IDTML 12

Chapter 12 – Then Cedric gave Logan a signal with his eyes.

Logan stepped toward Irene.

“Shall we go, Lady Irene?”

Caught off guard, Irene followed the aide out of the study and returned to her room. Soon after, a physician entered.

He wore a stiff expression, but when he examined Irene’s wrist, he recoiled in shock.

“…What on earth happened to you?!”

“……”

Feeling somehow scolded, Irene averted her gaze. Watching her, Logan asked instead,

“Is the condition serious?”

“The wrist is completely shattered. But why didn’t you…”

The physician trailed off, staring at Irene.

She wore the expression of someone who wasn’t in pain at all.

“Isn’t it just a sprain?”

“Hah… yes, the ligaments are torn. But the bigger issue is—there’s a fracture.”

“I see.”

She had thought it was just a sprain—though admittedly, it had hurt a bit more than that.

“Let’s check if there are injuries elsewhere.”

The physician inspected her body and lightly tapped her ankle.

“How does this feel?”

“It’s a little sore.”

With that simple reply, the physician sighed heavily.

“This part is sprained too.”

I see. Irene nodded, mentally going over the difference between torn ligaments and a fracture. It felt like she could now judge the severity of injuries just by the pain.

“…This isn’t something to be nodding so calmly about.”

While he treated her, the physician couldn’t stop scolding her, as if a dam had burst.

‘He’s a good person.’

Irene found the nagging a bit tiresome, but she wasn’t heartless enough to miss the affection behind it.

“Hoo… the treatment is complete.”

Irene looked down at her bandaged wrist and ankle.

Now that she saw herself, her entire body was wrapped in bandages.

She thought it looked a bit excessive, but didn’t say so—fearing the scolding would only double in length.

“Lady Irene, what did I tell you?”

“…Absolute rest.”

“Exactly. You need complete rest!”

The physician gave a stern warning, left some painkillers, and exited. Logan also excused himself, encouraging her to get proper rest.

“A maid will be assigned to assist you shortly.”

With that, he too left the room.

As she lay down on the bed, the throbbing pain in her wrist and ankle began to settle in.

Maybe it was because she had moved in ways her body couldn’t handle. Her whole body felt broken.

“A maid…”

It was a foreign concept to Irene. She had done everything on her own until now, and suddenly someone was going to attend to her?

She didn’t feel particularly pleased.

“…Just imagining it is stressful.”

To someone who had spent so long alone, a personal attendant felt more like a burden than a help. Nothing more, nothing less.

If anything, this kind of care felt awkward.

‘What a strange whim…’

Even before her regression, no one had attended to her.

Though she had grown up in the Duke’s household, she had never once felt like a member of it.

One of the reasons was that Cedric had always kept her hidden from the world.

The most obvious assumption was that she was his shameful secret.

‘Am I even significant enough to be considered a disgrace?’

Come to think of it, Cedric had always kept a clean personal life, unlike most nobles.

Even setting that aside, she doubted he was the type of man to go so far just to conceal one child.

“I’ll never really know, will I…”

The next possibility was that her birth mother was someone who shouldn’t be revealed.

But Irene still had no idea who her mother was—whether she was even alive or dead.

That was only natural. She had never asked.

A parasitic noble daughter like her had no right to ask such things.

All she could do was live like a mouse, as if dead.

‘I have no intention of repeating that life.’

Murmuring to herself like a mantra, Irene closed her eyes.

The Next Morning

News spread throughout the Duke’s estate: the servant who had been expelled the day before had taken his own life.

The prevailing opinion among the staff was that he had been overcome with despair—exiled from the estate for committing a crime, and with one of his hands severed.

Because of the grim news, the mood in the estate was subdued.

Reinhardt, having heard the rumors, wisely ate alone in the guest room.

“I feel like I’ve been caught up in something unnecessary.”

Muttering to himself, Reinhardt wiped his mouth with a napkin, recalling the events of the previous day.

The girl with the jet-black hair who had leapt forward without hesitation—

Just who is she…?

Reinhardt found himself fascinated by the monstrous girl who had appeared like a comet.

While he rested for a moment, there was a knock at the door.

Assuming it was a knight coming to report the afternoon schedule, he said, “Come in.”

But instead, it was a small girl with black hair who opened the door.

“Irene Lykaon?”

Startled by the unexpected visitor, Reinhardt blinked. But what shocked him more was the sight of her body—wrapped in bandages.

“You’re injured?”

“Yes, a little.”

Irene walked right up to him without hesitation, as if it were nothing.

Reinhardt frowned slightly.

‘Should she really be walking around like that?’

He could feel Reinhardt’s concern in his gaze, but Irene ignored it and came to stand directly in front of him.

“I think I’ve proven my usefulness. If you still doubt my ability, would you consider using me as your personal guard during your stay?”

So that was what this was about.

Reinhardt finally realized her true purpose in visiting.

“I already have capable knights.”

Irene glanced at the knights standing behind him.

“Knights who were trembling over a single yeti? Can they really protect you?”

The knights in question didn’t look pleased.

Caught off guard by her sudden criticism, they couldn’t find a proper rebuttal. Their lips sealed, they exchanged looks filled with silent fury.

“Why are you so eager to become my guard?”

Reinhardt asked. He didn’t believe her earlier claim that it was because he was handsome.

‘Only a fool would believe a line like that, said with such a straight face.’

That’s what he thought. Irene paused, reflecting on his question.

It was only natural to be suspicious when a stranger suddenly offered to become your bodyguard.

‘Last time, the “handsome” line didn’t work.’

It had clearly failed on him—unlike Lloyd, who asked every other day if he wasn’t handsome.

‘Really, men are complicated creatures.’

But Irene had neither eloquence nor a sharp wit.

“I want to protect you.”

So all she could do was hope her sincerity would come through.

Reinhardt’s face froze slightly, as if he hadn’t expected such a simple and honest answer.

His cheeks even reddened, just a little.

‘Was my answer that bad…?’

Irene admitted to herself that her response was a bit awkward.

So she added:

“It’s only right for the strong to help the weak.”

Somewhere behind her, someone inhaled sharply—but Irene finally felt a spark of confidence.

Surely her sincerity had come across this time.

Satisfied, she smiled inwardly.

Then suddenly, Reinhardt’s face went cold—like ice sweeping over his features.

Pointing to the door with his index finger, he spoke quietly.

“If you’re done here, get out.”

His voice was colder than ever. Irene was practically pushed out of the room.

A perfect, textbook rejection.

“…Was my answer really that bad?”

Earning trust, she realized, was far more difficult than it seemed.

Shaking her head, Irene made a note to try a different approach.

Meanwhile

Someone had locked himself in his room and refused to come out.

For the first time in his life, Dietrich was sobbing in a corner—rattled by a whirlwind of events.

A servant had died because of him.

Every time he remembered that fact, a fresh wave of shock washed over him. His whole body felt frozen solid.

Sniffling, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, he was startled by a knock at the door.

He wasn’t in the mood to see anyone, but fearing it might be his father calling, Dietrich creaked the door open.

Standing there was a girl with a cold expression.

“What a pitiful sight.”

Chloe said icily as she looked at him.