Chapter 4: He Brought Me Soup?!
Hana Chorl was not sick.
She wasn't.
She was just... resting her eyes on the cold marble floor of her bathroom because her head felt like a gravity bomb had exploded inside it.
And maybe she was sweating.
A little.
But that was probably from rage. Not fever.
"I'm not sick," she mumbled into her towel. "I'm just passionately furious and slightly dizzy."
Lily, her AI assistant, beeped gently. "Your internal temperature is 102.4°F, Lady Hana."
"It's the emotion," she croaked. "The emotion is boiling."
"Shall I alert Lord Sher?"
"Touch that comm link and I will reprogram your circuits into a toaster."
Meanwhile, Sher Wolter was mid-meeting with a weapons contractor when his comms buzzed.
Leon's voice came through, uncharacteristically serious:
"Sir, Lady Hana has locked herself in the bathroom and is arguing with her AI about being ill."
Sher stood up so fast his chair nearly fell.
Ten minutes later, the door to Hana's bedroom slid open silently. Sher entered — alone — holding a tray.
On it: a bowl of herbal synth-soup, a cool compress, and a small black cube that released gentle calming pheromones.
He hated how fast his heart pounded just seeing her curled up in bed, cheeks flushed, hair sticking to her forehead like a wild bird's nest.
She looked... fragile.
He hated that, too.
She'd kill him if she knew he was hovering.
So he did what he always did: masked it with control.
"Hana," he said quietly.
She stirred, eyes squinting. "If that's another robotic maid, I swear to—"
"It's me."
Her eyes widened.
Sher. Standing there. In her room. Holding soup.
She blinked twice. "Did I die?"
"No."
"Am I hallucinating?"
"No."
"Are you bringing me soup?"
"Eat it."
"I don't want it."
"It's not a request."
She sat up slowly, groaning. "You've reached a new low. First, you control the estate gates. Now you're force-feeding soup to innocent women."
"Innocent?" he raised an eyebrow.
She took the tray reluctantly and sniffed the bowl. "This smells like forest water."
"It's medicinal."
"It better not be the same one your cousin gave to that ambassador who fainted."
Sher didn't reply.
Hana gasped. "Is it?!"
"Eat."
She grumbled but took a sip. Then another. Then another.
Sher watched her like a hawk from across the room.
She noticed. "Are you... just going to stand there and supervise every spoonful?"
"Yes."
"You're insane."
"And you're careless," he said sharply. "Running around city sectors, catching viruses, ignoring your body until it collapses. Do you have any idea—"
"I'm fine," she interrupted, softer now. "I just... pushed too hard."
He looked away.
"Sher?"
No reply.
"You could've just sent a maid," she murmured. "Why did you bring it yourself?"
He didn't look at her. "They were busy."
"With what?"
He hesitated. "Security cleanup. From your... visit to Sector 9."
She grinned faintly. "That bad, huh?"
"You knocked out three guards with a fruit basket."
"They deserved it."
Sher didn't argue.
Instead, he walked over to her bedside table and placed the black calming cube near her pillow. "This will help you sleep."
"I don't need help sleeping."
"You're stubborn."
"You're bossy."
He reached forward and brushed a wet lock of hair from her cheek.
She froze.
So did he.
They both stared at each other — one heartbeat, two, three…
Then Sher cleared his throat, straightened up, and turned toward the door.
"Wait," Hana called.
He stopped but didn't turn around.
She hesitated. "Are you... going to stay?"
He looked over his shoulder. "Do you want me to?"
She bit her lip. "No. I mean— yes. I mean... I won't die if you leave."
He didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down.
Silence.
Hana lay back slowly, peeking at him from under the blanket.
"You're weird," she mumbled.
"You're worse," he said.
A few minutes passed.
Her eyes fluttered shut.
Sher didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Just watched her.
Protected her.
Hours later, Hana woke briefly to find him still sitting there. Arms crossed. Head tilted back. Fast asleep.
She smiled.
Reached for the blanket and covered him too.
"Goodnight, my soup-delivering tyrant," she whispered.