CHAPTER~38
“Aunt Artemene, by any chance, when did you give Reia the medicine?”
“Medicine?”
When I asked when she had given the medicine, Artemene reacted as if she had no idea what I was talking about.
It was not the face of someone deliberately lying or hiding something.
That meant it was true that Reia had never taken any medicine.
But wasn’t that strange?
Her body was clearly burning with fever and her breathing was unstable, yet she calmed down just by “being with” the nanny.
Could it be that Grimora knows how to use healing-type abilities?
My memory was not perfectly clear, but according to my father, healing powers were abilities that only saints or chosen ones could possess.
Moreover, they required exceptionally pure and clean energy, so just approaching such a person was said to make one feel cool and refreshed.
Unfortunately, I felt nothing like that from Grimora.
If not that, then perhaps she had used sorcery or magic.
If her original goal had been to gain Artemene’s trust, that was a fairly plausible guess.
At least, the Grimora nanny I had seen seemed capable of such a thing.
However, sorcery was not a complete cure.
Even to the naked eye, Reia’s condition did not look good.
That meant there was only one possible conclusion.
Grimora had secretly fed Reia medicine without Artemene’s knowledge.
If Reia had only recently fallen asleep, then the medicine had to be in the room.
Judging by her meticulous personality, she would not have hidden it on her body….
Then where was it?
I quickly scanned the surroundings, searching for a place where medicine could be hidden.
That was when I noticed the vases placed near the window.
Among the excessively many vases, there was one flower petal whose color had noticeably faded.
“…That’s it!”
I instinctively knew she had hidden it in that vase.
I reached out, continuing to monitor Reia’s condition.
“Countess Leella! Don’t touch her carelessly!
What do you think you’re doing?
What if our granddaughter wakes up because of this…!”
Artemene rushed over and sharply slapped my hand away.
Still, I kept my eyes on Reia and continued speaking.
“She won’t wake up.
Probably not for several hours.
She’s sleeping very deeply.”
“…What?”
“Lady Reia has had seizures before, hasn’t she?
And episodes like the high fever she had earlier.”
“That…!”
At my question, Artemene’s eyes shook violently with agitation.
Judging by her reaction, it was definitely an epidemic illness.
I had suspected it, but I still hoped it wasn’t the case.
“At first, it would have started as an allergic reaction.
Then the high fever would have kept her from sleeping well at night.
The rashes are proof of that.”
“Hey, Countess Leella.
What nonsense are you spouting?
Are you saying our granddaughter is sick?”
“Reia hasn’t recovered.
She’s just asleep.”
If you force someone into sleep, seizures and chills will stop.
As I said that, I looked at Grimora, who had been silent all this time.
Surprisingly, her face was eerily calm.
…
Her slightly upturned lips looked gentle, and her expression was excessively serene.
She showed not a hint of agitation.
But no one knew how long that calm would last.
I spoke as if declaring war.
“She can be cured.
Reia can recover.”
“What?
How could you possibly…!
Reia is not sick.
She’s just physically weak.”
Artemene scoffed, sending me a gaze full of distrust.
At the same time, Grimora echoed her words.
“Lady Evlyen, I understand your concern.
But it may be best not to overstep.
Lady Reia is not ill.
She is simply frail and cannot stay outside for long.”
Everyone insisted that Reia was not sick.
Well, I understood.
The epidemic had not spread yet.
I could also understand why Artemene was so protective of Reia.
If the council of elders learned that a member of the Decart family had contracted a “disease,” it would be disastrous.
Still, for Reia’s sake, I had to persuade her somehow….
However, it was not enough to sway Artemene’s heart, which trusted Grimora completely.
As I racked my brain for a solution, a familiar voice was heard.
“It would be better not to overstep before the mistress of a ducal house, you say….
Such careless speech for a mere servant.”
“Duke!”
It was Frezen Decart.
No one in the room, myself included, had noticed when he entered.
After a brief moment of surprise, I couldn’t help but smile in relief upon seeing him.
“What are you saying to the nanny?
No matter if you are a duke, mind your words.”
Artemene followed up with a stern voice, her expression hardened.
It seemed their earlier argument still lingered.
“I apologize, Aunt Artemene.”
Leaning against the door, he pushed himself upright and, unusually, offered a polite apology.
“Then I will correct myself.
I meant to say it was inappropriate speech.”
“…Frezen!”
However, Frezen was not one to back down so easily.
Compared to the past, when he always bowed his head to the elders, he had grown bolder.
“Haah.
No, there’s no point in getting angry.
It will only give me a headache.”
Artemene was about to say more, but when she looked at Reia, she merely sighed.
“Countess.
You’re saying Reia is sick.
Can you guarantee that?”
At last, Artemene spoke to me first.
I was so stunned that I blankly stared for a moment before hurriedly answering.
“Yes.
But there are a few things I need to confirm.
Please allow me to do so.”
At that moment, Grimora stepped forward again.
She smiled gently and spoke in a soft tone.
“Lady Artemene, I know Lady Reia very well.
If she were ill, wouldn’t I have told you right away?
The same goes for Lady Reia.”
“That’s true.
The nanny has protected and soothed Reia for a long time.
Even the physician visits weekly and says there is nothing wrong.”
At the nanny’s words, Artemene nodded, once again changing her stance.
I had barely managed to persuade her, yet Grimora kept nitpicking at every turn.
At that moment, Frezen intervened once more.
“Then how about this?
Please give my wife just one chance.”
“Hah.
A chance?
What are you saying now, Duke?”
“My wife is actually well-versed in pharmacology.
She has honed her skills through five years of research.”
I was so shocked by his words that I blankly opened my mouth.
No, it’s just a hobby…?
Pharmacological research?
That makes me sound like a complete expert.
I shot him a look asking what he was plotting, and Frezen winked playfully so that only I could see.
At that moment, I realized it.
This is going to get very messy.
“And from what I’ve heard, her talent is so outstanding that even the Crown Prince has taken an interest in her abilities.”
What is that supposed to mean?
I’ve never even met the imperial family, let alone the Crown Prince!
As the lies snowballed, my face grew pale.
I needed to correct this before it went any further.
Just as I was about to speak—
“Countess, is that true?”
“No, Aunt Artemene.
That’s not what—”
I saw Artemene’s gaze soften strangely.
No, she couldn’t seriously believe this nonsense, could she?
“She worked anonymously, which is why no one knew.
So please trust her just this once.
I guarantee she is not someone who would act carelessly.”
Don’t guarantee it, please.
But contrary to my silent plea, Frezen drove in the final nail.
“If you truly care for Reia.”
* * *
Thanks to Frezen, we succeeded in sending Nanny Grimora out.
The problem began after that.
What on earth are you planning?
I glared resentfully at the back of Frezen’s head.
Because of his string of lies, I had become an anonymous pharmacist and a hidden master of pharmacology coveted even by the imperial family.
“So, are you finished with your examination, Countess?
How is Reia’s condition?”
If there was one saving grace, it was that Aunt Artemene’s distrustful gaze had softened somewhat.
Even her previously stern voice had become oddly gentle, which made it even more burdensome.
I gestured for her to sit on the sofa so we could talk.
A heavy, unexplainable air filled the bedroom.
I spoke quietly into the silence.
“I administered a spare stabilizer I had.
She should be fine for a few days.”
“Really…?
Really?
Haah.
That’s a relief.
I was worried because her fever wouldn’t go down….”
Artemene let out a sigh of relief, clutching her chest.
“Yes.
You can check for yourself, but her breathing and pulse have returned to normal.
Before that, there’s something I’d like to ask, Aunt Artemene.”
“Something you want to ask…?”
I hesitated, biting my lip.
After taking a deep breath, I carefully spoke.
“Since when has she been unable to speak?”
