Chapter 23
#023. The Moment Approaching the Truth
Bright sunlight streamed through the window. Lying in bed, Olivia stared blankly at the faces gathered beside her.
The Grand Duke with a serious expression, Hanna looking as if she would burst into tears any moment, the ever-expressionless butler Sobel, and even a sharp-featured physician she had never seen before.
"...How serious is it?"
The Grand Duke spoke heavily. Olivia wanted to hide her face in embarrassment.
It was just a bit of dizziness, not an illness.
It was probably because she had cried late into the night. She had simply failed to wake up at her usual early hour, which had startled Hanna, who then summoned the Grand Duke and the physician. The Grand Duke had rushed in and immediately prevented Olivia from speaking.
The physician examined Olivia with a scrutinizing gaze before stating clearly,
"It's just a rather bad cold."
"That can't be."
Olivia tried to deny it immediately but coughed. She felt a painful scratching sensation inside her throat. Her head was throbbing and her body felt sluggish today, but a cold?
She had always been told she was healthy since she was young. She had never been sick when she lived with her mother, so why now that she was all grown up?
Olivia spoke, enduring the pain in her throat.
"I... I was told I was very healthy."
The Grand Duke frowned at her raspy voice. The physician adjusted his glasses and replied,
"Lady, or rather, Miss, you are indeed healthy. It's because you were healthy that the cold is only this severe."
"The fastest way to recover?"
"Sufficient rest, a balanced diet, and taking your medicine on time."
"Sufficient rest and a balanced diet, you say."
The Grand Duke murmured, looking at Olivia. Olivia said defensively,
"I was getting plenty of rest."
"Speaking as a physician, I don't think that's quite the case, Miss."
The physician interjected. The Grand Duke's eyes took on an ominous glint.
"...It seems we'll have to ensure you get even more rest and better meals from now on."
He already took good care of her, but even more? How could he possibly take better care of her than he already did?
She was bewildered. Without realizing it, Olivia pulled the blanket over herself, pretending to be sicker. The Grand Duke's voice was clearly audible from beyond the blanket.
"...Sobel. Tell Chef Masa to prepare a more nutritious diet."
"Yes, Your Grace."
"Hanna, remove anything that might disturb the Miss's rest."
"Yes..."
Unlike Sobel's curt reply, Hanna's voice was tearful. She wanted to tell her not to cry, but she couldn't bring herself to lower the blanket.
"I've already prepared the soup and medicine. Shall I bring them in now?"
It was Sobel's voice. Olivia strained her ears, even in her dizziness. There was no reply from the Grand Duke, but she heard the sound of the door opening and closing.
Had they all left?
The air inside the blanket was already hot, and her breath made it even warmer. Olivia cautiously lowered the blanket. The face that peeked out met the Grand Duke's gaze directly.
"Gasp." Olivia gasped. The Grand Duke wore a displeased expression.
"Why such a surprised look? No, don't say anything. Your throat must be sore."
Olivia nodded with wide eyes, then winced. Her head was pounding.
"Your head hurts, doesn't it? Don't talk, and don't nod."
"...Then what do I do?"
"I told you not to talk. You never listen."
The Grand Duke shook his head at Olivia's hoarse voice. Then, with a stern face, he instructed,
"Sufficient rest and a balanced diet. I'll make sure you're too busy with just those two things."
The Grand Duke's voice sounded strangely mischievous. Just as Olivia had a bad feeling, the door opened again before she could ask anything.
"I've brought the soup and medicine."
It was Sobel. Olivia sighed in relief.
.
.
.
"Ah, Your Grace."
Scratch that sigh of relief.
Olivia looked at the spoon approaching her lips, then glared at the Grand Duke with a dissatisfied expression.
The Grand Duke, who had just propped Olivia up against the headboard with pillows, tilted his head.
"Is it too hot?"
That shameless man!
But the soup smelled wonderful. She thought she had no appetite, but the aroma made her hungry.
"I think the temperature is fine now. Would you like to try a bite?"
"...Give it to me. I can eat it myself."
"I told you not to talk. Your throat hurts."
Olivia pursed her lips in protest. She would have felt a little more comfortable if Hanna had been here. Hanna, who had been crying with swollen eyes, had eventually been kicked out for disturbing the patient's rest.
But that didn't mean she could accept being fed soup by the Grand Duke. That was too embarrassing.
As Olivia continued to resist, the Grand Duke sighed softly. She felt a little sorry, but she couldn't back down. Olivia gripped the blanket tightly, as if to express her firm resolve.
"If you keep refusing to eat like that..."
"..."
"...I'll feed you even after you recover."
Olivia's eyes widened at the ultimatum. Her flushed face, due to the fever, was pitiful and cute. But the Grand Duke hid his smile and maintained a solemn expression.
After hesitating for a long time, Olivia closed her eyes tightly, as if she had made up her mind, and ate the soup.
Once, then again.
The moderately cooled soup was delicious. The Grand Duke kept bringing the spoon to Olivia's lips, making it easy for her to eat.
At first, it was awkward and embarrassing, but as the Grand Duke acted as if it were nothing, it began to feel less significant.
"I'm... I'm full."
Olivia said softly. The Grand Duke looked back and forth between the remaining soup and Olivia.
Was he going to tell her to eat more?
But Olivia, who usually ate small portions, was truly full. As she wondered what else to say, the Grand Duke pushed the soup bowl aside.
"Then it seems you've finished eating. Shall we take your medicine?"
The Grand Duke smiled brightly and brought the plate with the medicine towards Olivia. The medicine Esella used to take when she was sick was a liquid medicine with a bitter smell, but the ones on the plate were round, pill-shaped medicines.
"You can take them without water."
At the Grand Duke's words, Olivia carefully picked up a pill and ate it. She expected it to be bitter, but a strong sweetness followed the initial bitterness.
"How is it? Do you like it?"
"Yes. It's sweet."
"I told them to mix in some honey. I'm glad."
The Grand Duke smiled slightly.
Honey. Now that she thought about it, it had been a very long time since she had eaten something sweet. Ever since Leopold had said she looked like she was gaining weight.
Olivia murmured slowly, a thought suddenly occurring to her.
"...Sweets make you fat."
The Grand Duke's face hardened. It was then that Olivia, who had been blinking slowly, smiled faintly.
"...But I like that it's not bitter. Really."
"...I'm glad."
"But I feel a little sleepy."
Olivia blinked. Each time Olivia blinked, her lush eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. Watching her face grow increasingly hazy, the Grand Duke adjusted Olivia's blanket again.
"It must be the medicine. Get some sleep."
She felt more comfortable. The Grand Duke was visible beyond her fading vision. She felt strangely at ease. So this was what it felt like to have someone by your side when you were sick. She had never known because she had never been sick.
It was a reassuring, warm, and tearfully tender feeling.
Sleep rushed over her in an instant. Before completely closing her eyes, Olivia muttered one fact that had just occurred to her.
Ah, now that she thought about it, she had been sick exactly once.
Perhaps because she had thought of it before falling asleep, that day appeared in her dream. It was one winter day more than ten years ago, when she was eight years old.
Looking back, she seemed to have felt unwell since that morning. But since it was right after Jade had started to hate her, the atmosphere in the house was precarious and frightening.
All Olivia could do in that situation was study. She had studied while groaning with pain, and eventually became ill that night.
She had huddled under the blanket in a room without even firewood, blowing hot air into her hands. The breath trapped inside the blanket hit her face and felt hot. When she was delirious with fever, she seemed to hear the sound of a door opening.
Someone seemed to have come in. Was this an imagination shown by her dream? Or was it real?
She probably had the same worries when she woke up back then.
Olivia opened her eyes slightly. She could vaguely see someone in front of her. It was the Grand Duke. His softly smiling face seemed to be telling her to sleep more.
Of course.
Olivia smiled a little. Olivia thought she had been worrying about nothing.
After all, it was obvious that no one had come in back then.
Just like always, her family.
No, they.
Had no interest in her at all.
.
.
.
It was only after Olivia had fallen into a deep sleep that the Grand Duke left the room. He carefully closed the door without making a sound, and the physician, Brandon, who had been standing in front of the room, bowed his head.
"What is the Miss's current condition?"
"Lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, generally lacking in everything. Ah, she also seems to be dehydrated."
Brandon clicked his tongue, recalling Olivia's face. Even though she had wiped it well, the redness around her eyes was definitely from crying. Olivia Madeleine, who was rumored to be ruthless in society, had such a clear and gentle face.
Brandon, who had been lost in thought, flinched. A dark aura was emanating from around the Grand Duke.
Oops. He remembered the advice given by his close friend, the Knight Winston.
"Unless it's terribly bad, sugarcoat it a little when you tell him. Otherwise, you'll see the end of darkness."
He hadn't understood when he heard those words, but now he knew for sure. How much the Grand Duke cherished the lady in that room.
He should have told him to be clear instead of vague!
Brandon frantically added, sweating profusely down his back.
"B-but, as the Miss said, she is originally very healthy, so if she gets enough rest and eats well, she should recover soon without any problems."
"She was fine when she came to the mansion, so what's the reason for her sudden illness?"
"Her body was a bit stiff. If there's no particular reason, it seems she's been enduring it and it's all coming out at once. Or perhaps she's just relaxed."
The Grand Duke let out a low grunt at Brandon's reply. Then, with an even more intense gaze, he stared at the door.
Whether it was the release of tension or the pain of holding back, both were equally upsetting.
How much had she endured with that small body?
And then, she had the nerve to worry about him as "Liv Green." The thought made his chest ache.
If it were Bethany, the housekeeper in the Territory of Vikander, she could fatten Olivia up in no time.
The Grand Duke's mind raced. To get her to the Grand Duke's territory without a hitch, he needed to clarify their marital relationship immediately.
"...I must see the Emperor as soon as possible."
The voice that squeezed out between his teeth was ominous. Brandon, as if used to it, rubbed the goosebumps that had risen with the palm of his hand.
* * *
Madeleine Dukedom.
Sunlight streamed into the balcony. Esella, who hadn't slept a wink, only stared at the Pink Diamond Necklace. The diamonds sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.
"The Young Lady always thought of Miss Esella. Really."
The voice of the sobbing maid, Sally, echoed in Esella's ears. Esella bit her lip.
It had already been several days since she received the boutique clothes that her sister had sent. During that time, Esella had been constantly thinking about her sister.
Her sister, who pretended to be aloof. Her sister, who avoided her. Her sister, who didn't smile at her.
But her sister, who always took care of her. Esella knew best that it was genuine.
Olivia's image in every moment overlapped, throwing Esella into confusion. Tears welled up again in her lifeless purple eyes.
"...Don't leave, at least talk to me."
Esella's muttering voice trembled.
No. Her sister had tried to speak. Esella had driven her away before she could say anything. The words she had said kept coming back to her, making her heart ache.
She couldn't remember what expression her sister had worn at that time.
Nevertheless, all Esella could do to Olivia now was to resent her miserably.
Thick tears streamed down her cheeks, creating round, wet marks on the blanket. Only the good things her sister had done for her kept coming to mind.
The further back she went in her memory, the kinder her sister had been. Holding her hand, playing with her. Secretly coming in to nurse her when she was sick.
...Why did her sister suddenly start treating her coldly from some point on?
At the sudden question, Esella shook her head. What good is it all now? Her mother died because of her sister.
Esella shook her head to stop thinking about Olivia. But once started, the thought wouldn't leave her head.
Would it be better if she got some fresh air? It was when Esella approached the balcony and opened the window.
"What? The First Princess?"
In an instant, Esella's ears perked up. A voice, from where she didn't know, grew loud as if startled.
"Shh! Be quiet! If Miss Esella hears you, you'll be kicked out right away."
"The Young Lady hasn't opened the window, let alone visited anyone, these days. By the way, is it true? That the First Princess received Grand Duke Bikander's proposal?"
Esella unknowingly covered her mouth with her hand. Otherwise, she felt like she would scream in surprise.
What is going on?
"That's not it."
Another voice said bluntly.
"I heard that Grand Duke Bikander made a wish to His Majesty the Emperor? To allow him to marry the First Princess."
"What are you talking about!"
Esella screamed shrilly. A gasp of surprise was heard from downstairs.
"Come up here right now!"
It was absurd. It had to be a lie.
Her sister, her sister sincerely loves the Crown Prince.
* * *
"That, well. It's all in the newspaper. Young Lady. Please forgive me."
Esella crumpled the newspaper in her trembling hands. The maids' words were true. The Grand Duke wished for marriage with her sister? Even to the Emperor.
For a war hero to try to tear apart lovers so cowardly!
In an instant, rumors about Grand Duke Bikander surfaced. The Demon of Slaughter, the Monster of the Battlefield. There was nothing positive about those rumors.
She was so angry that she was out of breath. She felt like she was going to cry again from the injustice.
The Crown Prince and her sister were a very good couple. She knew best how much her sister loved the Crown Prince.
Even if her relationship with her sister wasn't good right now, this wasn't right. She had to find out where her sister was quickly and bring her back.
Esella steadied her trembling hands and left the room. The servants' eyes widened as the youngest lady, who had locked herself in her room again for several days, came out of her room.
"Young Lady!"
"Where's Father? Or Conrad, my brother?"
"They are both in the dining room."
The maid hurriedly answered Esella's urgent voice. Esella rushed to the dining room. Her legs were shaking, but telling her father the news was the priority.
Her father would be able to save her sister from the Grand Duke's hands. Just then, a maid entering the dining room was opening the dining room door. It was when Esella was running towards it.
"We can't push Esella into the Crown Princess Consort's position instead of Olivia."
