Chapter 9.1

Chapter 9 part 1

It was the strangest discomfort he experienced for the first time in his life, but what was even stranger was actually the woman – the unlucky Duchess, Alice Diorat, who unknowingly became his wife.

She was strange from the moment she entered the room.

[‘You look more handsome when the light shines through.’]

She stared intently at his face and spoke unfamiliar words without any hesitation,

[‘Good afternoon, Kaillus.’]

She even greeted him as if they were close friends. She had a considerable sense of disparity on her as an ordinary noble Young Lady.

Alice Podoori.

Alice Podoori – she was said to be nothing more than Count Podoori’s abandoned daughter. He initially thought that Alice would be timid and shy as a married woman. Additionally, she was also being held down by Madam Quillian, so… she doesn’t have her own will and no choice but to  be docile.

But that woman, whom he felt her presence for a while, was never intimidated.

“… Something is strange.”

Maybe I misunderstood?

Kaillus called the butler.

“Adolph.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“That woman earlier… was she Count Podoori’s daughter who married me?”

“… Yes.” The butler answered with a what-do-you-mean expression on his face.

He knew he was being absurd, because the butler called her ‘Little Madam’ a few times already. But nevertheless, he did. She was very different from what he imagined.

Hmm, he thought as he sighed uncomfortably. I guess I’ll have to keep an eye on Alice. After all, she will be visiting him every day for a while, so he’ll be able to figure her out easily.

It was unpleasant for her to touch his body, but this was inevitable for the time being. But it was even unpleasant just by thinking about it.

“Are you alright, Your Excellency?” The butler worriedly asked as his face wrinkled, remembering whether her hand was used removing dirt from a pottery or wiping the Duke’s body.

Shaking off his thoughts about Alice, Kaillus said to the butler, “It’s nothing. By the way, have you written a letter to Baron Meltain?”

He ordered his butler last night, and that is to invite Baron Meltain’s daughter, who was the Duke’s cousin and vassal, to the Duke’s mansion.

A letter came from Baron Meltain, the Duke’s vassal, before he fell into a coma. He wanted the Young Lady to stay in the capital and learn a lot before she had her social debut. So, it wasn’t very difficult to summon Young Lady Meltain, but it was rather helpful to him.

Madam Quillian’s attention will be directed towards the sudden arrival of a guest, and although only a handful knew about it, his cousin has considerable magical powers. She would be able to do his secret job if it was her.

The butler replied with a remarkably brighter face than earlier, “Yes, I delivered a letter to Madam Quillian today, and also hastily sent Baron Meltain a letter asking him to send his daughter as well.”

“Good job. We will start moving in earnest when Young Lady Meltain arrives. In the meantime, you should also keep quiet.”

“Yes. But Your Excellency, I have something I couldn’t tell you yesterday because I was out of my mind.”

“What is it?”

“Madam Quillian sent me a medicine to give to Your Excellency after you fell in a coma, and Little Madam took over the medicine as of yesterday. That’s why, I can no longer steal the drug.”

“… My doctor said he was changed to a person named Helkin.”

The reason he stole the drug was probably because he couldn’t trust the drug.

That being said, the person named Helkin was also Madam Quillian’s person. It was no surprise that he sat in the position inside the doctor’s office after he collapsed. It was somehow obvious why. Madam Quillian needed a doctor who can act as her limb to completely kill him.

Kaillus asked about him, slightly squinting his eyes.

“That is right. Madam Quillian hired him after firing Maillu, the original doctor here. The servants also said that he had an extraordinary knowledge about poison, so maybe he….”

The butler, unable to continue speaking, clenched his hands tightly and swallowed his anger.

Kaillus could guess what the butler was trying to say. He must be trying to say that he might have fallen into a coma after he ate the poison he had made – because he was a suspicious person.

But there was no need to doubt him since he was adept in poisoning – it would be right to say he made that poison.

Continuing with his train of thoughts, Kaillus suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. “… Did you say that the Duchess took over the medicine starting yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“Yesterday….”

It was last night that he regained his consciousness, and it also must have been the first time he drank Helkin’s medicine, which the butler couldn’t steal.

There’s no way he didn’t drink that medicine since Alice was Madam Quillian’s person. If so, could it be that the reason he suddenly regained consciousness had something to do with the  medicine?

Kaillus rolled up the sleeve on his left arm and raised his eyebrow upon seeing the place where his wound disappeared.

Following his gaze, the butler had a surprised face when he saw that his wound had disappeared and said, “Your wound… is gone.”

“That’s right. My wound was gone when I woke up. Adolph, did I have any injuries until the time you served me?”

“Yes, you apparently had wounds until yesterday morning.”

“Then that means this wound was also gone last  night. The person who came to me last night was…?”

“… It was only Little Madam. She came to feed Your Excellency with Doctor Helkin’s medicine.”

Alice Podoori.

That strange woman tick his nerves again.

Kaillus looked down at the smooth skin and thought with a hardened face. He had a feeling that his awakening might not be a simple miracle, and Alice Podoori somehow had something to do with him waking up.

First of all, it was said that it was Doctor Helkin who made the drug….

“Adolph.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Bring Helkin tonight. I have to meet him in person.”

Helkin would be better than that strange woman whom he doesn’t know what was inside. Kaillus’ black eyes flashed dangerously as he lowered his sleeves.