The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 14

“Ha!”

When Richard lightly tapped the horse’s side with his foot, the horse began to speed up. The wind brushed past him as the horse galloped faster.

The wind that he felt while riding was refreshing, and Richard, forgetting that Diarna was waiting, rode for quite a while.

He liked that when he was riding, he could forget the complicated thoughts in his head.

The tasks he had to deal with, the situations that cluttered his mind, and all his random thoughts—during the ride, only the field before his eyes and the wind filled his mind.

As a result, he didn’t think about why he had brought out the horse and just kept riding for a long time.

It wasn’t until later that he realized he had come out to ride with Diarna, but by then, he had already ridden a long distance.

“I’ve gotten too relaxed.”

Normally, he wouldn’t have made such a mistake.

Richard, who found himself pitiful for having been distracted, looked in the direction where Diarna was supposed to be.

Because he had come so far out, all he could see in his view was an expanse of fields. He couldn’t see even a small figure of Diarna, who should have been far away.

It was time to go back.

He had originally intended to ride the horse to go horseback riding with Diarna.

Having lost his purpose and come too far, he needed to return to his original goal.

Richard adjusted his grip on the reins and turned the horse’s head back toward the direction he had come from.

Because he had come a considerable distance, it took a lot of time to return.

After cutting through the wind and riding back for quite a while, he finally arrived at the place where he had originally started.

However, strangely enough, when Richard arrived, Diarna was nowhere to be seen.

Why on earth?

Richard looked around in suspicion.

But on the field, only the horse Lana, which had been prepared for Diarna, remained.

“Diarna?”

Richard called out her name to find her.

“Diarna!”

But his shout only scattered into the air as a hollow echo.

Diarna had suddenly disappeared.

Not only that, but the stableman had also vanished.

Why on earth?

He had to look around several times at the repeated questions that arose in his mind.

No matter how many times he looked around, the only being present was Lana, and being a horse, Lana couldn’t answer Richard’s questions.

Had Diarna gotten angry and gone back to the mansion because he had selfishly gone off riding on his own?

It wasn’t a thought that hadn’t crossed his mind.

But still, there was something strange.

If Diarna had really gone back in anger, then why was the stableman gone as well?

The stableman wouldn’t have left Lana alone in the field and gone back to the mansion. If he had left, it would have made sense to take Lana too.

But the current situation in front of him didn’t match any of those possibilities.

Having no other choice, Richard had to grab Lana’s reins as well, leading both Gale and Lana as he returned to the mansion.

The whole way back, he couldn’t shake off the feeling of frustration.

After twenty-five years, he had finally met someone with whom he felt a sense of kinship.

That person was Diarna.

A bit unusual and strange, but the only person who, more than anyone else, was in a similar situation to Richard and could understand him.

The day he learned everything about her past at the ball and also confided in her about his own family history.

Richard opened up to Diarna just a little.

Because he realized that her situation was not much different from his own.

Losing both parents at a young age and nearly having everything taken away by those around her.

The difference was that he had managed to protect everything, whereas she had lost it all.

Richard had always thought that he was the only one who was unfortunate.

But there was a woman who had lost everything in a situation similar to his own.

There was someone who couldn’t protect any of the things he had fought so hard to keep.

Although he felt sorry for Diarna, the sense of relief that fact gave Richard was significant.

A woman who had lost everything more miserably than himself.

Richard saw himself in Diarna.

Another version of himself who would have suffered had he lost the status, wealth, and power he possessed.

The sense of kinship mixed with compassion moved his heart.

So, he thought, maybe he could open up to her a little, and that’s why he suggested horseback riding to Diarna.

Because it was the field in which Richard was most confident.

But then she suddenly disappeared without a word?

If she didn’t like horseback riding, she could have just said so.

No, it felt too unsettling to think she had left just because she disliked horseback riding.

After all, it was her first time riding, and she seemed to be enjoying it.

In fact, he could still vividly recall how she had been smiling just moments ago, happily riding Lana.

So, what could have possibly bothered her so much that she decided to leave? Was it because he carelessly rode too far away?

All sorts of questions swirled in his mind.

It wasn’t until Richard returned to the mansion after thinking long and hard about why Diarna had disappeared that he finally understood the reason behind her sudden departure.

* * *

The mansion he arrived at after a long ride was in chaos.

Richard noticed his vassals rushing about. Strangely, all their faces were dark.

Feeling uneasy, Richard dismounted and handed the reins to a nearby servant. He then stopped a maid who was carrying a basket of water.

“What on earth is going on?”

Richard’s tone naturally sharpened.

It was the uncomfortable feeling that something had happened without his knowledge.

The maid, looking puzzled, glanced at Richard before lowering her head deeply.

“What? Weren’t you with the lady, my lord?”

The maid asked as if she knew something.

Realizing that something had happened related to Diarna, Richard frowned.

“I was with her, but she disappeared.”

“Oh, then…”

The maid let out a sigh.

Her vague response irritated Richard.

“Tell me what happened.”

When Richard pressed her, the maid hesitated before lowering her shoulders apologetically.

“The lady collapsed and was carried back by the stableman.”

“What?”

Richard raised an eyebrow, startled by the unbelievable story.

“Say that again. Who collapsed and was carried back?”

“The lady collapsed. So the stableman hurriedly brought her back to the mansion.”

Only then did Richard understand why Diarna and the stableman had been gone when he returned.

He knew she was in frail health, but he never imagined she would collapse just from a little horseback riding.

Richard ran a hand through his hair and let out a quiet sigh.

“Where is Diarna now?”

“She’s in her bedroom. Would you like me to guide you?”

“No need.”

After confirming Diarna’s location with the maid, Richard headed straight to her bedroom.

When he opened the door and entered Diarna’s bedroom, he saw several maids surrounding her.

Among them, the head maid, Olivier, was wiping the sweat from Diarna’s face with a worried expression.

Richard slowly walked further into the room.

Upon hearing his footsteps, the maid Jessie turned her head and, upon seeing Richard, hurriedly lowered her head in surprise.

“My lord!”

At Jessie’s words, Olivier and the other maids stood up from their places.

“You’re here, my lord.”

Ignoring the maids’ greetings, Richard approached the bedside.

It was only then that he could clearly see Diarna lying among them.

Diarna was lying in bed, still dressed in her riding attire.

Her pale face, parched lips, and the small mouth gasping for breath were a stark contrast to how she had been when they set out for horseback riding.

Seeing her face, which was now so clearly marked by illness, Richard was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Did she push herself too hard?”

Did she exert herself so much that her condition deteriorated like this? All she did was take a few steps on horseback.

The questions continued to swirl in his mind.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, Dr. Norman entered Diarna’s bedroom.

Richard silently watched as Dr. Norman assessed Diarna’s condition.

Come to think of it, Richard remembered that Dr. Norman had visited the mansion some time ago to examine Diarna’s condition.

At the time, he had only vaguely heard about it from a servant and hadn’t paid much attention.

Diarna had told him herself that she had anemia, so he had believed her.

But is it anemia this time too?

Richard slowly approached as he watched Dr. Norman mix a powdered medicine with water and feed it to Diarna.

“Is it anemia?”

“Pardon?”

Dr. Norman looked back at Richard, puzzled.

The head maid, Olivier, seemed troubled, as she kept glancing nervously at Richard.

“No, it’s not anemia. Count, are you saying you don’t know about the lady’s condition?”

“Well, um…”

As Dr. Norman tried to explain Diarna’s diagnosis to Richard, Olivier hesitantly began to speak.

Everyone gathered in Diarna’s bedroom focused on Olivier’s words.

With a guilty expression, Olivier hung her head low and spoke to Richard.

“The lady wanted to tell you herself, so I couldn’t say anything.”

“Huh…”

Dr. Norman let out a sigh.

Richard furrowed his brow, even more confused.

It seemed that Diarna had been hiding her illness from him all this time.

“Then what illness is it? Does Diarna have a serious disease?”

“Yes, Count.”

Olivier couldn’t bring herself to continue and pressed her lips together tightly.

Richard’s gaze soon shifted to Dr. Norman.

Finally, taking over the conversation, Dr. Norman spoke with a bitter smile.

“It’s Darnnella’s Disease.”