Chapter 61
While having breakfast with Richard at the dining hall, I felt gazes directed at me from the surrounding people.
Was it because of the bruise?
I had deliberately chosen a high-necked dress and didn’t even tie my hair up this time, not wanting the bruise to be visible. And yet, it seemed to still be noticeable.
Or maybe, it was just me being overly conscious of how others might see me—maybe no one really cared, and it was only in my head that they were staring.
“How are you feeling?”
Richard asked, noticing how I was shrinking back under the weight of those imagined stares.
I reflexively raised my hand to touch my neck and gave an awkward smile.
“Better than yesterday.”
“If anything feels wrong, call the physician right away. Don’t try to tough it out and end up making things worse.”
Richard’s gaze briefly fell on my neck, then met my eyes again before he resumed eating.
“Today’s finally the day. The final trial.”
The trial was originally supposed to end yesterday, but because Duke Tristan caused a commotion, it got postponed to today.
Even though it was just a one-day delay, knowing that the end of everything was finally approaching made my heart feel unsettled.
“You don’t look very happy. I thought you’d be glad.”
Richard looked puzzled as he observed my expression. And understandably so. I had also thought that I’d feel relieved and happy once I regained everything. And to be honest, it wasn’t like I felt none of that.
But more than that, I just felt weighed down.
If Mother were still alive, would any of this have happened?
Or, if I hadn’t been a one-off extra character, would I have had to shoulder all this tragedy?
If only I could go back to when none of this had happened—how wonderful would that be?
“It’s just… thinking about how none of this would’ve happened if things had been different from the start—it’s all a bit overwhelming.”
As I pushed around my salad with my fork, Richard let out a soft snort.
“That’s a silly thing to dwell on.”
Curious about what he meant, I looked up at him. He glanced out the window once, then locked eyes with me again.
“Dwelling on things that have already happened only makes you more miserable.”
“…You’re probably right.”
There’s no changing anything by thinking like that anyway.
“Just finish what’s behind you and move on to what’s next. And Diarna—you’ve done well to endure this far.”
“…”
With those words, Richard finished his meal. Watching him set down his fork and knife, I put down my own fork too.
“Not eating more?”
He looked at the still half-full plate in front of me.
There was still a fair amount of food left. Normally, I could have easily finished it, but today, I just didn’t have the appetite. Probably because of everything that had happened over the past few days.
“I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
Richard stared at me quietly for a moment before nodding.
“Are you visiting the physician today as well?”
I nodded at his question. I was planning to go check on Dave and Sylvia’s condition—and also get a checkup myself.
“I should go.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t you have anything scheduled this morning?”
“I cleared my whole schedule. The trial should’ve ended yesterday, remember?”
“Oh…”
I somehow felt guilty toward him and gave an awkward smile.
If only I hadn’t gone to stand by Duke Tristan yesterday, everything would’ve ended by now.
It was my mistake.
I already knew well enough that Duke Tristan wanted me dead—he had ordered Dave to kill me, after all. But still, I hadn’t expected him to try to harm me directly.
It was foolish. He had already lost everything, so there was no reason for him to hold onto any shred of rationality.
“Just so you know—it’s not your fault.”
“…What?”
I looked up at Richard in surprise at his sudden words. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at me.
“If it weren’t for you, that little boy would’ve committed perjury. Tristan already had a reputation as a liar throughout the trial, so it wouldn’t have caused major damage—but if that child had lied, and it was later discovered, who knows what kind of punishment he would’ve received?”
A commoner deceiving a noble, and a child from the slums no less.
You didn’t need detailed knowledge of the law to know how harsh the consequences could be.
If I hadn’t spoken to Dave during the trial, he would’ve faced severe punishment.
“I don’t know why you care so much about a child who once tried to kill you, but had you stayed quiet, you would’ve deeply regretted it. And not in the same way as having the trial postponed by one day.”
“You’re right.”
In the end, Duke Tristan had strangled me, but I had survived. Dave was safe, and Sylvia had been rescued as well.
And thanks to Dave’s testimony, Duke Tristan had been utterly destroyed—beyond the point of recovery.
After lying throughout the trial and ordering the murder of his stepdaughter, he had attempted to kill me in front of everyone.
“Come to think of it, what happened to Duke Tristan?”
“The soldiers stationed at the court took him away. You’ll probably see him today, bound in restraints.”
“But is that even allowed?”
Duke Tristan was still a duke. Even if he committed crimes, nobles couldn’t be easily restrained or imprisoned.
Richard seemed to understand my doubt and nodded slightly.
“The people at court are perceptive. He may be Duke Tristan today, but after today, he’ll revert to his original title—Baron Hazel, was it? By tomorrow, he’ll just be Baron Hazel. It’s obvious which one matters more: the soon-to-be demoted Duke Tristan, or the future Duchess he tried to kill.”
“That’s… rather unusual.”
“It is.”
It wasn’t hard to understand, though.
Even for a noble, killing a family member was a serious crime. And trying to strangle me in front of a crowd left no room for excuses.
Maybe that was why Cecilia had come to see me—because Duke Tristan had been detained.
Thinking back, she had begged me to release her father. That meant, just as Richard said, he really was in custody.
This was the result of his own actions.
He had been greedy for titles and wealth. He abused me out of fear I might take it all from him, sold me off, tried to deceive the court with ridiculous lies—it was all his own doing, driven by excessive greed.
“If you’re not eating more, we should go.”
“Alright.”
There were things to be done—it wasn’t a time to just sit in the dining hall.
I left the hall with Richard and got into the carriage that had been prepared in advance.
We headed straight to the clinic.
The place had been thrown into chaos yesterday thanks to Duke Tristan, but somehow, everything had been tidied up within a day. Though some of the damage remained—broken and torn parts here and there—it wasn’t that noticeable after being cleaned up.
As we entered, the physician greeted us.
“You’re here.”
“Yes. Please check on my wife first.”
Before I could say anything, Richard gently pushed me forward.
“Of course. Madam, this way please.”
I couldn’t refuse—my neck wasn’t in great shape anyway—so I sat down where the physician indicated.
He first checked the condition of my neck and breathing, then examined me thoroughly for any additional issues before handing me medicine again.
After drinking the medicine he gave me, my throat felt much better than it had yesterday. Even the discomfort I had felt while swallowing had eased significantly.
“By the way, she’s been having nightmares. Is there any treatment for that?”
Richard, who had been quietly observing my checkup, asked the physician. He must’ve remembered how I had woken up from a nightmare in the middle of the night.
“Hmm… It’s likely due to the trauma from yesterday. Unfortunately, we currently don’t have any medicine to treat psychological shock.”
I was a little disappointed by the physician’s apologetic tone, but I hadn’t expected medicine like that to exist in a place like this, so the disappointment quickly faded.
“Then I’m done. How are Dave and Sylvia?”
“The boy has shown significant improvement, but the girl’s condition is still quite poor. As you know, she has Darnnella’s disease. Without a cure, it’s hard to predict her future. Still, thanks to the suppressant you gave us yesterday, she seems to be more at ease. Ah, and here.”
The physician handed over two bottles.
One was the suppressant I had given him yesterday, and the other was a new bottle containing a similar-looking medicine.
When I looked puzzled, he quickly added an explanation.
“I made more of the suppressant yesterday. Since you mentioned you also suffer from Darnnella’s disease, I thought it might be helpful for you as well…”
I slowly took the bottle he offered. If necessary, I could make more after returning to Count Theodore’s estate, but I was still grateful that the physician had made it for me.
“Thank you.”
As I thanked him, the physician smiled warmly and nodded.
“Then let’s go see the children.”
Now that my checkup was done, it was time to check on Sylvia and Dave.
Following the physician’s guidance, we headed to the patient room and found the two children sleeping.
Dave, as the physician had said, seemed to be in much better condition, peacefully sleeping. Though his body was still covered in bruises and wounds, seeing his calm expression helped ease the anxiety I’d been carrying.
Sylvia, too, was sleeping soundly beside him, no longer gasping for breath in pain like she had been yesterday.
I wanted to check on them a little more closely, but I was afraid to wake them. So I observed from a distance and quietly turned to leave.
