Chapter 18
“Yeah.”
Fabian gave a bitter smile.
Leaning back against the armrest of his chair, he spoke in a low voice.
“I need to urgently find a woman willing to marry me. She just needs to have noble blood. A title isn’t necessary.”
After pausing for a moment in thought, Fabian corrected himself.
“No—actually, it’d be better if she doesn’t have one. I’d prefer a woman with no wealth, or someone with a weakness I can use.”
Portus frowned and pushed up his glasses.
“That’s a dangerous position.”
“Exactly. Uncle Dominic won’t sit still. Of course, I won’t either. But I need to find a woman willing to become Duchess even knowing that. As soon as possible.”
Portus fell silent at Fabian’s words.
He rolled his eyes in thought, then gave a small chuckle.
“If that’s the kind of woman you want, I think there’s one already here in the Grand Duke’s mansion.”
Fabian’s eyes widened.
“What? Oh…!”
Realization came a moment late.
The woman who’d claimed the Grand Duke would fall for her younger sister at first sight—she was currently staying in this mansion.
“She must be a noble, since her surname is Blick, but her father didn’t mention any title when he introduced himself—so only the bloodline remains.”
Fabian recalled the sisters who had frantically tried to hide in the dining hall.
“A girl who appears to have escaped from an abusive home, has nowhere to go, and seems interested in becoming Duchess…”
Fabian murmured quietly, lost in thought.
I sat in front of the mirror, drying Larisa’s wet hair with a towel.
In the reflection, Larisa’s face—identical to mine—stared back.
Both of us were stunningly beautiful, even by my own standards.
But Larisa’s eyes stared blankly into space.
I carefully dried her long, silky silver hair that fell to her waist, using several towels to prevent her from catching a cold.
As I did so, I kept talking to her.
Though it was one-sided, chatting and having someone to care for wasn’t such a bad thing.
Staying in this room all the time got boring anyway.
Since this morning, Larisa had shown no sign of wanting to bathe or even wash her face, so I cleaned her up myself—like one would for a two-year-old niece.
All the while, she remained still like a doll, letting me do whatever I wanted.
“How is it, Larisa? Feels nice, doesn’t it? You need to get better soon so we can enjoy fun things together.”
“…….”
“Soaking in a warm bath feels amazing, you know. I get so relaxed I sometimes fall asleep in it.”
Though I didn’t know for sure, I could guess Larisa had probably never experienced such luxury.
It was unthinkable that Igor or Villein had ever carried hot bathwater down to the basement.
Besides, Larisa’s body was covered in wounds.
Once you’re injured, you shouldn’t get the wound wet until it heals. But new injuries must’ve been added before the old ones even healed, making baths impossible.
‘Come to think of it, the doctor was quite suspicious of Larisa’s injuries yesterday.’
When I asked for bandages and medicine to treat her wounds, someone from the Grand Duke’s house sent a physician.
Since the master of the house was critically ill, I had felt hesitant even asking for medicine—but I accepted the kindness gratefully.
When the doctor pulled back Larisa’s clothes to examine the wounds, I wasn’t the only one shocked.
I had suspected she’d be covered in injuries, but I hadn’t imagined it would be this bad.
The nanny had done some basic treatment the night before we escaped, so under her clothes, Larisa was wrapped in layers of bandages.
Even those were stained with blood that had seeped from her wounds.
When the doctor gently unwrapped them, there was nothing but cuts and bruises covering her small body.
The physician was so shocked, he asked me directly:
‘…Is she a slave, by any chance? Pardon my impertinence, but you’re surely aware slavery is forbidden, yes?’
‘No, she’s my younger sister.’
‘But these are clearly whip marks…’
The doctor looked between me and Larisa, suspicion in his eyes.
Judging by his inner thoughts, he had no idea that I might have contributed to Larisa’s injuries.
In fact, he seemed to wonder if I might have similar wounds hidden under my clothes.
I said nothing.
The only one who remained calm was Larisa.
She flinched slightly whenever medicine touched a wound, but otherwise showed no reaction.
After finishing the treatment, the doctor firmly told me not to let any water touch the wounds.
He also said he’d return daily to check on her.
Right after he left, I made Larisa a promise.
‘Until you’re all healed, I’ll wash your hair for you. You can’t bathe for now, but once you’re a bit better, I’ll gently clean you with a warm cloth.’
So today, when the maids offered to help Larisa bathe, I politely declined and kept that promise.
“Come on, let’s sit by the window and brush your hair. If we do it in the sun, it’ll dry quickly.”
“…….”
“It’s important to get sunlight every day. Your body makes vitamins, and it really lifts your mood. They say it helps with depression.”
I had never talked to myself this much in my life.
I gently led Larisa to the window seat and stood behind her, slowly brushing her hair.
Her damp hair was soft as silk.
The silvery strands shimmered with a radiant luster as I brushed, and the feeling was mesmerizing.
‘How can her hair be so perfect? Must be natural.’
She hadn’t even gotten sunlight or proper food until now. From now on, I’d make sure she got both every day.
‘How much prettier would she be with plump, rosy cheeks from eating well?’
At some point, lost in thought, my brushing had slowed.
‘I thought everything would fall into place once we met the Grand Duke…’
But the night we arrived here, the Grand Duke had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.
And the next day—yesterday—he passed away.
‘If I had escaped even one day later, we wouldn’t have been able to enter the mansion at all.’
The whole house would’ve been in chaos after his sudden death.
We were lucky to have arrived a day earlier, to have discovered who the prince in the fairy tale was, and even luckier to be allowed to stay.
Even though I’d misread the situation a little at first.
Still, who could’ve predicted the Grand Duke would die the very next day?
No one had explained the situation to us, but I’d heard enough confused thoughts from outside to know he had died.
And with that, I gave up on trying to win Fabian’s heart.
Who would have the leisure for romance after losing a family member?
‘If he even remembers we exist, that’d be a miracle.’
I let out a quiet sigh, careful not to make it obvious.
“You know, Larisa, maybe I was wrong. I thought that just by coming here, everything would be fine and you’d finally be happy.”
I spoke softly as I continued brushing her hair.
Her silver hair sparkled in the sunlight. It was nearly dry now.
“But don’t worry. I’ll take care of you until you become an adult.”
If she had stayed locked in the basement, she would’ve met the prince at sixteen.
And not just met him—he would’ve executed every family member who knew Larisa’s secret, removing all threats to her future.
‘But since we escaped before meeting the prince, Igor and Villein will surely chase us to the ends of the earth.’
Until they’re executed.
If I’d just left things alone, we wouldn’t be in this mess. I was the one who forced this outcome.
‘So now I have to take responsibility.’
Thinking of Igor and Villein sent a shiver down my spine.
I quickly resumed brushing her hair and forced a cheerful tone.
“We should stay here a bit longer, just until you get better. They said it’s fine. And once you’re healed, let’s go far away. Is there anywhere you want to visit?”
As always, Larisa didn’t answer.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
‘Who could it be? Is it time for the doctor?’
I set down the brush and went to open the door.
Standing there was Fabian.
“Excuse me. May I come in for a moment?”
Startled by the unexpected visitor, I nodded.
Fabian’s expression as he entered was calmer than I’d expected.
His face looked a little worn from stress, but that was all.
“Lady Blick, how is your injury?”
Before I could even offer condolences for his grandfather, he asked how I was doing.
It was probably just courtesy, but even so, coming here in person to check on us during a time like this was quite thoughtful.
“Thank you for sending the doctor, despite everything. And… I heard about the passing. You must be heartbroken. My deepest condolences.”
I bowed slightly, to show both gratitude and sympathy.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Fabian bowed as well.
When he lifted his head a moment later, something in his expression had changed.
He looked… tense.
‘Huh?’
Was something wrong?
He didn’t seem to come just to check on us—he clearly had something important to say.
Sure enough, he asked in a cautious tone,
“There’s something I’d like to discuss. Would that be alright?”
“Yes, of course.”
“It’s not something I can say here. Would you mind moving to another location?”
