AFRPR 42

Episode 42

Thump.

It felt like his heart dropped.

Lennox couldn’t think straight. How had things turned out like this?

Her pale face.

Blood stains not only on her clothes but also on her lips.

He quickly scooped her up and ran outside.

“Call a doctor!”

He just ran, looking for anyone who could help.

“Your Grace? When did you get back? No, more importantly—”

Lennox happened to bump into Pippin, who was carrying a huge stack of papers to his office.

“I said call a doctor!”

“What?”

“Estelle is dying!”

Pippin glanced at Estelle.

“…Did you do this to her, Your Grace?”

“Don’t you dare joke about that.”

Lennox’s sharp voice was full of anger.

Pippin tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“My lady.”

“…”

“You’re pretending to be unconscious, aren’t you?”

“What are you—”

“If you keep this up, His Grace might flip the entire mansion over. You might as well open your eyes now.”

“…Thank you, Pippin.”

Estelle opened her eyes, her face red with embarrassment.

Lennox, who had been sure she was in serious danger, was completely thrown off.

“Since when…?”

“Since you went to look for a doctor.”

She had woken up when she heard him yelling, but missed the right timing to say she was fine, so she just pretended to be asleep.

If not for Pippin, she would have stayed like that until the doctor arrived.

“As you can see, I’m fine. So can you please put me down?”

“No.”

“…What?”

“No. There’s blood on you. It’s not mine, so it must be yours.”

He said it with absolute certainty that he couldn’t possibly be injured himself.

“I just coughed.”

“Coughed?”

“Well… actually, I got a nosebleed at the same time. That’s all.”

She added the lie about the nosebleed so he wouldn’t take “bloody cough” too seriously.

“Pippin. Get the doctor.”

“It’s not necessary!” Estelle protested.

But Lennox carried her straight back to the bedroom.

She tried desperately to convince Pippin there was no need for a doctor.

“Your Grace seems to be overreacting…”

“Exactly!” she agreed.

Once Lennox accepted that she wasn’t in critical condition, he finally had the space to notice something strange.

There’s no Magi residue.

After finding the holy relic and the mineral, his body had been soaked in Magi. But now, there wasn’t even a trace left—like someone had washed it off completely.

But it wasn’t like Glesia, who was secluded, would have bathed him.

Honestly, I don’t even know how I got home.

He had been exposed to Magi for so long that he lost control of himself and blacked out.

It was like the memory gap after drinking too much.

Wait… I was holding her the whole time I slept.

Why would he do that?

Though it was uncomfortable, the small, warm body in his arms had been…

“Your Grace, shall I call the doctor?” Pippin interrupted before his thoughts went further.

“I told you to—wait. What?”

“I meant for you, Your Grace. You have a fever.”

“What?”

Lennox touched his cheek. It was hot.

“It’s nothing.”

Fever.

Racing heartbeat.

Eyes always drifting toward her.

He thought avoiding her for a while would help, but it had only gotten worse.

“Oh! Your Grace!” Estelle suddenly exclaimed.

“What is it?” He reacted too quickly, startled.

She was looking at him with a sharp gaze.

Had she guessed his feelings?

“I heard you didn’t tell Glesia about our marriage contract.”

Ah, so that was it.

“Can’t you tell her? Is it forbidden?”

“It would be… troublesome.”

Actually, very troublesome.

Glesia, who had lost her beloved in such a way, disliked the idea of anyone staying by her side.

And if she learned this was a contract marriage?

Even worse.

She’d probably explode, demanding to know how he could hold someone’s life in his hands over just a contract.

“I told her we’d divorce once you returned.”

“D-Divorce?”

“I said that so she wouldn’t kick me out. If it’s just troublesome, then please tell her the truth.”

“….”

“I also told her I received the Mandrake medicine. So…”

Lennox’s face darkened.

He could almost hear elegant classical music in his head… and remember his sister approaching with a pillow.

Estelle noticed his change in expression and asked cautiously, “…Are you afraid of Glesia?”

“What? No. I told you—it’s just troublesome.”

It didn’t sound convincing.

Under her suspicious stare, Lennox quietly wiped his cold sweat.

Later that afternoon

Glesia lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

Normally, she would have been asleep by now, but since talking with Estelle, her days had been a little different.

I wonder what will happen tomorrow.

That thought made her unable to fall asleep easily.

Just then—

“They say His Grace has returned,” came a whisper from outside the door.

“Oh no! Did we forget to clean anything?”

Lennox is back?

Glesia sat up quickly.

“That’s not the important part! As soon as he got here, he carried My Lady in his arms through the halls!”

“What? Why?”

“If he lost his calm and yelled for a doctor, what else could it mean?”

The maids gasped softly.

“And My Lady had her eyes shut the whole time, looking shy!”

Glesia’s face went pale.

This meant Lennox really liked Estelle.

Well… she’s beautiful and kind. Of course he’d like her.

Before, she didn’t care whether Lennox stayed home or went out.

But now it was different.

If he’s back, Estelle will probably ask for a divorce…!

Wait.

If she wants to live, divorce is the right choice.

Glesia was about to leave the room when something heavy dropped to the floor.

“?”

She turned her head and saw that Duren had dropped a pile of fairy tale books.

One book lay open, and inside was a well-dried rose.

[ I picked this because it made me think of you, Lady Glesia. ]

It was the same rose she had coldly refused before.

—And so they lived happily ever after.

She opened another fairy tale book. Then another. And another.

Each one had a pressed flower tucked in at the happy ending.

Who else would put a bookmark only at the last page?

“How silly…”

Estelle had put them there so Glesia could see the happy ending anytime she wanted.

“…I guess I’ll delay becoming strangers with her.”

It wasn’t because she liked Estelle.

If they suddenly divorced, Duren would be sad.

Yes… that’s the only reason.

Convincing herself, Glesia came up with a plan.

I’ll tell Lennox to leave the house for a while!

If the divorce papers were already signed, she’d just steal them.

It seemed like a good plan.

Glesia immediately went to find Lennox.

Meanwhile

Grrr—

Duren sat stiff, on guard.

“Duren, it’s snack time,” Estelle coaxed gently.

But even with the snack right in front of him, he didn’t move.

The problem was Lennox, sitting across from Estelle.

Brought to the office by the maid Riley, Duren hid behind her and glared at Lennox.

They hadn’t seen each other for just a few days, but the boy’s wariness was sky-high.

“Look carefully, Duren. This is the man you know,” Estelle said.

“Dad.”

“What?”

“He’s not just a man I know—he’s the dad I know.”

Lennox corrected her.

When he left to find the holy relic, Duren had called him “Dad.”

That affectionate word still rang in his ears… yet now he was being treated worse than a stranger.

“Duren, do you not like Dad anymore?”

“No.”

“Why? Mom thinks there must be a reason.”

Before Lennox left, their relationship hadn’t been bad.

As Estelle looked puzzled, Duren spoke, still clutching Riley’s skirt.

“You left Doo-Doo.”

“…! That was because something urgent came up.”

“Hmph!”

Duren turned his head away.

“Doo-Doo doesn’t want cookies!”

He even refused snacks!

Everyone was shocked as Duren marched out of the office.

“I’ll go after him!” Riley said, hurrying out.

“Your Grace, I think he’s upset you were gone so long without warning,” Estelle said.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

He had thought he’d be back quickly.

Even when the barrier delayed him a day or two, Duren never crossed his mind.

His thoughts had been consumed by strange emotions toward Estelle.

“If he was expecting you, the disappointment must be big. Lately, he seemed to really like you.”

It hadn’t taken much—just a few meals together, a few fairy tales read aloud—and the boy had opened his heart.

But just because he gave his affection easily didn’t mean it was shallow.

Estelle wanted Lennox to take responsibility.

From his shocked expression, it seemed he understood.

“What do you think I should do?” he asked, his voice heavy.

“Are you… asking for my opinion?”

“Your advice has always been helpful. Instead of using some hard-to-understand code, just tell me plainly so I can act on it.”

Estelle froze.

…He knows.

He had realized she was the one who leaked the holy relic’s location.