Chapter 13
Brian!
Late afternoon.
Brian, the personal physician of the Duke who was enjoying a leisurely time reading, stood up upon hearing the urgent voice of a maid.
“Miss…!”
Before the breathless maid could finish her sentence, he quickly grabbed his medical bag and rushed to Rachel’s room.
However…
‘A girl?’
Lying on Rachel’s bed was not Rachel but a strange girl.
He noticed that this girl was Rachel’s playmate who had been sneaking into the mansion recently.
And then he noticed…
“Miss?”
Rachel’s terrified expression.
“Please, save this girl…”
Rachel’s hand trembled as she gripped the blanket, her blue eyes meeting his.
Brian was quietly surprised.
It was the first time Rachel had shown her emotions since witnessing Isella’s worsening condition.
She hadn’t shown any emotions since then.
Not even at Isella’s funeral.
Like a doll devoid of emotions.
Knowing Rachel was one of the few who knew the boy was actually a girl, Brian was worried about her.
Just like how the young lady concealed her identity within her long hair to protect herself, maybe she was hiding her emotions too.
Afraid of erasing herself.
So, though it was a relief to see Rachel showing emotions after so long…
‘This traumatic situation is not good.’
Brian comforted the frightened Rachel first.
“At first glance, it doesn’t seem to be a serious issue judging by her complexion. Let’s examine her first.”
After asking Rachel a few questions about when Vivian started acting this way and how it came to this, Brian immediately began his examination.
Rachel stared blankly at Vivian lying on her bed.
She couldn’t fathom how she ended up carrying Vivian all the way here.
The sight of the fallen Vivian overlapped with the memory of her dying mother before her eyes.
The only thought dominating her mind was that she had to save this girl.
At the same time, memories of what she said and did to Vivian flashed through her mind.
No need for that, so get lost.
However…
“Now that it’s time to say goodbye, I’ll just accept it reluctantly, hoping for safety.”
Rachel, who learned about the concept of ‘death’ too early because of her mother’s work, was afraid of death.
Rather than forever losing Vivian in a moment of carelessness, she thought it would be better to believe that the child who left, avoiding her, was living somewhere.
Anxiously waiting for Brian’s examination to end.
At that moment, Margaret arrived with a knock on the door.
“Miss, I came to inform you that it’s almost time for etiquette class…”
Upon entering the room and seeing Vivian collapsed, Margaret was surprised and asked, “Oh my, what happened to this child?”
“They said she suddenly collapsed. There are no external injuries or obvious symptoms, but we may need to examine her further.”
“Oh dear…”
Upon Brian’s explanation, Margaret sighed as if in sorrow, covering her mouth with her hand.
However, the corner of her mouth, hidden from view, was slightly upturned.
Looking at Rachel’s pale face filled with worry, Margaret suggested, “Miss, you seem quite shocked. How about taking a rest for now? Since you came for practice, it might be good to freshen up before coming back.”
“…No, I’ll stay here until the examination is over.”
Rachel, who usually listened well to Margaret’s words, rarely insisted on her own opinion.
“But to think she’s insisting because of that young girl.”
Though this fact irked her, Margaret smiled kindly and persuaded Rachel, “If that puts your mind at ease, then you should do as you wish. I’ll postpone today’s etiquette lesson to tomorrow.”
“Thank you, nanny.”
Before leaving the room, Margaret glanced at Vivian lying on the bed.
“It’s better this way, despite the annoyance.”
Five years ago, on the day Isella died, Margaret slowly tamed Rachel.
“If you go outside the mansion, not only the Emperor but also others will look down on you.”
To prevent close relationships with others, instill fear to block connections with others.
Thus, rely only on oneself and Sally.
“If by any chance the fact that you’re a woman is revealed… not only you but also the Duke and everyone in this mansion will be in danger. In such a situation, the Duke may even cast you aside to save the people of the Duke’s house… But don’t worry too much, Miss. I will protect you by your side until the day I die.”
Due to Isella’s will, Kaltz only cared about Rachel’s survival, not Rachel herself.
Taming an child with nowhere to turn to was easy.
Her sole purpose in taming Rachel was one.
Rachel may be pretending to be a girl for now, but there is a limit to how long she can hide it by cross-dressing as she grows older. Knowing this, Kaltz secretly trains Rachel in magic.
When Rachel grows enough to protect herself, she was supposed to stop cross-dressing and come forward as the Edelvine Countess.
“If Rachel has no one else to rely on but me and Sally, Sally might become the Countess.”
However, Vivian appeared and began to shake up her plans that had been in the works for years.
How did Vivian manage to win Kaltz’s favour and pull him to her side? Will she succeed in keeping Rachel from leaving the mansion?
Then, Vivian revealed her illness.
“This is the perfect opportunity to drive that girl away.”
Kaltz had brought in Vivian to keep Rachel’s male identity a secret, but if the child is sick, he had no choice but to drive her away.
“Just like how she made Rachel’s other friends run away, I thought I should scare her by saying that being close to Rachel might anger the Emperor.”
Things were about to get easier.
With a sly smile, Margarate left the room and headed straight to Kaltz’s study.
“Your Excellency, it’s Magarate. Do you have a moment to spare for something I need to discuss?”
Soon, the door opened, and Owen came out with a puzzled look.
“Isn’t it the young lady’s lesson time now?”
“Even so, I came to talk about that matter.”
As they entered the study, Kaltz sitting at his desk came into view.
Margarate spoke with a deeply regretful expression, “Well, the child who came as Rachel’s playmate suddenly collapsed while playing with her.”
Kaltz’s eyebrow raised at the unexpected news.
“Suddenly?”
“Yes. Brian is examining the child, and he said the young lady wanted to stay by his side. But…”
Glancing at Kaltz, Margarate cautiously continued, “Of course, we hope it’s nothing serious, but if the child is indeed ill… I’m concerned that it might greatly shock the young lady.”
So, we need to separate Vivian and Rachel.
Kaltz immediately grasped the omitted part Margaret had left out.
“That makes sense too.”
Rachel understands the concept of ‘death.’ So, if by any chance, Vivian were to die…
“It will surely be a big shock.”
Kaltz and Owen’s expressions turned serious upon hearing about Vivian.
Margaret looked at the two with a satisfied smile.
The atmosphere was flowing as planned.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange ceiling.
‘What happened?’
Blinking my eyes, trying to figure out the situation, I recalled my last memory.
The last memory was of my consciousness fading due to the sudden pain in my heart.
Could it be…?
“I fainted?!”
While I have experienced sudden pain before, fainting was a first.
Startled, I looked out the window to see it was still daytime. It didn’t seem like a lot of time had passed.
“T-then, Rachel?”
Recalling the last moment spent with Rachel, I suddenly sat up.
At the same time, Rachel, who was looking at me, met my gaze.
