The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 40

After arriving at the hotel, I had a late lunch. Since I felt a little embarrassed about the conversation we had in the carriage, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to Richard. While I was talking to him in the carriage, I hadn’t felt quite this self-conscious, but now that I’d told him everything, I felt unreasonably mortified. Part of it was embarrassment over the life I’d led, but the bigger issue was that I had cried in front of him.

Richard didn’t initiate any conversation with me either, so we were able to finish our lunch in quiet.

“Diarna, I have some matters to attend to, so go ahead and rest upstairs.”

As I stood to return to my room after our meal, Richard suddenly spoke. Even though it hadn’t been long since the first trial, which must have been tiring, he apparently had more things to take care of.

Well, given that he always seemed to fill his schedule so tightly, it wasn’t really surprising to see him move straight to his next task without resting. I simply nodded and offered him a smile.

“See you later.”

Receiving my farewell, he promptly turned and exited the hotel. I stood still, watching his tall figure striding away until he disappeared from sight.

“Let’s go.”

Only after Richard had completely vanished from view did I turn and head inside as well. I could feel my body growing weaker by the day. Right now, I felt particularly exhausted, likely because of the emotional toll from the trial, combined with shedding tears in the carriage on the way back. My head felt heavy, and my body was worn out.

Since there would be another trial tomorrow, I just wanted to spend the rest of today resting in the hotel room.

“Please rest well, then. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. I’ll be waiting in a nearby lounge.”

Once I stepped off the elevator, Olivier spoke to me. I turned to her and shook my head, as if to say there was no need for that.

“No, I think I’ll just sleep right away since I’m tired. You should go back and rest too, Olivier. It’s alright.”

She gave me a reassuring smile, signaling she was fine. I considered insisting once more, then decided to let it go.

As soon as I stepped into the room, I felt a wave of relief, despite it being an unfamiliar place. Only now did I realize how comfortable and pleasant it was to be in a space where no one was watching.

Planning to rest for just a moment, I sat on the bed and slowly lay back. Just as I was about to close my eyes, I noticed something unbelievable in my field of vision, forcing me to sit up again.

“What… is this?”

What I found was a pot of Rosier flowers.

I hurriedly approached the Rosier plant and examined it closely. I had placed the Rosier pot by the sunny window the day before after returning from the Wizard’s Tower. I’d also watered it in the morning before leaving, so it shouldn’t need water again for a week.

But that wasn’t the issue.

At the end of one of the Rosier’s stems, there was a small, round growth. It was so tiny that I might not have noticed it if I hadn’t been checking on it daily.

It looked like a flower bud.

It definitely hadn’t been there before I visited the Wizard’s Tower yesterday. Which meant it had appeared sometime between yesterday and today.

“Is it really a flower bud?”

I carefully touched the tiny bud-like growth. The plant’s characteristic moist, fresh feel brushed against my fingertip before slipping away. Afraid that my touch might harm it, I quickly pulled my hand back and inspected the pot again.

It didn’t seem like anyone had tampered with it or done anything to it.

If this really was a flower bud, then something had triggered the right conditions for a Rosier flower to start growing.

Could it have been the visit to the Wizard’s Tower yesterday?

It certainly seemed plausible. There had been no signs of this before, and now a bud had appeared after my trip to the tower. The wizard had insisted that his magic hadn’t had any effect on the Rosier and had even refunded me, but maybe his spell had taken effect with a delayed response.

If the magic really had worked, then I needed to visit the Wizard’s Tower again.

I pressed the call button to summon Olivier and immediately picked up the Rosier pot. Olivier arrived at the room shortly after, and I showed her the Rosier plant.

“This is…”

Olivier’s eyes went wide as she noticed the change in the Rosier.

“It seems that our visit to the Wizard’s Tower yesterday might have had an effect.”

“Really?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I’m planning to visit the tower again and ask about it. I’ll head out immediately—would that be alright?”

“Won’t it be too tiring for you?”

She asked with concern. Just moments ago, I’d said I was exhausted and would take a nap. But now that this opportunity had arisen, I couldn’t just sit still.

“I am tired, but this could be a clue to the conditions needed for the Rosier flower to bloom.”

“Understood. I’ll make the preparations. Please wait a moment.”

She left the room, and I used the time to check on the Rosier while sitting on the sofa.

If the magic had worked, then the Rosier flower might indeed bloom. And if it did, I could finally say goodbye to the dreaded Dannella’s Disease.

“My lady, everything is ready.”

I heard Olivier’s voice along with a knock at the door. Stepping outside, I found Olivier, Luen, and two knights waiting for me.

It wasn’t unusual for Olivier and Luen to accompany me, but having two knights along was unusual, so I looked at Olivier with curiosity. She smiled and explained without me needing to ask.

“The capital is especially crowded right now due to the Coliseum games. While you’ve usually traveled with Master Richard, today you’ll be going out on your own, so we thought it best to have two knights accompany you for safety.”

“Oh…”

Olivier was right. The capital was indeed bustling this month because of the Coliseum games. When Richard and I had visited the Wizard’s Tower before, there had been so many people around that I’d ended up holding his hand as we walked.

And since I had nearly collapsed earlier today, it was wise to bring along strong escorts who could handle any emergencies. Plus, these two were knights.

“Understood.”

I gave the two knights a brief nod, and they returned my greeting with disciplined bows.

“Jason Duman, my lady.”

“Lorenz Houston, at your service. We will serve you with utmost dedication.”

As I heard the knights introduce themselves, I realized that one of them was someone I had seen before. He was the one who had sparred with Richard in the training grounds. I still remembered that his name was Lorenz from back then.

Although I felt a bit embarrassed about the incident, it was in the past, so I smiled at both of them.

“Nice to meet you both.”

With the two knights, Olivier, and Luen accompanying me, I left the hotel. Then, retracing the path Richard had guided me along the previous day, I started heading toward the Wizard’s Tower.

Remembering the way wasn’t easy, but I managed to arrive at the tower by recalling the distinctive buildings I had noticed while walking with Richard.

“How can I help you?”

The staff member who greeted us this time was different from the one I’d seen the day before. She was a young woman who didn’t seem quite an adult yet, with a cute face, and she was dressed in the traditional attire of a wizard.

“I came to have a plant examined. Would that be possible?”

“The one you’re holding in your hands?”

“Yes.”

I extended the pot forward so that she could get a good look at it. The wizard narrowed her eyes as she examined the Rosier plant, then smiled brightly and nodded.

“Please come inside.”

Following her, I entered the Wizard’s Tower, and she led me to a room inside. After examining the Rosier pot from different angles, she set it on the table.

“It’s a Rosier, I see. This is the first time I’ve seen it produce a flower bud.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest as she spoke. She seemed knowledgeable about plants, able to recognize the Rosier at a glance.

“Yes, that’s right. I came here yesterday and infused it with magic, and then a bud appeared. So, I came to see if you could apply magic to it again.”

“Excuse me? Magic? You say a flower bud appeared after infusing it with magic?”

She repeated, astonished at my words. Taken aback by her reaction, I nodded.

“There was no bud before I came by yesterday.”

“But… that can’t be. Rosier plants aren’t the kind that can be made to bloom with magic.”

She muttered in confusion, then reached out her hand toward the Rosier pot.

“I’ll take a moment to check.”

A bright light, like the one I’d seen the day before, emanated from the wizard’s hand. After shining over the Rosier pot for a while, the light gradually faded away.

“The appearance of the bud wasn’t due to magic. There’s no trace of magic left in the pot.”

She spoke definitively, and her words left me taken aback. It wasn’t magic?

“Then, do you know why the bud appeared?”

“Well, it’s known that Rosier flowers bloom if the conditions are met… so maybe you provided the right conditions?”

However, her answer was a standard one.

I already knew that the Rosier could bloom if the right conditions were met. But I didn’t know what those conditions were, so I was back to square one.

Seeing my disappointed expression, she gave an awkward laugh.

“I’m sorry, that answer was a bit simplistic. You wish to make this flower bloom, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll tell you the conditions for making a Rosier flower bloom.”

Her words took me by surprise. Saying she’d tell me the conditions for making a Rosier flower bloom implied that she actually knew them.

If I just knew those conditions, making the Rosier bloom wouldn’t be a problem.

“You really know the conditions?”

“Of course, that’s why I’m offering to tell you. You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, please tell me. I must know.”

Afraid she might take back her words, I quickly responded.

Then, pushing the Rosier pot back towards me, she began to speak.

“It’s love.”

“Excuse me? …Love?”

Her answer was completely unexpected as a response to what would make the Rosier bloom.

Confused by her answer, I asked for clarification, and she explained in a way that I could understand.

“Yes, love. The Rosier blooms by consuming love.”