Chapter 14
A cold voice was heard.
“Ian!”
Sophia jumped up without realizing it.
But with a headache, her vision went dark for an instant, and she hurriedly laid on the bed and stumbled.
“Stupid…”
With a cynical voice, a touch laid her back.
Sophia frowned and looked intently at the person in front of her.
Did she wake up after being sick?
Dark red hair, green eyes, and a pretty face, obviously Ian Frauss…
Ian wouldn’t be this sweet.
“I guess I’m still dreaming…”
“A dream?”
“A sweet dream of an ugly villain…”
“…”
Villain? Ian’s temples trembled.
In Sophia’s subconscious mind, is he an ‘ugly villain’?
But he couldn’t object because from the day he first joined the Frauss family, he had been tormenting Sophia all the time.
Threatening a timid woman with his sword, ripping off the blue wings of a butterfly she was looking at, ignoring her and closing her door, on her birthday, in front of her, who did not receive the gift, he shows the gifts he received.
Each time, Sophia bit her lip and made a face that looked like she was about to cry.
Ian had fun with that.
Because he had been able to confirm many times that he, who had been ignored as the illegitimate son, is now treated more honorably than the legal wife’s daughter. (tl/n: before the Count legally married Ian’s mother after Sophia’s mom died.)
The ‘real’ Frauss was him.
The illegitimate child, who arrived late, wanted to find evidence of his new identity again and again.
Sophia was a mirror that showed that he was ‘Frauss’.
So he made and owned the abandoned girl as his toy.
“Cough, cough, how sweet… You should be criticized for not going along with your usual character.”
But the broken toy was talking nonsense. She seemed to be insane with a high fever.
Sweet? Does Sophia feel that his actions are friendly now?
‘…Don’t get me wrong. I just didn’t want my toy to be ruined.’
It was good to play with a toy as long as he wanted, but he didn’t want it to break down completely and become useless.
Even if it breaks, it must be done with his hands.
Ian held out a glass of water to her. It was because he thought that if she drank it, she would come to her senses.
Then a bashful smile spreads across Sophia’s lips.
Ian stopped at that smile.
When was the last time he saw a smile on that face?
Sophia swallowed a few sips of the water he gave her and put it down.
Her swollen neck made it painful to even take a sip of water.
After that, Ian handed her the medicine. It was a yellow powder.
Sophia stared still at the powdered medicine in his hand, then shook her head.
“Is it poison…?”
Haunted eyes stare at him.
“Who do you see me as…!”
“The number 1 villain who torments me…no, number 2… Cough!”
Because Countess Rubissella is 1…
Hearing Sophia’s murmur, Ian bit his lip tightly.
“You…!”
Villain? Not number 1 but 2?
It was an answer that made his stomach turn, but Ian gave up on arguing.
He felt pitiful that he would be arguing with someone who had been sick all night and had just come to her senses.
“…Doctor!”
As the sick continued refusing to take the medicine, Ian called someone.
Read only at pm tl.
Doctor Leopeld, who was waiting outside, came in.
“Feed and examine her.”
Ian blinked and pointed to Sophia.
Then, the butler knocked and opened the door and came in.
“Young master, Duke Killian Viprons Rivelon has come to visit.”
“What?”
At the sudden uninvited guest, Ian looked out the window.
It was a bit late for guests to visit.
A tall man with a black horse was standing in front of the main building.
His silhouette could be seen as if wrapped in a gold frame reflected in the lamp hanging on the front door.
After that, there was also an attendant knight.
Fortunately, Sophia, who was being examined by a doctor, did not seem to have heard the butler’s report.
“He is…?”
“He’s here to find Dr. Leopeld.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed.
He said he came to see the doctor?
Killian’s head looked out the window toward the annex. To be precise, to the attic of the annex.
Meanwhile, Dr. Leopeld, who was giving Sophia medicine and examining her, looked at Ian as if in trouble.
“Is treatment over?”
“She had a cold and the fever calmed down a bit… Now you don’t have to worry too much. She only needs to take the prescribed medicine three times a day until the symptoms completely disappear.”
“Okay. You may leave.”
Ian nodded and pointed to the door, and Dr. Leopeld hurriedly left the room.
Dark green eyes watched the doctor’s white robe disappear before looking out the window again.
Soon, the doctor was seen going out of the mansion.
After meeting Dr. Leopeld, Killian spoke a few words with the doctor. And passed the doctor over to his attendant.
The doctor and the attendant headed to the carriage standing in front of the mansion’s front door.
However, Sophia’s fiance still did not leave the front of the main building.
The butler went out again and spoke with Killian.
“I, young master. The Duke of Rivelon asked to visit Miss Sophia, but…”
The butler returned and delivered the second purpose of Killian.
Ian bit his lip angrily, and Sophia, who was coughing, looked at the butler.
“Killian came to visit…?”
She asked while sounding like a torn wind.
Sophia blinked her eyes repeatedly, trying to come to her senses.
Her hazy mind gradually became clearer thanks to the bitter and astringent medicine that seemed to paralyze the inside of her tongue.
She now knew that this was not a dream.
That this was Ian’s room, and that Killian came to visit.
‘It’s okay to be a female protagonist, even if it hurts…’
Everything runs into a cliché for the protagonist.
Convinced of the luck of the heroine, which made her overjoyed even in the midst of her cold, Sophia looked at Ian.
He had a bad expression on his face, as if he had taken the bitter medicine instead of her.
“Sophia is not ready to receive guests, so send him back.”
“No…! Cough!”
Sophia, who was desperately trying to grab the butler, coughed out a harsh cough.
“I want to meet him… I’m going to meet Killian.”
After she had calmed down her cough, Sophia continued.
The male protagonist came to visit, but she couldn’t see him.
“Are you going to meet the Duke like that?”
Ian glanced at her.
While her fever was falling, her hair was wet with sweat with eyes half relaxed from the cold, and her voice cracked roughly with a hoarse throat. She had discolored lips, a pale complexion, and dark circles under her eyes.
“The disgrace of the family is enough for yesterday’s scandal.”
Ian stabbed her with his thorny words.
Sophia looked back. She knew she wasn’t in a neat shape.
“However… Cough!”
She tried to chime in with a few words like yesterday, but she lost her spirit.
Her swollen tonsils didn’t come out properly, so she couldn’t even argue.
Ian blinked at Sophia’s helpless look.
“Take him back, butler.”
Once again, the butler moved at the falling command.
Ian looked outside again to make sure the butler was sending Killian back.
As the messenger went out to the front door and spoke, Killian’s head rose.
Bright red eyes shining in the darkness looked at Ian standing by the window.
“…It seems that my fiance’s room has been moved to the main building.”
The doctor came out of the main building, and Ian Frauss was outright vigilant.
Killian muttered.
The white face of Ian Frauss can be seen in the lit window and flickering candles.
He knew that the duke came, but he didn’t even come to meet him, he just stood by the window and looked down.
“But, to hear about my fiance’s condition and to be held back by the doorstep…”
Killian fiddled lazily with his wrist.
With the window, the two gazes collided.
The reason why Killian came to the Frauss mansion at such a late hour was to find a doctor.
A few hours ago…
“You didn’t have to come in person.”
“… Because the Crown Prince has asked for it.”
Killian ruffled his messy hair and looked at the building sign with a medical mark on it.
[Dr. Leopeld’s Hospital.]
Although there is a separate royal physician, it was common to request a visit from an authoritative doctor depending on the field of specialization.
“Your Majesty’s health is getting worse day by day.”
“Shh.”
The emperor’s health information was confidential.
It was known to some extent that the current emperor’s condition was not the same as before, but even so, they must be careful with their mouths.
The current emperor was so ill that he was unable to perform even half of his duties.
Although he took a direct seat in an important statue, most of the work was done by Crown Prince Mikhail and Empress Beatrix.
The reason why Killian came to see another doctor today was because of the emperor’s obscure fever that had continued for several days.
“Chief of the Military Police!”
As he entered the hospital, the trainees met him.
“Where is Dr. Leopeld?”
“He’s absent from a visit.”
“When will he come back? No, I’ll pick him up myself.”
“Ah, he went to the Frauss mansion about two hours ago.”
His eyes gleamed when he answered.
The trainee also heard about the weekly magazine yesterday, so he remembered the relationship between Killian and the Frauss family.
“Frauss?”
“That’s because Sir Ian called saying that Miss Sophia Frauss was ill.”
“…Sophia Frauss?”
