I swear it was the first I heard that day.
It seemed to be a top secret, as only the old priests, priests, and high-ranking people knew about it.
Marquis Jonathan Blanche also never told Erica about it.
He always told her what to do and nothing else.
That’s why the long time Erica had to spend in the Grand Duchy felt even more daunting.
It was then that I suddenly started coughing.
“Cock, cologne.”
The face immediately frowned, and was soon filled with indescribable pain.
My throat was so sore.
Erica, who was worried that the sound might leak outside the carriage, curled her body forward.
Then, wavy red hair fell forward.
At the same time, a memory I wanted to forget came to mind.
Meanwhile, the cough that shook his small body was still continuing.
‘it hurts… … . ‘My throat is sore.’
Erica covered her mouth with one hand and her neck with the other.
I didn’t have a cold.
This was all because of what the Marquis de Blanche had fed her a few days before her wedding.
“Boo, did you call me?”
“Okay, you’re here. “Come closer.”
Erica hesitated and narrowed the distance between herself and Marquis Blanche.
Then the Marquis said, gently pushing the small silver tray on the desk towards her.
“Eat this. “Don’t chew. Just swallow.”
What the Marquis held out was a shiny, black bead.
It was about the size of a quail egg, so it seemed like it could be swallowed with a little effort.
But Erica was not willing to reach out for it. It was because she felt reluctant for some reason.
So the girl just held her hands together and looked at the beads.
When Erica wasted time and did not do as I asked, the Marquis Blanche widened his eyes even more and spoke as if scolding her.
“What are you doing if you’re not picking it up?”
“Hey, Marquis… … .”
“I like children who listen well.”
Erica, who was intimidated by the feeling of intimidation, finally held the marble with her trembling hands.
The girl rolled her eyes several more times and looked back and forth between the Marquis and what she was holding in her hand, before reluctantly swallowing the marble.
And at that moment-
“Cough! Cough!”
A harsh cough burst out of my lips before I could stop it.
It was as if the bead had expanded and swelled in Erica’s throat as soon as she swallowed it.
In an instant, I felt like my airway was blocked, and then my esophagus began to burn.
“Ugh, ugh… … .”
Erica started scratching her neck recklessly.
Could it be that I die like this?
That thought just occurred to me.
Clear tears hung from the corners of Erica’s eyes. She rolled up to her waist in burning and pain, but she didn’t feel any better.
Afterwards, I couldn’t even breathe well.
‘why?’
Erica lifted her gaze with difficulty and looked at the Marquis Blanche.
Even though he was in so much pain, he just stood there and watched without blinking.
How much time has passed?
After a long time, I finally stopped coughing.
Covered in tears, Erica fell limp on the floor in a helpless state, breathing heavily.
“Without the hair. “How long are you going to lie down like that in front of your master?”
Hearing the harsh words of reprimand, Erica stood up with her trembling arms on the floor.
There was still a feeling of a foreign body remaining in my throat.
“do not worry. “Because you won’t die.”
Marquis Blanche said with a sinister smile on his face.
“If you keep your promise.”
“… … “Marquis?”
“I can’t completely trust you, so I’ve prepared the bare minimum of safety measures.”
The Marquis briefly explained the power of the bead.
“If you reveal to anyone the secret that you are not my daughter, the orb will explode in your throat. “Then you will die immediately.”
Not only did he take Julia hostage, he also took Erica’s life as collateral.
At that time, Jonathan Blanche was smiling brightly.
No matter how hard I tried to forget that face, I could never get it out of my mind.
Erica, shaken by the brutality of the Marquis Blanche, trembled.
Fortunately, after a while, the coughing subsided.
The first time I swallowed a bead, I almost passed out.
After that, I started coughing at any time without any warning, and in severe cases, I would vomit blood.
This was the first time it ended as short as it did now.
‘Could it be that the blessing that the old priest gave me before leaving the capital was effective?’
I wish it were like that. It will hurt less in the future.
‘It’s known that Miss Erica has been weak since she was young, so I don’t think anyone will find it strange that I’m coughing.’
That’s a good thing though.
Still, it’s a bit sad.
Originally, I was healthy.
Erica lifted her upper body, which had been curled up like a ball.
However, my body was as heavy as wet cotton and I had no strength at all.
Tuck.
My head naturally leaned against the carriage wall.
It was clear that BonPiju would say something if he saw it, but so what? It’s not here.
Erica slowly closed her eyes.
When will we arrive at the Grand Duke?
And when will I be able to meet Sebastian alone? … .
While thinking about such things, I fell asleep without realizing it.
* * *
smart.
A polite knock on the door made Erica wake up, shivering.
Uh, how long did you sleep?
Time was unpredictable.
Meanwhile, the knocking continued once more.
Erica cleared her throat and barely managed to reply in a hushed voice.
“… … yes? who are you?”
“This is Milod.”
“iced coffee! yes!”
Only then did Erica realize that the carriage had stopped.
Milod continued speaking without opening the door.
“I’m going to rest here today. “If you don’t mind, please come down and have a meal.”
“Ah, I get it. “I’ll get off soon.”
Soon Milod heard footsteps moving away.
Erica hurriedly cleaned her eyes with her hands and combed her tangled hair.
After that, I quickly finished organizing my clothes.
This was because when she got off the carriage, Bonpiju, who had been waiting for her, quickly followed her side.
After taking a deep breath, Erica came out with a nervous look on her face.
As expected, Bonpiju with eagle eyes approached quickly, as if he had been waiting.
She whispered quickly in a low voice.
“Erica. “Please speak up today.”
Bongpiju, who had always omitted her title when they were alone, was now properly using honorifics toward Erica, perhaps because she was aware that many eyes were watching her.
But that was all, his attitude was still irreverent and wanton.
When there was no answer from Erica, BonPiju continued to urge.
“Did you hear me? “Would you like to talk to the Archduke?”
Erica chewed her inner lip with an embarrassed look on her face and finally reluctantly answered.
“B-but… … I don’t think the Archduke will listen to me… … .”
As he whispered in an uncertain tone, BongPiju’s eyebrows narrowed and a deep vertical line formed a valley.
BonPiju quickly looked around in case the knights of the Archduke House heard him and answered quickly and sharply in a low voice, like an ant crawling.
“Isn’t it okay to lose money? “You don’t have to say anything first!”
This is why I didn’t want to get off the carriage.
Erica sighed and thought.
The same story has been repeating itself for several days.
What the head maid was trying to say by poking Erica’s side hard was nothing else.
She told him to ask Sebastian if he wanted to ride in the same carriage as BonPiju.
Erica knows this because she rode it herself, but the carriage that came from Marquis was very flimsy.
In some ways, it was a good thing that it hadn’t broken or had a wheel come off so far.
So, of course, the discomfort that BonPiju must have felt as he traveled in that carriage the entire time would have been indescribable.
As some time had passed since the wedding day, and Sebastian no longer seemed to care about him, BongPiju’s liver, which had shrunk a lot, gradually grew again.
But even so, it seemed difficult for him to speak directly to Sebastian.
This was because I was scared and uncomfortable as I had experienced being strangled.
So, whenever he had the chance, he harassed Erica, who was relatively easy-going.
