Episode 18
Maybe there is someone who wanted to kill Amoide.
And if they were successful, Selene was to blame for the crime.
I had to think that everyone was out to get me.
Even though Raymond took very good care of Amoide, he died. It was clear that it was both a murder and a poisoning.
No matter where an enemy was, poisoning Amoide was the most certain and stealthy way to kill him.
In order to ruin someone’s food or medicine, he had to be the person they trusted the most and be close to them.
Also, they had to be someone who would never be thought of as odd, even if they did something strange. Raymond was all of these things.
He knew things about Amoide’s childhood that I didn’t know.
He knew everything about his illness, from how it started to what made it worse to what eased the symptoms and helped him get better.
“Raymond could have killed Amoide without drawing attention to himself.”
I couldn’t deny the chance that I was just thinking too much.
I wasn’t sure that Raymond was the one who did it.
I even felt weirdly bad about having a bad feeling about Raymond.
When Amoide was sick, he always went to be with him. He only left the ducal house when Amoide got better.
At that moment, Raymond looked up, maybe because he felt my eyes on him. I quickly took my eyes off of him.
Raymond put down his instrument and said, “You’re healthy in general, but it looks like you lost consciousness for a short time that day because you were tired and scared. I’ll give you medicine to help you get your energy back.”
“I’m really fine right now.”
“Your husband should take care of his health, but so should you, as his wife.”
Raymond told me in a friendly way.
“I know. That’s the only way to make sure our child is healthy.”
Raymond coughed when he heard what I had to say and then said, “Well, it’s not just about that.”
“You know that because we’re close enough. You even checked to see if my body was ready to have children before the wedding.”
“Well, I guess that was…”
Raymond smiled in a strange way.
“I know. It was what Mother told you to do. I don’t have anything bad to say about Raymond. In fact, I’m grateful.”
“You’re way too kind.”
“Raymond, you’re very careful. You are always so kind and have a strong sense of duty.”
I gave him a lot of praise, and Raymond coughed and laughed, as if he were a little shy.
“You flatter me.”
“Absolutely not.”
After I looked at his face, I got to the point.
“I’m glad you stopped by. I was about to ask you to meet separately to talk about something important.”
“Something important…?”
“Yes, it’s a very, very urgent matter.”
I very much lowered my voice.
Raymond’s face turned into one of worry when he saw how sad I looked.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere else?”
I took a moment to decide how to answer his question.
“I had no idea… I would have something else to say.”
When I answered, his eyes got big like he was surprised.
“Oh, looks like I missed something. May I examine you again?”
Raymond opened his medicine bag quickly once more. I put out my hand to tell him to stop.
“No, it’s not all about me…”
Raymond put the bag down and looked at me.
“It has to do with my husband.”
“The Duke?”
“Yes.”
I gave him a serious look when I looked at him.
“The Duke was the cause.”
Raymond let out a deep sigh, as if he got it.
“The other reason I wanted to see you right away was because my husband is sick. So, here’s what I want to say:”
I stood still and messed with the teacup’s handle.
“I want to learn more about what’s wrong with Amoide.”
I pretended to play with the teacup’s handle while I watched his face.
“Do you know something I don’t? Like something that would kill my husband.”
“There’s nothing like that.”
A quick answer came out as if someone had pushed a button.
“He has been fine, except for his recent fall. If you are worried about that…”
Raymond also looked like he was a little upset.
“Raymond, I want to know what kinds of medicines you give to my husband and what other kinds of medical care you give him.”
I meant what I said.
“May I ask why you had this idea all of a sudden?”
I held on to the teacup once more.
“I feel like I haven’t cared about my husband enough all this time.”
“…”
“When he was sick, I just cried by his side and didn’t think about what I could do to help him.”
I took out a cloth and wiped my eyes with it as I looked at his face.
There was a small line on his forehead that made it look like he was a little worried.
“Does he feel shy about talking about Amoide’s health?”
So far, he would have only talked to Camilla about Amoide’s health, so my request might come as a surprise to him.
So, I had to find a normal way to ask for his help without making him suspicious.
Because of this, I chose to try something different.
“To be honest, Raymond, I really didn’t want to say this.
I was desperate as I looked at him.
When he looked into my eyes, he seemed to think for a moment before carefully speaking.
“Then, are you worried that getting pregnant might be hard?”
“…Raymond.”
I got a little red in the face and put the cloth to my mouth with a sad face.
“This is a hard thing to do, Raymond.”
I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“Amoide… is not the same as he used to be.”
“He’s not the same as he used to be?”
Raymond stopped talking and turned his head to look at me.
He seemed to have picked up on the slight negative vibe in my words.
“Did mother tell you anything?”
“Am I supposed to…”
“Oh, she couldn’t tell you, I guess. Since it’s such a big deal…”
I looked down with sad eyes and shaking eyebrows.
“I apologize, Duchess. What are you talking about? I don’t get it.”
Raymond’s voice shook in an odd way.
“It’s hard to explain in detail because it has to do with our bedroom problems.”
“Bedroom…”
Raymond had been repeating my words without understanding them. All of a sudden, he seemed to wake up and bowed his head.
“I’m sorry, my lady. I guess I was too full of myself.”
“Oh, Raymond, aren’t you proud? Raymond is a great doctor, and everyone in the city knows it.”
I told him how great he was and waited for his next words.
“Uh, His Grace’s, that… that,” she said.
Raymond’s ears were getting red, and I could see it.
Good, almost finished.
I used both hands to hold the teacup. As the warmth spread, I felt the stress in my body go away.
“As his doctor, I haven’t been careful enough. I should have paid more attention to what you said.”
“It’s hard to talk about because it’s about our private lives, which makes sense.”
“There’s no need for you to feel that way. Feel free to talk to me about anything at any time.”
“Your words make me feel a bit relieved.”
I used my hand to hide my red face.
“So, Raymond, you should also tell me everything. We must all work together to get through this.”
“Of course.”
“Well, that’s that…”
“Go ahead, please.”
“Well, medicines and treatments are important to give him more energy, but isn’t it more important that he eats enough?”
“…Yes, that’s right, but?”
“When I see what my husband eats, it doesn’t always look like he’s getting enough to get his strength back.”
I thought about what kind of food he usually ate.
I didn’t always eat with him, but every time I saw his food, I thought the same thing.
To put it simply, those things were the same as weeds.
I even wondered if Amoide’s bad mood was because he ate such things.
“Well, what are you saying?”
“I’d like to try to change what my husband eats. Will you give me a hand?
Raymond gave a soft nod when I asked him to be careful.
“We have been watching what he eats to keep him from getting sick, but after hearing what you said, I think it makes sense. It might be a good idea to do something different.”
“Then I’ll talk to the chef and make a new meal plan.”
“I’ll also do what I can to help.”
“Having Raymond’s help is very comforting. Together, let’s do our best to make a child who is healthy.”
I smiled and waved goodbye to Raymond.
When he left, I rang the bell next to me, and Rona came in as soon as the door opened.
“Did you call for me, ma’am?”
“Rona. Go tell the cook to bring Amoide’s menu for the last month. This will show what he has eaten. Don’t forget the recipes.”
“The cook?”
Rona’s face showed a little bit of fear.
“Yes. Why?”
“The chef is a little bit…”
Rona was hesitant and couldn’t give a straight answer for some reason.
“Rona?”
“No, never mind. I understand.”
Rona quickly nodded as if she had made a big choice and was about to leave.
After a moment of watching her, I quickly put up my hand to stop her.
“Rona, for some reason, you seem to be very scared.”
“No, no, it’s nothing like that.”
“But why do you have sweat all over your face?”
“Huh?”
Rona quickly used her arm to wipe the sweat off her face.
What’s happening?
For a moment, I felt like I had given a very tough order.
I looked at Rona’s face for a moment before getting up.
“Come along with me.”
