Chapter 24
As soon as Theophanes took Jacquette outside, Becky came rushing in.
“My lady…! No, madam!”
Becky hurried over and checked her all over.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Really.”
Hearing Daphne’s calm tone, Becky let out a deep sigh of relief—one that came from the very depths of her being.
“They said you could have died this time.”
“Really? I don’t think it was that bad….”
“If it weren’t for the Duke, things could have been much worse….”
Becky’s eyes welled up with tears. Seeing this, Daphne blinked in surprise.
It was the first time she had seen Becky cry. She had always been calm and composed, like an older sister.
“Don’t cry, okay? I’m fine. See? I’m right here.”
“You have to be fine! How can you say that…?”
“But we escaped, didn’t we? Isn’t that enough?”
“I don’t know… But since you chose this path, I have no choice but to trust you.”
“Thank you.”
Daphne gently stopped Becky from wiping her tears away with her sleeve and carefully wiped them for her instead.
“By the way, when did Jacquette become so close with the Duke?”
“Oh… about that.”
Becky seemed to regain her composure thanks to the change of topic.
“While you were unconscious, Miss Jacquette visited often. The Duke also came by frequently, and before we knew it, the two of them were always talking together.”
“Do you know what they talked about?”
“No, I kept my distance, so I couldn’t hear.”
“I see….”
“Why?”
“He’s better with children than I expected.”
“Oh, yes. The Duke gets along surprisingly well with her. Even I was shocked.”
Hearing Becky’s words, Daphne fell into thought. She was curious about what method he had used.
“How would you like to have your meal?”
“The Duke invited me to dine with him.”
“Oh dear, then we don’t have time for this. You need to get ready quickly.”
“All right, all right. I understand.”
Unable to resist Becky’s nagging, Daphne got up and headed for the bathroom.
The words Prina had said to her slowly faded from her mind.
“Jacquette, you got something on your face.”
“Where?”
“I’ll wipe it off for you.”
“Okay.”
Daphne kept observing him and Jacquette.
Theophanes seemed fully aware of her intense gaze—even amused by it.
“My dear wife?”
“Yes?”
Hearing him call her, Daphne quickly stopped staring at the two and casually put down her fork.
Feigning innocence, she picked up a napkin and dabbed at her lips.
Theophanes found her attempt to act nonchalant amusing.
Even though she pretended to wipe her mouth, she hadn’t removed the crumbs.
Since she didn’t seem to realize it, he decided to help.
Lowering his glass, he reached out.
Daphne flinched and stiffened at his sudden movement.
Noticing her reaction, Theophanes hesitated for a moment.
His previously amused expression twisted slightly.
“You have a crumb on your cheek.”
He spoke softly, explaining his intentions.
Daphne visibly relaxed at his words.
Then, he carefully brushed the crumb away.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
“Oh, yes. It’s delicious.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Daphne wasn’t just being polite—despite the strong spices, the flavors weren’t overwhelming.
“After we finish eating, I’ll introduce you to the head butler and chief maid.”
“Before that, I’d like to speak with you first.”
“……”
Daphne picked up her water glass as she spoke.
She was already feeling full and thought about having dessert, waiting for his response.
However, he remained silent even after she set her glass down.
He was focused solely on Jacquette, looking somewhat displeased.
Why?
Did she say something wrong?
She quickly ran through their conversation but couldn’t figure out what had upset him.
“Your Grace?”
Blinking, Daphne carefully called out to him again.
Only after being addressed a second time did Theophanes finally look at her—but instead of answering, he just smiled.
Something was off.
Then, a thought crossed her mind.
Could it be…?
“Teo?”
“Yes, my dear?”
He subtly gestured towards their surroundings.
At the end of his gaze, the household staff stood nearby, attending to the meal.
Realizing this, Daphne sighed quietly.
At the same time, she was relieved to have such a cautious partner.
“I heard that when noblewomen are upset, they tend to call their husbands by their title or full name… Are you angry with me?”
“Me? Angry?”
“If not, you wouldn’t call me that, would you?”
Daphne wasn’t sure if noblewomen did that, but she played along.
She wanted to erase any doubt from his mind.
“Yes, I’m angry. That’s why I want to talk privately.”
Hearing this, Theophanes made a face like a scolded puppy.
Somewhere in the room, someone seemed to choke in surprise.
Daphne glanced around but saw no obvious reaction.
“Oh no, Jacquette. It looks like your mother is really mad.”
At his words, Jacquette, who had been happily stuffing her cheeks, suddenly looked disheartened.
“Because of me…?”
“No, Jacquette. That’s not it.”
“Really…?”
“Yes, it’s my fault.”
Though Theophanes had only been teasing, Jacquette immediately shot him a disapproving glare.
Daphne smirked as she watched Theophanes fluster to fix the misunderstanding.
She felt a little satisfied. He had been so smug earlier, after all.
“Jacquette, it’s okay, so don’t worry. Just finish chewing properly before you swallow.”
Hearing Daphne’s reassurance, the girl nodded and resumed chewing carefully.
“I wonder what dessert we’ll have today.”
“Oh! I’m excited to find out!”
“Well then, let’s finish our meal properly first, and then we’ll have dessert.”
Theophanes, now back to his usual composed self, skillfully shifted Jacquette’s attention.
Then, he glanced at Daphne, as if to say, See? I handled it.
Watching the subtle tension between them, the butler, Henderson, quietly massaged his forehead.
She had come to Theophanes’ office to talk, but…
“Madam, do you feel any pain anywhere else?”
“Not really.”
Instead, she was unexpectedly undergoing a medical check-up.
Daphne sent Theophanes a look, silently asking for an explanation.
“I prioritized feeding you first, but now that you’re awake, you should have a check-up.”
“My body is fine.”
Before she could finish her sentence, the sharp-eyed physician, Jura, fixed her with a piercing stare.
“Even if you don’t feel pain, your body is much weaker than it should be. If you push yourself, you could be in danger.”
“…Understood.”
Daphne averted her gaze and shut her mouth.
“It will take time for you to regain your strength. You were exposed to contamination, correct?”
“Yes.”
“She was not fully poisoned…”
Daphne weakly tried to protest, but no one paid attention.
“It’s a miracle you’re alive.”
“……”
“I can’t purify the contamination myself, so I’ll leave that to the Duke. In the meantime, I will prepare tonics to strengthen your body.”
Jura finished her examination and packed up her bag.
“You must take them. Understood?”
Daphne, overwhelmed by Jura’s firm tone, avoided her gaze and nodded.
Perhaps Jura was the most terrifying person in this estate.
