The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 15

A full day had passed since Diarna had collapsed after going out for horseback riding.

Richard was in his study, trying to catch up on the work he hadn’t been able to handle.

But even though his eyes were on the documents, the words didn’t register in his mind.

It was because Dr. Norman’s explanation about Diarna’s illness kept replaying in his head.

Darnnella’s Disease.

A cruel illness that slowly leads a person to death.

To date, no specific cause had been identified, and the conditions for contracting the disease were unknown. But although its onset was unclear, the certainty of death was undeniable.

Once infected, the only outcome was to suffer in agony until death. The typical symptoms included dizziness, nausea, hemoptysis, and paralysis.

Diarna’s collapse and the hemoptysis that Olivier witnessed—these were all signs that her illness had reached a severe stage.

But unfortunately, there was no cure for this disease. Or rather, there was one—only one cure for Darnnella’s Disease.

The root of a blooming Rosier flower was known to be effective against the disease.

However, according to Dr. Norman, it was extremely difficult to obtain.

Not only was the Rosier plant itself hard to find, but the effective treatment required the root of a blooming Rosier flower.

Even though the flower was already difficult to procure, it was said to bloom only once in a hundred years, making it almost impossible to find.

Richard had learned from his research that many people afflicted with Darnnella’s Disease eventually succumbed to death because they couldn’t obtain the Rosier flower.

If the Rosier flower couldn’t be found, Diarna would likely face the same fate as those mentioned in the literature.

As Richard considered this, he found it impossible to focus on his work any longer. He put the documents down on the desk and let out a deep sigh.

Diarna’s illness was killing her.

And, heartbreakingly, Diarna had been hiding the fact that she was dying.

Richard couldn’t understand why she had kept her illness a secret from him.

Raising a hand to brush back his hair, Richard closed his eyes for a long moment before opening them again.

‘Is that why?’

He had wondered why Diarna wasn’t reclaiming what was hers from Duke Tristan, but now that he knew she had a terminal illness, it seemed to make sense.

Titles and inheritance meant nothing to Diarna anymore.

Facing inevitable death, she had given up.

Even if she managed to reclaim everything, she would only lose it all in the end. She couldn’t even entertain vain hopes, and had silently suffered.

…How foolish.

Richard couldn’t contain the anger rising within him as he thought of how Diarna must have silently endured her anguish.

He couldn’t understand her mindset.

If she had lost everything and even fallen ill, she should have been fighting tooth and nail to reclaim it and find a way to treat her disease, not resigning herself to despair.

From Richard’s perspective, it was a mindset he simply couldn’t comprehend.

…No, it wasn’t just Diarna that he couldn’t understand.

He also couldn’t understand himself.

Since finding out that Diarna had kept her illness hidden from him, he had felt as if something was weighing on his chest.

It wasn’t just the frustration that bothered him—he couldn’t understand why he was so concerned about someone else, especially a woman he had known for less than a month, which made his head feel even heavier.

To be honest, Richard had a vague idea of what the reason was.

Richard didn’t want Diarna to die.

Diarna, who was in the same situation as him, was living a different life from his, but she was another version of himself.

Yes, Richard was projecting himself onto Diarna.

More specifically, he was seeing his younger self in her.

The young Richard who had once thought of giving up everything and dying.

And now, Diarna, who was slowly dying from her illness.

He didn’t want to see her die.

It felt almost as if a different part of himself was dying.

“Jackson!”

Richard rang the bell cord and called for his butler.

Jackson, who had been waiting outside, quickly entered.

“Yes, my lord. What can I do for you?”

“How much does a Rosier flower cost?”

Realizing Richard’s intention in asking about the Rosier flower, Jackson shared the information he had already looked into.

“The auction price is around five thousand gold for an unbloomed flower, my lord. However, a blooming flower will be much harder to acquire.”

“A fresh one?”

“Yes, all Rosier flowers are traded fresh.”

“Hmm… is it really that difficult to find?”

A blooming flower was said to be hard to find, and even an unbloomed Rosier flower was priced at five thousand gold.

It was clearly a steep price for a Rosier flower that couldn’t even be used as medicine.

But there was no other option. Without even that, there were no alternatives.

Richard sighed and nodded toward Jackson.

“Try to acquire it at auction, even if it’s just an unbloomed one. No matter the cost.”

“Yes, my lord.”

As Jackson and Richard were talking, a maid named Jessie hurriedly entered the study. Jackson frowned at Jessie’s rude behavior, as she hadn’t even knocked.

“What is it?”

Richard’s irritated voice made Jessie flinch.

“I apologize, Count. Please forgive my rudeness.”

Jessie hesitated as she asked for Richard’s forgiveness.

Since Richard didn’t specifically mention Jessie’s rudeness, Jackson didn’t reprimand her right away.

“Speak. What’s the matter?” Richard asked Jessie.

Jessie, who had rushed in, was breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath.

“…My lady, my lady has woken up!”

At Jessie’s words, Richard immediately jumped to his feet.

* * *

“Are you feeling better?”

My head was spinning like I was suffering from a hangover. Even though my body hadn’t moved, it felt like I was spinning.

It was so overwhelming that I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I squeezed them shut.

Finally, the strange sensation of my body whirling around slowly subsided.

“Olivier, could you give me some water?”

My mouth was dry. My throat was so parched that speaking was difficult. My voice, cracked and rough, came out of my throat, unpleasant to my own ears.

I cleared my throat, trying to soothe it as much as possible.

“Please wait a moment, my lady.”

I heard the sound of clattering and water being poured nearby.

“Can someone help me sit up?”

Since Olivier was busy pouring water, I asked someone else for help. Thankfully, I felt someone approaching.

“Yes, just a moment, my lady.”

The maid Rena placed a soft pillow behind my back so I could sit up.

Then, with Olivier’s help, I took two sips of water. The lukewarm water brought some relief to my dry mouth, making me feel slightly better.

As the water slid down my throat, I could finally see my surroundings. I squinted and looked around.

Trying to figure out where I was seemed pointless. As expected, this was the Theodore Count’s mansion, specifically my bedroom.

“What happened? I remember going horseback riding…”

My last memory was of watching Richard ride, but I found myself in bed when I regained consciousness.

I had a rough idea. I must have collapsed while watching Richard ride.

Even though I could guess, I needed to confirm the details, so I asked Olivier.

Olivier, holding the water cup, looked at me with worry-filled eyes as she answered.

“My lady, you collapsed while you were out horseback riding.”

“Is that so?”

Just as I thought.

It was exactly what I had suspected.

But I didn’t remember feeling particularly unwell, so I couldn’t understand why I had suddenly fainted.

Was it because I had been in the carriage all morning?

Or was my body already reaching its limit?

Asking myself these questions wouldn’t provide any answers.

“So, what happened afterward?”

“The stableman carried you back to the mansion. We immediately called for a physician.”

Fortunately, the stablemam had been nearby and carried me back to the mansion. If he hadn’t been there, I would have been lying in the fields until Richard found me.

“And Richard?”

Since I had been riding with him, he must have seen me collapse.

“Well…”

Seeing Olivier hesitate, I instinctively knew.

No, I would have known even without instinct.

If I had collapsed while with him and even Dr. Norman had been called, there was no way Richard wouldn’t have known.

“He knows everything now, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Even that it’s Darnnella’s Disease?”

“Yes…”

I had hoped to keep it a secret until the very last moment, but it seemed that was impossible.

“I see. There’s nothing to be done.”

He found out sooner than I expected, but there was no way I could have kept it hidden forever.

When the symptoms worsened, it would have been revealed anyway.

Maybe it was better that he found out before I had to tell him myself.

I smiled at the silly thought, but then the door suddenly burst open.

“My lord, you should knock before entering…”

“Diarna!”

Richard called my name as he abruptly entered the room.

His voice was so loud that it felt like my eardrums would burst.

Frowning, I held my throbbing head.

My fingertips were cold, perhaps because the blood had drained from them.

“Richard, could you please call me more quietly? My head hurts.”