“Pardon?”
The physician pressed his lips tightly together, looking angry.
His face was full of the expression of someone with much to say but unable to speak it.
Aisha explained her thoughts, since she had never intended to ignore the physician by inviting someone else.
What Jeron needed right now was peace of mind.
“…That person is not even a doctor.”
But the physician still looked displeased.
“Still, I want to at least try this way. Of course Iām not saying Iāll entrust everything to that person. Iāll put in effort myself, and of course you must continue to stay by Jeronās side too.”
“…Ahem.”
“If theyāre really no good, Iāll send them away immediately. But for now, please try to see them as a somewhat respectable professional.”
Since Aisha went so far, the physician could only nod in agreement.
Luzbel also stayed silent, merely watching, and as just a physician, he had no grounds to argue further.
Still, there was something he had to say.
“Before that, while Young Master Jeronās condition is certainly not good, in order to handle him, Madam must be healthy first.”
“…Right.”
“So for the time being, please focus only on recovering your health.”
“All right.”
“What? You really agree?”
When Aisha obediently nodded, the physician blinked in surprise.
“T-the truth is, I think I have a problem with my memory.”
After a short hesitation, Aisha decided the physician should know and spoke plainly.
“What?!”
The physician was startled by the unexpected confession, but then seemed to accept it.
“No wonderā¦”
“Hm?”
“Ah, nothing. But how did your memoryā¦”
“I donāt know. I just woke up, and nothing came back.”
“Nothing at all?”
“Yes. When Luzbel said he was my husband, I just accepted it. But for some reason, I remembered Jeron.”
“Huh. So such things can happen.”
The physician murmured in amazement as he examined Aisha more carefully.
But he couldnāt find anything obviously wrong.
“…There seems to be no particular problem. Living as you are now, your memory might suddenly return one day.”
“Really?”
Aisha nodded, pretending to agree, though she knew better than anyone that the memories she had lost would never come back.
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Luzbel was uneasy.
He followed the physician, who had gone out with the excuse of fetching a meal for Aisha.
“Are you saying Aishaās memory might return?”
“ā¦Yes. Though it vanished suddenly, itās possible she erased it herself due to some shock, which means it could also suddenly come back.”
The physician spoke honestly, sharing his professional opinion.
“I canāt say for certain, but Her Grace seems to have more maternal instinct than expected.”
“ā¦Maternal instinct?”
“Yes. The fact that she forgot you, Your Grace, but remembered Young Master Jeron ā what do you think that means? Since he is the child she gave birth to, even if she neglected him, unconsciously she must still have cared. Thatās how it can be interpreted.”
Aisha, who had hated Luzbel, had also not wanted to look at their child, Jeron. She had screamed and turned away the moment she gave birth.
It was only natural ā Jeron resembled Luzbel so much.
Luzbel sometimes felt a bitter pang thinking that if Jeron had looked even a little less like him, Aisha might not have rejected the child so harshly.
In any case, because Aisha despised Jeron so much, he had been sent to the cabin right after birth.
Honestly, Luzbel hadnāt cared how Jeron was living. His entire concern had always been Aisha.
“So what exactly are you trying to sayā¦?”
“For now, let her do as she wishes.”
“Let her get close to Jeron? That brat made her bleed and even faint. And youāre telling me to just leave it be?”
Luzbelās eyes gleamed dangerously.
If the physician spoke nonsense, he could very well lose his head, but still he voiced his conviction.
“Your Grace must prepare for when her memory returns. If she becomes close to Young Master Jeron, then even if she regains her memory, the maternal bond might remain.”
“ā¦Hah.”
“If maternal love develops, it could even give you a chance to stay by her side, Your Grace. After all, you are the childās father.”
Even the physician could see how cold Aisha had been toward Luzbel.
Luzbel, being the one who had lived it, knew it all too painfully.
That was why the suggestion that if she grew close to Jeron, things might be different even if her memory came back ā it shook him slightly.
“ā¦Do you really think so?”
“I cannot promise it. But I will also do my best.”
The physician lowered his head as he answered, and Luzbel let out a sigh.
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While Luzbel and the physician were making inquiries about a psychological counselor, Jeron struck a maid.
Perhaps because of the difference in status, the maid couldnāt resist and seemed to have simply taken the blows, while Jeron stood over her, breathing hard.
“Jeron! What on earth are you doing?!”
Aisha, seeing the scene, shouted in anger.
“What!”
Jeron actually had the audacity to act like the wronged one.
Aisha, dumbfounded, let out a hollow laugh and then walked toward him with an angry face.
Still, he was a child ā intimidated by Aishaās expression, Jeron flinched.
But unwilling to let it show that he had been even momentarily scared, he glared all the more fiercely.
‘ā¦Good grief.’
No matter what, this kind of merciless violenceā¦ wasnāt right.
This was too much.
Yesterdayās self-harm and now todayās violence ā both proved that Jeron was far from being in a normal state.
“…Jeron.”
When shocked Aisha couldnāt say anything, Jeron gave a crooked smile.
It sent a chill down her spine.
Yes, they really needed Dr. Oh Eun-young!
But since she wasnāt here right now, she had no choice but to discipline him herself.
Swallowing dryly, Aisha met Jeronās gaze and gripped his shoulders.
“Violence is bad. If you hit the maid like that, won’t you hurt her?”
“Thatās how itās supposed to be.”
“What?”
“Iām in a bad mood.”
“…So if youāre in a bad mood, you can hit people?”
“Yeah. Then itās fine.”
Aisha felt like dragging in the nanny who had raised Jeron and wringing her neck.
It had to be what that woman had taught him.
Of course, the fault also lay with Aisha for leaving the child to be raised by someone else, but still, it made her stomach burn.
“No.”
Aisha said firmly that it wasnāt allowed.
“In any case, violence is wrong.”
“Donāt want to.”
But Jeron seemed unwilling to listen at all.
“Who are you to me?”
“What?”
“Donāt care about me.”
With a defiant expression, Jeron shook off Aishaās arm.
But this body of hers had so little strength that, even if the child shook her off with all his might, she simply collapsed without resistance.
“Ahā¦!”
Thud.
Her back slammed hard against the floor.
“Madamā¦!”
The maid, panicked, tried to rush to Aisha, but Jeron blocked her way and began throwing punches at her.
“Young Master, please stop this.”
The maid groaned, at a loss for what to do.
Even though he had just been told that violence was wrong, Jeron only acted out more violently.
Perhaps, at the root, he just wanted to do the opposite of what Aisha said.
Wham, wham!
“Get away! Donāt take care of that woman!”
“Aah!”
In the middle of this chaos, Luzbel appeared like a demon.
“Jeron.”
His expression was cold and frozen, exuding a murderous aura that looked as if he might kill Jeron right then and there.
Even Jeron, who had been throwing a fit, could do nothing in front of Luzbel.
“Uhhhā¦”
The killing intent, far too much for a child to withstand, was directed solely at Jeron.
Naturally, he couldnāt endure it.
Finally collapsing with a thud, Jeron groaned weakly before fainting.
“Jeron!”
Aisha, startled, quickly caught his head in her hands.
“Wh-what, why all of a sudden?”
Aisha didnāt realize it.
That Luzbelās murderous aura had been directed only at Jeron.
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After laying the unconscious Jeron down and instructing that the injured maid be properly treated, Aisha was finally able to catch her breath.
“Didnāt I tell you not to step in and to focus only on recovering your health for now?”
But Luzbel seemed angry.
Aisha, however, paid no attention to that.
“This wonāt do. We need a psychological counselor right away. I canāt leave the child as he is.”
“Aisha.”
Luzbel called her name firmly, but it was no use.
“Heās our child. I canāt just leave him like this.”
“ā¦”
At the single word “our,” Luzbel sank into silence.
“ā¦But you promised to also take care of your own health, didnāt you?”
The angry tone softened instantly.
“Iām sorry about that. In any case, we have to bring someone in for counseling.”
“ā¦Very well.”
In the end, Luzbel lost again.
Some time later, just as Aisha had insisted, a hastily found psychological counselor set foot in Valencia.
“Greetings! I heard you were looking for a psychological counselor? Youāve come to the right person. Iām a very well-known doctor around here! So then, anyone unwell? Whether itās the Young Master or even if a monster shows up, I can cure anything. Iām Reed, the doctor who goes to his patients! Pleased to meet you!”
He exuded an air that was somehow frivolous and flighty.
