Chapter 286: Everyone Is Worried About You

During the fall, Samuel’s glasses had slid off, clattering harmlessly onto the rug beside them.

Samuel swallowed hard, his throat working in a sharp, visible gulp, his slick hair coming undone and falling over his face. Without his usual frames, his dark eyes were completely exposed—raw, intense, and dark with a fierce, fluttering panic as he stared down at her pale, disheveled face.

And without his perfectly styled hair, he looked... different.

"Miss April..." Samuel breathed, his voice unusually strained, his chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths. "Are... are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

April didn’t answer right away. She just stared up at him.

Without his glasses softening his features, the sharp, elegant structure of his jawline and the striking intensity of his dark eyes were completely laid bare. The proximity was intoxicating—his scent, the warm heat radiating off his body, and the sheer, unyielding devotion burning in his gaze.

"Samuel..." April breathed softly.

Her small, slender hand slowly slid up the soft fabric of his sleeve, her fingertips tracing the firm line of his forearm until her palm came to rest gently on his broad shoulder.

"Yes, Miss April?" Samuel whispered, his heart hammering violently against his ribs, his breath catching in his throat at her touch.

April looked straight into his exposed, trembling eyes, her tone entirely devoid of her usual distance.

"You’re... handsome."

Samuel’s heart skipped a beat, his dark eyes widening in complete shock.

Just... what was she saying?

The words hung heavy in the quiet room, making his throat go bone-dry. His mind raced wildly, his usual composure threatening to crumble entirely under the unexpected warmth in her gaze.

But as he stared down at her, he suddenly registered the abnormal flush creeping across her cheeks, the slight glaze over her eyes, and the unnatural heat radiating off her skin right through her cotton nightgown.

"Miss April... pardon me," Samuel swallowed hard, his voice thick with a sudden, protective panic.

Carefully shifting his weight, he brought his palm up and gently placed the back of his hand directly against her forehead. It was cool against her skin, whereas the heat burning against his skin was something else.

Samuel swallowed hard again, his dark eyes searching her flustered, dazed face. "Miss April... It seems you have a fever."

"No, I don’t," April mumbled softly, blinking up at him with a drowsy, stubborn persistence.

To her, she felt perfectly fine—if anything, her body just felt strangely warm, light, and cozy. But she had no idea her skin was practically burning up beneath his touch, a sudden reaction from the extreme exhaustion and hormonal dip catching up to her immune system.

If it’s just a fever, I can just take a vial of the revitalization water... she thought, her mind automatically drifting toward her spatial inventory to fix the inconvenience.

Samuel didn’t move away, though his hand shifted gently from her forehead to cup the side of her flushed cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her warm skin. He looked down at her with that unshakeable, profound devotion, his voice dropping into a quiet, soothing murmur.

"Miss April," Samuel whispered softly, his dark eyes searching hers. "No one was scheming against you." he began, hoping to help her understand, "All they did was cancel the competition for today,"

April’s eyes flicked up, meeting his exposed, un spectacle-shielded gaze.

"They... Why?" she finally asked now that she had calmed down.

Samuel replied gently, his tone laced with absolute sincerity. "They only did it because they were terrified seeing you in so much pain. Everyone wanted you to rest without the burden of feeling like you had to perform or manage a tactical inventory today anything. It was no good stressing yourself."

He leaned down just a fraction closer, his chest resting lightly against hers, the warmth between them making her heart give a tiny, unfamiliar flutter.

"Everyone is worried about you, Miss April," Samuel murmured, his dark eyes brimming with a soft, desperate tenderness that made her breath catch. "And they all want to take care of you... Won’t you let us? We would never do something to actually upset you. Least of all, me."

His words settled over her like a heavy, comforting blanket. For the first time in a long while, April felt the overwhelming urge to just stop managing every outcome, and simply let herself be held and cared for.

She stared up at him through the hazy warmth of her fever, Samuel’s soothing words slowly washing away her defensive edge. The rigid compulsion to fix everything instantly—to pull revitalization water from her dimension, to jump up and demand a full report—simply melted away under his soft, unyielding gaze.

Samuel carefully shifted his weight, pushing himself up off the floor and picking up his glasses from the rug. He stood up, slipping the frames back onto his face and smoothing back his hair.

Then, with effortless care, he slid his arms beneath her, lifting her gently off the floor and placing her back onto the mattress. He pulled the soft, warm duvet over her lap and arranged the pillows behind her back, ensuring she didn’t have to exert an ounce of effort.

As he smoothed out the blanket and turned to step toward the door, April’s fingers reached out from under the covers, catching the edge of his sleeve.

"Samuel..." she whispered softly.

Her dark eyes looked up at him through the hazy, vulnerable flush of her fever, her posture smaller and softer than he had ever seen it.

"Is it really... not a bother?" her voice came out tiny, completely stripped of her usual sharp, tactical armor. "All of this... taking care of me?"

Samuel’s breath hitched slightly in his throat. The raw, quiet insecurity in her voice made a profound, fiercely protective warmth swell in his chest.

He leaned down slightly, gently cupping her hand with both of his, his eyes brimming with absolute, unshakeable devotion.

"Never, Miss April," Samuel murmured, his voice as smooth and comforting as silk. "Caring for you is not a burden. It is the greatest honor of my life. You never have to apologize for needing us."

April let out a small, quiet sigh of relief, her grip on his sleeve loosening as she sank deeper into the pillows.

Samuel offered her a soft, reassuring smile. "I won’t be long, Miss April. I’m just going to fetch the doctor so he can check on your fever. He’s right downstairs."

April gave him a drowsy, obedient nod, letting her eyes flutter shut as he stepped out and quietly closed the door behind him.