Chapter 22
Even after being moved to the bedroom, Istin did not wake for quite some time. The attending physician delivered his diagnosis with a grim expression.
“It seems the young master’s condition has worsened again.”
Because the source of the curse couldn’t be eliminated, they could only treat the symptoms it caused from time to time. Even now, Istin’s whole body was burning with fever.
“Upon examination, the curse mark appears darker than before.”
An eerie pattern had formed on Istin’s back. It wasn’t a tattoo or a drawing—it was the mark of a curse.
A curse eats away at the host’s body as it grows stronger. It digs deeper, especially when the host suffers mental or physical shock.
“At this rate, I’m not sure how much longer the young master can hold on.”
Fever was actually a sign that the body was resisting the curse. No matter how many cold compresses or cooling potions were used, his temperature wouldn’t come down.
“We brought him here to rest in peace and quiet, and yet he’s in this state.”
Regina shook her head in dismay. At that moment, the physician cautiously asked,
“Has the young master perhaps been going out frequently as of late?”
“Well, Istin’s not the type to do that…”
The duchess narrowed her eyes. That’s when the butler, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up.
“In fact… the young master has been going out almost daily for the past two weeks.”
“What? Istin? For what reason?”
Regina was shocked. It was understandable—back at the duchy, Istin had rarely even left his room.
“He was going out to meet Miss Miela. He even disguised himself in servant’s clothing.”
“No way. Are you saying Istin really did all that?”
Regina was once again floored. The butler wouldn’t lie, so it must be true. Still, no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t picture Istin walking around in servant clothes.
“Yes. And just a few days ago, he stopped by the stables and even smeared manure on his shoes.”
“I can’t believe this. Istin is just as obsessed with cleanliness as I am. And he went to the stables?”
The duchess’s jaw hung open. Then the head maid quietly added her own input.
“And yesterday, he even randomly cut his bangs. From the clumsy job, I suspect Miss Miela did it.”
“…Really? I did think his hair looked a bit funny.”
Regina turned to look at Istin’s hair as he lay unconscious. It was cut short enough to reveal most of his forehead and eyebrows. She hadn’t even seen that hairstyle when he was a child. It looked rather cute—unlike him, really. Which meant he probably didn’t like it.
“He normally hates people touching him. But Miela seems to be the exception…”
The duchess’s voice dropped, laden with meaning.
Just then—knock knock knock. A very careful knock came at the door.
“Um… It’s Miela. May I come in?”
The door opened just slightly, and the girl’s face peeked in. That was when everyone finally realized—caught up in the panic over Istin’s collapse, they had completely forgotten about Miela!
‘She was so quiet she didn’t even feel like she was there…’
Thankfully, the girl didn’t seem resentful. Her face was filled only with worry.
“Ti-ti—I mean, Istin… is he okay?”
“…As you can see, he still hasn’t woken up. Unfortunately.”
Upon hearing the duchess’s answer, Miela rushed to the bed and checked on Istin’s condition.
“H-he’ll wake up, right? He will, won’t he?”
In that moment, Miela recalled something from a year ago.
Her mother had closed her eyes on an old bed and never opened them again. What if the same thing happened to Istin? Fear flashed across her eyes.
“I-I never knew. That Ti-ti was actually the young master. I knew he was sick, but I never imagined it was this bad…”
Miela, thoroughly frightened, began to ramble. Regina gently patted her to calm her down.
“Yes. I’m sorry for hiding the truth. But we had our reasons. The Valrois family has many enemies, so we must hide our weaknesses. I know it’s hard to understand, but…”
Hearing this, Miela finally calmed down.
“No, I understand. It was to protect Istin, right?”
“Yes, exactly.”
With the duchess’s answer, Miela gripped Istin’s hand tightly. His hand was cold and clammy with sweat, in contrast to his burning forehead.
“Ti-ti, you lied to me… but it’s okay. I forgive you, so please, wake up…”
None of the adults—neither Regina, the physician, nor the butler—could stop her. They could only quietly watch from nearby.
This part took place earlier. After the sudden chaos, Miela had learned the truth about Ti-ti’s identity—and it was a huge shock.
She had been left completely alone in the villa’s lobby, the duchess and the butler having stepped out.
“What is all this? I can’t believe it…”
Miela’s legs gave out, and she collapsed into a sitting position, dazed as she tried to piece everything together.
‘That’s right. When we first met, Ti-ti mumbled something about the curse worsening…’
At the time, the word “curse” had sounded so strange that she’d dismissed it entirely.
‘So he must’ve collapsed outside my house because of the curse, too.’
Looking back, there had been plenty of clues—like when they’d first arrived at the villa and one of the knights had shouted, “The young master is there?” But Ti-ti had insisted he wasn’t anyone important, so she hadn’t given it a second thought.
Later, with Regina’s appearance, she’d realized the villa belonged to the Valrois family.
Still, even then, she hadn’t imagined that Ti-ti was the Valrois heir himself.
‘The male lead Mom told me about from the original novel… he was supposed to be cruel and terrifying. So much so that even finding maids willing to work for him was rare.’
But Ti-ti was nothing like that. He was kind, attentive, and never turned away when she was struggling. Who could’ve guessed they were the same person?
‘And in the original novel, there was no mention of the male lead recovering in a rural village as a child.’
Looking back, Miela felt deeply embarrassed by all the misunderstandings she had unknowingly piled up. Ti-ti, who pretended to be a servant, turned out to be the very young master she was gossiping about!
‘Wait a second. Does that mean I badmouthed Ti-ti right in front of Ti-ti himself?’
No wonder Istin had worn such a strange expression whenever she spoke. Her mom was right—never speak carelessly.
‘Ugh, I want to disappear…’
If it were nighttime, she would’ve buried herself under the covers and kicked her legs until the blanket tore.
Miela hid her red face between her knees. Then suddenly, she realized something very important.
‘Wait, if Ti-ti is the male lead from the novel…?!’
Her eyes widened. She had just come up with a way to help him.
‘That curse that’s been tormenting Ti-ti all this time—what if I’m the one who can break it?’
Afterward, she searched the entire villa, looking for the room where Istin lay.
But when it came time to actually speak about breaking the curse, she froze up.
‘What if no one believes me?’
The only person who had ever believed in her no matter what—Ti-ti—was unconscious. Now, Miela would have to convince everyone all by herself.
‘Can someone like me, who’s always been ignored, really do that?’
The doubts gnawed at her, but the answer remained clear: if she wanted to save Istin, there was no choice. His face had grown even paler than before.
‘Maybe… maybe the curse got worse because of me.’
