The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 26

“This is a Rosier?”

I stared blankly at the plant Richard handed me.

It was a small plant with bright green, round leaves spread out on both sides. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in bloom. In fact, it didn’t even have any buds yet.

It was definitely different from any plants I’d seen in gardens or along the roadside.

The leaves seemed to resemble the illustrations of the Rosier plant I had seen in books, but I couldn’t trust my memory.

I looked up at Richard and then back at the Rosier pot in my hands.

For some reason, it didn’t feel real.

Was I really holding a Rosier pot? The very plant I had been desperately searching for over the past five years?

I had heard from Luen that Richard had been frequenting auctions to find the flower, but I never imagined he would actually manage to bring back a Rosier plant.

“Is it really true? This is a Rosier pot?”

I asked again, unable to believe that the pot I was holding was truly a Rosier.

I knew Richard wasn’t the type to lie about such things.

More importantly, he was someone who despised deceiving others and being deceived.

So it wasn’t like him to play such an outrageous joke just to tease me.

If that’s the case… then that means the pot I’m holding really is a Rosier.

I looked at him, hoping for confirmation, and Richard nodded.

“Yes. On the way back, I had it verified by scholars, so it should be a Rosier.”

I stared up at him as he spoke nonchalantly.

The books I had read said the it was incredibly difficult to find, and that was the reality I faced when I tried to locate one myself.

Yet Richard, even though it was not in bloom, had managed to find it.

I wanted to say something, but the words got tangled up in my mouth. In the end, I opened and closed my lips without saying anything. No words seemed sufficient to express what I was feeling right now.

Richard waited for me to speak, and when I didn’t, he continued.

“I heard that to treat Darnnella’s disease, the root of the Rosier is used when the flower is in bloom. Unfortunately, the one I found isn’t in bloom. Still, just in case, have Dr. Norman check if it can be used as a treatment.”

“…Yes. Th-thank you, Richard. Truly… thank you.”

I managed to express my gratitude to him with difficulty.

Even so, Richard didn’t take credit or boast. He merely frowned slightly and shook his head.

“You can thank me after you’re cured. As I said, this one isn’t in bloom, so it might be worthless.”

Richard was right. If the Rosier couldn’t be used to treat Darnnella’s disease, it wouldn’t matter. The reason I wanted the Rosier was for its healing properties.

Logically, I knew that. But I couldn’t control the surge of emotions that came with holding the pot.

“Even so, I’m just in awe that you managed to find a Rosier at all…”

“…”

It felt like a miracle to finally see the Rosier, which I had thought I’d never find, even in this incomplete form.

Now that Richard had found the Rosier, it meant that one day, he might find one that was about to bloom, and this wretched illness could finally be cured.

Maybe… I might actually live.

Not just for a mere year, but I might be able to live longer, just like everyone else.

Hope surged through me like a tidal wave.

The heavy fear that had been weighing on my chest suddenly felt lighter.

As I accepted that thought, tears welled up in my eyes.

Richard had gone through so much trouble to find the flower for me, and I didn’t want to show him an unsightly display of tears.

Instead, I lowered my head so he couldn’t see. The tears that filled my eyes soon fell silently onto the Rosier leaves.

Richard, who was standing in front of me, must have noticed because he placed his hand on my shoulder. I could feel his large, rough hand on my shoulder.

“You asked if it was possible to find a Rosier flower, right?”

“Huh? …Oh.”

I remembered what I had said when my father visited a few days ago. It seemed that Richard had taken those words to heart.

“See? Even though it hasn’t bloomed, we’ve still found one. It would be great if this one works, but even if it doesn’t, we can wait for this plant to bloom, or we could find a Rosier flower that’s already in bloom.”

His voice was firm, but his words were kind.

He was comforting me in his own detached way.

He remembered my near-resigned mumbling from that time and had run around tirelessly to find a Rosier.

“Thank you.”

That was all I could say.

Richard seemed content with that and soon walked past me, heading back to his room.

“Congratulations, Madam!”

Olivier approached me with a beaming face, offering her congratulations. She, too, seemed unable to believe that we had finally found a Rosier.

I smiled at Olivier, still feeling a bit dazed.

“Thank you.”

“Shall I fetch Dr. Norman?”

“Yes, please.”

I managed to hold back my tears and asked Olivier.

“Then please wait in your bedroom. I’ll be right back.”

Leaving those brief words, Olivier started off somewhere. After watching her walk away, I headed back to my bedroom with the pot in my arms.

Back in my room, I examined the pot more closely and noticed a note placed on it.

Upon reading it, I realized it was a list of care instructions for the Rosier.

It mentioned that the plant should be kept in a sunny spot, watered once a week until the pot is filled, and finally, that the method to make it bloom was still unknown.

I had heard similar things during my research.

The Rosier flower supposedly blooms only under very special conditions.

Once it does bloom, the flower is said to last for a month, emitting a very sweet fragrance.

However, no one had ever figured out what those conditions were.

Given how shrouded in mystery the flower was, that made sense. It could either be something very simple or extremely complex.

Still, the thought that there was a way, however small, gave me some peace of mind.

Feeling relieved that I had at least a tiny sliver of hope, I gently touched the tip of the plant.

The leaves swayed slightly under my touch.

Knock, knock.

Just as I was about to lean in and see if I could catch a hint of the its fragrance, despite its lack of blooms, there was a knock at the door.

“Madam, it’s Dr. Norman.”

It was Olivier’s voice.

“Come in.”

Upon giving Olivier permission, the door opened, and Olivier and Dr. Norman entered the room.

“Good day, Madam.”

“Nice to see you, Norman.”

Dr. Norman walked in, greeted me warmly, and I returned the greeting with a bright smile.

“How have you been feeling? Have you run out of the medicine I gave you last time?”

“I’ve been feeling well, and I still have plenty of the medicine left. I’ll contact you if I need more.”

“That’s a relief, Madam. But, may I ask why you’ve called for me?”

Dr. Norman chuckled but tilted his head in curiosity.

It seemed he found it odd that I’d summoned him when I wasn’t feeling unwell and hadn’t run out of medication.

I showed him the pot.

“And this is?”

“It’s a Rosier plant.”

Upon hearing my words, Dr. Norman put on the glasses he kept in his pocket and closely examined the plant for a while.

“Oh, it really is a Rosier. How on earth did you get this?”

“Richard bought it at an auction.”

Dr. Norman adjusted his glasses, looking at the Rosier with a sense of awe.

“To think I would see a Rosier before I die.”

He began to tear up as he carefully inspected the plant. I wondered if it could indeed help in making the medicine, but I waited for him to speak.

“My goodness, that’s truly remarkable. Acquiring a Rosier couldn’t have been easy.”

“Apparently not. Richard went through a lot to get it, but do you think this could be used to treat Darnnella’s disease? After all, it’s still a Rosier.”

Dr. Norman shook his head firmly at my question.

“No, Madam. Even though it’s the same Rosier, the difference between a blooming one and one that hasn’t bloomed is like night and day. Please don’t consume it hastily. It could actually be poisonous.”

Dr. Norman seemed worried that I might consider using the non-blooming Rosier and strongly warned me against it.

“The part used to treat Darnnella’s disease is the root of the blooming Rosier. When the Rosier blooms, its root develops a special property. If you consume it then, as you know, it becomes a potent cure for disease. However, a non-blooming Rosier has a mild toxicity that could cause symptoms like stomach upset or dehydration.”

“I see. Do you perhaps know how to make the Rosier flower bloom?”

When I asked, Dr. Norman shook his head with a regretful expression.

“I’m very sorry, Madam, but I don’t know that either. However, if you take good care of it, it might bloom one day.”

“I understand… Thank you for the advice.”

“Yes. Well, I shall take my leave for today.”

In the end, it became clear that to cure disease, I needed a blooming Rosier flower, and since this one didn’t even have a bud, it couldn’t be used to treat my illness.

Nevertheless, obtaining the plant itself was an incredible feat.

It would have been wonderful if the non-blooming Rosier could also treat Darnnella’s disease, but I wasn’t disheartened.

If I couldn’t find a blooming one, perhaps I could discover a way to make this one bloom.

Knowing that a Rosier could be found was already a significant achievement.