Chapter 17
17
Spots of dripping blood stained the ground, leaving round marks.
Why at this timing of all times!
Hastily pulling my hand away from him, I quickly pinched my nose. The tip of my nose tingled.
More embarrassing than the Duke suddenly appearing and catching me was the fact that I had a nosebleed in front of him.
"I, I'm sorry. I'll be going now."
Without even waiting for a reply, I quickly turned away.
I was inwardly worried that he might stop me, but until I reached my room, the Duke didn't grab or call out to me.
By the time I returned to my room, thankfully, the nosebleed had stopped.
After wiping the blood from around my nose and hands, I looked down at the white blouse stained with blood and sighed deeply.
"It was one of my favorite outfits..."
It was an outfit my father had bought for me, scraping together what little money he had, to celebrate my graduation from the Academy.
I had put it on with a determined heart for my first lesson with Vincent.
Bright red blood was splattered all over the pure white blouse.
'I should soak it in water before it dries and ask Chelsea if it can be washed.'
Blood coagulates quickly when it comes into contact with warm water, so I filled a basin with cold water and hurriedly took off the blouse.
Naturally, I ended up looking in the mirror and suddenly noticed a change in my body.
"What is this?"
I stared at my reflection in the mirror with a stiff expression.
Specifically, my left shoulder.
Just below my left shoulder, there was a spot I hadn't seen before.
If you looked closely, the small spot was shaped like a flower.
My expression twisted.
"Magic Deviation Disease..."
One of the most common symptoms of Magic Deviation Disease.
The appearance of flower-shaped spots on the body.
The first of those spots had appeared on my body.
"...It definitely wasn't there yesterday."
To have something like this appear without me knowing in just one day.
Goosebumps rose all over my body.
'Is that why I suddenly felt dizzy and had a nosebleed, because this spot appeared?'
According to the doctor, symptoms would occur each time a spot appeared.
And the symptoms would become more severe as the number of spots increased.
The first spot made me feel dizzy enough to stagger and caused a nosebleed, so how much worse would it be next time?
An even more serious problem was that it was difficult to predict the cycle.
The next spot could appear in a week, or nothing might happen even after a month.
I sighed deeply.
Was it just my imagination? I felt particularly haggard in the mirror.
"...It's only now that it feels real."
When I was first diagnosed with an incurable disease, I was shocked, of course, but I was so focused on wanting to live that I didn't really grasp the reality of the illness.
But now that I was feeling the abnormalities in my body and seeing the changes, it was only now that I was beginning to realize that I had a terminal illness.
'...I ended up dying like this in my past life too.'
Fear washed over me.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
And took a deep breath.
"Hoo."
'Don't get anxious.'
It's only the first spot.
I'm taking my medicine regularly, and I even know the treatment method.
I slowly opened my eyes.
And quietly spoke the name of the person who held my lifeline.
"Cadienne Mercedes."
It wasn't intentional, but I had already encountered him twice.
The timing wasn't great in either case, but at least he was no longer an unreachable existence like before.
I was definitely within his sphere of influence.
'I need time alone with him to talk properly.'
So that he can't ignore me, so that he can listen to me completely.
'Winston is receiving Vincent's lesson reports.'
The full authority over Vincent's education has also been delegated to Winston.
I crossed my arms and groaned softly.
Ugh...
"Anyway..."
I looked at the arm the Duke had grabbed.
I was too flustered to notice it then.
"In the original story, Khadien definitely hated physical contact with others."
So for him to touch someone else first?
'In the library, I was the one who tried to touch him first, so it couldn't be helped, but...'
I didn't understand this situation where he grabbed me first.
In fact, I was still dazed.
He touched me to catch me from falling?
That was something that Khadien from <Everyone Only Loves the Saintess> would never do.
The only person in this world who could have contact with him was one person.
'Only the female lead, Celestina.'
Moreover,
'He caught someone who was falling?'
Anyone who knew Khadien would say that the sun rising in the west was more believable.
He had even taken off the gloves he always wore when he grabbed me.
"Strange, strange."
'Was I misunderstanding Khadien?'
But in the library, he was the Khadien I knew.
'What's the difference?'
Ugh.
I couldn't find the answer no matter how much I thought about it.
In the first place, how could an ordinary citizen like me understand the psychology of a mastermind like Khadien?
Right now, dealing with Anna was the priority.
After taking a shower, I lightly dried my hair and sat down at my desk.
I prepared paper and pen and took a deep breath.
Khadien was Khadien, but first.
'You were the one who touched me first, Anna.'
I would have been helpless in the past, but it's different now. I know things that Anna doesn't know.
However...
'The impact of this exploding is hard to predict.'
My hand paused for a moment at that thought, but soon the pen tip crossed the paper again.
After finishing writing, I looked down at the paper and put it deep in the drawer.
By then, the moon was already hanging in the center of the sky.
"Ugh."
I immediately jumped onto the bed.
My body, which had been overworked all day, was strongly demanding sleep.
I slowly blinked and looked at the ceiling bathed in moonlight.
Moon, Mercedes Ducal Family, mastermind, Khadien.
Seeing the moon naturally reminded me of Khadien.
Suddenly, another question arose.
Since when had Khadien been behind me?
'He didn't overhear my conversation with Vincent, did he?'
I suddenly felt uneasy, but the thought was cut off before it could continue.
And so, another night passed.
'Why, why!'
Anna stared out the window with wide eyes.
After Livia ran away, the Duke stood there for a while, looking down at his hand.
'Why is Livia with the Duke!!'
Anna, who was so happy that she had humiliated Livia, was taking a night stroll to enjoy the afterglow.
Then, Anna inadvertently looked out the window and froze on the spot.
Vincent, who should have run away, was walking with Livia.
Moreover, Vincent was wearing a beaming smile that he had never shown her.
She froze at the unbelievable sight.
Meanwhile, Winston came and took Vincent away, and the Duke appeared and caught Livia, who was about to fall.
Livia seemed a little embarrassed for a moment, then bowed her head and quickly disappeared, and the Duke was standing there for a long time, just looking down at the hand that had grabbed Livia.
Even someone who didn't know the situation well could tell that Livia was close to the Duke and his son.
'I haven't even been able to talk to him yet...!'
Anna's body trembled slightly.
If things continued like this, Livia would steal both becoming Vincent's only mental support and becoming the Duchess.
"Livia, Livia, Livia!"
At this point, Anna couldn't help but admit it.
That she couldn't beat Livia.
When she was young, at the Academy, and even now!
And that if things continued like this, she would have to chase after Livia's tail for the rest of her life.
"...I have no choice."
She had to use that.
"It's all your fault, Livia."
Anna coldly sneered, her gaze turned towards Livia's window.
"Flingtern Teacher, are you awake..."
"Oh, Chelsea. Good morning."
Chelsea, who was entering the room, blinked in surprise when she saw me and asked.
"Are you going out?"
As Chelsea said, I was currently ready to go out.
I smoothed the front of my hooded robe and nodded lightly.
"I have somewhere to go before class."
"Without eating, either?"
Ah.
I couldn't hide the sad expression at those words.
"Yes, unfortunately..."
The Mercedes Ducal Family's meals are perfect.
Missing even one of them was a great loss.
'It's already been two meals since last night...'
Was it just my imagination? I felt like my stomach was rumbling.
I wanted to eat something, even if it was simple.
'I have no choice because time is tight.'
I had to move as quickly as possible because I had to be back before Vincent's lesson.
Shaking my head and trying to shake off the sad look, I remembered something and said, "Ah."
I quickly went into the bathroom and took out the blouse that had been soaked in water overnight.
"Um, could you possibly wash this? It's one of my favorite outfits, but it got dirty."
"Yes, of course."
"Thank you."
"...Shall I call a carriage for you?"
I widened my eyes at her words.
Even though she was assigned to me as a maid, she only had to fulfill the minimum obligations.
She didn't have to call a carriage or anything like that.
'Kindness.'
I smiled naturally because I was grateful for her kindness.
But...
"Thank you for your kindness, but the road is too narrow for a carriage to enter."
"I see, I understand."
Chelsea nodded.
'I'm sorry, Chelsea.'
But I couldn't help it.
I couldn't let anyone know that I had gone there.
