Chapter 10
Becca, out of breath from running, spoke urgently.
“The Duke suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed. His breathing is rough!”
“Let’s go, quickly!”
Becca and I sprinted toward the main building.
Why did he suddenly fall ill? He seemed perfectly fine just a while ago!
When we reached Duke Calix’s room, it was in complete disarray. A shattered teacup lay on the floor, the Duke was gasping in pain, Luka wouldn’t leave his side and looked anxious, and even Dubu was whining.
“Your Grace!”
I rushed to him to check his condition. This had happened before—Elena’s memories often included scenes of the Duke having seizures.
“Cough! Hrk! Khh…!”
Duke Calix choked and gagged as if something were caught in his throat. This is…
I quickly performed the Heimlich maneuver on him.
After several spasms of coughing, the Duke finally spit up some saliva and phlegm.
“In the first drawer beside the bookshelf—bring me the red box! Hurry!”
I shouted at Becca, seizing the moment. She immediately retrieved the medicine as I instructed.
“Your Grace! Can you take this?”
It was a pill. Perhaps because the obstruction had passed, Duke Calix, his eyes brimming with tears, weakly nodded.
I helped him sit up and handed him the pill. Becca brought water at just the right time.
The Duke slowly swallowed the pill with the water. After a while, his breathing calmed, and his expression eased noticeably.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“Yes. I’m always indebted to you, Lady Elena.”
“It’s part of my job.”
At my reply, the Duke smiled.
Oh no, this is bad. He was already handsome, but now his disheveled hair, flushed eyes and cheeks from the seizure… they triggered every protective instinct. I need to keep my distance.
I helped him lie down on the bed and quickly stepped back.
“Thank you. I’m fine now, so please get some rest, Lady Elena.”
“Before I go… may I ask you a few questions?”
“Of course.”
I felt uneasy just leaving like this. The Duke had been perfectly fine while I was with him earlier. There were no signs or symptoms.
Maybe I could figure something out.
Watching his expression carefully, I asked,
“What did you do after I returned to the annex?”
“The usual. I had tea and dessert.”
“Hmm…”
Nothing stood out. Was there anything else that might be a clue? I replayed everything that had happened since arriving at his room.
“Ah!”
I crouched on the spot where Duke Calix had collapsed.
If my hunch was right… maybe…
I examined the floor. There were traces of what had come up during his coughing fit—saliva and something foreign. Hair? Fur? What is this?
Inside his saliva, I spotted a thin, brown thread-like fiber. I took out a handkerchief and carefully picked it up.
“Your Grace, what do you think this is? It doesn’t look like your hair.”
“This came from my throat?”
“Yes. It seemed to come up when you were coughing earlier.”
I handed it to him. The Duke examined it closely and then slowly spoke.
“This looks like… Luka’s fur.”
“Luka’s?”
“Yes. Perhaps some of his fur fell into the dessert, and I didn’t notice.”
“Then, Your Grace, could it be that…”
I trailed off, and Duke Calix tilted his head in confusion.
The mystery was beginning to unravel. If Luka’s fur had caused the attack today, then this wasn’t a chronic illness—it was an allergic reaction.
That would explain why the symptoms were less severe outdoors, where the wind could carry the fur away. If I was right, today’s episode was caused by Luka’s fur. And that meant the Duke’s condition was not a disease, but an allergy.
Come to think of it, the symptoms matched perfectly: frequent sneezing and runny nose, puffy or bloodshot eyes, and even occasional airway swelling. Headaches might even be part of the reaction.
“Your Grace, I may be able to truly help you this time.”
I spoke with growing hope. If I used this discovery to negotiate, I might finally be able to leave the Duchy.
“What do you mean? Lady Elena, you’ve already been a great help to me.”
Duke Calix tilted his head with a gentle look.
I met his gaze with a determined expression.
“But your condition never fully improves, does it?”
“That’s true.”
“I might be able to find a way to fix that.”
“Now I’m curious. Even Dr. Scott couldn’t fully cure my illness.”
“To be precise, I can’t cure your illness either. Because I believe it’s not an illness at all—it’s an allergy.”
“An allergy?”
“Yes.”
Duke Calix looked completely unfamiliar with the term. It seemed no one had ever correctly diagnosed his condition. Medical knowledge in this world was still quite primitive.
I gave him a simple explanation of allergy symptoms.
“With things like peanuts or certain foods, reactions happen when consumed. But with animal fur or dander, just being in the same space can trigger it.”
“So what you’re saying is… I shouldn’t be raising a dog?”
His face darkened.
Seeing his expression made me feel sorry for him too. But I quickly gathered my resolve and spoke firmly.
“If we’re being honest, yes, avoiding pets would be the best solution.”
“But Luka and Dubu are…”
“They’re family now, right?”
I nodded in understanding.
“I’ll try making some allergy medicine. It might take a while, though.”
“…”
Duke Calix quietly studied my face.
What now? Does he not want me to make the medicine?
I couldn’t read his thoughts, so I nervously muttered in a small voice.
“Is it okay if I make it…? I mean, if you don’t want me to…”
“If you truly succeed in making it, Lady Elena, you’d be the savior of my life. I’d be nothing but grateful.”
Finally, he answered with his usual gentle smile.
I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Then I’ll go start researching the medicine!”
I said quickly and rushed out of the room.
* * *
“She’s like a squirrel.”
Calix murmured as he stared at the door Elena had exited through.
Even though Elena wasn’t particularly short, her quick and bustling movements reminded him of a small animal.
Calix stroked Luka’s head, lost in deep thought.
His mother, the Duchess, died from excessive bleeding after childbirth. The grieving Duke had wandered in despair for a time, but eventually pulled himself together and threw himself into work. Of course, even he passed away when Calix was young—worn down by overwork and illness.
Feeling guilty for not being there for his son, the Duke had given Calix a puppy. That dog had long since crossed the rainbow bridge.
As the first dog grew old, Calix brought Luka home—to give his old companion a friend and fill the emptiness in his heart.
‘Was she always this passionate?’
To Calix, Elena had been nothing more than the pitiable fifth victim. He had shown her a little more kindness than in the previous timeline only because she seemed pitiful. Somehow, that led to seeing her more often, even asking her to take care of the dogs.
‘Was she always like this?’
Definitely not. She wasn’t this lively, or this… cute. Not in the previous timeline.
After returning, Calix had planned to focus on one thing only—the root cause of his death.
‘She’s making it hard not to care.’
But Elena kept catching his attention.
“If Lady Elena really manages to make that medicine before her death…”
Then perhaps he couldn’t just leave her to her fate.
Calix’s eyes darkened with deeper thought.
