Episode 46

“Your hand feels numb?”

The physician asked back, his eyes wide open.

I raised a finger to my lips, signaling him to lower his voice.

This man had been the Drenihan family doctor long before Dr. Cesar.

The physician then cautiously asked me again.

“Since when, Miss?”

“Just since the other day.”

The physician furrowed his brow and muttered.

“Could it be… the onset of the disease?”

The numbness of body parts starting to stiffen.

That was the most representative symptom of Lisbeth’s disease.

Although it was just a slight numbness now, it wasn’t something to take lightly because I had never felt it before.

Even if it was a faint tingling now, it wouldn’t be surprising if it suddenly became severe.

The physician looked troubled.

As my long-time family doctor, he must have been prepared for this, but now that the symptoms were appearing, even he was at a loss.

“Miss….”

“I know. There’s no cure, right?”

“I’m sorry.”

The physician bowed his head deeply.

“Since Duke Karsian is moving vast amounts of capital to develop a cure for Lisbeth’s disease, we must hope that a solution will be found soon.”

The Drenihan family had promised an astronomical reward to anyone who could develop a cure for Lisbeth’s disease.

I heard that physicians and healers across the empire were fervently working on developing the drug because of this.

‘But the one who might have a chance is not interested in money.’

I thought, picturing the genius doctor who was probably wandering somewhere out there.

“For now, I’ll prescribe you a medication to alleviate the numbness. It’s only a temporary measure, but it should make it less bothersome.”

“Yes, and there’s another medicine I’d like you to prescribe.”

“Another medicine…?”

When I whispered my request, the physician’s eyes widened.

* * *

I shielded my eyes with one hand under the warm sunlight.

Now that Orzen’s family had been expelled and their followers rooted out, the Drenihan duchy was quieter and more peaceful than ever.

Lying peacefully on a mat in the middle of the lush garden, Sir Desar, who was standing by my side, spoke.

“The sunlight is strong. It would be better to use a parasol.”

“No, I’m doing this on purpose to get some sunlight.”

Lisbeth’s disease was such an unknown territory that there were many ridiculous superstitions, one of which was that frequent exposure to sunlight would alleviate the symptoms.

‘Get plenty of sunlight. I’ve heard it might be quite effective….’

The physician had suggested this to me with a skeptical expression, but I was just enjoying the nice weather without much expectation.

The breeze was cool, and the sky was clear without a single cloud.

Sometimes, such leisurely moments were delightful.

Could it really be this peaceful just because Orzen’s family was gone?

‘They’ve been granted Douglas Castle, right?’

The Douglas territory was one of the most prosperous regions in the south.

It was famous as a resort, with a beautiful sea that earned it the name of a paradise on earth.

They even appointed a professional manager, so the territory would run smoothly on its own, blessed with natural resources and fertile lands.

‘If it were me, I’d bow to Grandfather and live there happily.’

It was a final act of kindness to the family of the troublesome son.

Considering the disgrace Orzen’s family had brought to the Drenihan name, it was an incredibly generous treatment.

It was a remote place, so it might not satisfy someone craving power, but once they got there, they might change their minds. However…

‘Lady Beth would never be satisfied with just that.’

Her family, the Marquis of Crea, had been showing unusual movements lately.

Just in case, I had assigned spies to monitor the Marquis of Crea, and as expected, the Marquis had gone down to the Douglas territory on the day Orzen’s family was expelled.

‘They wouldn’t go just to congratulate them on receiving the castle…’

They were definitely plotting something.

I sat up from lying down and took out a sandwich that Nella had brought.

“Desar, sit down and eat. Nella’s sandwiches are really delicious.”

“I’m fine.”

“They’re really good…”

As I spoke in a dejected tone, he flinched despite standing firmly.

“Then… I will gratefully accept.”

“Here you go.”

I handed a sandwich to Desar, who awkwardly sat down on the mat with a bright smile.

The mat was large enough for a dozen people to lie on, but Desar sat at a distance after receiving the sandwich from me.

Sharing food is a way to show kindness in Korean culture.

‘I’m making amends with Desar for the mistakes I made when I was young.’

I had no idea what those mistakes were.

Unless Desar told me, I would never know.

‘I have no memories from before I was five.’

I had no control over losing all my memories after a severe illness.

Desar didn’t seem to know that I had lost my memory completely after my illness.

He probably thought I had just forgotten over time.

I stared at Desar.

‘He looks like a wary cat.’

He didn’t have the size of a cat, but that’s how he seemed.

His light blue hair swayed gently in the breeze, and his blue eyes were as deep as the sea, making it hard to read his thoughts.

‘He’s clearly not an ordinary commoner.’

At the moment I glanced at Desar, who was sitting at the edge of the mat and taking a bite of his sandwich, a young girl’s voice echoed in my mind.

[Desar is alone over there again. Sierra, let’s go play with him.]

“……?”

In a fleeting memory, young me approached Desar, who was sitting alone, holding hands with a silver-haired girl.

When I rubbed my eyes and looked again, the vision was gone.

‘What was that, just now?’

I tilted my head in confusion.

Could it be a memory from when I was five?

It was the first time I had recalled even a fragment of that period.

‘If so, then that silver-haired girl…’

[We often played together when we were young. You, me, and Lady Selber.]

If what Desar had said in the carriage was true, it must have been Jenna.

The hazy memory didn’t clearly bring her face to mind, but she resembled Arzen a lot in her aura.

It was only natural since they were twins.

“Miss. Miss?”

Desar was suddenly standing in front of me as I was lost in thought.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes. I was just thinking about something.”

I snapped out of my thoughts and quickly replied.

The place I saw in my memory was exactly here.

In front of the fountain in the Drenihan garden, surrounded by greenery.

I suddenly spoke to Desar.

“I think I used to play here a lot when I was a child.”

Desar looked genuinely surprised and asked.

“Did you recall something?”

“No, it’s just a feeling.”

“Ah…”

I stared at Desar before standing up and dusting off my clothes.

“Do you remember that I was very sick when I was young?”

“I heard you were often ill as a child.”

“I was healthy originally. It was only after a serious illness when I was five that my body became like this.”

I looked back at Desar and said.

“And that’s when I completely lost all my memories from before I was five.”

Desar looked at me with a surprised expression, as if hearing this for the first time.

“So, I don’t remember what happened back then. It feels like I did something wrong to you, but even if I want to apologize…”

“Wait, apologize?”

“Yes, didn’t I do something to you?”

[May I personally execute the Drenihan lady?]

I couldn’t forget Desar’s chilling line from the original story.

We were just children back then, so maybe we had a fight or something.

If that was the case, I, being a member of the Drenihan family, would have been fine, but Desar would have been severely scolded and held a grudge against me since then.

That was my assumption.

“Absolutely not. The idea that you wronged me is impossible.”

Desar firmly denied it, as if he couldn’t believe I had such a misunderstanding, and touched his forehead.

“So, you don’t dislike me?”

“Why would I dislike you?”

He replied with a slightly melancholic expression.

“Have you been misunderstanding all this time? Is that why you’ve been distant…?”

When I stayed silent as a form of affirmation, Desar shook his head.

“It’s a misunderstanding. People often misunderstand me because of my usual expression.”

“Oh…”

“You are my master. Please don’t distance yourself from me.”

Desar touched his reddening earlobe as he spoke.