CH 4.48

He tried to speak to her, but he could only wrinkle his nose, frowned then turned back. He didn’t seem to have anything more left to say to his patient.

“Does your family know that the young lady has this disease?”

“… No.”

Rosé forcibly pulled out a voice that was not coming out because her throat was clogged and answered. Then the therapist clicked his tongue and spoke as if giving advice.

“It would be better to inform them as soon as possible. I understand the feelings of Miss who cannot speak to her family, but shouldn’t you give the family time to say goodbye to you? They might be left uninformed.”

“Family… I don’t have one.”

She shook her head with a wry smile on her face, listening to the physician. She gripped the hem of her skirt tightly that her fingertips turned white as she crumpled it in her hand.

“… Oh my.”

The physicians’ expression froze as if he had heard something unexpected. His gaze at Rosé was filled with sympathy. But he didn’t bother to ask her circumstances. Being young and not having a family must have meant that there was a painful story.

“Anyway, I will give you medicine that will help alleviate your symptoms. Please wait here for a moment.”

He removed the glasses from the bridge of his nose and stood up. Rosé bowed his head to him and looked out the window. She heard it’s a festival from tomorrow, maybe that’s why? The people passing by seemed so lively.

… It’s a time to enjoy because they’re alive.

Rosé’s eyes were wet as she stared outside.

Why was that life so cruel to her?

Why are you so generous to others, but not allowing me half of the time allowed to them?

Her resentment surged up in her chest. She wanted to resent the world and her fate. Rosé bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly.

“Mom!”

At that moment, the clear voice of a child sounded from somewhere. At the same time, Rosé’s eyelids trembled and opened. She jumped up and went to the window like someone possessed.

‘Baby… my Flitta.’

Her gaze was desperate as she leaned on her windowsill and looked out. Her green eyes wandering around looking for her child in an unknown place wavered dizzily. It was then that she caught her eyes as a brown-haired girl rushed towards a woman.

“Mom!”

“What if you fall while running like that!”

Rosé’s expression distorted as she looked at the woman holding her child in her arms while scolding her. She hastily turned her back to the window and her complexions worsened.

“Heuk, ugh.”

She collapsed under her window. She could understand how Flitta must have felt when she saw the countess and her daughter. She now could guess how painful and how much sorrow she must have felt.

Her tears flowed down again. She was saddened by the fact that she couldn’t stand in front of Flitta as her mother. She felt so sorry for Flitta. Because she couldn’t be a mother of Flitta. By making her feel the absence of her mother by leaving her alone.

“… … I’m sorry, baby. Flitta.”

Rosé took a deep breath, holding back the sobs that were about to burst out of her. As she was struggling to calm her emotions, the physician came out with an envelope containing her medicine, saw her and hurried over.

“Are you having seizure?”

“… No. I am okay. Is this my medicine?”

Rosé wiped her wet eyes and stood up on her knees again. Then she took her medicine bag from the physician and paid the bill. Even after settling her payment, the physician looked at her anxiously.

As soon as Rosé left the physician’s house, leaving that gaze behind, she pressed her hood down deeply. She was worried that her identity would be exposed, so she took off her maid’s uniform and changed into normal clothes. She was very careful as much as possible to avoid having the rumors of one of the maids brought by Grand Duke is suffering from a terrible disease.

If she was careless and the story of her illness reached Haven’s ears, she might be kicked out of the Grand Duke’s residence. Because there was no way to keep a sick maid at the side of the princess.

She couldn’t make up all the time she had left and couldn’t leave her child.

… Even if I fill up all the time I have left, it might only be half a year.

She thought one year was already short but then she was given half of that time. If she can’t fully spend the rest of her days with Haven and Flitta, she’d regret it so much that she wouldn’t be able to open her eyes.

‘I have to be careful. I’ll survive for a long time somehow.’

Rosé squeezed her sorrowful heart into a fold, and put a strong determination on top of it. She couldn’t be in despair just because she was facing death. The time left should be even more cherished.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

Rosé hurried his steps to return to the count’s house, thinking of the child who was waiting for her. But after taking a few steps, she stopped.

Come to think of it, she remembered that the count’s maid had said that there was a shop selling sweet desserts around here.

“Ah, it looks like it’s there.”

Rosé, who was looking around, caught the eye of a shop. It was a dessert shop that seemed to ooze sweetness just by looking at it from the outside.

Something a child will like.

* * *

Rosé’s steps toward Flitta’s room were hasty. Even though she went out after talking to Flitta, her heart still felt impatient that she had left her child alone.

Of course, if necessary, the count’s maids would have to wait on Flitta, but they are only strangers to her.

‘Still, she’ll like it when she sees this, right?’

As Rosé climbed the stairs, she glanced at the small box in her hand and smiled. The box contained desserts such as cakes and cookies that children would like. In addition, the cookies that were specially made for the festival were in the shape of rabbits and squirrels, which Flitta liked.

Wow, the figure of the child with her mouth open and her eyes twinkling was clearly drawn in her mind. Rosé smiled and took the box of desserts once again.

She felt much better after taking one of the medications that was given before leaving the physician’s home. The thought that she could show the child who was concerned about her that she was okay made her feel even better.

And if she was in this situation, she wouldn’t have any problems of going to the festival tomorrow. Holding Flitta’s hand with Haven…

Just as she thought of her, someone came down from the top of the stairs. Then he stopped on her three or four steps and spoke to her.

“Perhaps… Rosé?”

“…!”

Was it because she heard the voice of the man she thought of? Rosé was startled and stopped climbing the stairs and lifted her gaze. It threw her body off balance and tilted her back.

She didn’t have the time to scream, helplessly watching the man in front of her; wide-eyed, reaching his hand towards her.

At the same time, she thought it was funny. She even brought medicine because she wanted to go to the festival, but she wondered if she would die from falling down the stairs instead of dying from the disease…

“You almost got into trouble. Always be careful when stepping on the stairs!”

At that moment, Haven grabbed Rosé’s arm as if snatching it, and wrapped his other arm around her waist. In that short time, he had already stepped down three to four steps to grab her.

As if to prove it, the sound of his heartbeat could be heard from close by. Rosé was hugged by him for a while like a person who had passed out, then came to her senses belatedly and hurriedly tried to step back.

“Yo, Your Highness. I apologize…”

“Don’t tell me you’re fall again.”

This time, he pulled Rosé by the waist once again and narrowed his brows disapprovingly. Rosé lowered her head, realizing that she had almost made another mistake on the top of the stairs, in that cramped place. Her thoughts was filled of her being embraced by Haven, which almost made her do the same mistake again.

Her face and neck turned bright red. After looking at Rosé like that, he let out a sigh, then released his arms that were holding her.

“… Thank you, Your Highness…”

Rosé greeted him in a small voice and then took a step to the side. He held her hand a couple of times for no reason, then opened it and frowned.

She was so light to the point that he felt like she was a child.

But it is none of his business because that doesn’t mean she can’t work. Besides, if she couldn’t word because of physical problem, the head maid or butler would fire her on their own.

So he has no reason to care…. But for some reason, it bothered him that the woman in front of him was so thin that she could fly away even with the slightest breeze. He couldn’t understand himself, so he turned around.

“But where did you go?”

His gaze turned to the hoodie Rosé was wearing. At first, he was confused about whether she was right because of her hood. It looks like the hood was pressed down deep inside the mansion. If anyone else had seen her, one might have thought she was a suspicious person.

At least as Rosé, who was surprised to see her, almost jumped behind her, her hood came off and he was able to confirm that it was her. He was not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

“Ah, the…. Over there…”

It was just a question without meaning. In the first place, in an awkward atmosphere, he just asked questions as they came to his mind to divert his words, in which he didn’t particularly expect an answer.

But his eyes narrowed when she saw Rosé stuttering, flustered by his question.

“… Rosé?”

“Ah! Yes, I, outside… I was looking outside.”

Rosé stammered while avoiding his gaze, then answered belatedly. However, his brow furrowed even more at that answer.

“In such a suspicious outfit?”

“… Yes?”

“Couldn’t you just go out if you wanted to look outside? You don’t even have to wear the hood.”

Rosé’s face turned pale as she listened to his words. She didn’t know what to do, biting her lip as if she was about to cry. She looked like she would burst into tears if he said anything more.