Episode 59
The bedroom was in chaos. Adel was yelling at the doctor.
“Why is Lady Eliano like this?! She was fine just moments ago!”
“I—I’m sorry! I have no idea what’s causing it…”
“Then try something! Anything!”
Jane was changing the water in a basin when she saw Flint arrive. She quickly bowed, and he walked over to Eliano without a word, his face like stone.
Eliano was sweating heavily, her body shaking uncontrollably. Her breathing, which had calmed after the priest’s healing, had become dangerously uneven again.
The assistant doctor was wiping her trembling body with warm towels. Jane replaced the wet cloth on her forehead with fresh water.
The doctor was trying to pour medicine into her mouth, but Eliano kept vomiting it back up. Frustrated and worried, Flint spoke urgently.
“Give her an injection. We don’t have time to be picky.”
Some nobles refused injections, fearing the scars it might leave on their bodies. Flint wondered if that was why the doctor was avoiding it. But Adel had already demanded they try earlier.
“W-we tried, Your Grace… but her veins are too hard to find…”
“Are you saying a trained doctor can’t find a vein?!”
The doctor looked close to tears as he repeated himself.
“Her veins are very thin and hard to locate…”
Eliano’s arms showed signs of repeated failed attempts. The IV stand stood nearby—unused.
Flint snatched the medicine spoon from the doctor. He scooped a spoonful of the liquid, placed it in his mouth, and pressed his lips to Eliano’s. As she instinctively tried to reject it, he gently pushed the medicine down her throat.
“T-two more spoons, please… but slowly. Slowly! She could choke.”
Flint nodded and carefully repeated the process. Then he wiped her lips clean and spoke firmly.
“Find her vein. The medicine’s too slow.”
“Y-yes, Your Grace!”
After a long struggle, they finally inserted the IV successfully.
While Eliano burned with fever, Flint faced a different crisis.
“Duke Rosana has accused Your Grace of kidnapping his daughter.”
It wasn’t just an accusation anymore.
The Duke filed an official report, claiming his daughter had been abducted—and named Grand Duke Flint Howard as the kidnapper. According to him, after Eliano rejected Flint’s proposal, the northern lord resorted to violence.
There were also witnesses who said they saw Flint and his men leaving the Rosana estate after entering without permission—just like the Duke had claimed.
While Rosana shouted about Flint being a kidnapper, the Duchess went out crying every day at social gatherings, playing the role of the heartbroken mother.
“Didn’t the man just get his beard chopped off and wet himself? Why didn’t he report that violence instead?” Oliver scoffed.
One of the knights looked stunned. Another responded more seriously.
“Well… to be honest, things don’t look good. Everyone knows Your Grace isn’t that kind of person, but legally, Duke Rosana is her guardian…”
“…Y-you didn’t really kidnap her after she rejected you… right, sir?”
“Mind your tongue!” a knight snapped.
But it was clear—people were starting to doubt. The rumor had already spread across the capital: Flint had stormed the Rosana mansion in broad daylight and abducted Lady Eliano after she refused to marry him. That’s why the grand ball had been suddenly cancelled.
“This is insane! Who would believe such a thing?!”
Oliver’s anger boiled over.
Others joined him.
“This is a lie! A slander against our Grand Duke!”
“Calling him a kidnapper?! What madness!”
“If my daughter was kidnapped, I wouldn’t just file a report—I’d storm the gates myself! But that man just whines and cries in public!”
Someone made a sharp observation.
“Duke Rosana once tore down a noble house when Eliano was taken before. But now? He’s just weeping in public. Why? Because it’s not true.”
“He’s just scared of the North. That’s why he’s using words instead of action.”
Just then, the meeting room door slammed open. A knight rushed in.
“Your Grace! Trouble! Duke Rosana has brought his knights and is outside the manor!”
The room erupted.
Flint, calm as ever, asked quietly, “Is he threatening force?”
“N-no. He’s… staging a protest.”
Then they heard it—Duke Rosana’s voice booming from outside.
[“Release my daughter at once, you savage! How dare you abduct her after being rejected! You may be from barbaric Zacador, but you carry noble Biantecan blood! Are you not ashamed?!”]
They must’ve used a magical speaker to be that loud. Oliver quickly slammed the windows shut.
[“You think I’d hand over my daughter to a criminal?! Return her now, and I may forgive your lust-fueled madness!”]
[“How dare you, you pervert! You think you’ll get away with stealing our young lady?! What happened to your honor?!”]
[“Release Lady Eliano immediately and apologize to everyone! This was a forced marriage, not recognised by the temple! It will never be accepted!”]
Now the Duke’s knights were taking turns yelling into the speaker.
Inside, Howard’s loyal men looked horrified.
“This is madness!”
“He’s calling our lord a rapist! After it was his daughter who entered the bedroom willingly!”
“That man should’ve watched over his daughter better before accusing ours!”
“Enough—!”
Flint’s voice cut through the uproar like thunder. Silence fell.
Despite the shut windows, Rosana’s cries still echoed faintly.
[“My poor daughter—!”]
Now he was crying dramatically. Begging for his beloved child to be returned. Oliver, knowing the truth, clenched his fists.
“What a shameless liar!”
Flint’s face was still calm—but his clenched fists were white with tension.
Oliver stepped forward.
“Your Grace! You must speak out. Now. The truth must be told. You rescued Lady Eliano from her cruel father. People must know that!”
“Filthy bastard… How dare he pretend to be a father after what he did!” Adel growled, listening to Rosana’s shouts through the window.
Jane had shut it tightly and drawn the curtains, but the sound still leaked through.
The insults were beyond offensive. “A lustful demon,” they said. Adel let out a scream.
“Lust?! That man—who whipped his own daughter bloody—he calls our lord a pervert?!”
“Mmm…”
Eliano stirred. Her flushed face turned toward Jane.
“Jane…”
Eliano had been slipping in and out of consciousness, often in a feverish fit. But now she called her maid’s name clearly.
“My lady—! Are you awake?”
Jane grabbed her hand. Though weak and trembling, Eliano wasn’t seizing anymore.
“Jane… why is Father here… cough…”
Jane’s eyes filled with tears.
“No, no. You’re safe, my lady. This is the Howard estate. The Duke… he’s just… shouting outside with a magic speaker. But he can’t come in. No one can hurt you anymore.”
“I… how much did I…?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just rest. His Grace will handle everything,” Adel said firmly.
“…Help me sit up.”
“You can’t, my lady. Please rest—hey, what are you doing?!”
Jane was already helping Eliano sit. Adel shouted, but Jane didn’t stop. Eliano had asked—and Jane would obey.
“He saved me from my cruel father… and now they call him a criminal?”
Eliano gasped for air. Adel hesitated to answer.
“…Why isn’t anyone speaking out against him? There’s plenty they could say.”
Eliano coughed again and took a sip of water from Jane. Then she turned to her maid.
“Jane. Mail all those letters. You brought them, right?”
“Well… actually…”
Eliano had written dozens of letters beforehand, just in case things went wrong. In them, she spoke of falling in love and choosing to become Flint’s wife and even mentioned her father’s abuse disguised as discipline.
They were her backup plan.
“I’m sorry, my lady!” Jane cried.
Jane !!!! All of Lia’s plans !!! Maybe Billy can get them
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