“Aren’t you going to drink?”
I asked Marvin, who had been watching me drink my water without taking a sip of his own.
“Oh, right. I should.”
He smiled faintly before reaching for his glass and drinking deeply. It seemed he had been just as thirsty, if not more so, than me.
He gulped the water down in one go without pausing.
Maybe the problem wasn’t the size of the lemon slice but simply the amount of water.
“You must’ve been really thirsty,” I said, handing him back the glass. Marvin accepted it with a satisfied expression.
“Maybe. The water’s just so refreshing.”
“Thanks. That was great.”
“Come on, it’s just water. Get some rest.”
Marvin suddenly seemed in a hurry to leave, as if something urgent had come up. However, before he could open the door, someone else stepped into the room.
“Oh…”
Marvin and the newcomer froze, staring at each other without a word.
“Amelia?”
Only when I called her name did they both finally move.
Amelia wasn’t smiling as she usually did, but her expression remained composed.
I couldn’t see Marvin’s face since his back was turned, but he appeared tense, evident from the stiff way he stood.
His behavior only reinforced my suspicion when he hurriedly left the room as soon as Amelia’s gaze shifted to me.
What struck me as strange was that even after Marvin had left, Amelia remained in place, staring at the closed door for an unusually long time.
“Amelia?”
“Oh, Renee. How was horseback riding today?”
When she turned back to me, her usual light smile had returned.
“Ah, every day he finds new ways to push me. I keep telling myself I won’t get dragged into it, but before I know it, I’m giving it my all.”
“It’s good that you seem to enjoy it.”
“Enjoy it? It feels like my whole body is tearing apart every day.”
“Really? You seem perfectly fine to me. That means he’s teaching you well.”
“…I guess.”
“By the way, why was Marvin here?”
“Hmm… That’s a good question. He joked about wanting to make a good impression, but… why did he really come?”
Thinking back, his behavior was odd. He’d gone from anxious to relieved in an instant…
Still, there wasn’t anything concrete to pinpoint as suspicious.
“Hmm…”
“Renee,” Amelia said with a sly grin, interrupting my thoughts. “Spending time alone with another man while the Duke isn’t around…”
“No! He just came for a glass of water and left.”
“Water? But I don’t see any cups.”
She glanced around the room.
“He brought them with him.”
“Oh, now that you mention it…”
“Yeah.”
“Wait… you drank it?”
“Yes.”
As I nodded, Amelia’s expression froze.
Her face, filled with a tension I had never seen before, made me stop breathing for a moment.
“Why are you looking so serious?”
“No reason. I just…”
She trailed off, shaking her head as if dismissing her own reaction.
I tried to question her further, but she didn’t give me the chance.
“Just a moment. I forgot something. I’ll be back soon, so wash up in the meantime.”
“Alright.”
Without waiting for my full reply, she turned and hurried out of the room. Her rushed steps felt oddly urgent.
I tilted my head in confusion, trying to recall her strange expression. But the aches in my body quickly drew me back to reality.
I should just take a bath.
Eager to soak in warm water, I headed for the bathroom.
Despite her promise to return quickly, Amelia didn’t come back for a long time.
After exercising and bathing, fatigue began to set in.
“Maybe I’ll just lie down for a bit.”
What started as a brief rest turned into me sinking into the soft embrace of the bed. Sleep claimed me almost instantly.
“Renee? Renee!”
A voice called out from far away.
It sounded urgent—no, desperate.
The voice was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. A hazy image of someone’s face flickered in my mind before disappearing again.
Am I dreaming?
It didn’t feel bad. In fact, the pillow felt softer and more comforting than usual.
“Mmm…”
I buried my face deeper into the pillow, savoring the warmth.
“Renee.”
This time, I felt a shake. Sleep weighed heavily on me, but I managed to blink my eyes open.
The blurred figure above me slowly came into focus.
When I sat up suddenly, I nearly collided with Raynan, who was leaning close. He quickly pulled back, avoiding the mishap.
“…Your Grace?”
“Are you unwell?”
His face showed a hint of relief, but there was a faint tremor in his voice.
“Huh?”
The concern in his voice was so gentle and cautious that I wondered if I was still dreaming.
It wasn’t just his voice. His expression was filled with worry.
“Am I sick?”
Instead of answering, Raynan placed a pillow behind my back to support me.
Was I really that unwell? I wondered, slowly testing my body’s movement.
The moment I shifted, a groan escaped my lips.
“What’s hurting?”
Raynan leaned closer, ready to listen intently.
“No, it’s…”
“I’ll call for the doctor.”
“The physician is already waiting outside,” Amelia interjected without hesitation.
Feeling embarrassed by their serious demeanor, I knew I had to say something before this escalated.
“No, no! It’s not that…”
Both of them stopped and turned their full attention to me. Their focused gazes made me lower my head instinctively.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“It’s… just muscle soreness from horseback riding…”
“…What?”
Raynan’s bewildered voice echoed back, laden with disbelief.
“Is that all?”
“Yes. It wasn’t this bad before bed, but it’s really painful now.”
Raynan and Amelia exchanged glances, as if trying to determine whether I was being honest.
“Amelia’s massages are amazing! Honestly, if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t even be able to walk properly.”
My cheerful tone seemed to ease Amelia’s expression slightly, though she remained serious.
“If we don’t address it now, it’ll be worse tomorrow.”
“Worse than this?”
“Yes. Are you sure there’s nothing else bothering you?”
“Just the muscle pain…”
Amelia seemed to confirm this as she observed me closely.
“If you want to move properly tomorrow, you’ll need another massage tonight.”
“I’ll step out.”
Raynan, back to his usual demeanor, left the room without hesitation.
“Let’s start with your legs,” Amelia said, her tone warm yet firm.
As her hands began working, I couldn’t help but let out a groan of pain.
Amelia’s massage, thorough as ever, seemed harsher on my already stiff muscles.
Despite my protests, cries, and even tears, she didn’t let up.
“Amelia, I’m sorry! I don’t know what I did, but I’m so sorry. Please, spare me.”
She only laughed in response.
“I can’t let you be in worse pain tomorrow, can I? Just bear with it a bit longer.”
“I might not even survive till tomorrow…”
“Oh, stop being dramatic.”
My sincere complaints were dismissed as exaggerated whining.
“That’s enough now,” I pleaded.
“On the contrary, now’s the time to focus even more.”
No matter how much I begged, Amelia continued with her gentle but relentless touch, soothing my muscles despite the temporary pain.
She spent even longer than usual on the massage.
“Alright, all done.”
At last, the words I’d been longing to hear. But by then, I was completely drained.
I couldn’t even muster the energy to see her out, collapsing back into bed instead.
Did that massage really help? I wondered as I drifted into an exhausted sleep, groaning softly.
*****
Amelia’s steps, after leaving Renee’s room, led her directly to Raynan’s chambers.
“What do you think?”
Raynan, wasting no time, got straight to the point. Amelia responded with a soft smile instead of answering immediately.
“What’s with that smile?”
“It’s just… it’s a good look on you.”
Raynan shook his head, clearly unimpressed, and pressed her for a proper response.
“So? How is Renee?”
“She seems fine.”
“Didn’t she drink what Marvin gave her?”
“Yes. One glass was half-empty, and the other completely drained, so she must have had one of them… Do you think I’m being overly cautious?”
“Hard to say. More importantly, how did it come to this? Why was no one aware or able to stop Marvin from approaching Renee?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll ensure she’s watched more closely from now on.”
“Have her checked by Carlson, just to be sure.”
“Understood.”
“What about Marvin?”
“He slipped out during a brief moment of inattention and has been holed up in his room since.”
“I see. Look into whether any of the staff who came with us have ties to Marvin. The fact that he exploited such a precise opening is unsettling.”
“Will do.”
With the conversation seemingly over, Amelia should have left, but she remained standing silently.
“Is there something else you’d like to say?”
“Renee is a truly wonderful person. She’s unusually sincere and has a beautiful heart.”
Amelia’s sudden string of compliments about Renee left Raynan with a puzzled expression.
“And this is relevant because…?”
“Isn’t she someone it’s impossible not to like?”
Amelia posed the question as if seeking agreement, but Raynan didn’t reply.
Her smile deepened at his lack of response.
“What makes me even more fond of her is that she has such a positive influence on both of you.”
“Both of us?”
“Of course, the Duke and Edwin.”
“Edwin, sure. But you think she’s a good influence on me as well?”
“You can’t deny it, can you?”
Amelia’s confident assertion left Raynan momentarily silent, as if he was reflecting on her words.
She waited patiently, refraining from interrupting his thoughts.
“In any case,” she eventually continued, “I hope you won’t lose someone like her over something trivial.”
“Something trivial?”
“I don’t mean now. I’m just speaking out of concern, that’s all.”
Raynan narrowed his eyes, his tone sharp with suspicion, prompting Amelia to raise her hands defensively.
Despite her explanation, his expression remained tense.
“By now, everyone knows that Rene is oblivious to certain things, overly anxious, and sometimes irrationally fearful. Occasionally, her thoughts spiral in strange directions.”
“…That’s true.”
“That’s why I’m saying this.”
“What does that have to do with losing her over something trivial?”
At his question, Amelia’s smile turned mischievous. Raynan, watching her, let out a small sigh and finally spoke.
