Getting Sick

"Where do you think you're going?" Elaine quickly stopped her son who had sent the servants to bring their bags from upstairs.

She didn't really think he was serious about leaving until he called the servants to the living room, ordering them to go bring their bags from upstairs.

Not willing to let her son depart from her side in this manner, Elaine left the dining room and hurried to the living room without thinking twice. She stood before her son who wasn't shaken by the decision he just made, and she couldn't read what was truly going on in his head.

"You're not leaving this house, it's your home too, you'll stay here." She gently grabbed both his arms, looking at him with pleading eyes that silently told him not to leave her alone here.

"Mother, I have to do this or else father won't let me be with the woman I love. He has two choices, It's either I leave, or he lets me keep the woman I married." He was adamant on sticking with his decision, and it worried his mother.

"Cas.." She shook her head in disapproval before turning to look at her husband.

"Richard, just let them be already. This argument will only divide the family even further, and I don't want my son to go anywhere."

Juliana's last son who wore glasses, suddenly cleared his throat before gathering the courage to speak. "Father, I think you should let them have their way. News about their marriage has been known already, and there's nothing that can be done to change it." Oliver carefully asserted. "Getting them divorced will only escalate things, and if Cassian leaves, it's possible your reputation could be put on the line."

"Be quiet Oliver, if you don't have anything good to say then you'd rather keep shut!" Juliana silenced her son up with a glare.

Oliver, who was trying to help matters, immediately returned to his shell.

"He's not lying." Richard finally spoke up after giving Oliver's words some deep thought. "If he leaves, then I'll be questioned greatly for chasing him away, even the king won't bother to hear me out since he's fond of Cassian."

"You hear that." Elaine looked at her son with a ray of hope, "your father has accepted, you don't have to leave the house now, both of you."

"But_" Richard suddenly added, meeting Cassian's challenging gaze, "you'll realize at a later time that this lady isn't good for you."

"I know what is good for me father, you used to have that taste." He smiled mockingly before taking Madeleine up the stairs.

Amadeus quietly left the living room, and everyone returned to their normal duties. Juliana looked at Richard, not finding his decision to let that girl stay as the right choice.

"She's not up to our standards Richard. What will you tell the daughter of the Marquees once she returns. You already told her she'd get married to Cassian."

"Don't bother me with those trivial matters Juliana," he silenced his wife, "I have enough on my plate as it is."

Already annoyed, he got to his feet. He casted a vague look at Elaine before disappearing from the living room. With the two women eyeing one another, Elaine also left, leaving Juliana with her son's in the living room.

"This isn't good." Juliana facepalmed.

After making it to their room and closing the door behind them, Cassian and Madeleine waited for five seconds before high-fiving to victory.

"Your plan worked so well!" She exclaimed happily while Cassian made his way to the bed, falling on it and releasing a sigh.

"I knew it would." He responded weakly, moving his hair from his face to the back.

"What do you think would have happened if the servants showed up here and found no bags?"

"Then they'll get our bags ready." He sounded like it was a normal thing, and Madeleine was beginning to wonder if truly he would have left the house if his father didn't agree at the last minute.

Staring at the young man who laid on the bed, he suddenly appeared tired for some reasons that were unknown to her, and when Madeleine got close enough to ask him what the problem was, she felt his forehead and gasped in shock. He was running high on temperature.

"Cassian?!"

"I'm fine." He said, but Madeline was clearly not convinced. "How can you be fine? You're running temperature!"

The moment she said it, a knock on the door suddenly interrupted her panic, forcing her to leave Cassian's side and attend to whoever was at the door.

"I'm coming."

Opening the door, it turns out the person who was knocking was surprisingly Inna. She held a tray in hand, and some warm soup with two packs of medicine tablets at the side.

"My brother must be at the stage of fainting." She handed the tray to the startled Madeline who took them out of involuntary means.

"Feed it to him, and give him one tablet from each pack when he's done finishing the bowl of soup, he'll feel better afterwards. If he refuses, remind him of old uncle Williams and he will take it." She said mildly to Madeleine who nodded in return.

"Ohkay…. Thank you."

"Not a problem, I'm just happy that I've handed the post of treating my brother to someone more worthy of tolerating him. I'll take my leave now. I have dance lessons to prepare for." And she left.

For someone so beautiful, Madeline had to admit that she did find the girl a little strange. How does she even know his condition has gotten worse??

Closing the door, Madeline quickly placed the tray on the side table and hurried to Cassian's side.

Helping the young lad sit up properly, she went back to get the bowl of soup that Inna had brought.

"Your sister said you should take this." She offered the bowl to Cassian who looked at it through his blurry gaze. His expression turned into distaste after realizing it was the bitter soup he hated.

"I don't want it." He refused, turning away while constantly bearing the heavy pounding in his head. Amade did warn him he'll end up sick if he entered the rain, but he didn't listen.

"Please take it, or else your fever won't come down." The concerned Madeline continued to urge him, but he remained adamant on not taking it.

"I don't want it."

"Your sister said something about uncle William if you refused to take it. Who is that??"

Looking at Madeline who questioned him, to her surprise, the same man who was refusing to take the bowl of soup, grabbed it from her and chugged it down his throat without stopping.

He didn't bring it down till he had emptied the bowl, and Madeline was dumbfounded by it. He gave her the bowl back, and was about to lay down when she stopped him again, and he groaned in frustration.

"No no, one more." She hurried back and went to take the two packs of medicine and poured a glass of water. She returned to him and opened the medicine, taking out one pill from each and handing it to him.

"Your medicine, you need to take this before you rest."

"Is my sister responsible for this torture?"

"No, she's trying to help you get better, take it." She dropped it in his palm and let him take the medicine before handing him the glass of water.

He returned it back to her, and he was able to lie down to rest after that. He had somewhere important to be today, and this decided to happen.

"How did you get sick?" She asked while taking a seat at the edge of the mattress. They had both been in the rain together, but nothing serious happened to her. She might have caught a little cold after he left her room last night, but she got better this morning.

"My body can be a little sensitive to things." He let out a breath before explaining. "Growing from a home like mine, we're not allowed to play in the rain since it's below my family's etiquettes, and when I broke that rule, I fell seriously sick. Since then, I haven't gone out in the rain, except last night."

"Forgive me, this is all my fault." Madeline sincerely apologized, feeling bad since he has gone into the rain for her sake.

"It's not your fault, I'll be fine. It only lasts a day, nothing serious."

"I'll get some warm water to help reduce your temperature." Going outside, she opened the door and found his mother standing there, already holding a bowl of warm water and a purple towel.

"Here, I suspected you'd need this." Elaine calmly said while handing it to her. Madeline received them gratefully and let Lady Elaine step into the room.

"Mother…"

"Don't mother me, you were speaking so bravely out there. Look at what you've done to yourself." She stood at the edge of the bed, looking down at her son who was playing innocent.

"Why can't my mother be nice to me, is it until I die before you decide to pet me?"

"Shut up or else you'll receive a tight slap." Elaine silently warned him, but he knew she was seriously worried, else she wouldn't even be here.

"Take care of him." She said to Madeline who nodded politely. "I will."

"Mother…" he tugged at her dress to get her attention, and Elaine casted him a quick glare.

"Let go of my dress."

"You're not allowed to get upset with me. I'm sick and you still treat me like this."

Madeline couldn't hold back a smile as she watched the two of them. Seeing their interaction, she knew it wasn't the right time to tell Cassian about her problems.

When he feels better later, she won't hide her childhood trauma from him.

******

Thank you for the Golden Ticket Jennifer_Goliah ♡♡