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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Life as the Grand Duchess is Too Easy
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Archid laid Roena down on the bed and asked,
"By any chance, did your lady have any preexisting condition?"
"P-Pardon? Oh, no... She was always so healthy..."
Hanna stammered, her eyes brimming with tears.
Archid had sweated buckets carrying Roena on his back, yet he explained calmly.
"She was having trouble breathing, so I gave her emergency treatment... but we need a physician to diagnose her properly first..."
"Kyaaah! Miss!"
Vivian, who had gone to switch places with the other maids, returned and screamed at the sight of Roena groaning in pain.
She hastily set the water pitcher down on the table and rushed to the bedside to check on Roena.
"H-How did this..."
"She collapsed suddenly, so even I don't..."
Just as Archid frowned and parted his lips,
"Where is the patient?"
The physician entered through the door and quickly examined Roena's condition.
Archid let out a sigh of relief that the doctor had arrived on time. Then he collapsed into a nearby chair.
'Phew, that's a relief.'
Hanna, finally regaining her composure, noticed Archid's state and gasped again.
"Young Master, your shoe..."
"Ah."
Archid looked down at his feet at her words and groaned.
He had somehow lost one shoe; only the other dangled on his foot.
'Was it that urgent?'
A hollow laugh escaped him at his unaristocratic appearance.
Don't panic, even if you're flustered.
Never show your emotions.
Don't slouch and walk like a street thug.
Those were the pieces of advice Baron Rork, his tutor at the time, had drilled into him endlessly.
All while subtly insulting him as a bastard child who lacked noble bearing.
He had lived carefully, but Roena's collapse had brought out his old instincts in an instant.
As Archid fell silent, Hanna cautiously spoke up.
"I'll fetch another shoe."
"Yes."
Archid nodded while rubbing his dry face, and Hanna hurried off.
Moments later, the physician finished his examination and said,
"Fortunately, thanks to the excellent emergency treatment, her life was saved."
"What on earth caused her to faint so suddenly?"
"Well... it seems like an allergic reaction."
"What?"
Archid blinked at the mention of an allergic reaction. Vivian, standing nearby, chimed in.
"That can't be. Our lady never had anything like that..."
"But these symptoms are clearly from an acute allergic shock."
Vivian was at a loss as the physician responded firmly. She muttered to herself,
"That's strange. Back at April Castle, she was fine even during seasonal changes..."
"Did she happen to visit somewhere dusty with powder today?"
At the physician's question, Vivian answered,
"Ah, she went to a seed farm to look at seeds. But our lady doesn't have pollen allergies?"
Archid paused at the words that she had been fine at April Castle and had no usual pollen allergy.
'No way...'
He suddenly recalled Roena smiling radiantly in the Delus flower field.
Her cheeks had been unusually flushed; he had thought she was just enjoying it immensely.
"It seems her immune system weakened after coming to Hadellus territory. I'll prescribe some tonics to help her recover."
As the physician finished his diagnosis and prepared to leave, Archid rose from his chair and asked,
"Is there Delus flower at April Castle, by any chance?"
Vivian blinked at Archid's abrupt question.
"Delus flowers in warm April Castle? No way. We all saw them here for the first time."
Vivian frowned, clearly clueless about it.
Archid pondered her words before asking the physician,
"Around this time last year, did Roena show similar symptoms?"
"Well, I'd have to check the records..."
As the physician trailed off dismissively, Vivian clapped her hands.
"Ah! Yes, last year she got sick like this too."
"......"
"It was milder then... but her cheeks were just as flushed as now."
Vivian shuddered as she looked at Roena with pity.
She seemed to be blaming herself for not grasping her mistress's condition properly.
Archid bit his lower lip hard and asked,
"Was it the day she went out with her mother and returned alone?"
"Gasp, how did you know? She told us to keep it a secret..."
Vivian widened her eyes and fumbled her words.
Archid rubbed his face dry and told the physician,
"It's the Delus flowers."
"Pardon?"
The physician looked baffled, as if it were nonsense, but Archid replied coolly,
"She fainted in the Delus flower field."
"But why would that..."
"If there were no Delus flowers at April Castle, no one would have known she was allergic to them."
"Ah."
The physician finally realized the oversight and exclaimed.
Archid grabbed the physician's arm, irked by his carelessness.
"If you diagnosed something similar back then, shouldn't you have done a thorough check at least once?"
"It was minor at the time, and allergies are notoriously hard to pinpoint..."
The physician sweated profusely, flustered.
Archid felt anger rising at the physician's negligence.
He was well aware of his position in Hadellus Castle from the start.
With the Grand Duke and Duchess openly indifferent, the servants followed suit in no time.
Archid had grown accustomed to that indifference. In fact, any attention felt uncomfortable and awkward.
But he never imagined they'd be this indifferent toward Roena too.
'No. I expected them to treat her well since she's my wife, unlike me. That was my mistake.'
A self-deprecating chuckle escaped him.
To be so negligent they couldn't even monitor the little lady's health properly.
Archid unconsciously clenched his fist.
'Just see me as I am.'
He recalled Roena's words, spoken with a clear smile. Archid had thought he knew her well all this time.
Proud, spoiled, disrespectful to elders—a hopeless case.
Dealing with her had become his routine, so he focused only on the bare minimum duties as her husband.
'Maybe she didn't want it known that the future Grand Duchess had a Delus flower allergy.'
It was exactly the kind of thing his Roena would do.
Rather than expose her weakness, she'd choose to act out and sabotage things.
Archid sighed inwardly. He felt pathetic for not seeing through her childish antics.
Of course, he didn't realize he was still a child himself.
The position of Hadellus heir was always gravely serious for him; there was no room for childish excuses.
Unaware of his own rising anger, Archid snapped at the physician.
"This won't be overlooked."
Then he stormed out the door. He planned to go straight to his father.
"Y-Young Master...!"
The physician panicked and tried to follow, but Vivian grabbed him.
"Where do you think you're going mid-treatment!"
My whole body prickled. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself back in my room. My limbs had been numb and tingling earlier, but now they felt fine.
My head still rang a bit, but my condition wasn't bad.
If anything, after sweating so much, I felt refreshed. That's when a familiar incense scent tickled my nose.
'Huh, I can smell again?'
My stuffy ears picked up even the small household noises from the servants moving about.
'Whoa, I really thought I was dying.'
My body trembled at the unfamiliar sensation of all my senses shutting down.
I clenched and unclenched my hands out of fear, but one felt heavy, as if gripped by someone.
I cautiously turned my head and saw black hair.
"Archid?"
He flinched at my surprised exclamation. Moments later, his gray eyes, now clear, met mine.
Unlike their usual sharp clarity, they looked a bit hollow.
Like someone who had nursed by a sickbed for ages?
'What's this? Have I been out for a while?'
Archid blinked, still half-asleep.
Sunlight streamed in behind him, suggesting morning. Bathed in the light, Archid looked utterly ethereal.
'Ahh, maybe this really is heaven? And Archid the angel has come to greet me.'
My heart pounded at the sight of Archid fresh from sleep in the morning.
To think I'd be blessed with such an unexpected view of his face upon waking.
If chances like this come often, Lord, I won't complain even if I faint a hundred times.
As delusions bubbled up naturally, I suddenly realized Archid had spent the night in my room.
Archid, nursing me all night. Compared to his porcupine-like prickliness before, it was a huge step forward.
'Looks like my excuses worked pretty well.'
I forgot my own illness in my joy, unable to hide my delight. I even greeted him brightly, thrilled to be acknowledged.
"Good morning. Well, is it morning?"
"!!"
Archid finally snapped to attention and abruptly sat up.
His hand naturally released mine, and I clenched and unclenched my fist in mild regret.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded quietly at his worried tone.
"Anywhere hurt?"
Hmm, my heart hurts.
Because you're too handsome, Archid.
