TISND Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Unlike the second floor, where the bedrooms were clustered, the first floor had no warm room with a fireplace. However, Caligo had claimed a small room next to the dining room as his own.

That room happened to be at an angle where it could be seen obliquely when coming down the stairs. So, every time Helena was helped down by Joshua or Jane, she would sneak a glance, hoping Caligo might be inside.

Even though she knew he rarely spent time in the bedroom aside from sleeping, she still listened for signs of his presence. If she was lucky, she could glimpse the inside through the slightly open door.

To her, it was a tiny room not much better than a storage closet, but it still held traces of Caligo — a neatly hung outer coat or well-organized parchments, all without a servant’s help.

Seeing those remnants, Helena could feel that he hadn’t left Horion. Even though Joshua had told her so, it hadn’t felt real since she hadn’t seen his face.

In such a small fishing village, it should have been easy to bump into someone while walking, yet she never saw him. Even within this small house, it didn’t make sense that they never crossed paths.

So Helena began going down to the first floor instead of staying in her bedroom, sitting in the living room on purpose. When she heard footsteps behind her, she’d turn around, hoping it might be him — but it never was.

Judging by the sounds on the first floor, it seemed he came home late at night when everyone was asleep. Even someone as dense as Helena couldn’t miss the signs — Caligo was deliberately avoiding her.

She remembered the eyes that looked at her with such sorrow just before her treatment. He had watched her tremblingly as she took the poison herself. Even before she succumbed to the effects of the drug, he had watched everything with such sad eyes.

Unlike her, who had accepted death with resignation, Caligo had desperately wanted the treatment to succeed. And yet now he had disappeared, not even showing his face to her.

Was the expression he showed back then a lie? Helena began to feel afraid.

She finally saw Caligo again when she caught a slight cold. She had continued to take walks despite her condition — after all, she was still a patient who should have been resting in bed on the second floor. But her dislike for confinement had led her to overexert herself.

Early in the morning, Joshua noticed a fever on her face, and Jane and Jeremy looked grim upon hearing the news.

“No more walks for a while.”

“No more walks at all until you’re fully recovered.”

While those around her were deeply worried, Helena herself felt fine — just a bit hazy. She still didn’t take her condition seriously, thinking it would pass in time.

Just then, a doctor who had been nearby entered the house — apparently summoned by Caligo. He entered along with the physicians.

How had he known she was sick and brought them so quickly?

“Is there a chance of complications?”

“At this stage, pneumonia or other such diseases could be very dangerous. Madam, could you take a deep breath for me?”

Everyone clung to Helena with concern.

“The house is rather chilly.”

“I’ll light the fireplace right away, my lord!”

“Jeremy, can you bring down a blanket from upstairs?”

“Understood!”

At Caligo’s command, everyone moved swiftly.

“How is her condition?”

“Fortunately, there are no severe symptoms. No high fever or coughing. She should recover quickly with rest and medication.”

The doctor left to prepare the medicine, and Joshua followed to help. Helena was struck by a sense of déjà vu — like that day when Joshua had caught a cold and everyone bustled about.

Still, that wasn’t what mattered to Helena. What mattered was that she could finally see Caligo’s face again.

As he was about to walk away, she hesitated before lightly tugging on the edge of his coat, stopping him.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes? Do you need something? Are you in pain?”

He asked with such a serious expression that Helena moved her lips without knowing what to say. She’d succeeded in stopping him, but now didn’t know what to ask.

Why was he avoiding her? No, their relationship had always been awkward. There was nothing new about that.

But…

Why had he looked at her with such sad eyes?
Did he regret that she lived?
Why had he so desperately wanted her to survive?

She thought she might already know the answer but wanted to hear it from his own lips.

All these questions swirled in her head but wouldn’t come out. Their relationship wasn’t close enough for her to say such things.

Still, she didn’t want him to leave her side now.

“There’s no one else around, so I’m feeling a little bored… Could you stay and talk with me?”

As soon as she said it, Helena was overwhelmed with regret. Was that the best she could come up with? She closed her eyes tightly.

Before the treatment, she had lashed out at him with all kinds of harsh words and tears. Maybe because she had let it all out then, now she found it hard to speak to him.

Caligo looked slightly surprised by her words. And seeing that, Helena feared he might hate being with her. But that misunderstanding didn’t last long — he looked surprised, not displeased.

“…Alright.”

After a moment of hesitation, Caligo sat down — not too close, but not too far from her either.

***

Once seated, Caligo couldn’t find the right moment to leave again and ended up staying through the entire meal with Helena and the twins.

She had barely managed to get him to sit down, and now they were even eating together. But even then, Helena couldn’t figure out what he was feeling.

She wanted to know why he had avoided her, but he remained a mystery. He had always been hard to read — not the type to express what was inside with words.

In the end, Caligo excused himself right after finishing the meal, saying he had something to do.

Did he regret it after all?
Feeling a bit down, Helena drank the medicine the physician had prepared — the same she’d been taking regularly every morning and evening since her treatment.

“What herbs are in this medicine?”

Perhaps to hide her gloom, she threw a casual question at the physician sitting across from her, like what was in the medicine she had just taken. It was probably just a blend of good-for-the-body herbs, right?

The physician, checking her pulse and temperature, smiled as he answered nonchalantly.

“Mondragonia.”

Helena nearly spit out the medicine in shock. She quickly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and asked again.

“…What did you say?”

“Mondragonia.”

Mondragonia. The very herb Aiden had once yearned to see even once in his life — a legendary herb known as a miracle of the gods, absurdly expensive.

How expensive? Enough to buy a villa with a single stalk. It was that rare — growing only in very specific environments, across oceans, deserts, and frozen northern lands.

And she had been drinking this stuff regularly?
Every morning and evening?

She had basically been drinking liquid gold.
Staring blankly at the bowl, Helena couldn’t bring herself to drink the rest.

Seeing her reaction, the physician added with a light-hearted laugh:

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen Mondragonia. My hands were trembling while preparing it… I even knelt while decocting it, out of respect. Haha!”

‘I think I’m trembling now too.’

Unable to drink anymore, Helena quietly put the bowl down.

At that moment, Caligo came back into the house. He was holding some parchments, likely intending to leave again. But just before he could step outside again, Helena called out to him.

“Y-Your Grace!”

He stopped immediately at her voice.

“This herb is far too expensive… I don’t need such an extravagant medicine!”

Flustered, she looked up at him, and he replied indifferently.

“It’s not that expensive.”

“…”

“I just happened to come across it. So don’t feel burdened.”

Helena had never thought of Caligo as someone who made excuses. He was the type to face things head-on. But this time, it felt like he was covering something up.

…How do you accidentally find Mondragonia?
Enough for multiple doses over several days, no less?

It seemed he’d forgotten she had studied herbs.
He calmly added,
“So make sure you drink it all.”

With his stern tone, he somehow reminded her of Jeremy.

Pfft.

Helena couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

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