Chapter 58

"Your Highness."

Orka, who had been lost in thought for a long time, snapped back to reality at the call of his subordinate. When he raised his head, he saw his subordinate's face staring at him with a peculiar look, and Orka tried hard to maintain his usual expression. His subordinate seemed to have a lot to say, but after carefully choosing his words, he only asked Orka a short question.

"May I ask why you are still staying here?"

In fact, until he first arrived in Eilsford, Orka had no particular doubts. Orka always did things where the gains were clear. However, this time, something felt different about his schedule in Eilsford. He had come to Eilsford to win over the lord, but he hadn't even approached him. Instead, he spent time with the viscountess, which only seemed to increase the lord's suspicion. Or was this also part of a plan he hadn't guessed?

"According to the original plan, we should be in the southern border area by now."

"Yes. I heard there are some capable people there. Eilsford was just a brief stop on the way there..."

Orka mumbled and fell back into thought. His mouth, which had just opened, closed tightly again, and his subordinate, looking somewhat frustrated, urged him.

"Your Highness. There's a limit to how long we can delay the arrival of the carriage maker. We need to leave Eilsford soon."

"Hmm..."

Orka's indifferent response continued, and his subordinate, with a look of disbelief, cautiously asked:

"Could it be that you are really interested in the viscountess? In a rational sense?"

At the direct question, Prince Orka frowned and looked at his subordinate. With his usual cold, sharp gaze, his subordinate was startled and bowed his head deeply.

"Do I look like someone who would be swayed by such trivial emotions?"

"No, but your behavior is so different from usual..."

"There is something about the viscountess."

It was not a hypothetical statement but one filled with considerable certainty.

"Otherwise, why would I be like this..."

Before him, his subordinate was waiting for him to continue, but Orka couldn't bring himself to speak. How could he admit that he was shaken by a few words from the viscountess? They were just a few ordinary words, after all.

"...Anyway, it seems suspicious, so I need to observe her more. I'm concerned about how well she understands me."

"Well... she does say she's your 'fan,' doesn't she?"

His subordinate shrugged and replied nonchalantly. To young noble girls, the prince was like a star in the sky. At that time, all the girls dreamed of marrying a handsome prince. It was a plausible story. However, Orka seemed to think differently.

"That's why it's suspicious. How can she be my fan? The admiration of young girls for princes always focused on my older brothers."

"..."

This was not an incorrect statement. Generally, the attention of the girls was on the first and second princes, and the third prince's presence was minimal. However, as a subordinate, he could not agree with this and remained silent.

"...So, I need to observe her more. Just a little longer."

Prince Orka, looking out the window at the deepening night, muttered to himself. Strangely, his words sounded like a pledge, and his subordinate tilted his head in confusion.

***

Marie carefully arranged the blanket covering the deeply sleeping Nadia and quietly left the viscount and viscountess's bedroom. Now that her lady was asleep, her duties as a lady's maid were over. Normally, she would return to her quarters with a light heart and rest, but today her mind was too complicated to end the day peacefully. The reason was clear: the conversation with the doctor, Leon, who had examined Nadia. Marie carefully recalled their conversation.

"Why did you call me separately?"

"Miss Marie, I heard you are a lady's maid from Lady Nadia's family. So, I thought you would know."

"I pride myself on knowing everything about Lady Nadia."

"Then, by any chance... is Lady Nadia taking any medication separately?"

It was not proper for a servant to reveal personal matters of the household, but a doctor from the family was different. Marie shook her head in response to his question.

"No. If there was such a medication, I would have told you already."

"I see. Sometimes noble ladies take medication secretly... but in any case, she is not taking any medication now, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, has she ever taken a specific medication for a long time in the past?"

"Not really..."

As the questions continued, Marie, puzzled, suddenly remembered something and closed her mouth.

"Thinking about it, she did take medication for a while."

"What kind...?"

"After her parents passed away in an accident, she showed signs of anxiety for a while... so she took a sedative prescribed by the family doctor for some time. She was very distressed after surviving the accident alone."

"Can you tell me what medication was prescribed?"

"I'm not sure about that. I only knew it was a sedative because she became calm and slept well after taking it..."

As she answered Leon's probing questions, a growing sense of unease washed over her, and she urgently added a question.

"Could that have been a problem? She took it consistently for a few years."

"Without knowing exactly what medication it was, it's hard to say, but strong sedatives can cause problems if taken long-term."

"But the family doctor never mentioned anything like that..."

"For now, don't worry too much since she has stopped taking the medication. I'm just trying to understand the situation, and it's not certain yet."

"But that means there could be a problem, right?"

Marie recalled the shocked look on her face and the expression of Leon, who couldn't find the right words to say. It seemed there was a difficult-to-diagnose issue with Nadia, and Leon was trying to find the answer in her medical history.

"Could the sedative really be the problem?"

But it was a medication prescribed by the family doctor. As a doctor who had worked for the von Baine family for a long time, no one had ever questioned the medication.

"But..."

Thinking about it, the current viscount, Nadia's uncle, had quickly taken control of the von Baine family after the death of the previous viscount and viscountess. At the time, no one knew his intentions, so all the servants, including Marie, followed his commands.

"Thinking about it, he did take control of the von Baine family too quickly."

Even before officially inheriting the title, he seemed to have everything prepared.

"I need to contact the doctor."

If she sent a letter as soon as it was light tomorrow, she could receive a reply within a week. With a task in mind, Marie bit her lip and quickened her pace.

***

When I opened my eyes in the morning, I found my waist firmly held, making it hard to move. Turning my head, I saw Altair, who had returned and gone to bed at some point, deeply asleep, hugging me. I carefully turned my body to face him. Despite his usually intimidating appearance due to his sharp gaze, he looked like a child when he was asleep, which always amazed me. I gently reached out and poked his face.

It was amusing to see his expression change with each poke, and I giggled as I continued to poke his cheeks. Finally, he opened his eyes and grabbed my wrist.

"What do you plan to do as punishment for tormenting me?"

He asked fiercely, raising an eyebrow, but there was no irritation in his voice. I don't know where the confidence came from, but I felt he wouldn't be angry over something like this, which made me bolder.

"I just touched your face... do I really need to pay a price for that?"

Pouting, I protested, and Altair's eyebrow twitched again.

"...Are you doing this on purpose?"

"What do you mean?"

"No, you're not doing it on purpose."

Altair sighed deeply and pulled me close. The distance between us closed instantly, and I could feel his state clearly, which I hadn't expected.

"Ah, it's morning!?"

I was startled and pushed his chest, but he didn't budge, like a giant rock. He only smiled mockingly at my flustered state.

"What's the problem with it being morning?"

"But it's morning... and it's completely light... and I need to start work..."

"Can't you think of this as part of the viscount and viscountess's 'work'?"

Altair pressed his body even closer and kissed my forehead.

"Well, that's true, but..."

I hadn't imagined that things would go this far just because I poked his face a few times.

'If we do this in the morning, I won't be able to do anything all day!'

There were still guests in the mansion, the garden needed to be tended, and I needed to talk to Leon about what he was worried about. I had a lot to do and couldn't waste the day like this.

"Can't we wait until tonight? I have a lot to do..."

"Who told you to provoke me? You can delay your work a little. The viscountess has the right to do so."

"But the estate's work can't be delayed, and there are guests."

"Guests."

Altair's face crumpled at my argument.

"Why are you so concerned about the guests? Tea time, meals... is there really a reason to do all that?"

"Well... because they are royalty..."

Moreover, he wasn't just any royalty. He was a terrifying villain who would later lead a rebellion. It was important to treat him well and not make an enemy.

'Of course, I can't tell anyone about this situation.'

"Altair doesn't need to worry. Treating guests is the lady of the house's job! Just leave it to me!"

"...That's exactly what I'm concerned about."

"Huh?"

I tilted my head at his muttering, and Altair sighed, ruffling my hair.

"Treating guests, sure. It's the lady of the house's job. But you don't need to spend so much time alone with them."

"But the prince came alone... if there were other guests, I would have joined them."

"I mean, I can help with the guest reception too."

"Altair is busy! You don't need to push yourself!"

It was absolutely not a good idea for Altair to join in the reception of Prince Orka. Orka might use his smooth talk to manipulate Altair into becoming a villain ally, just like in the story.

'Why am I keeping Prince Orka around anyway!'

"Altair doesn't need to worry! I'll handle it!"

I firmly declared to prevent Altair from getting involved, and his expression became even stranger.

"If you refuse so strongly... it just makes me more rebellious. This applies to everything."

"This? That?"

What exactly did he mean? As I blinked, confused by Altair's vague words, he cupped my face and kissed me.

"Let's start with 'this' first. This is the priority."

Then, Altair's hand slipped under my clothes. I quickly understood what 'this' meant, and it took a very long time to finish.

***

'Exhausted...'

I felt drained after rolling around in bed all morning. Altair left the bedroom in a hurry to handle his schedule, looking perfectly fine. Why am I the only one in this state? I guess my stamina is just weak.

'First, I need to take a bath.'

No matter how tired I am, I still have to do my lady's work. I forced my sluggish body to move and reached for the bell pull. But before I could pull it, the door opened, and Marie rushed in.

'Did Altair call Marie on his way to the office?'

But I soon realized my guess was wrong.

"Lady."

Marie glanced out the window with a serious face and spoke to me.

"A guest has arrived."

"Guest? Oh, maybe the carriage maker? It's about time for them to arrive."

"No, not them... yet."

"Then who? I didn't hear about any other guests."

"That's... Miss Melissa... has arrived."

"Huh?"

I widened my eyes at the unexpected name, and Marie awkwardly smiled.

"Miss Melissa is at the main gate..."

Marie cautiously began to explain the situation, but before she could finish, a loud voice echoed from outside the window.

"Nadia! What are you doing? Come out and greet me!"

It was really my cousin, the daughter of the Viscount von Baine, Melissa. I then remembered the letter Melissa had sent, mentioning her visit to Eilsford. It was real. My surprised gaze and Marie's awkward gaze met in the air. Melissa von Baine had really come to Eilsford.