Thick darkness and extinguishing silence descended on Duke Elad’s residence. Even in the morning, it was a place where daily life was going on peacefully, no different from usual. But everything fell apart the moment the Duchess, who had attended the imperial tea party, returned from her dazed state.
It had not yet been a year since the Duchess came to the capital, but the servants were already reveling in the pleasure of serving the amiable madam.
She could no longer imagine returning to her former, bleak, quiet mansion. Therefore, it was a time when everyone was unable to hide their deep sadness and devastation.
“What on earth does it mean to not know the cause?”
A roar erupted from the Duchess’ bedroom. Everyone kept quiet and listened while doing their own thing quietly.
“A normal person suddenly collapses and loses consciousness, and you don’t know why? Is that what the congressman is going to do now?”
Viscount Bardo, who was receiving the full wrath of Duke Elad, bit his lip.
“Sorry. I still need to do more detailed testing, but for now, there’s nothing I can say…”
“Find out quickly whether it is a disease or a poison. No, rather, come to your senses first!”
“…I will do my best.”
Unable to hide his devastation, the Viscount bowed his head and stepped back.
When all the lawmakers disappeared from the bedroom, the Duke, who was staring coldly at the door, sighed. As he casually brushed away his tangled hair, his straight forehead and sharp eyes were clearly revealed.
He looked at his wife lying quietly on the bed.
“…Ethel.”
He called his pale-faced wife with a trembling voice, but she didn’t even respond, let alone move a muscle.
The Duke clenched his fists without realizing it and recalled the events of the afternoon. While he was working at the imperial palace, he heard some very absurd news.
“Y-Your Excellency! I think you should go see it right away! The Duchess suddenly…”
His wife, Ethel Elad, had a warm and lively personality and was healthy in both body and mind. Although she was weak to the cold, she never caught a cold even in the harsh weather of the duchy, and she steadfastly defended the castle and raised her children. However, the wife he met in the empress’ palace was not the same as he knew. A pale complexion and two eyes closed tightly as if they would never open again. The moment the Duke saw it, he felt like his feet were sinking. He felt a fear he had never felt even in war, fearing that he would never be able to look into those gentle golden eyes again.
At the same time, regret came flooding back.
When his wife couldn’t sleep the night before, complaining of chest tightness, he should have called a doctor right away. He insisted on going to the imperial palace, so he had to force her to rest at home. But… His surprisingly sharply sharpened senses led him to the conclusion that this sudden incident would have happened in the end no matter what process he went through.
It was not just a simple change of heart, but he felt the possibility of ‘poison’.
At that moment, Duke Elad immediately went to the emperor and asked him to restrict access to the imperial palace. And they began to investigate not only the noble ladies who attended the tea party, but also the maids, palace maids, and servants who accompanied them. But no one had any doubts.
Everything that his wife touched, from the glasses she used to the refreshments she touched, has been thoroughly investigated, but there were still no clues.
Meanwhile, the imperial doctor who examined the Duchess shook his head. The conclusion reached was that the cause of the collapse was unknown.
“Ha…”
Still, he thought Viscount Bardot would give a different answer than the imperial court doctor…
Even when he hurriedly returned to the Duke’s residence after overturning the imperial palace, he had not given up hope. However, after hearing the same thing from Viscount Bardot, he was so devastated that he could not say anything now.
He said there are still tests left, but there were no traces or evidence of being poisoned in the first place…
“Huh! Mom! Mom…!”
At that time, Diana’s cries could be heard through the open door.
The Duke felt his heart break as he heard the voice desperately searching for her mother. He barely managed to come to his senses and moved his steps to open the door wide.
“Waa, Dad…”
Diana’s face was already filled with tears as she saw her mother fall from her palace. Allen, who was standing next to her, was also holding back his tears, but when he saw the Duke, he could not stand it and burst into tears.
“Uhh… Whaaaa!”
The Duke’s heart broke once again when he saw their tear-filled faces.
He immediately bent his knees and took his children in his arms.
“Don’t cry. Your mom is a strong person. She never, she never leaves us behind.”
It’s okay. It would definitely happen.
The Duke, who had been whispering several times as if reciting a spell, slowly opened his tightly closed eyes.
Then, behind the children, a white-faced child appeared against the wall.
“Lia, you come here too.”
Like Diana, Lia must have been greatly shocked. However, Lia looked blankly at the Duke’s outstretched hand and then shook her head.
Then she hesitated and took a step back, but then she turned around and started running somewhere.
* * *
“Haa.”
I rushed outside and was out of breath. It still didn’t feel real.
Even when I saw the Duchess collapsed. Even when a startled Diana burst into tears.
Even when the Duke, who had rushed to the Empress’ Palace, sent me and Diana to the Duke’s residence first… I couldn’t believe this really happened in real life.
‘I thought I could protect her.’
The decision I made when I came to the capital was not simply a determination to save the Duchess. I honestly was somewhat confident. I really thought I could protect her.
But I couldn’t.
I felt so incompetent, like when I was a child living in an orphanage or begging as a beggar.
Slam!
I slapped my cheek. This was not the time to be so dazed and distracted.
‘It’s not stress.’
In the meantime, I was watching the Duchess closely at close range without letting my guard down. If there was even the slightest sign of being bullied or having a hard time during social activities, I even thought about touching on the weaknesses of other nobles. However, contrary to my worries, the noble ladies of the aristocratic faction were not particularly rude to the Duchess. The noble ladies of the same imperial faction either showed a low attitude or were anxious not to get closer. Above all, after becoming friends with Duchess Peirund, she didn’t seem to feel particularly left out or lonely.
‘Then it’s really a disease?’
Honestly, I couldn’t believe it.
The Duchess had a basically healthy constitution, and from what I observed from her side, she rarely suffered from minor illnesses.
‘…Except she said last night that she couldn’t sleep because her chest was tight.’
At that moment, the words of Duchess Feirund, who had been explaining her situation in the imperial palace, flashed through my mind.
‘She suddenly clutched her chest and gasped and said it was hard for her to breathe… Then she fell down…’
Just looking at her symptoms, it seemed as if she had a heart problem. But if it was really an illness, could symptoms appear so suddenly and her physical condition worsen?
‘Besides, she said that even Viscount Bardot couldn’t figure out the exact cause.’
I was chewing my lip nervously when I raised my head at the sound of hurried footsteps.
Viscount Bardot, who had brought reagents and tools for testing from the annex, was hurriedly heading to the main building.
“Councilor!”
“Lia? Why are you here? Not with you…”
“Me too! Can I help you too?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I want to help her taking care of her.”
I had extensive knowledge of medicines and poisons, but since I was not a doctor, I had never seen a patient. So, just because I looked at the Duchess myself, it didn’t mean that she was in trouble.
‘But… I have to see it with my own eyes.’
Viscount Bardot looked at me and sighed, as if he was at a loss for words. Did he think the child was throwing a tantrum and wouldn’t accept it?
It was a time when I was feeling discouraged as I was in a hurry and wondered if I should find another way.
“Your heart is kind, but it will be difficult. It will hurt so much…”
“That’s okay! Please let me do it.”
Was earnestness conveyed? Or was it because of the tight time? The Viscount, who was looking down at me, nodded his head and took the lead.
I immediately followed him.
When I returned to the Duchess’ bedroom, there was no one in the hallway, perhaps because Allen and Diana had already gone back to their rooms.
“Sorry. Prepare your mind…”
“Shut up!”
Instead, the Duke’s angry voice came from across the room.
Just as expected. When I entered the room, I saw the priests, Tellin, and other wizards looking embarrassed. The Duke, who was pointing his sword at the priest, soon spotted me and frowned.
“Why on earth did you take this child…?”
“She will take care of the lady by her side.”
When Viscount Bardot spoke hastily for fear of getting into trouble, the Duke clicked his tongue and put away his sword.
“Go away, you useless bastards.”
As soon as the words were finished, the priests and wizards rushed out.
The Duke, who was sighing in confusion, spoke to me.
“Lia, you go out too. I know how you feel, but stay by Diana’s side.”
I lowered my head at the Duke’s words. I thought it would be better to protect young Diana in a situation like this.
“Sorry…”
But I couldn’t.
‘I feel sorry for Diana, but I do it for her after all.’
If, like me, she didn’t know about her parents’ love from the beginning, she wouldn’t know. Because she couldn’t let Diana lose her mother’s love.
Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.
“I don’t mean to be stubborn. There’s something I want to check.”
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Translator Note:
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
Next post will be released on June, 22.
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