Chapter 41

Doha was the one who seemed embarrassed, but she managed to speak without showing it.

“Since the old days, Da…”

It would be better not to use the real name Damian.

Although it’s rare for someone to know the rejected prince’s real name, it’s better to be cautious.

She swallowed her saliva as if choking for a moment and then spontaneously came up with a name.

“… Dane has been like a younger brother to me.”

The Duke only knew that Damian was the prince. He had no idea about Damian’s past relationship with Bunny or the bond they had.

Therefore, to Doha, it felt as if Damian were the only family she had left, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Of course, it wasn’t to the extent that she considered Damian as family yet. However, reminiscing about her grandmother, who had been her everything, made her eyes moist.

“Is Grandma doing well? In that filthy household… well, at least they treated the servants well.”

The missing face, the rattling voice, and the once gentle touch that had become rough due to the traces of time came to her mind one after another.

She couldn’t go back to those times, but the terrible moments had become cherished memories because of her grandmother’s presence.

Doha closed her eyes, letting the memories of the past float for a moment.

She was so absorbed in it that she didn’t realize how deeply it would be seen by the Duke and the others.

‘Ah.’

She belatedly snapped back to reality and lifted her gaze.

Savvier was glaring at Doha while sharpening his knife.

“He’s not blood-related. There’s nothing common about him.”

“I assume that’s how it is, Lord Duke.”

Doha calmly accepted it.

Strangely, Savvier seemed more taken aback by her words.

Perhaps he was recalling the past when Bunny pretended to be her younger sister and threatened him.

“I don’t know about the deep affection of blood relatives like orphans. But I do know that Dane is my benefactor, a lamp that lights the way in the darkness, and a stove that helps endure the harsh winter.”

Of course, she was referring to her grandmother with those expressions.

“If you leave him here, he’ll surely die.”

“…”

“I wouldn’t have survived without Dane.”

She couldn’t have lived without her grandmother.

Thinking that way, tears suddenly poured down.

‘Huh?’

Doha looked down at the transparent liquid rising and falling like bubbles with a puzzled expression.

‘My smoke ability was at this level?’

In a moment of surprise at the unexpected talent she discovered, she suddenly looked up.

“Hey, Baldy!”

“Bunny!”

As the two lords approached in a hurry, strangely, the sound seemed to drift further away.

Ah, I guess I’m crying because it hurts.

With a dying patient in front of me, I couldn’t even acknowledge the pain, let alone express it.

At the moment when I felt like there wasn’t a single part of my body that wasn’t in pain, consciousness faded away.

Doha lost consciousness like that.

***

“Sob, sniffle…”

“…”

“Sniff, h-huhuhu…”

“…It’s noisy.”

Eventually, Doha’s cracked voice broke through. Even though she tried to sleep, the sound of her crying echoed in her ears.

“Ah, my lady!”

It was the maid, Ruby.

She rushed over, her face soaked with tears to the point of messiness. “Are you conscious? Can you get up?”

Doha pushed Ruby’s face, which was too close, away and nodded her head.

Recalling the terrible muscle aches and fever she suffered before losing consciousness, it was strange how light her body felt now. Instead of being in pain, she felt oddly sturdy.

“Wait, I feel like I’ve experienced this before.”

As she thought, Ruby said in a frightening tone, “You were sick again. I heard the First Lord treated you himself. Even so, you didn’t wake up right away. I was so worried.”

After shivering in the cold for two days, it seemed like she had been sleeping as if she had fainted since losing consciousness.

“I owe Angeleus again, which doesn’t feel good.”

But it must have been an unavoidable situation.

Bunny couldn’t let anyone know that he had gone to the garbage dump and suffered all sorts of hardships.

It seemed like she had also roughly used the excuse of being weak.

“Stop crying. You’ll turn into a fish.”

She was already halfway there.

When Doha chuckled and teased, Ruby gasped and glanced at the mirror behind her in surprise.

“Oh, my lady, you should always show a neat and reliable appearance in front of others.”

She felt like she knew whose words those were.

Was it because Candice hated her so much that she pushed her away, or was it because she was jealous?

“Even if you swell up, you’re still pretty, so stop looking at the mirror.”

“R-really? Do I sparkle like a jewel too, Ruby?”

I didn’t say that much.

She still felt envious that Candice had heard the sweet name.

Doha laughed and casually changed the subject. “More importantly, have you seen a boy my age with… chestnut-colored hair?”

For a moment, she almost asked if he had black hair.

“I fainted without hearing a clear answer.”

She was quite uneasy about that.

Either Damian was casually dismissed somewhere, or he might have been immediately reported to the Emperor.

In the worst case, the Duke might have offered him to the Empress to prevent unnecessary turmoil.

It was impossible to guess what had happened to Damian, an unpredictable person.

“Chestnut-colored hair? Ah, you must be referring to the child His Majesty rescued after going outside.”

Sigh…

Doha let out a deep sigh and collapsed onto the bed as if her strength had left her.

She’s alive. Unharmed, for now.

“Where is he? I have to go see him.”

“What? You’ve just woken up, where are you going?”

“I’m perfectly fine. I was treated by my brother.”

“That child is perfectly fine too! He woke up and offered to nurse you.”

What? He’s already recovered?

Perhaps because her last memory of him was of someone dying. Surprised by the unexpected answer, Doha’s expression showed her astonishment.

“He nursed me?”

“It’s impossible. He may be young, but how can we entrust you to someone whose identity is not guaranteed? Moreover, his origin is uncertain…”

As Ruby answered like that, a look of disbelief appeared in her eyes.

It was a reasonable judgment.

Among the survivors, there are children who have been rigorously trained before the blood on their heads dries.

Who would entrust the care of the lady to someone whose background is unknown?

‘But I emphasized that he was important to me before I fainted…’

No, wait. Where is the person who kept his identity as a prince secret and kept him alive to stay in the Duke’s residence?

It’s too much to hope that he’ll be treated well here.

Quickly regaining her composure, Doha got up and spoke firmly.

“Ruby, tell me where that child is.”

In Kredel Castle, Doha was the only one who could protect Damian.

Thinking so, her voice became even firmer.

“Right away.”

* * *

“The Second Lord said he had business with the child and took him away…”

Recalling Ruby’s words, Doha hastened her steps even more.

Soon, ignoring the surrounding gazes, she almost ran towards the audience chamber.

“Why take him to the audience chamber if he has business?”

It was undoubtedly Salvador, that lunatic, who took Damian away to torment him.

The reason was obvious. Since Bunny had said he was as precious as family, he probably wanted to release all the emotions accumulated towards Bunny.

He must have felt guilty about personally laying hands on him as a Kredel.

‘Try hurting him.’

The emotions towards Salvador, who was already hitting rock bottom, now seemed to pierce through the floor and reach her core.

“Lady? What brings you here…”

Ignoring the knights standing at the entrance, Doha rushed into the training ground.

Strangely, the knights had stopped training and gathered in a circle around something.

Bunny was so small that the inner situation was not clearly visible.

But the continuous sound of clashing swords echoed, sharp and fierce metal friction.

Seeing the ominous atmosphere, Doha grabbed the hem of a knight standing in front of her.

“What’s going on… Oh, Lady!”

As one knight gasped in surprise, the others standing in front instinctively turned their heads, startled.

The knights parted as if by miracle, and Doha walked through the gap.

Finally, she could see firsthand what was happening inside.

Salvador and Damian were dueling with swords drawn against each other.

“…Salvador!”

Doha was boiling with anger to the point of almost grabbing him by the collar.

But fortunately, she could refrain from doing something reckless like rushing at the person holding a sword.

Because, surprisingly, Damian was in a much better condition than expected.