
“Yes… yes, I’d like that very much.” Céline smiled and, without thinking, leaned in and gave Mozu a happy kiss on the lips. Mozu sighed contently and initially went to return it, but quickly pulled away after she realized what just happened.
“Hey! You’ll get sick too!” Mozu exclaimed.
“Oh…” Céline realized. However, she soon chuckled softly. “Well, I suppose it may be your turn to take care of me soon.”
And with that, both women let out a happy laugh.