Chapter 21

21

Dr. Jane Soper appeared to be in her early thirties, with ash-brown hair and light blue eyes, and had a gentle demeanor. I faced her, my new personal physician at the Valentina estate, with mixed feelings. I was worried that once Theodore regains his memory, she might be unfairly fired.

"His Highness has entrusted me with the care of your health. I mainly treat women, but I also handle psychiatry. I heard that you have insomnia..."

The doctor asked me various questions, and her expression gradually became more serious. It seemed to be because I had been taking toxic sleeping pills for over a year and six months.

"Madam... Are you aware that one of the side effects of that medication is infertility?"

The doctor asked cautiously, her voice trembling. I nodded calmly in response.

"Of course, I am aware."

"..."

The doctor's mouth moved as if she were at a loss for words, then she composed herself and asked again.

"Is it correct that you will stop taking that medication from today?"

"That's right."

"You made a good decision. Instead of that medication, I will prepare a decoction that is not harmful to your health..."

The doctor said she would prepare three types of decoctions for morning, noon, and night. She particularly emphasized that the morning decoction must be taken after meals, so I would no longer be able to skip breakfast.

I felt somewhat annoyed and bothered, but I accepted it silently. After all, once Theodore regains his memory, this charade at the hospital will come to an end.

"Your current health condition is very poor. Your immune system is significantly weakened... and the state of your blood flow and organs is not normal..."

"..."

"To put it simply, it's similar to the health condition of a 60-year-old. However, with proper management, it can certainly improve..."

The doctor seemed very apologetic for having to say such things. I nodded silently, not particularly surprised.

After a few more words with the doctor, the consultation ended. The doctor bowed politely to me and left.

"Madam, I will be over there, so please call me if you need anything."

Charlotte whispered, pointing to a corner of the library. It was a narrow space between the bookshelves. ... I looked at Charlotte, pulled out the chair next to me, and said,

"There's no need for that. Sit here."

"Excuse me? But, I..."

I gestured for her to sit down quickly and opened a book. Charlotte, who had been hesitating, finally sat down next to me. I slid a book towards her.

Charlotte could read. She grew up in a convent as a child and learned to read from the monks there. However, as an orphan and a maid, reading was a matter of being mindful of others, so she didn't read much when she was at the Everett estate.

The same was true after she became my lady's maid at the Valentina estate. Most of the maids were daughters of knight families or from noble backgrounds, so they could use the library freely with the owner's permission.

On the other hand, Charlotte, who lacked such a background, found it difficult to use the library because she had to be mindful of others. Therefore, I often brought her here to read books freely.

"Thank you, Madam..."

"..."

Charlotte whispered softly. I nodded lightly and focused on my reading. After a while, the only sound in the library was the occasional rustling of pages. It was a peaceful and quiet time.

* * *

Recently, a strange rumor was spreading in the Kingdom of Francia. The rumor was that the relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Valentina had improved.

Duchess Adelaine of Albinis, with a smile, tilted her teacup and listened to the other young ladies chattering. Although she had not been in a good mood since earlier, her expression management was so refined that it did not show.

"Actually, there were many rumors that the two would divorce soon. So I thought that was the case..."

"Is it true that Duke Valentina gave the Duchess the Lacia Blue Opal necklace? The one that was auctioned recently."

"From what I heard, the Duke attended the auction himself and won it with a huge bid."

The Lacia Blue Opal necklace was a precious gemstone over 300 years old, famous for being worn by the last princess of Lacia at her wedding. It had been missing for over 50 years until it suddenly appeared at an auction in the capital.

The rare treasure was won by none other than Theodore Valentina himself, as if to prove that the Valentina family's wealth and power were recovering. This caused a stir in the social circles for a while. However, the surprising part was that the Duke of Valentina gave the Blue Opal to the Duchess.

"I thought the owner of the Blue Opal was the Duchess of Albinis..."

"Shh, listen."

Whispers from another table reached Adelaine's ears. Everyone was watching her, but she calmly sipped her tea, maintaining a perfectly indifferent attitude.

"Miss Albinis, if you don't mind, would you like to play chess with us? We have a place set up over there..."

At that moment, a young lady approached Adelaine and politely invited her. The people who had been watching the situation nervously applauded her courage. Thanks to this, they could move away from the uncomfortable topic of the recently improved relationship between the Duke and Duchess of Valentina.

However, there are always clueless troublemakers. Sure enough, someone suddenly interjected and asked Adelaine directly.

"Miss Adelaine, have you heard anything about the Duke and Duchess of Valentina? Since you and the Duke are childhood friends, you must know something."

The owner of this rude and tactless attitude was none other than Rosanne Delacroix, affectionately known as Roz. She was the youngest daughter of the Delacroix family, one of the wealthiest in the Kingdom of Francia. Perhaps because she grew up in a carefree environment, she often acted like a child. And today, as usual, she caused a stir.

While everyone was shocked, Rosanne's sky-blue eyes sparkled innocently, and her lemon-blonde hair fluttered in the wind. The atmosphere around her was like spring, despite the frozen air.

After a long silence, Adelaine put down her teacup with a click. Everyone at the outdoor tea party held their breath, waiting for her reaction. Some even hoped her poker face would crack, as it would make for a juicy gossip if the charming young lady of the prestigious Albinis family lost her temper. However, Adelaine's response shattered all such expectations.

"How could I know about the affairs of a married couple, no matter how close childhood friends we are?"

As she said this, Adelaine's smile was that of the well-known, charming, and adorable young lady of the Albinis family.

Adelaine chatted with Rosanne for a few more minutes and even went to play chess with her. Her social skills were truly admirable.

The topic that had disturbed the party atmosphere was temporarily resolved, but soon another commotion arose.

None other than Crown Prince Radell Lancia and his wife appeared at the party.

"Come, come, ladies and gentlemen. It's already mid-August. In Francia, where the summer is not too hot, it's the perfect time for outdoor activities. We should enjoy a proper hunting party before the season passes. That's why I have decided to open the Ashridge Forest this year. And for this hunting party, I have invited... the Duke and Duchess of Valentina! This is the first time they will attend together. Isn't this good news? It's a celebration that their relationship has improved, isn't it? Ha ha ha!"

The Crown Prince, as if for dramatic effect, paused and then announced with a very happy voice.

The hall, which had momentarily fallen silent, soon became noisy as everyone tried to please the Crown Prince. They flocked to him, flattering him, while he boasted about his good relationship with his wife.

It was already a well-known fact that the Crown Prince and his wife had a love marriage. He had welcomed his wife at the age of eighteen and had been devoted to her alone ever since, unlike his father, who was a notorious womanizer with over ten mistresses.

"Miss... Miss Albinis..."

"Let's finish the chess game and go greet His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess, shall we?"

Adelaine asked the young lady of a noble family, who was nervously watching her. Rosanne Delacroix had already run over to the Crown Prince and his wife, which was understandable since the Crown Princess was Rosanne's older sister.

Adelaine, slightly annoyed by the young lady's nervousness, slowly moved towards the Crown Prince and his wife. She saw Rosanne, about twenty steps away, jumping with joy upon meeting her sister. Adelaine, with an elegant smile, thought to herself,

'I should visit Veronice soon...'

To confirm whether the rumors about the Duke and Duchess of Valentina were true, she would have to see for herself.

* * *

The fact that Theodore was experiencing 'temporary partial amnesia' was kept strictly confidential.

The problem was that, due to his changed attitude, people who didn't know the situation thought our relationship had improved.

"Thank you for accepting my request, my lady."

"..."

I still felt extremely uncomfortable and avoided his gaze. Recently, he had started calling me 'my lady' and insisted that I call him 'my dear' or his nickname 'Theo'.

After the incident where I broke a teacup and had a seizure, Theodore had been hesitant to approach me. At first, I thought he had finally given up. But that wasn't the case. He had been holding back.

For a few days, he hovered around me, hesitating, and then started sending letters, flowers, and gifts. Yesterday, he suddenly burst out and started acting in a way that made me feel burdened. His 'request' was to accompany him to the hunting party the Crown Prince was hosting.

I agreed to maintain our public image, but he mistakenly thought I had opened up to him and was getting excited on his own. ... I was annoyed. I wanted to tell him to leave my room immediately, and my hand holding the teacup was trembling.

Theodore Valentina's affectionate and considerate behavior since he lost his memory was suffocating me. If this continued, I might reach my limit someday.