Chapter 43

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Leaning against the window, Minji gazed at the distant mountains and deeply reflected on yesterday's events.

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As cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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"I've talked too much nonsense."

Leaving the patient's room, Leon sighed with regret. He had thought the story was something he would carry in his heart for the rest of his life, but seeing Altear's wife blinking innocently, he couldn't help but let the words flow out.

'She must be deceived and used by the baron.'

Long ago, Leon couldn't help his father when he was in the clutches of a villain. He was too young back then; there was nothing he could do. But even while thinking this, he always felt a sense of guilt for surviving alone. The emotions he had tried to forget weighed heavily on his heart, and Leon clutched his chest, feeling a dull ache in his heart.

"Is the lady doing well?"

As soon as he stepped outside, Leon met Mrs. Riti. There was no sign of Altear, who had pretended to be worried about the lady. 'Of course not!' Leon inwardly scoffed and smiled at Mrs. Riti.

"Fortunately, she seems to be doing well. But..."

"But why? Is there another problem?"

Surprised, Mrs. Riti asked, and Leon quickly shook his head.

"No. The caravan is supposed to arrive in four days, right?"

"Yes. In this rural area, it's hard to get supplies unless the caravan comes. Did you order the medicines?"

"Yes."

"Phew, why do you even do such research? The existing medicines are enough."

"The existing medicines are too expensive for ordinary people to afford. The nobles have no problem, but..."

Leon trailed off, running his hand through his hair. His father was a noble's personal physician, and as a result, Leon also lived a life close to the nobility. For the nobles, buying medicine when needed was common sense. But it wasn't the same for the commoners. Because the medicine was too expensive, many people suffered from simple colds and ended up getting worse. Several people in this village had died that way. That's why Leon started researching cold medicine. If he could create a cheap medicine to treat the most common illness, it would help everyone. But the research was not easy. It was difficult to obtain the necessary chemicals, and the research costs were beyond what a rural clinic doctor could afford.

'This time, the medicines the caravan brings will probably be the last.'

He had used all his savings and was making a last desperate attempt. The villagers knew his situation, so Mrs. Riti, seeing Leon's darkening expression, raised her voice brightly.

"By the way, I'm making pomela juice for the lady. It should help her recover."

"Oh, that's good. But it must take a lot of work to prepare."

"Don't worry. Her husband is doing it!"

"Her husband...?"

Leon's voice trailed off in disbelief, and Mrs. Riti giggled, pointing under the tree.

"Yes, that scary-looking gentleman. He's a bit clumsy, but he's not doing too badly."

Turning his head, Leon saw Altear sitting under the tree, peeling the skin off the fruits in a basket with a serious expression.

"Is he doing it willingly?"

"He said it would help the lady recover, so he did it without any complaint."

Seeing Altear peeling the skin with a fierce look, Leon's mouth slightly opened. It seemed he couldn't control his strength, and the fruits burst, splattering juice all over his clothes and face.

"He doesn't show much, but he seems to care a lot for the lady."

Hearing Mrs. Riti's pleased voice, Leon frowned in disbelief.

"Care a lot?"

"Of course. You can tell just by looking at him."

"I didn't see her reaction when they met. She broke out in a cold sweat when she saw her husband's face after waking up."

"What? That's not possible. When she read the letter her husband wrote, her face turned red... They are definitely a good couple."

Mrs. Riti, tilting her head, soon realized the reason for the misunderstanding and lightly patted Leon's back.

"Phew! You don't know because you've never been in love! You should date a nice girl!"

"Why did the conversation suddenly turn this way?"

Seeing the conversation turning against him, Leon subtly backed away.

"Just in case, I'll check on the lady twice a day. Please keep an eye on her."

"Don't worry."

Mrs. Riti waved her hand, dismissing Leon's concerns. As he moved to leave, he glanced at Altear, who was still struggling with the fruits under the tree.

'I can't let my guard down.'

His father had said the previous baron and his family were all good people, and that belief led to his father's death. I won't fall for the same trick. Leon firmly resolved and walked away.

---

The doctor visited me twice a day to check on my condition. Each time, I subtly told him about Altear's good qualities. I started this with the hope that the misunderstanding would clear up once he knew about Altear's good qualities, but the doctor's reaction was always indifferent.

'It's not going as smoothly as I thought.'

If everything went as I planned, I wouldn't have ended up marrying the villain from the novel. I sipped the juice Mrs. Riti prepared and inwardly sighed. The doctor, who had been watching me, finally spoke.

"Is it good?"

"Oh."

Pomela juice!

"Do you want to try it? It's sweet and sour, and it's really delicious."

Thinking it was selfish to enjoy it alone while he was working hard to treat me, I quickly offered him the cup. He blinked, looking at me as if I was saying something absurd.

"I've lived here for a long time. I've had pomela juice many times."

"O-Oh, right..."

Embarrassed, I pulled back my hand and started sipping the juice again. The doctor sighed and put down his medical tools.

"You shouldn't be fooled by such trivial things. That guy is really dangerous, you know."

"What?"

"You mean the juice. It's just a pretense to show that he cares for the lady, peeling the fruits to win her heart. He'll stab you in the back later."

"What do you mean?"

Showing the fruits he peeled? Who?

"This is what Mrs. Riti made."

"The fruits were peeled by the baron."

"Wh-What?!"

Surprised by the news I didn't know, I jumped up, and the doctor's eyebrows twitched.

"You didn't know?"

"Nobody told me. Not Mrs. Riti, and not Altear..."

Since I had fiercely ignored Altear, we rarely met. I was still weak and couldn't leave the bed, and Altear also didn't show his face. When I cautiously asked Mrs. Riti about his whereabouts, she told me that Altear was helping the villagers with their farming. There was no mention of him peeling the fruits for the juice.

"He's peeling the fruits under the tree today. I thought he was staging a protest or watching to make sure you don't run away. But..."

The doctor trailed off, looking at the tightly closed curtains. Mrs. Riti had closed the windows to prevent a cold draft, so I couldn't see outside from the bed.

'Could Altear be there?'

"Hold on, don't get up so suddenly!"

Ignoring the doctor's warning, I quickly got out of bed and opened the window. As he said, Altear was sitting in a clearly visible spot. A basket full of fruits was in front of him, and he was leaning against the tree, eyes closed, as if taking a break.

'Altear really... '

I recalled the juice Mrs. Riti had mysteriously smiled while giving me every day. She said it was more delicious because of the effort put into it. Now I understood what she meant. I hurriedly stepped out of the house and ran to the tree. Altear was fast asleep, looking truly exhausted.

'I'm out of breath just from running a little.'

Clearly, my condition wasn't good. I caught my breath and carefully bent down to examine Altear. It had been a while since we met, and his face felt a bit unfamiliar. I was used to seeing him in formal attire, so seeing him in casual clothes like a villager was a new experience.

'His hair looks a bit messy.'

He must not have had time to tidy it up, helping the villagers. If Pavel saw him like this, he would probably lament the loss of the lord's dignity.

'And what is this?'

His white shirt was splattered with red pomela juice, and there was juice on his cheeks as well.

'...He looks like a child.'

There was no trace of his usual sharpness in the relaxed, sleeping Altear. His peaceful, innocent appearance made me giggle involuntarily.

'I should wipe the juice off his cheek.'

I carefully reached out to wipe the juice from his cheek, trying not to wake him. However, the moment my hand touched him, he flinched and grabbed my wrist tightly, opening his eyes.

"Ouch!"

As soon as I winced in pain, the pressure on my wrist eased. I rubbed my wrist, looking at Altear with a slightly reproachful expression, and he was staring at me with wide, surprised eyes.

"It hurts."

Pouting, I complained, and Altear's tightly closed lips slightly parted. I smoothed his messy hair, and he frowned, looking worried.

"You must have been very tired to not notice me coming closer."

Altear, who usually sensed people even in his sleep.

"Are you overworking yourself? You said you were helping the villagers."

"It's not that. I shouldn't be tired just from that. It's just..."

"Just?"

"Your presence was so comforting... I didn't feel the need to be on guard..."

Altear, who was uncharacteristically rambling, suddenly seemed to realize something and grabbed my wrist again. Remembering that I had said it hurt, he was more gentle this time.

"Is this a dream? Am I still asleep?"

"Does it feel like a dream?"

"It's too perfect... It doesn't feel real."

"...Did you want me to touch your hair?"

As I touched his hair, tilting my head, he shook his head seriously.

"I wanted you to stop being angry and look at me like you used to."

"Oh."

Now that I think about it, was I still angry? No, the days of being angry were over. Was it strange for someone I had ignored to suddenly act like this? My mind became complicated, and I tried to subtly pull my wrist away, but Altear tightened his grip.

"No. Whether it's a dream or not, you can't leave."

'I wasn't trying to leave.'

Did he think I would just go back? As I opened my mouth to correct his misunderstanding, he gently pulled my wrist. My body was pulled into Altear's embrace. The strange sense of security and familiar scent made my heart thump.