Chapter 26
“Estelle, Estelle Bellonsa…”
Lennox muttered quietly as he stared at her.
To him, Estelle was still a strange woman.
Whenever he looked at her, one word repeated in his head: Why?
Why was she the only person different from his past life?
Why was she kind to the servants who had once been hostile to her?
Why did she protect a child from monsters, even putting her own body in danger?
She broke herself, hurt herself—so why?
As Lennox looked down at her face, he reached out a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
But just before touching her, he froze.
Even though he had washed himself and was wearing gloves, he wasn’t sure it was okay to touch another person.
He always felt anxious when it came to physical contact.
While his hand hung awkwardly in the air, a gentle knock broke the silence.
Knock knock.
“Your Grace.”
It was Pippin.
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the Tower has informed us that the Mandrake potion is complete.”
Mandrake.
The special potion made from Mandrake was finally ready.
Lennox didn’t answer immediately, so Pippin continued, hesitantly.
“Should I deliver it to Lady Glesia, as planned?”
It was the obvious plan, so under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even need to ask.
But seeing Estelle lying there so sick, he couldn’t bring himself to just follow the plan.
“How much of the potion is there?”
Pippin’s eyes widened.
He had expected Lennox to scold him, but the Duke’s unexpected question surprised him.
Maybe Pippin wasn’t the only one worried about Estelle.
“There’s only enough for one person to drink.”
“But we gathered three roots, didn’t we?”
“It’s very concentrated. All the roots were used just to make that small amount.”
With that much concentration, the potion could probably even bring someone back from the dead.
“You know, that wild Mandrake was the last of its kind. It’ll take years before any new ones grow.”
“Years, huh…”
For Lennox, years passed in the blink of an eye. But the doctor had said Estelle didn’t have that kind of time.
He didn’t hesitate long.
After a short silence, Lennox gave the order.
“Bring the potion. Now.”
“Yes, understood.”
Pippin wanted to ask, “Are you going to use it on Estelle instead of your sister?”, but he kept quiet and obeyed. He didn’t have the right to question.
Soon, a small clear bottle, no larger than a palm, was in Lennox’s hand.
It sparkled like a diamond—something others couldn’t buy no matter how much money they had.
Lennox rolled the bottle in his palm.
Thanks to what he knew from his past life, he could have gotten the potion even without Estelle’s help.
So, technically, he didn’t owe her anything.
Still… the reason he hadn’t already given the potion to his sister was because he still had one question left: Why?
Why do I keep caring about you?
Even if Estelle died, he could just marry someone else.
She was replaceable.
And yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Maybe it was because her actions made him feel like she would never betray him.
“People don’t give up their lives easily, even when death is near.”
And people love money just as much.
But Estelle gave up both her life and money without a second thought—for Duren.
What would be weaknesses for others meant nothing to her.
Lennox had to admit it:
She was not like Vera Bellonsa.
Until now, he had compared Estelle to Vera simply because they were from the same family.
But Estelle and Vera were completely different.
Vera is full of selfishness. She makes me sick.
Lennox frowned at the thought of Vera.
But then Estelle shifted slightly in her sleep.
He paused, thinking she had woken up—but she was only groaning in her sleep.
“Must be having a nightmare.”
His frown disappeared as he looked at Estelle again. He didn’t smile, but his eyes grew softer.
“You don’t even know your life is in my hands…”
He had a feeling that even if she woke up, Estelle wouldn’t beg for the potion.
If she was that kind of person, she would have kept the Mandrake for herself instead of giving him the information.
“You’re really strange.”
Why had she given him the precious medicine even though she was the one who was sick?
Why?
He already knew the answer.
Estelle was a selfless person.
She cared about others more than herself.
There’s no other explanation unless that’s just who she is.
Realizing just how different she was from him, Lennox once again reached out to her.
Earlier, she had moved, and her hair now covered part of her face. That was bothering him.
Just before touching her, he stopped.
What am I doing?
Was he really about to touch someone?
Just earlier he had stopped himself, and now here he was again.
Did I lose my mind?
He stared at Estelle, silently blaming her. Then she smacked her lips in her sleep like a baby, and he couldn’t help but relax his expression.
“Really…”
Just then, part of her hair slipped into her mouth.
So finally, his hand touched her soft pink hair.
As he gently brushed it behind her ear, his glove lightly touched her ear.
At that moment, Lennox became so nervous he forgot how to breathe.
Even though he was wearing gloves, what if his dark energy hurt her?
Haaah…
But Estelle kept breathing peacefully, showing no sign of pain.
Only then did Lennox finally breathe out the breath he had been holding.
“Estelle Winterlen…”
It was a familiar name with a familiar title, yet saying them together felt strange.
Was it uncomfortable?
No. Actually, it wasn’t unpleasant.
Touching her and saying her name out loud—it didn’t feel bad.
He finally made a decision.
“Our contract must last until the end.”
I hate wasting time.
He didn’t want to waste a single moment of this second chance at life. So she had to survive and stay at Winterlen for the entire year.
That was how he justified what he was about to do—opening the bottle of potion.
He should have chosen his own sister, the one related to him by blood.
But he didn’t.
Because he already knew his sister would survive a year from now anyway.
He held up Estelle’s upper body with his left hand, supporting her neck gently.
Through his gloves, he could feel her burning hot skin.
Carefully, he poured the potion into her mouth.
“Really… you are strange.”
If Estelle died early, he would gain all of Bellonsa’s wealth.
That was their contract.
He had always dreamed of destroying the Bellonsa family.
But even so… he couldn’t let her die.
A While Later…
He thought the Mandrake potion would wake her up immediately.
But even after some time, she didn’t move at all.
So the powerful potion didn’t work that quickly.
“I’ll have the doctor check later.”
He had no idea when or how the medicine would take effect.
Feeling uneasy, Lennox rubbed his hands where he had touched Estelle.
He had to wash—just out of habit.
Even though she hadn’t died after touching him, he still felt uncomfortable.
It was a type of obsession or compulsion.
After washing his hands and returning—
“Estelle?”
She was gone.
The bed was empty.
Only the wrinkled sheets proved that someone had been lying there.
Feeling a rush of panic, Lennox quickly pulled off his gloves with his teeth and touched the bed.
It was still warm.
That meant she had just left.
“Where the hell…”
She had been unconscious. How could she just disappear?
He wasn’t gone for long.
Had she suddenly woken up and walked off?
No, if she had woken up, she would have called a servant first, not just left silently.
So it was more likely that someone had taken her.
He pulled the bell cord to call a servant.
“Find Estelle.”
“Pardon? My lady? Isn’t she right there in bed?”
The confused servant looked at the empty bed.
He clearly had no idea either.
So she had disappeared without anyone knowing.
“She may have been kidnapped. Whatever the case, she can’t have gone far. Find her immediately.”
Lennox’s voice was tense, almost panicked.
