Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 10
The sun was shining, and I was getting ready to go out for the first time since I transmigrated six months ago.
I found myself humming a tune. The thought of visiting the highly acclaimed dessert café from the novel really excited me. Wearing a new dress bought with my generous salary from Helios, a pair of heels comfortable enough to run in, and a wide-brimmed hat that could protect me from the sun, I knew I would have a good time even if I were to wait in line for a while.
“Perfect.”
I slung a large bag over my shoulder to hold everyone’s gifts. With a large purse and plenty of time, it couldn’t get any better than this.
I checked the time. If I left now and caught the carriage, I would be just in time for the dessert café’s opening.
“You haven’t left yet,” Jamie, who had become my maid and assistant, gasped, clutching her knees as she struggled for breath.
“I was just about to leave.”
Jamie was so breathless that she couldn’t speak. She just waved her hand.
“You could have said goodbye outside. You didn’t need to rush in here. I promised I’ll get you dessert when I’m out.”
“No, huff, that’s not it.” Jamie shook her head, droplets of water flying around her head.
Were those sweat or tears?
A chill ran down my spine.
“Jamie, what’s wrong?”
I grabbed Jamie’s shoulders and helped her up. Her face was streaked with tears.
“His Highness collapsed! He’s not, not breathing.”
“…!”
“W-what should we do? What if His Highness… passes away?”
With a thud, the bag dropped. My feet moved before I could comprehend what Jamie was saying.
“The room! He’s in the bedroom!” Jamie followed behind me, shouting.
I ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. My hat flew off, and my neat hair was disheveled, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was Helios.
“Your Highness, please, stay alive. Please, Your Highness, I beg of you.”
Before I knew it, I was sobbing like Jamie. If something were to happen to him, I felt I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. Even though he was destined to live until he met the female lead, the possibility of him dying, just as I, who was supposed to die, continued to live, was difficult to completely dismiss.
As I came to this conclusion, my blood ran cold. My bones felt weak, and my dress was drenched in cold sweat.
Why did I pick today of all days to take a day off?!
I cursed my past self as I swung open Helios’s door.
Vincenzo, pale as a sheet, looked at me.
“Miss Rienna, His Highness…suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed,” Vincenzo quickly explained.
All this time, I’ve repeatedly told the palace staff, ‘If you see any symptoms, make sure to observe them closely and then tell me everything.’
“He was looking out the window and then suddenly…”
Once again, there were no specific precursor symptoms prior to his collapse.
I climbed onto the bed and placed my hand under his nose. It was faint, but I felt his breathing.
“Why, why did he collapse? What’s wrong?” Vincento approached, wiping tears and mucus with the back of his hand.
“Wait.” I tightly grasped Helios’s hand.
Acute cardiac arrest, high fever.
My heart raced.
Lower the fever first. There were several antipyretics that worked for Helios, although they were less effective on other people.
But how do I treat an acute cardiac arrest?
All that came to mind was CPR that I’d seen through educational broadcasts. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I had to try anything I could.
“Vincenzo, help me move His Highness to the floor!”
CPR was best performed on a hard surface. Vincento didn’t ask any questions and laid Helios down on the floor.
I positioned myself beside Helios, knees at a right angle, and sat down. Placing both hands with interlocked fingers, I found the compression point and pressed down forcefully, enough for a finger’s depth!
My disheveled hair cascaded forward.
“Please, Your Highness!”
One, two, three… Counting to myself, I applied the full weight of my body into performing CPR until sweat covered me entirely.
Then, the words in front of me blurred and vanished.
“Cough!”
Helios coughed and twisted. I quickly held him, patting his back. He gasped for breath like a drowning man. Soon, a faint voice came from his mouth.
“Ri… enna, you’re still here? I thought you were going out?”
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“Oh, just a little dizzy.” Helios flopped onto my lap. His body was burning up.
I brushed away his tousled hair to check his complexion. Strangely, his face seemed better.
“It feels cool.” Helios sounded pleased. “Ha, you brought the ice pack already?”
Though conscious, it seemed like his mind still wasn’t quite all there yet.
“It’s just my hand,” I said.
“Really? But why does it feel so refreshing? Keep touching me, Rienna.”
Was the fever messing with his senses?
However, there were no floating words in the air. It felt strange, but for now, calming him down was the priority. I continued to stroke his head like he asked.
Then miraculously, the word ‘fever’ vanished, so did the extreme heat emanating from his body.
“This…” I looked down at my hand.
A shiver ran down my spine, the same shiver I’d felt when I first awakened to my powers.
