Chapter 88

As he stayed up all night by Gideon’s side, the heat that surrounded him began to fade little by little. Derek, who barely took a breather, got up from his seat. He was on his way to Gideon’s house.

“I have a place to go for a while, so when the patient wakes up, can you tell him to stay here without worrying about the house?”

Asking the patient lying on the bed next to him, he moved on.

He was in a rush to see Brielle’s aunt, Finn, who was left alone from her ill husband. He thought she couldn’t escape or go anywhere on her own, though it was just in case she was gone.

From dawn, he passed the noisy market and reached the forest where the birds chirped. Eventually, his eyes saw a red roof. Outside the house, there was Finn looking in the direction of Derek with a groaning body.

Perhaps, she had found Derek and she walked up to him.

“Is Gideon… Is Gideon okay?”

Her eyes trembled relentlessly as she glanced behind him, looking for her husband. When she saw Derek alone, she was frightened that something might have gone wrong.

“The critical time is over. He hadn’t woken up yet so I came alone. I think you’ll be waiting.”

Finn, who was relieved to hear that he had overcome the critical time, titled over to the side as her legs loosened. Derek quickly grabbed her arm.

“Thank you…very much.”

Tears flowed from her eyes.

Derek, who had been watching her quietly, opened his mouth, “Let’s go inside. If you catch a cold, you’re in trouble.”

“Yes…”

With his support, she barely moved.

Frowning at the cold air from inside the house, Derek placed Finn in the chair and loaded the wood before lighting some fire. When he turned his back and looked at her again, she seemed to be barely holding onto herself together.

“I heard from the doctor that Gideon was not feeling well.”

With her empty eyes, she turned her gaze to look at him.

“That’s right. Everyone says it’s a miracle he’s alive like this. So, when he gets sick or comes in late, my heart sinks…”

Derek sat across from her as he watched her begin to utter words near her to a complaint.

“I heard that the doctor recommended treatment to the wife as well. If there are no special circumstances, you should seek treatment. That will be more helpful when Gideon is sick.”

She shook her head. Then, she continued her words.

“I have no hope. I know my disease… It’s all karma.”

His expression hardened as he pondered the meaning of her words.

‘…Karma? Was she talking about what he has done to the Master’s family?’

Finn glanced away from him and bit her mouth. Seeing that, Derek, who was impatient, spoke hurriedly.

“If you go to a big city, there must be a doctor with better skills than the current one. If you live near the market rather than in a forest like this, it will be much easier to find when either of you is sick.”

“We like it here. The two of us made a promise to spend our last times here.”

No more informative words came out of her mouth.

* * *

With Jaz’s body, the Knights of the Kaylor family returned first. Siege stayed in the capital for about ten more days before he decided to leave.

As Taylor leaves to report to Kentrail what had happened with the guard, Barry and Siege enter Barry’s room together. Siege restlessly kicked the bed and laid down.

Looking at his friend, Barry sat down on a chair nearby.

“Who killed my brother?”

There were so many people he wronged. There were so many people who had the motivation to kill him. But, apparently, it wasn’t the person who had a grudge that killed him… It was the person who had committed the crime together with him.

“What information do you have from your brother’s room?”

As soon as Siege returned to his own estate, he had searched Jaz’s room himself. However, nothing suspicious was found.

“No. It looks like he took it all with him when he left.”

“Then, maybe your brother’s luggage is somewhere?”

“Unless the culprit burned it or buried it.”

The moment they said that, their eyes met and the two jumped up from their seats.

“Same idea?”

“Yes, though Master told us not to think about moving on our own.”

Barry sighed.

“However, if I tell the Count, he’ll be against us moving directly.”

Barry agreed with Siege’s words.

“Well, let’s just look for the luggage. And, even if we find the culprit, don’t move and tell the Count first.”

“Good.”

Having reached an agreement, the two hoped that night would come and they could sneak out of the mansion.

* * *

Marie was contemplating the things she could do because she couldn’t leave it all to Kentrail and stand behind.

When she found out that Jaz was dead, her sense of urgency was heightened.

‘If we can’t find the culprit outside, how about bringing them inside…? Judging by how much Jaz tried to get me out of, they might still consider me a worthy bait.’

The problem was that the method was too risky. There were children, including Brielle.

‘If I go out…’

That seemed like the best way.

‘Still, if something goes wrong, it can end up being a nuisance.’

Marie, worried about that, patted her hand on her waist and swallowed a gulp out of nervousness. At that moment, a knock was heard.

She turned her head.

“Yes.”

She opened the door and saw an unexpected person standing there.

“Teacher?”

“Long time no see.”

It was Eujes. It was the first time she had seen him after he came with a letter from the Royal Palace.

“What brings you here…”

Asked Marie, who was surprised that he had come to her room.

“Ah…. I came to see the Count and went to the Young Master’s room. I also thought of the nanny…”

Seeing him slurring his words, she smiled so as not to embarrass Eujes as much as possible.

“I see.”

“Yes…”

An awkward silence passed between the two. Marie thought for a moment that she couldn’t let him in her room, so she suggested that they go for a walk in the garden. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like he had a story to tell.

“Pretty.”

When she asked, his face lit up. Seeing this, Marie’s heart sank.

‘No way… was I mistaken?’

Marie blamed herself for being overly self-conscious because of Brielle and Kentrail these days who say she was pretty when they saw her.

“The sky is pretty.”

In order to escape the awkwardness, Eujes brought up the most casual weather topic.

“Yes, it’s good weather for a walk.”

She agreed and headed to the place where the flowers were the most blooming. It was a place where a gardener who was always kind to children took care of it with all his heart. Thanks to that, the family members of the mansion enjoyed it — so was Marie.

“You must have had something important to do with the Count.”

She asked Eujes, who was at the mansion at the time he should have been at the Royal Palace.

“Ah… The Count told me to come.”

Marie, thinking that Kentrail might have something, nodded her head.

“Have you seen the Young Master?”

“No, he was away.”

“Ah… I think he went to the annex. We have a guest here, should I call him?”

Seeing that he had made the trip to come up to Brielle’s room, she thought it would be nice to see the child’s face as he was.

“I heard that you have a guest, I’ll see him next time.”

“I see.”

After she said those words, silence fell again.

Marie, who tried to ignore Eujes, who seemed to walk with his hands and feet moving at the same time as he walked, walked together to the gate to see him off.

* * *

Kentrail discovered this later.

In the beginning, he had called Eujes to inquire about the chief attendant and the King. Even though he agreed when Eujes, who had finished his business, said he would go to see Brielle, he felt a strange feeling.

‘…Was it this?’

As he hurried to the two people walking side by side in the garden, his stomach churned and his heart ached. When he found his shuddering feeling, Eujes had left and he arrived in front of Marie, who was left alone.

“Count.”

She smiled brightly at him.

Seeing her smile, the anger that had soared quickly dissipated. However, he asked her, after managing to control his expression.

“What did you talk about? You seem pretty determined.”

It was then that Marie remembered the words he had told her not to be with Eujes because he was jealous.

“He came to see the Young Master, but it seems he hasn’t met him. That’s why I just sent him off.”

“…I see.”

When he answered with a short answer, Marie, bewildered, opened her eyes and gazed at him. Kentrail looked like he’d burst out laughing at the reaction, but he managed to hold it in with strength on the sides of his lips.

“…Are you angry?”

Although the anger had long since been resolved, he wanted to see a little more of her reaction like this.

Marie crept over to him and put her arms around him. At that, Kentrail was excited inside because she was the kind of woman who would say that people would see and wouldn’t touch him first, except when there were only the two of them.

“Count…”

As he pouted like how Brielle usually does with his mouth that would not be opened, she spoke playfully towards him.

A wide smile spread across his mouth as he quickly turned his head away.

“Kentrail.”

When she called his own name, he eventually let out a smile on his mouth. His face turned red when he realized the situation late. He looked much redder than the flowers that started to bloom in the garden.

As he leaned his torso down and started laughing, Marie raised her arms and lightly slapped him.

“It’s too much.”

“Hahaha.”

Even with an angry voice, the smile that once started to bloom never stopped. At the sound of Kentrail’s laughter, the people in the mansion’s hallway glanced outside.

There was also Brielle.

‘It’s rare for uncle to laugh like that. He really likes Marie.’

A small sigh came out of Brielle’s mouth.

‘They say that unrequited love is hard.’

Brielle walked away as he shook his head and browsed a book about love. Ellie, who was watching this scene next to him, twitched both cheeks.