Chapter 51
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I just…”
“You were going to tuck the blanket over me again, right?”
As I stammered out my words, Richard nonchalantly finished my sentence. Even though he was right, my cheeks burned for no reason.
“Yes. You sleep uncomfortably as it is, and the weather’s still chilly, so… Anyway, I’ve tucked you in now, so I’ll go back to my bed.”
Even though it was the truth, it felt like I was making excuses. I quickly blurted out my words and began to step back, but suddenly, Richard grabbed my hand. The movement caused me to freeze mid-step.
I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp, watching him cautiously. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t free my hand from his hold.
“Richard?”
It wasn’t that I couldn’t pull free; it was that he had no intention of letting go.
Why all of a sudden?
I looked at him with wide eyes, puzzled. He slowly released my hand. Only then did I feel that my body was free again.
“…Sorry.”
He murmured an apology and raised a hand to rub his forehead. I stood there for a moment, watching him, but when he didn’t react further, I carefully turned away.
Thankfully, this time, he didn’t try to stop me or call out to me.
I hurried to my bed, practically running, and buried myself under the covers. I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet for some reason, I felt like I’d been caught red-handed doing something I shouldn’t have. My face was burning.
—
Even though I lay in bed, I ended up staying awake the entire time.
I had gone to bed early the night before, and the encounter with Richard had jolted me wide awake, making it impossible to fall asleep again.
But since getting up while he was still awake would only make things awkward, I stayed lying under the covers, motionless.
Fortunately, as dawn broke, Olivier knocked on the door and came in, breaking the awkward atmosphere.
“My goodness! Madam, look at this!”
Ruen, who had come in with Olivier to help me dress, exclaimed in amazement as she discovered something. She quickly called out to me.
Curious, I turned to see her approaching with the pot of Rosier.
“What’s the matter?”
Puzzled, I inspected the pot she held out to me. Like Ruen, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of surprise.
“This can’t be.”
“Oh my.”
The Rosier pot Ruen held had a flower bud that had grown noticeably larger than it had been yesterday.
“It’s bigger than it was yesterday, right?”
Ruen asked in amazement. The flower bud hanging from the stem was so curious and strange that I could only nod instead of answering.
It was definitely bigger.
Yesterday, it had been the size of a grain of millet, but now the bud was as big as a bean.
But why?
I couldn’t understand why the flower was undergoing such changes.
The wizard from the Tower had clearly said the Rosier blossoms by feeding on love.
That meant it would need love even to form a bud.
Does that mean someone in this room has been fostering love?
That didn’t make sense.
Since yesterday, the only people who had entered this room were Richard, Olivier, Ruen, the knights Lorenz and Jason, and me.
Ruen had done the tidying, so no hotel staff could have come in either.
So, among the six of us, does it mean someone is in love?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out who it might be.
Olivier smiled at me knowingly, but since I had no particular affection for Richard, her smile only left me flustered.
But I couldn’t completely deny it either.
After all, the flower bud on the stem had undoubtedly grown larger.
Do I perhaps like Richard?
I recalled what had happened in the pre-dawn hours.
Checking on Richard as he fell asleep slumped in his chair, covering him with a blanket, and his waking up unexpectedly.
It had been a surprising moment, and my heart had raced—it was true.
But was that love? I couldn’t confidently say it was.
Nor did I think Richard might have feelings for me.
Most importantly, he already had a woman he was destined to love deeply in the future.
The heroine of this world—Eilen.
Kind, beautiful, and captivating, she was the woman Richard would become so enchanted by that he would do anything for her. I knew this better than anyone because I was the one who had created this world.
With lips tightly shut, I glanced over the people coming and going in the room.
Olivier, Ruen, Lorenz, and Jason.
Perhaps one of those four was the reason.
“It was a good idea to bring the pot to the capital. To think we’d get to see the flower bud grow so quickly. Isn’t it wonderful, madam?”
As I dazedly looked around the room, lost in thought, Ruen spoke to me.
“Y-Yes.”
I gave a slight nod and turned my gaze back to the Rosier pot.
Well, whatever the case, if someone around me had caused the plant to bud, it was definitely a fortunate thing for me.
I wouldn’t have to keep worrying endlessly about whether the flower would ever bloom.
When I finally admitted this to myself, a smile crept onto my face without me realizing it.
I had thought I was in the depths of despair, but the realization that there was still some salvation for me was a relief.
“Anyway, it’s getting late for breakfast. Can you hurry up and help me?”
I urged Ruen and Olivier, who were still staring at the pot in fascination. At last, the two of them gave sheepish smiles and began moving busily.
With their help, I changed into a dress and then headed straight down to the dining hall.
As always, I naturally sat across from Richard, but today, I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye.
After what had happened at dawn and the bud blooming that morning, I couldn’t help but wonder if he might like me.
Even though I knew better than anyone that it couldn’t be true, I chastised myself inwardly for indulging in such foolish thoughts.
When I focused again, I noticed Richard hadn’t spoken to me either.
It was the same silence as always.
“Did you manage to sleep well at all?”
I asked him, pretending to be nonchalant. It was a question prompted by the fact that he had spent the night sleeping in a chair instead of in bed.
“I’m fine. I don’t mind it. In fact, sleeping too comfortably is more uncomfortable for me.”
Richard replied as he took a bite of a thin crepe topped with salami and cheese.
I followed his lead and began eating as well.
“Make sure to come home early and rest after today’s trial.”
No matter how strong his stamina was, not sleeping properly would surely take a toll on him.
“What about you?”
“I… I’ll probably spend some time at the clinic. Both morning and afternoon.”
I couldn’t stop thinking about Dave’s condition.
Richard said that what happened to Dave was the result of his own choices, but I believed those choices were ultimately influenced by my presence.
So, I intended to stay and watch over him until he woke up.
Besides, as Richard and I had discussed, I wanted to take Dave and his younger sibling to the Count of Theodore’s estate. That was, of course, assuming the children agreed to go with me.
Richard glanced at me quietly for a moment before resuming his meal.
“I don’t have any plans for the afternoon, so I might as well go with you. Also, today’s the last trial, so your father…”
Richard trailed off as he mentioned Duke Tristan.
“We don’t know how Duke Tristan will react today. It’s best to be cautious.”
“Understood.”
Indeed, if today’s trial turned in our favor, we couldn’t predict how Duke Tristan, who would have lost everything, might respond.
Two days ago, he had ordered Dave to kill me. Yesterday, he had kidnapped Dave, brutalized him, and dumped him in an alley.
Would he accept the outcome quietly today?
No, I didn’t doubt he would try something.
One thing was clear: whatever he did, it would not result in anything good for me.
“If I’m not around, make sure to have at least two knights accompany you whenever you go out.”
“Understood. I’ll be heading to the clinic this morning as well, so I’ll ask Lorenz and Jason to escort me.”
“Good, do that.”
There were other knights, but it was better to stick with familiar faces.
After finishing breakfast, Richard left for some work he had to attend to that morning.
I, accompanied by the two knights, went back to the clinic I had visited the day before.
In the two beds there, Dave and his younger sibling lay side by side. His younger sibling, with eyes as big as marbles, was crying silent tears as she looked at the injured Dave.
I approached her and sat down in the chair next to them.
“Are you feeling any better?”
“…Yes.”
The child answered me in a faint voice.
I gave her a gentle smile, hoping to put her at ease.
“Dave will be fine. He’ll get better soon, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
“…”
Contrary to my intentions, the child looked at me with doubtful eyes. It was understandable—seeing Dave lying there covered in bruises and me saying he’d be okay probably didn’t sound convincing.
Still, it was the best reassurance I could offer.
“What’s your name? I can’t keep calling you ‘Dave’s little sister,’ can I?”
“Sylvia.”
“That’s a lovely name, Sylvia.”
I met the gaze of young Sylvia, a child afflicted with the same illness as me.
I could clearly see the shadow of death lingering in her eyes.
The thought that this child might reflect my own future made my heart ache.
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