Chapter 77
When I woke up again, the surroundings were already bright. However, I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed right away. My body felt heavy, and my face was burning with heat. My body also felt weak and cold, making it hard to leave the warmth of the blankets.
I turned my head slightly and checked the spot next to me. Richard’s side of the bed was neatly arranged. It seemed like he hadn’t come into the bedroom at all. The bed being so neatly made was proof of that. Of course, the servants might have tidied it up right after Richard got up, but it felt different from that.
I couldn’t help but worry about Richard, who must have been busy dealing with the aftermath of the fire and probably hadn’t slept much. Even Richard, no matter how strong, would surely wear himself out if he pushed too hard.
I wanted to go find him and urge him to rest, but I was too exhausted to move.
Knock, knock.
A small knock echoed through the quiet room. Even that sound seemed to make my head throb, and I sighed.
“Madam, it’s Olivier. May I come in?”
“…Come in.”
I replied with a faint voice, barely audible. I wasn’t sure if Olivier could hear me through the door.
“…Madam? Are you still sleeping?”
My fear became a reality. Olivier couldn’t hear me and asked again from the other side of the door.
I tried to answer but gave up, lacking the strength to speak any louder. But if it was Olivier, she would come in and wake me up, just like she always did when I slept in.
I waited for Olivier to come in and give me some medicine.
Knock, knock.
The sound of the heavy oak door was followed by a clearer and more melodious sound.
“I’m coming in, Madam.”
The door opened, and Olivier’s footsteps could be heard as she entered.
“…Madam?”
Olivier, sensing something was wrong, quickly approached me. I managed to force a weak smile to greet her.
“My goodness, Madam!”
Olivier hurriedly checked my condition and called out in panic. Her voice seemed to echo in my head, and at the same time, I felt a wave of nausea wash over me. I shook my head lightly.
“Olivier, please… bring the physician…”
“Yes, of course! Please wait for a moment!”
Olivier quickly left the room and called for a maid. I could hear her ordering them to bring the physician quickly, and then there were other sounds, but my head was still spinning, so I couldn’t remember clearly.
* * *
“…Can you hear me?”
A sound reached my ears, muffled and distant. I was too dazed to understand it clearly. It sounded like someone was asking me something, so I tried to lift my heavy eyelids. As the darkness in my vision cleared, I began to make out the figure in front of me—it was the physician.
“Do you hear me?” the physician asked carefully. I nodded slightly in response.
“If it’s not too much trouble, may I examine you more thoroughly?”
“…Please, go ahead.”
I answered in a small voice, and Olivier helped lift my upper body. Still feeling dizzy, I wobbled, and Olivier placed a pillow behind me to support me. With the pillow providing some comfort, I could lean back more easily and look at the physician as he began a more detailed examination.
I felt a bit dazed as I followed the physician’s instructions during the examination.
“I heard you were out late last night, and it seems like you caught a cold from that. Fortunately, there are no other symptoms of illness.”
I had suspected this. I had stayed up late because I was worried about the fire, and this was the result.
“I need to recover as soon as possible… Do you have any medicine?”
I asked weakly, and the physician made a sound of concern.
“I’ve already brought some medicine and a potion before I came, but you’ll need to rest for a while. It might take some time before you fully recover.”
His words were disappointing. The salon would be opening in two days, and with this condition, it would be hard for me to attend. It was an opportunity I had worked hard to get…
“The potion will be more effective if you take it now.”
The physician handed the potion to Olivier, who opened the lid and passed it to me. I struggled to tilt the bottle and drink the potion. As I did, I felt some strength return to my body, though I still felt weak and heavy. At least I no longer felt completely limp and drained.
“I feel a little better.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll leave the medicine with the maid. Please take it after you’ve eaten.”
“Thank you.”
The physician bowed his head in greeting and left the bedroom. I had a strong desire to lie back down and sleep again, but I knew I had to eat something in order to take my medicine, so I turned my gaze to Julia, who was standing nearby.
“Shall I prepare your meal, Your Grace?”
At the right moment, Julia asked me. I nodded in response, indicating my agreement. I watched as Julia instructed the other maids to prepare the meal and let out a sigh.
I was worried about the salon in two days. I thought about sending a message to let them know I might not be able to attend, but then I feared that if I declined this time, there might not be another opportunity. I quickly dismissed that thought.
Though only a few days remained, I knew I needed to focus on resting and recovering first. Hopefully, by the time the salon came around, I would be well enough to attend.
“By the way, where is Richard?”
“Since the incident yesterday, he’s been outside, probably checking something.”
“He doesn’t know about my condition, right?”
“By now, he probably knows. I checked on you and brought the physician right away, and in the meantime, another servant must have gone to deliver the news.”
“I see…”
Since we shared the same bedroom, it was impossible for him not to know. Still, I had hoped that he wouldn’t find out, but it seemed that was wishful thinking. I was concerned that he might worry about me. However, I couldn’t undo the information that had already been delivered.
Olivier gently wiped the sweat from my forehead with a wet cloth. Her touch was so kind that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you, Olivier.”
“Ah, it’s nothing, Your Grace. It’s my duty.”
Olivier smiled faintly, her face full of concern.
Knock, knock. It didn’t take long for the sound of knocking to reach my ears.
“Your meal has been prepared.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Julia entered with a trolley, bringing with her a light cabbage stew, goat’s milk, and cheese as the main dishes.
I slowly began to eat. However, I couldn’t taste anything. Still, I continued eating with the thought that I needed to finish my meal to take my medicine and recover quickly. After finishing the meal, Olivier handed me my medicine. After taking it with some water, I felt the weight of recovery lifting from my shoulders.
I wanted to lie down and rest, but I feared that would make things worse, so I decided to sit up for a while.
“By the way, are you and Julia okay? You were both outside for a long time too…”
I suddenly remembered that both of them had been outside with me and asked about it.
“I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
“I’m fine too. Thank you for worrying.”
“I’m glad. Both of you are fine.”
I felt deeply relieved seeing the two of them looking healthy. If Olivier or Julia had fallen ill because of me, I would have felt terribly guilty. Still, the fact that they had been outside for a long time because of me made me resolve to not push them into such situations again in the future.
“By the way, did they catch the arsonist from yesterday…?”
I almost said Cecilia’s name directly but quickly corrected myself and referred to her as the “arsonist” instead. I wasn’t sure if I had seen her correctly, or if she might have just been in the area when the fire started by chance…
I found myself speculating internally and then chuckled quietly. If the person I saw was indeed Cecilia, it wasn’t likely to have been a coincidence that she was at the fire scene. I had thought she would get involved in some kind of trouble, but I never imagined it would be in this way.
“The arsonist hasn’t been caught yet, it seems.”
“Still?”
I blinked in surprise at Olivier’s report. Was Cecilia really capable of escaping from the knights and soldiers? No, even if she was physically strong, there was no way she could outrun properly trained knights and soldiers. I had seen them training from a distance, and the thought of a woman who had never exercised, aside from dancing, managing to outsmart them seemed absurd.
So how had she done it?
Where could Cecilia, who probably didn’t have a proper place to hide, have gone? I couldn’t stop the questions from swirling in my mind.
Noticing my confusion, Olivier spoke up.
“Because of that, Count Richard went to visit the guards this morning.”
“Really?”
It would certainly be more efficient to ask the guards, who knew the area better, for help, rather than relying on knights or soldiers. With the guards’ assistance, catching Cecilia would be an easy task. Then, they could hold her accountable for the arson.
I nodded in agreement with Richard’s decision.
