CH. 16 Homesick

I came down with a fever. It was sudden and just a week before Princess Viviana Campbell's arrival. The high society would be buzzing with this news and rumours about how I caught a fever because I was afraid to face the infamous princess despite all my show-off before. I do not care about the rumours but the headache was killing me.

"You two. Playing was fine but everything should be done moderately. Now look at your mother, she caught a fever because she was indulging you both with all your antics." Seth was scolding the twins. I wanted to play at the lake too. Why were you taking it out on them?! They were just kids, of course, they would want to play all day. I wanted to say but my throat was dry.

The two little boys were standing guilty in front of the couch where Seth sat in all his intimidating glory. Why was he being like that?

"Sto…cough! cough!" I couldn't speak a word without coughing at first.

"Wife!" Seth came to my side. There's his way of addressing me again. I'm tired of correcting him and I do not have a name. As for the twins, I couldn't deny them that small thing.

"Mother!" The twins ran to my bedside as well. What on earth was this sight?

"I'm sorry!" Cleo was first to begin with his waterworks and Noah soon followed. "I will play moderately as well." Noah cried. The sight of the two adorable little boys sobbing was cute as well. That's right, Kids were cute as long as they were not yours.

"You scared them." I did my best to glare at Seth. With how dry my throat was, I might not sound strict enough.

"They need to-"

"Enough with you." I cut him off and then turned to the still-crying twins.

"I will be healthy before you know it. Your father will make sure of it." I glared at Seth who stood to the side silently.

"So why don't you two go read some books in the study? I don't want you to catch my cold. If all of us are sick then we'd have to postpone our outing even further. So just wait for me and I will recover as fast as I can." I tried to sound as positive and upbeat as possible.

"You will?" Noah asked in between his tears.

"Of course!" I said and extended my pinky finger. "Here, Let's make a pinky promise and lock it." Cleo obediently locked his little pinky with mine despite his crying.

"Now, Off you go." I said and my maids escorted them out of the room.

"My head hurts." I groaned as soon as the door was closed and Seth helped me lean back again gently.

"My runny nose is annoying as well." Tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't stop them. Seth patiently sat on the bed beside me and wiped my tears and snot for the next half an hour.

"That's why everything should be done moderately. How can you play along with them when you were supposed to be the one disciplining them?" He asked. Why does he sound like he was reciting from a manual? Besides, does he think that I was playing because I want to? Well, I wanted to have fun and it was fun. Anyway, I just wanted to be busy and if I didn't then I felt like I would be…bored.

"I was just bored." I mumbled pathetically.

"I want to find a new tutor for the twins." He changed the subject before silence could fill the room.

"I still think it was a little too early. Noah could only hold my gloved hand." I informed him. Noah was able to let go of his fear of meeting new people but he still hated physical contact except with Cleo. Well, his scars weren't that easy to fade. However, I noticed there was another exception besides Cleo. It was the man who was currently busy changing towels to wipe my runny nose.

"Noah was fine with you." I said.

"He is?" Seth asked. As expected, this man didn't notice how much his sons looked up to him and how warm they felt next to him despite his intimidating exterior.

"Yes, But it wasn't enough. A tutor is still early." I sighed leaning on his warm chest that felt more comfortable than the bed. Is the summer coming to an end already?

"It's not like the tutor will start immediately. I have to look for qualified people first. It will take at least two months." He informed me.

"If they don't have tutoring classes, they would go astray like they did today. They need a set schedule and discipline in their lives." He began his reasoning again.

"Moderation, Yes. They are still kids though, a little lively was fine right." I said.

"I wouldn't call their recent behaviour as lively." Seth shook his head in disapproval. "Besides, they need to have someone to guide them through their Mana studies." He added.

"Fine, I will talk to them. Make sure you find a tutor who is a man. And I will sit in the classes as well." I said.

"Fine. Get well first." He wiped my runny nose again.

"Your body is warmer and more comfortable than bed." I said snuggling into his chest further. If it was a ground, I would probably have looked like a groundhog.

"That was because I was using my Mana to maintain my body temperature." He explained.

"Mn. How convenient. Stay and warm me up just like this." I mumbled before falling into a deep slumber.

And when I woke up, Seth was asleep beside me. I covered him with the blanket and snuggled further into his arms, no wonder I slept so soundly and felt better.

"You are awake." He mumbled, stirring up from his sleep.

"Not Yet." I replied and my words came out muffled from under the blanket.

"Eat something before going back to sleep." He woke up and got out of the bed. I felt cold immediately and groaned in discomfort.

"Everything feels so bitter though." I groaned. "Chewing and swallowing sounds so tiring."

"Just drink some soup." He said and a delicious smell wafted under my nose. My stomach growled as if asking me to eat it no matter how it tasted.

"Are you going to feed me?" I asked as I sat up and a bowl of appetizing soup was placed in front of me.

"Do you want me to?" Seth asked and was ready to do so but I stopped him.

"No, I will have it myself." I said.

"Mm! It tastes better than this morning." I smiled and emptied the bowl in no time.

"Want some more? Some bread or fruits." Seth was very kind and I couldn't keep my stupid grin away watching him.

"More Soup." I said and he patiently arranged everything for me. Even though there are maids to do these things.

The maids at some point left after bringing the food. I'm pretty sure they had some silly assumptions in their heads as they slowly disappeared from the room. I could even imagine them giggling like a bunch of school girls fangirling over something they all like. Then I turned to Seth Peregrine, He had his shirt sleeves folded to elbows and was concentrating on cutting the bread into slices. What a picture he painted just by doing a mundane task. A picture that would surely give the wrong idea when it was being drawn inside a lady's bedroom.

I thought his hair was a mullet but now that I looked closely, it was a wolf cut. If only you were in my world, I would probably go for you.

"Are you aware of how you look right now?" I asked.

"How do I look?" He asked in return. A little smile played on his face as if he were playing along with me, no, indulging me. This man! This player!

"If it were my world, I would have gone right for you." I said and he paused in his actions.

"What?" He turned to look at me. He wouldn't get what I meant right.

"I would have probably caught you the moment I saw you and then hid you until my sister got a lover?" I said after a bit of thinking. Yes, That's the safest route.

"Whatever do you mean?" He came to sit beside me and placed a bowl of warm soup and bread in front of me.

"You are handsome, a good husband and finally a cool father for his kids. You are a great catch, My mom would be over the moon to have a son-in-law like you." I said taking bites of the tasty bread.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me but why hide from your sister?" He asked, wiping the crumbs from my face.

"If she looked at you then she would want to have you for herself. I have no confidence in going against her when it comes to capabilities. And you won't be able to resist her charms." I said, ripping the bread off in frustration and he continued to clean the crumbs that went flying everywhere.

"Though I have confidence in throwing tantrums. That's my surefire way to get things from her but that can't be used when it comes to a handsome man." I added.

"I'm handsome?" He raised a brow despite his red ears.

"Show-off." I clicked my tongue at his arrogant look but shy ears.

"You have a sister. It's a family of four then." He said.

"Five. My sister has an older twin brother."

"Twins? What was he like?" He asked.

"I like him. He never scolds me and gives me his share when mom cooks my favourite…" I trailed off and then before I knew it I was sobbing my heart out.

"No! What- Why?!" Seth was startled to see my sudden tears. He fussed about what to do but in the end, resigned to wiping my tears.

"Mother?" A small voice called and my heart lurched. I would never get used to that but I don't have enough courage to ask the twins not to call me that. I don't have the courage to look at their downcast faces. I want to run far away from this. Far away!

"Why are you crying?" Noah was clutching onto the bedsheet so tightly that his little hand turned pale.

"Don't cry… I didn't play today. I studied a lot." He began crying and Cleo joined in. "Mother…wahhh…" He cried.

Seth fell into disarray at once but then seemed to calm himself down before settling down to console his crying wife and children silently. I don't know how long it went but I fell asleep soon. Crying was a tiring job too, especially when you are sick.