Estin’s usually composed brow was deeply furrowed. Dr. Brown watched him closely.
It wasn’t the day of the medical examination, but after hearing the news that Mary Conler had returned he came running to the duchy.
But perhaps because he came too early in the morning, Mary wasn’t up yet. Regretfully, he went to Estin’s bedroom to check on him first.
Sitting on his huge bed in his white robe, Estin Conler was clutching his forehead and sweating profusely.
His condition appeared serious even to the naked eye. Every wrinkle in Dr. Brown’s face was filled with concern for him.
“I don’t think it’s a good morning……Did you get any sleep last night?”
Estin didn’t even have the energy to open his mouth. Even his slight movements seemed to cause his head to ache, and his expression wasn’t good.
Dr. Brown pulled out a sedative he had packed just in case. He poured the sedative from a black crystal vial into a glass of water beside the bed and handed it to him.
With a trembling hand, Estin took what Dr. Brown offered, swallowed with a gulp. His face improved slightly, just a tiny bit.
“You can’t sleep well.”
Dr. Brown’s wistful tone of voice drew a sigh from Estin.
It was true that he had been kept awake at night by a throbbing headache.
The truth was that he couldn’t sleep due to the splitting headaches that seemed to come every night.
No, it was more like a giant snake had wrapped itself around his head and wouldn’t let go.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s bearable.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
The voice was gentle but firm. Estin didn’t answer, just closed his eyes and turned his stiff neck.
The relaxed movements gave the impression that Estin was immune to pain.
Just a while ago, his pale face was covered in cold sweat.
“You can’t sleep well every night, can you?”
At Dr. Brown’s persistent question, Estin just nodded.
He hid his nightly headaches because he didn’t want Lucas following him around and nagging him, and he didn’t want the kids to worry about him.
Taking the medicine Dr. Brown concocted in the early morning provided some relief.
Now that Mary was back, he could no longer remain in such a weakened state.
“Ah.”
Thinking of Mary, Estin groaned, clutching his forehead in pain.
It seemed that his tolerance had built up, and the current dosage was proving ineffective. Dr. Brown, who had been observing Estin, tightly grasped his hand.
“Please endure a little longer.”
The only sure way to break the curse is to kill the one who did it.
Dr. Brown was vaguely wondering if the snake he had encountered was the one the God of Death carried around.
What a ridiculous idea, he thought, as he pulled another vial out of his bag. It was the snake venom antidote he and Logan had made together.
“It might be a little stronger than what you’ve been taking. Try it if you get a bad headache at night.”
“Thank you.”
Taking the vial Dr. Brown handed him, Estin dismissed Dr. Brown, saying he would get ready to go out for breakfast.
Dr. Brown gladly accepted the breakfast invitation and left Estin’s room. As he did, he encountered a girl who seemed like she could barely reach his chest.
“My goodness, you must be Miss Mary Conler!”
Black hair and black eyes. Looking into those dark, reflective eyes, Dr. Brown could easily recognize Helena in the child looking away from him.
She looked like Helena to the point where he thought that if he lowered the chroma from Helena, she would become this child.
“Hello.”
The polite greeting came a moment too late, as Mary, who had been staring at in the distance, came to her senses.
Dr. Brown felt a pleasant sensation as he pondered who this child resembled.
He wondered if this is how it feels like to see his grandchild. To think it was the child of Estin and Helena, whom he’d known since they were very young.
Of course, seeing Gilbert, Aiden, and Theodore had also invoked a similar feeling, but Mary was different.
He doesn’t know if it’s because she was kidnapped when she was very young, or if it’s because she resembles Helena. That’s probably why the people of the Grand Duchy feel a special affection for her.
“By any chance, is Father doing okay?”
Maery inquired about Estin’s well-being with a voice that seemed to carry all her affection. Her moist gaze didn’t leave Estin’s bedroom.
Dr. Brown placed a hand on the top of Mary’s small head. Only then did Mary’s gaze return to Dr. Brown.
She seemed a bit taken aback by Dr. Brown’s sudden stroking of her head, but she seemed to be quite comfortable with being touched. She must have grown up receiving a lot of love.
“Well…”
Aside from that, Dr. Brown wondered how much he should tell Mary.
From what he’d just seen of Estin, he didn’t want anyone to know about his condition.
Including this little kid. Even if he had not lost his memory, he didn’t want to appear weak to his children.
“I was going to ask Logan, but he kept playing pranks…”
As Dr. Brown hesitated, Mary offered an explanation, seemingly trying to clarify some misunderstanding.
Before coming to him, she had asked Logan about Estin’s condition, but it was clear that Logan had been playing tricks on her.
Dr. Brown mentally begged Estin to forgive him. Just this once, he said, he’s going to be nosy.
Still, with the child anxiously worrying about her father, what grandfather could simply let go of?
“I’ll only say this to you, okay?”
“Yes!”
“He doesn’t seem to be doing too well; he’s been getting headaches at night and not sleeping well.”
Inwardly, she was expecting to hear that Estin’s condition had improved.
Maery’s face turned crestfallen upon hearing a different story from what she expected.
“He seems to be fighting a huge battle in his head to regain his memory. So please help me. I need your help to get his memory back.”
Mary nodded her head as her eyes were full of tears.
Did they mention she was fourteen now? Almost old enough to be grown up, young enough to be young.
“I could use a little help. I gave the Grand Duke some medicine. He’ll probably be looking for it at night, so maybe you can help him then?”
This was the end of Dr. Brown’s meddling. Mary nodded grimly, but seemed to be deep in thought.
Dr. Brown wondered what was bothering her, but he didn’t bother to ask. He simply led the child gently, saying they should go before Estin came out.
***
I’m just checking in.
Dr. Brown’s words from earlier in the morning felt like homework.
Throughout the day, I’d stolen glances at my father, and though he seemed nonchalant, I could tell by his pale complexion and the way his brow furrowed even when nothing was going on that he was in pain from the headaches that came and went.
As the saying goes, ‘You can see as much as you know’** it was clear how much he was enduring.
(TL/N: ** It implies that one’s knowledge and understanding of a situation or person can affect how they perceive it.)
The headaches seemed to be more intense at night than during the day. I paced impatiently in front of his bedroom.
What if I get caught going in? What if he thought I was doing this because I cared too much about what Tia Bluea said? My heart was pounding as if I had been running a marathon.
But aside from all that, I was worried about my father’s headache. I gingerly opened the door.
I approached the bed carefully. As I walked over, I had a sudden flash of déjà vu.
Yeah, when I had a nightmare before I ran away from home, I came to Grand Duke Estin’s, no, my father’s bed. And there, lying beside him, was Tia Bluea.
I stood there, frozen in place, feeling suddenly numb. I hesitated, wondering if I should turn around.
“Ah…”
I heard a groan, very low, but it was clearly filled with pain. I ran quickly to my father.
Unconsciously, Father was baring the pain he was feeling without filtering it..
His pale lips were very dry, and his body was trembling.
I quickly found the vial of medicine Dr. Brown had given him. The vial was casually placed on the bedside table.
I doused it in water and forced his lips apart. Then I poured water into his mouth.
Fortunately, he swallowed the medicine without resistance. He looked a little more relaxed and slowly opened his eyes.
Looking into my father’s eyes, I felt like my thoughts were getting tangled.
No, it’s just because Dr. Brown said that my father was in so much pain. I’ve noticed that when I’m sick, I seem to get better just by having him around. So, just in case…
“Helena.”
At the unfamiliar name that came from Father’s lips, I could only look at him. Father weakly raised his hand and gently touched my cheek.
“I’m sorry, Helena…….”
“…….”
“I made a promise, but I couldn’t keep it.”
Father, having called out my mother’s name, closed his eyes again, accompanied by an apology. I placed the vial carefully on the table and walked out of the room.
I wondered what kind of promise he couldn’t keep.
‘I wonder if it’s about me.’
When I opened the door and came out, I could see a long figure in the hallway. Perhaps he was waiting for me. It was Arsene.
I was surprised by his sudden appearance, but not so much because I had been waiting for him.
“You were waiting for me back then too.”
Meeting Arsen right after leaving Father’s room felt like a perfect replication.
“What should I do to meet the god of death?”
The cliffhanger 😭✋️