Chapter 20

It has been more than two months since Lucrezia promised to treat the appearance of Ramiro, who is rumored to be the "Ugly Duke."

During the period until the summer vacation, Lucrezia frequently visited the mountain.

Of course, she hurriedly bought all the necessary mountain gear, so now she can hike without any problems.

During this time, she also received the old herbalist's grandmother's notes from her agent.

Relying on the notes, she visited the mountain, gathered herbs, dried and chopped them, soaked them in alcohol, extracted the decoction, distilled and mixed them—going through various processes, time passed quickly.

—It's not a difficult surgery, so I should be able to do it. However, I cannot afford to fail.

Lucrezia repeatedly tested the effects of the medicine on her own moles and confirmed its safety.

Then, on the day of the summer vacation.

"From now on, for the next month, I will secure the windows of Lord Ramiro's room with shutters and dark curtains to ensure no sunlight enters. Is that acceptable?"

"Do we really need to go that far?"

"I will be applying strong medicine and bandages to your eyes. Light will be toxic, so I need to keep the room dark even when changing the bandages."

Ramiro's room was completely sealed off from light, plunging into complete darkness.

All preparations were in place.

Lucrezia, relying on the candlelight, carefully performed the surgery.

Finally, she wrapped the bandages tightly to ensure no light could enter.

"That's it for today. ... How are you feeling?"

"...It's throbbing."

"If the pain is unbearable, please let me know. I can give you painkillers."

"Got it. It was easier than I thought."

"The hard part is yet to come. I will be using strong medicine, and you will need complete care for everything, including eating."

Ramiro groaned.

"...Right, if I can't see, I can't even use a spoon..."

"I will ask for the food to be prepared in a way that is easy to eat. I will also be by your side to assist with the treatment."

Losing sight can make a person feel anxious.

The anxiety he was feeling, Lucrezia knew well from her own childhood.

To reassure and encourage Ramiro, Lucrezia firmly held his hands in hers.

"...!?"

"Lord Ramiro, please think of me as your hands and feet from now on. Please command me as you wish."

"R-reject! I refuse!"

Lucrezia was taken aback by Ramiro's forceful declaration.

"Young women can't be around me all the time! I won't last!"

Lucrezia quickly let go of his hands. She had been so focused on the treatment that she hadn't even considered the relationship between them. She felt embarrassed later for being so bold.

"...I-I'm sorry, you're right. I will have male servants take over as much of the physical care as possible..."

As she said this, Lucrezia thought to herself.

—But, I am, after all, supposed to become Lord Ramiro's fiancée.

Would it be inappropriate for a wife to touch her sick husband while caring for him?

"But... Lord Ramiro, please don't forget... I came here with the intention of becoming your wife. So, there's no need to be embarrassed..."

"No, it's impossible, no way. Whether you're my wife or not, embarrassing is embarrassing!"

Lucrezia felt a flutter in her heart.

—He's so cute.

"Besides, I haven't said I will make you my fiancée yet."

Lucrezia was irritated by his stubbornness.

—Why is he so stubborn?

"I don't think the marriage arrangement you have in mind is a good one. Why do you dislike the idea of me being your wife so much?"

"The treatment isn't over, and that's all there is to it. If you were trying to kill me for my inheritance, you wouldn't be able to do anything without a marriage."

Ramiro's caution made sense, so Lucrezia, pouting like a child, decided to back down in this argument.

"...Then, I will wait for your apology in a month."

"For what?"

"For accusing me of being after your inheritance. Once the treatment is over, you'll see that's not the case."

"Ah, right. I'll grovel and apologize then."

Lucrezia got his promise.

She decided to look forward to it.

***

Lucrezia arranged for the food to be prepared in a way that Ramiro could eat with his hands.

She placed cheese, salami, macaroni, and seasonal vegetables on a flat, unleavened bread, folded it in half, and sealed the edges tightly.

The baked bread looked easy to eat with the hands.

"Lord Ramiro, here, open wide."

"O-okay, I'll eat... Ow, it's hot!"

Because Ramiro blindly bit into the bread, hot ingredients flew out and scattered everywhere.

"Sorry... But you should have explained it to me first."

Lucrezia realized that she needed to describe the food and its contents properly for Ramiro to eat it well.

The next day, Lucrezia made sure to explain the food properly.

"Lord Ramiro, today we have a white roll. I've placed warm sausages, chicory leaves, and a bit of herbs inside to make it easy to eat. There's a cut in the middle, and a thick sausage is placed in the valley of the bread. Open your mouth wide and bite down."

"Sorry, but can you have a man help me?"

Ramiro, holding his head, said out of the blue.

"What?"

"No, it's not your fault. It's just... I get nervous when a cute woman like you is around. I'm a timid man."

"Sir, I'll take over."

Lucrezia watched as Bosco, Ramiro's aide, offered to help.

—I was hoping not to fail today.

"Here, Lord Ramiro, open wide."

Bosco said teasingly, and Ramiro, trembling with humiliation, ate the bread.

"...You'll pay for this, really."

"That's my line. Do you understand how I feel, having all the work dumped on me and now having to take care of you too?"

"Ugh..."

"Instead of letting a cute new wife feed you, why do you always choose the path of self-destruction?"

"N-no, not a new wife! It's not like that yet! Stop saying weird things!"

—The two of them get along so well.

Lucrezia, unable to intervene, felt a bit lonely.

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