TISND Chapter 154

Chapter 154

In the middle of his sleep, Jeremy suddenly woke up with a jolt. It wasn’t a nightmare, but his spine shivered. He threw the covers off and got out of bed, calmly surveying the situation. Joshua was sound asleep, and the house of Helena was eerily quiet.

He thought he might have heard the sound of something moving in the night, but it felt like a mere illusion. Yet, something was off. It was quiet, but a strange chill lingered in the air.

The sound of movement from the first floor came then. At first, he thought it might be Helena waking up and wandering around the living room, or perhaps it was Jane. He had heard from Joshua that Jane checked on Helena every early morning to make sure she was sleeping well.

Suddenly, Jeremy felt an urge to check on Helena himself. Of course, he knew it would be highly impolite to sneak into the room of a woman who was sleeping, but…

‘I won’t get too close. I just want to check if she’s sleeping soundly.’

In truth, he felt guilty about the way he had been angry with her. It was wrong to yell at her when he should have been apologizing profusely. He thought maybe if she were awake, they could exchange a few words.

Eventually, Jeremy went up to the second floor and opened the door to Helena’s room. The moment the door creaked open, he instinctively covered his eyes with one hand.

“Helena?”

But as he opened the door, a sudden chill hit him, and Jeremy couldn’t help but lower his hand from his eyes. Normally, Helena’s room was always kept warm since she often took naps throughout the day, and Jane would always make sure her room was comfortable.

However, Helena’s room was freezing. More than that, there was no sign of her.

Where could she be? At this late hour? He searched the house, but Helena was nowhere to be found.

“Joshua! Joshua, wake up!”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Helena’s not here!”

Joshua’s eyes snapped wide open.

“What?”

Joshua immediately sat up.

“Helena’s not here! I went to check on her for a moment… and she wasn’t there. She’s gone!”

“Wait a minute.”

Joshua quickly jumped out of bed and walked to Helena’s room to confirm her absence.

“Where could she have gone?”

Unlike Jeremy, who was already starting to panic, Joshua remained calm and moved swiftly.

“Father is gone too.”

Helena’s house had four rooms in total. Two were for Helena and Jane, while the remaining two were for the twins and Caligo. But Caligo’s room was empty.

“Jane’s not here either!”

“What on earth is going on?”

As Jeremy began to stomp around in a panic, Joshua’s face hardened, and he walked outside. There, the guards waiting outside the house approached the twins. Among them was Pedro.

“You cannot leave, young masters.”

“Master’s orders were to protect the two of you.”

Joshua met Pedro’s gaze coldly. Though he was only about thirteen, the blood of the Frantors ran strong, and the sheer presence and authority he exuded made Pedro momentarily forget that Joshua was still a child.

“What’s going on?”

“…….”

Joshua asked, but Pedro didn’t answer. In fact, it seemed like he was hesitating to respond.

“I asked you. What’s going on?”

By this point, Jeremy could no longer just sit and whimper. Realizing that the situation was taking a dangerous turn, the boy waited for a response with a face more serious than usual.

Seeing the twins showing no signs of retreating, Pedro seemed to give up and cautiously spoke up.

“The lady has collapsed.”

*

After learning that Helena had been poisoned with Asehimmo, Caligo did everything he could. He sent letters to various places, inquiring about antidotes and consulting doctors. Although he couldn’t find any antidote, he continued his search.

He had doctors waiting near Horion just in case. Caligo had prepared to ensure that she could be treated at any moment. It was the very doctor who had been researching Asehimmo.

Unable to mount her on a horse while carrying an unconscious person, Caligo immediately prepared a carriage and headed for the doctor.

The journey to the doctor felt agonizingly long. Caligo wiped Helena’s face, pale as a corpse, multiple times. He checked her breath repeatedly, desperately needing confirmation that she was still alive. If he didn’t see her alive with his own eyes, he felt like he might collapse from despair.

Helena’s breath was faint, so weak it seemed it could end at any moment.

He tried calling her name repeatedly, hoping to wake her up, but she didn’t respond. It was as though she was in a deep, endless sleep, and might never wake up.

“Duke, we’ve arrived.”

When the carriage finally stopped, Caligo gently lifted the unconscious Helena and rushed to the doctor. The doctor, who had already been notified, quickly assessed her condition. She might die if things continued like this. Even as she was slowly dying, Caligo could only helplessly watch.

With a heart burning in anguish, Caligo anxiously awaited the doctor’s words. He couldn’t even blink, staring blankly ahead. If he closed his eyes, he could still vividly see her collapsing in front of him.

Ironically, it was when he realized that the woman in front of him was rejecting him that he understood his true feelings. Until now, Caligo had tried to erase his feelings for her. But now he realized, he could never push her out of his life or erase her from it.

The thought of being rejected and abandoned by her terrified and tormented him deeply.

“Helena.”

He held her cold, stiff hand. It felt nothing like a living person’s hand. He gently massaged her hand, anxiously waiting.

The mere fact of being rejected was excruciating, but the fear of never seeing her again made him tremble in terror. Caligo could feel his body, colder than on a summer night, as he continued to kiss her hand. He needed to confirm that she was still alive, or he feared he would collapse. But Helena’s hand felt as stiff and dry as a plank washed ashore.

No. No, please. I can’t lose you like this. My feelings for you weren’t just a worthless guilt.

“…Sir.”

After a while, the doctor spoke with a sorrowful face while examining her body.

“You must prepare yourself, sir.”

“The poison has already spread throughout her body. The muscles, nerves, and blood vessels are all soaked in poison. She’s in a deep, almost hibernative sleep.”

“Does that mean there’s no hope?”

Caligo asked in a strained voice, breathing heavily. The pain in his chest was unbearable, and he could hardly breathe.

“Are you saying there’s nothing I can do? What about an antidote?”

“I’m sorry, sir… I tried everything I could to find a solution, but I couldn’t.”

“…”

“There is no antidote for Asehimmo.”

Fortunately, the doctor said that Helena would wake up soon. However, he warned that such sudden collapses without any warning would happen more frequently. It was like her consciousness was being cut off abruptly, just like how everything around Caligo felt as though it was flashing white. No matter what kind of medicine was used, there was no solution to this situation.

Caligo slumped down in the corner, silently sobbing. She had given him kindness and warmth, but all he had given her in return was pain and deep loneliness. He didn’t even repay her; instead, he pushed her into an abyss. He made her fall into despair. It was him who had destroyed her.

“Father!”

Having heard the news too late, Jeremy and Joshua entered the building. Behind them was Pedro, who had been entrusted with the twins. The twins stood still, unable to speak as they looked at Helena, who lay quietly on the bed. Jeremy, moving slowly as if limping, approached to check on Helena. The children confirmed that she was still breathing, but they could also smell the approach of death drawing near her.

“Ah, ahhh… Ahhhh!”

Jeremy cried out uncontrollably as he gazed at Helena, who lay with her eyes closed.

Just when he had decided to start cherishing her. When he had finally found the mother he had longed for. To have to let her go so helplessly.

Now, her body, which had withered so much, made him feel so sorrowful. He was grateful to Helena, but also filled with regret because she had always been busy taking care of others, never taking care of herself.

“…Jeremy.”

After hearing his cries, Helena slowly opened her eyes. It was as if she had already realized what had happened, and she wasn’t shocked upon waking. She looked around calmly, as if she had foreseen the situation.

“Helena, are you awake? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Are you okay?”

However, Helena turned her gaze toward the children standing in front of her.

“…I tried so hard to put some weight on.”

She looked up at the children, who had lost the baby fat due to their hardships. Her voice was faint, as if it could disappear at any moment, but her eyes were clear. In her eyes, there was a mixture of concern and affection directed at the children.

“All of it is gone now.”

“…”

“What time is it? Have you eaten?”

“…”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

With her gentle questions, Caligo and the twins finally broke down. Overwhelmed by the flood of emotions, they cried uncontrollably, gasping for breath between sobs.

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