In the Doghouse - Chapter 216
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Courtney must have gotten too caught up in the atmosphere. She paced anxiously around the bed where Richard lay sleeping. Normally, he would have been up long before her, already finished his morning exercises and returned. Yet now, he was uncharacteristically fast asleep, breathing softly.
Did he have a fever? His face seemed slightly flushed. Courtney cautiously placed her hand on his forehead. He might have a slight fever—or maybe not. She was so used to seeing Richard in a heightened state of excitement that it was hard to gauge what his normal state should be.
To be honest, if an ordinary person had fallen ill, it wouldn’t be surprising. Crawling around the garden stark naked in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat—and all sorts of other things—was enough to make anyone ill.
He needed a proper wash and perhaps some medicine. Seeing him in this grimy state, barely cleaned of dirt before falling asleep, tugged at Courtney’s heart. And yet, she was the very person responsible for putting him in this condition.
‘What if he’s really sick…?’
Even a minor cold could be a big problem. The villa was isolated, and even if they ventured into the nearest village, finding a proper physician would be difficult.
Worried, Courtney decided to do what little she could. She boiled water and dampened a towel. That was about all she could manage at the moment.
Gently, she brushed aside the hair stuck to his face and pressed the damp towel against his cheek. As she carefully moved her hand, Richard’s eyes suddenly opened.
“Courtney…”
His voice was raspy and cracked, as if he had been shouting all night. Startled by the roughness of his voice, Richard instinctively touched his throat. But Courtney was far more alarmed and immediately raised her voice.
“Richard! Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
Looking bewildered, Richard mumbled back. Did something happen while he was asleep? He began to sit up, but Courtney had already decided he was unwell. She pushed him back down onto the bed with determination.
“Don’t get up. Just stay lying down. You overdid it yesterday, so it’s no wonder you’re feeling under the weather. I’ll go make some soup.”
“Uh…”
Richard trailed off, puzzled. Sick? Him? There wasn’t a single thing wrong with him. Sure, his throat was sore, but that was nothing new. In fact, he felt better than usual this morning, likely because he had slept deeply.
Richard was naturally a light sleeper, his heightened senses easily disturbed by even minor noises or movements. Yet last night had been an exception. With only Courtney’s presence nearby, he had slept deeply, free from interruptions.
He should tell her he was fine, that nothing was wrong, but…
For some reason, he didn’t want to confess just yet. Her concerned voice and worried gaze were so tender.
Richard swallowed hard. Maybe just ten minutes. No, five minutes. Letting her worry for just a little longer… was that too selfish?
Of course, Courtney had no idea about his sly thoughts. She pulled the blanket up to his neck, tucking him in snugly. Now her worry had turned into guilt. Was it because of my stubbornness? Did my antics cause this healthy man to fall ill? Overwhelmed with remorse, she apologized immediately.
“I’m sorry. I went too far yesterday.”
“Courtney…”
Seeing how her face visibly darkened, Richard realized that he was being selfish. He immediately cast aside his desire to act spoiled. The thought of making her upset over something so trivial wasn’t worth it.
Without hesitation, he pulled her into a tight hug, blankets and all.
“I’m not hurt anywhere. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Courtney stayed still in his embrace, her gaze lifting to meet his uncertainly. Her eyes were still clouded with worry as she replied in a hesitant voice.
“Your voice…”
“It’s always like this.”
“I was moving around so much earlier, but you didn’t even wake up…”
At her words, Richard chuckled faintly. His raspy voice made a soft whistling sound as he exhaled. There was no excuse for this one—he had never slept so deeply in all the years of their marriage.
“I just slept a bit deeply. Feel for yourself—I don’t have a fever.”
Richard pressed his forehead lightly against hers. Courtney, still doubtful, tilted her head in hesitation. Earlier, she had thought he felt warm, but now she realized his temperature was perfectly normal. If they summoned every physician in the imperial palace, they would surely confirm this.
