I didn’t answer Ains’s question and maintained my silence. I hadn’t expected him to react this way.
I could clearly see Ains’s eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, his eyes glaring sharply at me, and his lips tightly closed as if he were angry.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason for him to be angry with me. I had spent a long time by his side.
Hesitating with a sense of disbelief, I finally opened my mouth to speak.
“Are you worried about me right now?”
Given that Ains had come to ask me such questions, that was the only conclusion I could draw based on my common sense.
Although Ains’s behavior now was somewhat different from typical concern, it was a significant change compared to the past when he didn’t care whether I was hurt or not.
Thinking about it, I felt a sense of self-mockery.
How much had I longed for Ains’s attention that I would think he was worried about me? It made me feel ridiculous.
Fortunately, Ains didn’t answer my question. If he had laughed at me, I would have felt so ashamed I might have wanted to die.
“Of course, you wouldn’t be. So why are you asking me such things? And why are you so angry?”
“I…”
Ains’s mouth, which had opened as if he were frustrated, stopped. He couldn’t easily explain why he was acting this way.
“You asked if I was still sick, right? Yes, I am still sick.”
It seemed I wouldn’t get any answers from him.
When I readily admitted to his first question, Ains’s already furrowed brows deepened even more.
“But it’s also true that I’ve been treated.”
“…What do you mean?”
“It seems that the information you found isn’t complete. As you know, the Trintz disease I had is a disease where mana gradually hardens. The treatment is only possible with the Tieria flower.”
Ains, who wielded a sword, couldn’t be unaware of the Tieria flower.
Not only mages could handle mana. An excellent swordsman was adept at accumulating and utilizing mana from a young age. There was no way he wouldn’t know about a flower that could activate mana just by ingesting it.
“Fortunately, I was able to obtain the Tieria flower at an auction a while ago. It was a stroke of luck. I managed to get the medicine just in time. And that medicine you’re holding.”
Ains’s gaze naturally turned to the medicine bottle.
“It’s a sedative made after the treatment. The ingredient is the same Tieria flower.”
“…”
Ains slowly turned the bottle, examining its contents. The pills inside rolled around with his movements.
“As you might have guessed, I’ve already taken the treatment. That’s why I told you that my illness was cured. If you think I’m lying, you can check with Dr. Watt. Or you can verify who recently purchased the Tieria flower at the Reflen Auction House.”
“…So, are you saying that what happened yesterday was also a symptom of the aftereffects? The way you were yesterday didn’t seem like someone who had been cured.”
Ains’s words, as if challenging me to explain, made me smile faintly. It must have been hard to believe that I was cured after seeing me cough up blood right in front of him.
“Judging by yesterday’s appearance, I understand why you might be skeptical. Even if the treatment activates the hardened mana, can someone like me, who can’t even handle mana, manage the rampaging mana?”
Ains finally seemed to understand, relaxing his furrowed brows.
“It could take up to two years for stabilization, so until then, you might see symptoms like what you saw yesterday.”
“Two years?”
“Yes.”
Ains remained silent, staring at me intently. It was an uncomfortable gaze, but I had already said everything I needed to say to him.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get the medicine back now.”
Breaking the silence, I spoke to him. Ains looked at the medicine bottle and then at me with a complicated expression before finally handing it over.
“Was the demand for a million gold in alimony because of the medicine?”
Just as I was about to take the medicine bottle from Ains, he asked. It was a question filled with certainty. I paused for a moment before nonchalantly taking the bottle.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
There was no reason to deny it since it was the truth.
“I hope that answers your question. Now, could you please leave? As you might guess, the aftereffects of the illness are severe, and I need rest. Besides, spending time with you is too difficult and exhausting for me.”
I issued a polite request for him to leave. There was no reason to continue facing him after the main topic was over.
“…Fine. I’ll go.”
Ains stared at me for a long time, then looked down at his now empty hand, and finally nodded. He then stood up from his seat. I also stood up, following him.
“I won’t see you out. Take care.”
I bowed my head in greeting, and Ains just looked at me silently. Even when I raised my head, he was still watching me.
Finally, I looked up to confirm him. I met his anxious eyes.
“Perhaps.”
Ains hesitated as he spoke, raising his hand to touch his lips. Then he turned his head away, unable to meet my eyes.
“If you come to see my grandfather, you don’t need to contact me separately.”
With that, Ains turned and left the reception room.
It was only after the door closed and silence returned to the reception room that I felt the tension release. I leaned weakly against the sofa, exhaled deeply, and closed my eyes.
Facing Ains was still too overwhelming for me.
* * *
Ains, who had left the reception room, stood still as if he was nailed to the spot. He then looked down at his hand. His rough, large hand came into view.
The sensation of Cecilia’s hand, which had briefly brushed against his as she reached for the medicine bottle, remained at his fingertips. Her hand was the second coldest hand he had ever touched.
‘Is that also a symptom of the aftereffects?’
Ains clenched his fist slowly, recalling that his mother’s hands had been similarly cold before she passed away.
It was an unpleasant and heart-stopping temperature that he never wanted to feel again.
If Cecilia’s illness had truly been treated and only the aftereffects remained, all he could do was wait for her body to stabilize the mana.
It was indeed fortunate. If she hadn’t taken the treatment, the gradually hardening mana would have led to her inevitable death.
…As Ains thought this far, he turned his head to look at the door to the reception room.
Was it really fortunate?
She had coughed up blood as a symptom of the aftereffects. If she were truly fine, she wouldn’t have coughed up blood.
The thought crossed his mind that the rampaging mana might be just as fatal to her as the hardening mana.
However, what prevented him from re-entering the reception room was something Cecilia had said during their conversation.
‘Are you worried about me?’
Worried?
That couldn’t be.
Ains Graham had no reason to harbor any feelings of worry for Cecilia Marves.
The day his father, Alex, who had been grieving the loss of his wife, joined the monster subjugation squad by order of his grandfather, the former Duke Graham.
The day his father, who should have returned with news of victory as usual, came back as a corpse.
His heart had been torn to shreds twice. He had long since lost the ability to care for or worry about others.
To him, his grandfather was an object of hatred and the person who had driven his father to his death. There was no way he could look kindly upon Cecilia, whom his grandfather cherished like a granddaughter.
He had married Cecilia according to his grandfather’s conditions to quickly make the title of Duke Graham his own, but he had never loved her. His indifference towards her was proof of that.
Yet, strangely enough, knowing that she was ill made him feel uneasy and bothered.
Why?
He kept pondering and pondering to find an answer to that question, but he couldn’t find one in the end.
“Your Grace, are you all right?”
Jacob, ever perceptive, asked Ains. Ains finally straightened his gaze and nodded awkwardly.
“Let’s go.”
Ains took a few steps, then stopped again. With a small sigh, he spoke.
“Jacob, call Dr. Watt. Tell him we need to spend quite some time as there are many things we didn’t properly check yesterday due to the late hour. And Jackson, find out who recently won the bid for the Tieria flower at the Reflen Auction House.”
As Ains gave his orders, Jacob and Jackson bowed their heads.
“Yes, Your Grace. We will follow your orders.”
“I’ll check it out.”
