Chapter 15
Just like she promised her father, Idette stopped taking her medicine that very day.
And the very next day after stopping, she collapsed again.
She couldn’t get out of bed, breathing heavily, her body burning with fever.
Count Lushe looked completely lost and miserable.
He couldn’t help but think — Was the medicine actually working?
Did I make her worse by stopping it?
Even Idette herself hadn’t expected her health to decline this fast.
“She was perfectly fine yesterday! How can she suddenly fall ill overnight?!”
No matter how much he yelled at the servants, there was nothing they could do.
“We’re… we’re sorry, my lord…”
“We just did everything as usual…”
The only thing that had changed was — she had stopped taking her medicine.
“Haah…”
Even so, her father refused to admit that the medicine might actually be effective.
He didn’t want to accept defeat.
One day passed. Then two. Then three.
And Idette grew worse and worse.
She couldn’t even recognize when she was awake anymore.
Her mind was hazy, her whole body burning.
Then she tasted something bitter on her lips.
“Mm… hrr…”
And through the blur, she could hear her father crying.
That’s when she realized — he had poured the medicine into her mouth himself.
Not long after, Idette’s breathing became calmer.
The fever didn’t drop right away, but her pain eased.
After taking her medicine three times a day for one full day, Idette finally regained consciousness.
“It… it felt like my heart was being ripped to pieces.”
Those were her father’s first words when she opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry for being stubborn. I thought I’d do anything — even sell my soul to the devil — if it could save you. But I refused a healer’s help over pride…!”
The Count cried as he held her hand, swearing he would now give her anything she wanted.
“Thank you, Father.”
“Thank me? You probably planned this from the start, didn’t you?”
He laughed helplessly — and he wasn’t wrong.
Just in case her father refused to bring back the medicine, Idette had already asked three of the maids to hide some and give it to her later.
So yes — they were her accomplices. And it worked perfectly.
“So… if you keep taking the medicine, you’ll live?”
Now that he’d accepted the medicine’s effect, he began to wonder.
But Idette’s disease — “Vein Collapse” — wasn’t something curable just by taking medicine.
“No,” she said quietly.
“No?”
“It’s an incurable disease. The medicine can extend my life a little, but I’ll probably never live past twenty. It just makes things less painful.”
The Count collapsed to his knees.
In truth, in the original story, Idette had married Brinnen at eighteen and died around twenty, after giving birth.
No one knew if it was childbirth that killed her, or just her body finally giving out.
“Then… then what can we do?”
“There’s one way — though it’s difficult — to extend my life.”
“There’s a way?”
“Yes. If I can gather rare herbs and make an elixir from them. But the ingredients are said to be nearly mythical.”
“It doesn’t matter! As long as it can save you, I’ll get them!”
Idette nodded with a faint smile.
“I’ll find them. All of them.”
The Count’s eyes burned with determination.
He had once rejected medicine, but now he was ready to move heaven and earth to get more.
Fortunately, the Lushe family was rich enough to afford it.
“Tell the servants to fetch the list of herbs you need!”
“Yes, Father. I love you.”
Idette hugged him tightly, and the Count laughed and cried at the same time, hugging her back.
Unfortunately, the warm moment didn’t last long.
“What?”
“I’m just saying — since the apothecaries need to check on me often anyway, wouldn’t it be better if they lived here in the mansion? It’s safer that way.”
“Ha… ha ha ha…”
Her father’s expression froze.
He had barely come to terms with Idette taking medicine, and now she wanted to let apothecaries live in their home.
“If they stay nearby, they can check on me quickly if I get sick again. And they can make the medicine in advance — that’s convenient, right?”
“Since when did you become so good at arguing?”
He stared at her in disbelief as she continued talking nonstop.
“And I want to learn a little about herbs, too.”
“No!”
That one word came out faster than a sword strike.
“Absolutely not!”
“Heeeng…”
(Idette made a small whining sound.)
“No whining, no excuses! I won’t allow it! Learning herbs is the same as becoming a healer — and that’s as good as being a heretic!”
“I just want to understand how the herbs work, that’s all.”
“No means no.”
He looked more serious than ever.
But that same look had appeared when he’d forbidden her medicine — and look how that ended.
“But Father, if I don’t even understand what I’m taking, how can I trust what the apothecaries give me?”
“…!”
The Count’s eyes went wide.
He looked like he’d just been struck.
“I should know what I’m putting into my body, shouldn’t I?”
He didn’t have an answer for that.
After a long silence, he muttered that he’d “think about it” and walked out, looking utterly defeated.
Idette smiled as she watched him leave.
It looks like I’ll win again.
Meanwhile—
Last week, Brinnen had gone to the Lushe mansion, only to be told Idette was too sick to meet anyone.
He had returned home disappointed.
He’d been looking forward to seeing her, so the letdown was heavier.
He couldn’t stop worrying — Did she overexert herself again?
This week, he came back, carrying all kinds of healthy foods his mother had personally prepared.
Some were hard to find, but she didn’t mind the cost — especially after Brinnen subtly encouraged her.
“Hello.”
“Welcome, young master.”
The Count greeted him warmly. Brinnen noticed the Count’s face looked calmer now.
“These are gifts from my mother. She was worried when she heard Lady Lushe was unwell.”
“Oh my, you shouldn’t have. Please thank her for me.”
“…May I see Lady Lushe?”
“Fortunately, she’s feeling much better today.”
The Count smiled gently and led him in.
Brinnen had expected to see her still pale and weak — but instead—
“You’re here,” Idette said, smiling.
She looked full of life.
Her silver hair and violet eyes still gave her a cool, delicate aura, but now her cheeks had a healthy blush.
Her face had filled out, her eyes were bright, and her faint smile made her even lovelier.
When they’d first met, she’d looked so frail she reminded him of a ghost — but now, she was radiant.
Brinnen couldn’t help but think:
When she joins social gatherings one day, people will fall over themselves to praise her beauty.
He genuinely believed that.
That ethereal beauty wasn’t just in his imagination.
Without realizing it, he muttered softly, a bit relieved:
“You really do look better.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t be chatting like this if I weren’t.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s been hot lately, hasn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“I prepared something to drink.”
“Thank you.”
Brinnen remembered his own mother being like this — trying everything anyone claimed might help her health.
Sometimes, it made things worse.
He had seen the Duke, his father, rage over failed cures more times than he could count.
Maybe Count Lushe was doing the same — desperately trying anything to save his daughter.
But Brinnen also knew one thing better than anyone:
It wouldn’t last forever.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Idette said with a bright smile.
“All right.”
As she laughed softly and led the way outside, Brinnen felt a strange ache in his chest.
Would she… die one day too?
That thought — for some reason — felt unbearable.
