Chapter 61

From the outside, it seemed to be the most vibrant and busiest days since the establishment of Mohnheim Castle. The dust that had settled in the Brabant Hall, where the Emperor and his entourage would stay, was being swept away, the corridors were being cleaned, and the cobwebs were being removed. Everyone in the castle, including the mercenary group, the newly hired servants, and even Lady Boiled, who was pregnant, were busy with the preparations. After checking documents for a long time even after sunset, Stephan turned his steps towards the kitchen before heading to his room. Although he desperately wanted to collapse on his bed, he felt that he needed it today. The strange-tasting drink that Chef Adel made with herbs. He thought that a glass of it would help him fall asleep. When he opened the door and entered, he found someone already seated inside.

"Huh?"

Yesterday afternoon, before the sky turned red with the sunset, Dominic, who had returned from Weimar after exactly five and a half days, was sipping a drink when he met Stephan's eyes. The carriages that arrived with him numbered fifteen. Five more carriages appeared in the courtyard at noon today. In addition, a few carriages that were delayed due to late preparations in Weimar and a broken wheel were expected to arrive, making a total of over ten more carriages. This put out the immediate fire. Although it was unclear what weakness Duke Andrea had been caught with, the scale and speed were unbelievable. Stephan, who was once again impressed by Dominic's abilities, realized that he had not even managed to offer the usual words of gratitude for his hard work.

"Why are you here so late at night? You must have worked hard, you should rest early."

Dominic, who had been looking at Stephan indifferently, emptied his glass before answering.

"I was waiting for the report from the rear guard. I'm going to bed now."

It seemed that he had received a message from the mercenary group that had left early in the morning to escort the stragglers.

"What about you, my lord? What brings you here?"

Stephan, who skillfully took a glass from the shelf, sat opposite Dominic. He pushed the light green bottle in front of Dominic towards him.

"I was thinking of Adel's drink. Can I have a glass?"

Dominic, who had been staring at Stephan, eventually filled his glass.

"It's quite rough for you to drink, my lord."

"I'm getting used to it. To this strange drink and the rough people of this land."

Dominic, who usually would have made a joke or a sarcastic remark, remained silent for a long time. Stephan also silently sipped his drink. The drink, diluted to suit Dominic's taste, was a bit strong for Stephan, but he drank it without complaint. The heavy atmosphere surrounding Mohnheim Castle had also affected the two men. Dominic, who had been holding his glass, suddenly put it down and frowned.

"Damn. I just wanted to drink quietly."

Before Stephan could ask what he meant, the kitchen door burst open. Heinrich, who had entered, saw the two men and looked surprised.

"What? Everyone is here?"

He confidently walked in, found a glass on the shelf, and sat next to Dominic.

"Is this Adel's herbal drink? Give me a glass too."

These guys. First Stephan, now Heinrich. Dominic, who was exasperated by their sudden appearance, ran his hand through his hair.

"Why do these noble gentlemen gather to drink such a drink? And how do they know where the glasses are?"

Heinrich, who had brought the bottle and filled his glass, ignored Dominic's question.

"Such a drink! Adel would be hurt if she heard that. She said you can come and drink whenever you want. The cheese is in the pantry, and the smoked meat is in the second drawer. She said to help yourself. Our Adel is really kind."

Stephan, who had taken a sip, pointed out Heinrich's mistake in a flat tone.

"The smoked meat is in the third drawer."

Heinrich, as usual, ignored what others said and took another sip.

"Wow. This taste, this taste. At first, I thought it was some sour and rough taste, but it keeps coming back to me. Isn't that right, Lord Boiled?"

Stephan slowly nodded, agreeing. Although he didn't particularly enjoy drinking, he too sometimes thought of this peculiar taste when he was about to sleep. Displeased with Heinrich's response, Dominic's eyes twisted even more.

"Even if that's true, is it proper for noble gentlemen to come to the kitchen, where servants come and go, to get a drink?"

"It's not proper. Wow! It's killing me."

Heinrich, who shivered and frowned, continued to talk while holding his glass.

"At first, I came out of curiosity, but once I came, I kept coming back."

"What's so curious about a kitchen?"

To Dominic's grumpy reply, Heinrich chuckled and agreed.

"There's nothing curious about a kitchen. But it's curious that the duchess eats with the servants in the kitchen. I thought there was something special. Anyway, it's unusual for a lord's wife to not be ashamed to..."

The moment Heinrich mentioned the duchess, the temperature in the kitchen, which had briefly risen, dropped heavily again. Even Heinrich, who usually didn't notice others' feelings, was silenced by the weight. The duchess had been bedridden for a full week. Daniel had been locked in his wife's room, not coming out, and time had passed. Heinrich, who had quietly put down his glass, leaned his chin and muttered.

"Still... for a Harkonnen, she lived quite long."

When Heinrich finished speaking, Dominic put down his glass and bitterly twisted his lips.

"Yes, she did live long."

It was an undeniable fact. After Dominic's words, a long silence followed. It was a strange night where the empty glasses were continuously refilled, but no one got drunk. *** Early morning. Daniel suddenly opened his eyes at the small sound of a bird flapping its wings against the window. As the nights of sleepless nights grew longer, his nerves became more sensitive, reacting to the slightest sounds. Daniel's blurry gaze, as always, turned to the front. When his focus cleared, he saw Freida lying quietly in bed. Over the past week, Daniel had only managed to sleep briefly when Freida, delirious with fever, was not making incoherent sounds. Even then, he only managed to sleep for four or five hours a day at most. Blink... Blink... He slowly closed and opened his eyes twice before slowly getting up from the chair. The chair, where Daniel had been sitting as if glued for a week, made a scraping sound as it moved back. Standing next to the bed, he brought his fingers to Freida's nose. Freida's breathing was deep and steady when her fever broke. Her breath, more regular than yesterday, filled the wrinkles of his fingers warmly. Daniel, looking down at his wife with a deep gaze, slowly called out to her.

"Freida..."

Her lips, which seemed ready to answer "Why, Daniel?" at any moment, remained tightly closed and did not open. Daniel, who had been stroking Freida's nose, raised his lips in exasperation.

"I saw how stubborn you could be."

He was worried and concerned about his sick wife. But... His fingertips, which had passed over her nose and touched her lips, still felt the heat.

"I don't like you being sick... But if I say I don't like it, would you be even more exasperated?"

The heat had subsided, but Freida still felt warm. Her dry lips, which crumbled like autumn leaves without being pressed hard, were dry. Daniel, following the doctor's instructions, dabbed a wet cloth on her lips to cool her down. When her lips, which had briefly moistened, dried out again, Daniel brought the wet cloth back. Even without a response, he muttered to himself, something he usually didn't enjoy.

"If you could hear me, you'd be hurt, right? But it's the truth. I don't think this is too bad."

A part of her lower lip, which had hardened, peeled off like a scab. As the peeled area swelled red, Daniel frowned. Leaning in, he pressed the damp cloth firmly on her lips.

"I've become certain of my feelings. If I say everything is clear now, would you get angry and call me selfish?"

For a moment, he imagined Freida pouting and rolling her eyes, saying, "That's too much." A chuckle escaped him.

"I especially like how I can monopolize you like this."

Isn't it ridiculous? Here he was, revealing his possessiveness in front of his sick wife. He had found Freida burning with fever a week ago. Since then, he had not let anyone else into the room except the doctor and had taken care of her alone. The doctor's diagnosis of her condition was divided into two parts: what he agreed with and what he did not.

"Since you rarely leave the castle, riding for a long time must have tired you out. Most importantly, it seems you've relaxed."

"Relaxed?"

Riding was understandable, but could someone be so feverish just from relaxing? When he yelled at the doctor, the doctor only said more incomprehensible things.

"Have you never experienced it? When you had to endure something urgent, but once it was over, you felt completely drained. Think about how you felt after the war ended."

The war ending had been a relief. Drained? Why? When Daniel couldn't relate at all, the doctor, after some thought, said even more incomprehensible things.

"Ordinary people often fall ill for days after a huge responsibility and burden are lifted. They might have ignored their illness due to the urgency and only realize it later."

"Realize it?"

"It's a signal that you can't push yourself any further. Before you woke up, your wife must have been putting herself under a spell, thinking she couldn't be sick, she had to endure. She must have thought that if she collapsed, it would be a problem for the duchy."

While he still couldn't understand, he grasped one thing.

"My wife is sick because of me. Now that I'm awake, she no longer has to bear the responsibility of the duchy, and her tension has eased. Is that right?"

It wasn't a completely off-the-mark conclusion, so the doctor, who had been speaking in incomprehensible terms, finally fell silent. He neither criticized the doctor for not making sense nor tried to understand him. What mattered was whether Freida would get better.

"Make her recover."

It was only after her laughter stopped that he realized how much he had liked her smile, which was as refreshing as spring sunshine. Her bold, raised eyebrows and eyelashes that fluttered like a sparrow's wings. Her clear, violet eyes that shone beneath them. He had already engraved them in his heart. This white woman, who had flown into his life unexpectedly, had been unconsciously acknowledged. As mine.

"Get up, Freida."

Daniel, holding Freida's limp, small hand tightly, whispered softly.

"No matter how sick you are, it won't do. You... can't leave me now."