Chapter 66 - Failed To Rebut

Duke Kleo immediately dashed towards Lyra, as if breaking his resolve.  Wasn't he adamant that he wouldn't care about her anymore?  However, when he heard a scream from inside her room, his reflexes couldn't lie to himself.

His strong hands pushed open her bedroom door as if going to break it down and shatter it into tiny pieces.  His gaze that had turned violent as usual was even more severe, making the maids in the corner of the room even more frightened.

"Why did you guys just stand by and not save her?"  he asked, roaring like a hungry wild wolf.  Both hands had lifted Lyra's body, which lay on the damp room floor in a strange position, legs bent unnaturally as if broken bones.

His breath hunting with heavy footsteps managed to lay her on the warm and soft bed.  "Call the royal healer now!"  he ordered without turning his head in the slightest.

A maid instantly nodded to accept the order, even though her legs were shaking like she was about to be executed.  Going through the exit is like two different things: freedom or perhaps another disaster.

"Pumpkin, are you all right?"  called Duke Kleo to Lyra, patting her cheek gently.  Anxiety has overtaken him like heartache because of the fate that has bound him all this time.  Even though he had just found happiness, this always slipped and almost left him.

The royal healer came in haste, after seeing the maid who called him looked pale and run over.  He thought something had happened to Duke Kleo, which made all his nerves tense and almost stiff.  A second later he heard that something bad had happened to Lyra.  The effect is even more terrifying.  He felt his legs shrivel up, and disappear suddenly because he knew this was a real disaster.

"My Lord!"  he said, greeting after arriving at Lyra's room, finding Duke Kleo patting her face repeatedly.  "Let me check on Miss Lyra first."  He started examining Lyra's body after getting his master's approval.  The situation tensed up again as if they were watching someone's execution decision, which was the most relevant to people's condition.

The bedroom door was closed but the guards were also tense outside the door, even sweating on their palms.  The maids in the room looked like they were about to die because they were too nervous.

"Miss Lyra is malnourished, My Lord," said the royal healer after a long pause, as well as obeying Duke Kleo's orders not to touch Lyra's body for too long.  Inappropriate jealousy.  "It makes her energy decrease drastically, as well as the stress that builds up.  No serious problems.  As long as she can maintain a healthy lifestyle, she will recover soon."

"But she doesn't even want to touch food at all," Duke Kleo explained, already reluctant to follow his ego.  Now his hand gripped Lyra's finger tightly, not going to let her go even to the afterlife.

"That means the root of the problem is stress, My Lord."  The palace healer looked giddy, but he had a great responsibility to save someone's life through his medical abilities.  So he won't cover anything up.  "There's been a lot of trouble lately right?"  It was as if he was judging Duke Kleo in a very veiled manner.  "Maybe that's what made her stressed."

Duke Kleo was stunned as if he had received a slap in the face.  His eyes roamed the bed sheets and stopped at Lyra's limp figure, her breath low, and her brow furrowed.  'Is she having a bad dream?' he thought.

"You may go," he said to the royal physician.

Now it was only him and Lyra in the room.  The maids went and waited outside, wondering what other trouble would come after this?  Ella and Gena were not allowed to approach Lyra's room, making them miserable without being able to see her condition directly.

"His Grace is too cruel!"  commented Gena slumped on the floor and cried.  "He shouldn't have done this to Miss Lyra.  She must be very lonely."

Duke Kleo watched Lyra's face all day, reluctant to do his job.  But unfortunately, he couldn't abdicate his responsibilities, or else he might lose his peerage, leaving his cousin Marquess Helmut at the top of the hierarchy and destroying all areas of government as well as destroying him.

"Never take your eyes off her!"  Duke Kleo ordered the maids who had already entered the room.  "Make sure she's okay!  And call me when she's awake!  You know what kind of consequences will you bear if you disobey my orders?"

"We do, My Lord," answered the maids in unison, turning around to usher Duke Kleo out of the room.

Walking nimbly, Duke Kleo found Stefanus already standing in front of him, bowing to return his greetings.

"Looks like you're starting to have to find a secretary, My Lord," said the guard, looking worried at Wereal's escalating situation.  "You've got to keep working on government issues, you've got to keep an eye on the progress of your engagement party preparations, plus you have to keep an eye on Miss Lyra."

Duke Kleo answered nothing but walked straight to his study, opening some documents to study.  "I want to focus on work today.  Don't talk unimportant!"

Stefanus nodded, though reluctant to do so.  He stood tall beside Duke Kleo as usual, monitoring the situation in case anything dangerous happened.

Time passed slowly, he knew his master couldn't focus at all, thinking about someone whose condition he didn't know.

"If you're worried about her, you'd better get one of the maids to monitor her condition and report it to you," suggested Stefanus, who got a skeptical snort from Duke Kleo.

However, not long after that Duke Kleo took his guard's suggestion.  He ordered Stefanus to command the maid to do so while waiting with a confused face because he was too worried.

He lifted his head when he saw his bodyguard enter the room, hoping that some good news was coming his way.

Stefanus shook his head lightly, he thought to himself, 'Even though I just asked the maid to check on Miss Lyra's condition, His Grace's expression looks like I just came back from Miss Lyra's room to see her condition.'

An eyebrow rose when he saw Duke Kleo looking at him like a child wishing for candy.  "I have asked the maid to regularly monitor Miss Lyra's condition and report it to you.  Now we just have to wait."

Duke Kleo's shoulders went limp instantly as if he had just heard the bad news.  His hands were twinkling through the documents, checking some of the attached data.  But then again, it was hard for him to focus.

Even his attention was distracted several times, both outside the window and at the door which was still closed, hoping he would hear approaching footsteps.

Shortly after that, the maid came to report on the condition of Lyra, who was still unconscious from fainting, periodically, adding to the worry in Duke Kleo's heart.

His patience was almost at the edge, until then the maid rushed through the door, reporting Lyra's latest condition with shaky breaths.  "Miss Lyra… she's awake, My Lo…"

Duke Kleo immediately got up from his seat, as if he felt a thorn stuck in his ass.  His feet leaped swiftly as he sprinted to Lyra's room, checking on his girl's condition.

Stefanus shook his head as he ran after his master.  "You said you didn't want to care about her anymore, My Lord," he shouted.

Duke Kleo snorted, unable to refute.

***