Chapter 10

The Life in the Noble Family is Too Easy (10) Chapter 10/177

#10.

Lady Lorque's eyes were already filled with excitement.

If the Duke had been there, she would have been so excited that she would have grabbed his hair and shaken him, regardless of her dignity.

It had been three whole years. Shouldn't she have at least waited a month?

Finally, unable to contain herself, Vastia stood up and said,

"Lady Marne, I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave today. I just remembered I have an outing scheduled."

"Is that so? What a pity."

Lady Marne nodded and prepared to leave, but she still strained to listen to the conversation between Lady Lorque and the maid.

"I'm going to the seed farm. Have the carriage ready."

As expected, Lady Lorque seemed unable to suppress her anger and was heading to meet the Duke.

Lady Marne, having achieved her goal, got into her carriage with a cheerful step.

Lady Lorque met the Duke and Duchess a few hours later.

* * *

As we entered the seed farm, the farm owner greeted Akid and me.

"I heard you were coming. I'm Mac, the manager of this seed farm."

"Nice to meet you, Mac."

"Thank you for welcoming us on such short notice."

As Akid and I spoke in turn, Mac said to me,

"Is this your first visit since last year?"

"Huh? I visited here last year?"

I tilted my head, puzzled by the unfamiliar story. Akid, who seemed to be hearing it for the first time, asked me,

"Did you come here last year?"

"Um, I guess so. It's a bit hazy."

I pretended to be vague, and Mac continued,

"Perhaps you came briefly with Her Highness the Duchess and forgot about it."

"Ah, that's right."

"Was everything fine that day? Her Highness the Duchess looked very upset, and I was quite worried."

"Mother?"

"Yes. The Duchess was very angry because the Duchess of the Duke's heir left without a word."

"Wow, I left without a word?"

I exclaimed involuntarily and quickly covered my mouth in surprise.

'Roena, you really did all sorts of things.'

No, even if that's the case, leaving without a word is not acceptable.

Since I couldn't know what happened last year, I could only speculate based on Mac's words.

It seemed I had visited to inspect the seeds with the Duchess.

Given her personality, she probably couldn't stay long in such a boring place.

'I probably ran away at the first opportunity. As a result, the Duchess had to handle everything alone.'

Moreover, I even messed up the flower festival that year, so it was natural for the Duchess to dislike me.

'I really need to do better this time.'

I resolved and said to Mac with a determined look,

"This time, I've set aside plenty of time, so please introduce everything thoroughly."

"Of course. Shall we start with the flowers we've cultivated? They're in the greenhouse. If you'd like, I can explain as we go."

"Sure, I'd be grateful for the explanations!"

"This year, the Delus flowers have particularly beautiful colors. If planted, you should be able to see them in full bloom by mid-year. Of course, it's also possible to speed up the blooming with magic."

Mac led us to the flower field with a warm smile and explained each flower.

"These flowers have very light seeds. Occasionally, there are round ones, which are defective and should be separated."

I diligently took notes as Mac explained the seeds.

Akid, noticing my enthusiasm, walked alongside me and occasionally added comments. He seemed to have studied a lot and knew a lot about seeds.

"I've heard that the Duke's heir is very talented, but I didn't know you were also interested in landscaping."

Mac praised Akid, who looked embarrassed and averted his gaze.

After a moment, Mac led us to a door and opened it.

"Here is the place where the Delus flowers I mentioned earlier are cultivated."

I perked up at the mention of Delus flowers. I knew them well.

'Delus flowers were the first gift Akid gave to Maybel.'

Delus flowers are a rare species that only bloom here, symbolizing the Delus territory.

Giving Delus flowers wasn't just a sign of affection.

'They are flowers that only the Duke and the Duke's heir give to their wives.'

However, Maybel, who had never been to Delus, didn't fully understand the meaning.

'She just said thank you and that was it.'

While I was thinking this, Mac opened the greenhouse door.

A colorful field of Delus flowers spread out before us.

"Wow."

I couldn't help but open my mouth in awe at the beautiful sight.

The flowers, which bloom even in the cold winter, looked fresh and vibrant.

"Please take your time to look around."

"Sure, I will."

"I'll go get the kit I left behind."

Mac hurried off, and I stepped into the flower field. The colors of the Delus flowers were incredibly diverse.

The rainbow of colors made me exclaim in admiration. The unique feature was the colorful clusters.

"They're so pretty."

I wanted to touch them but was afraid they might get damaged, so I just looked at them.

At that moment, Akid approached and said,

"I thought you didn't like Delus flowers."

"Me?"

"Don't you remember? At last year's festival, you told me to throw away the flowers I gave you."

"..."

"That's why I thought you didn't like flowers..."

"I don't dislike them!"

I was startled and quickly defended myself. It seemed I had thrown away the gift from Akid.

"Sorry... I was too harsh back then."

I felt I needed to apologize more and mumbled dejectedly.

Akid, seeing this, blinked his clear gray eyes.

"I'm relieved to hear you don't dislike them."

He smiled gently, and for a moment, it seemed a halo appeared behind him.

'He's really not of this world.'

I stared at Akid, still amazed that I was his wife.

At that moment, Akid smiled and asked,

"If there's a flower you like, let me know. I'll have it sent to your room."

"Ah, then I'll choose a Delus..."

I was excited to choose a Delus flower as a gift.

"Wait, Lady! There's a guest here, so you can't go in..."

Suddenly, a commotion arose, and a familiar woman, dressed up, burst in.

"Lady Lorque?"

I was taken aback by the unexpected visitor and murmured.

Lady Lorque, with a fierce look, scanned the area and then approached us.

"Where is the Duke?"

"Rude."

Akid stepped in front of me and said to Lady Lorque in a low voice.

But Vastia, who had always ignored Akid, snorted.

"Are you using your child as a shield now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Tell the truth. I heard the Duke is here, so I came!"

Vastia shouted. I looked at her, bewildered by her sudden appearance and outburst.

Hmm, should I step in?

I was about to put on my best act to deflate her with my words.

'Huh?'

Suddenly, my vision started to spin.

Beep, beep—

Then, tinnitus started in my ears, making it hard to hear what Akid and Lady Lorque were saying.

'What's happening? Did I eat something wrong?'

I was confused by the sudden physical symptoms.

A buzzing sound filled my ears, and cold sweat trickled down my face. The floral scent no longer reached my nose.

I leaned my face against Akid's back, feeling dizzy.

"Lady?"

Akid called me, surprised by the sudden contact, but I had no strength to respond.

"A-Akid..."

I managed to call his name just as my body swayed and my legs gave out.

Akid caught me as I fell and shouted,

"Lady!"

"Ah! The Duchess of the Duke's heir!"

The staff member trying to stop Lady Lorque screamed.

"L-Lady... stay... conscious..."

Akid's voice reached me in fragments. Soon, even that faded away.

'What, is Roena dying like this?'

Could it be that my soul isn't Roena's, and my body is rejecting me?

In the original story, Roena was always healthy before contracting the plague, so fainting is unusual.

I tried to focus my eyes to regain consciousness, but it was in vain.

I caught a glimpse of Akid frantically calling out and Lady Lorque's pale face before everything went black.

* * *

Akid carried Roena and arrived at Hadelus Castle.

"Ashil!"

Ashil, the butler, hurried out at Akid's urgent call.

"Your Highness, what's the matter... Oh!"

Ashil turned pale at the sight of the unconscious Roena.

"What... what happened?"

"Ashil, call the doctor. Now!"

Akid gave a short, sharp command, as if there was no time to explain.

"Yes, yes! I understand!"

Ashil stammered and rang the bell to summon the doctor. Akid immediately headed to Roena's bedroom.

Roena's breathing was very rough, and her body was burning hot, with cold sweat constantly pouring out.

'Was she unwell even before we went to the farm?'

Akid was in a daze, unable to process Roena's sudden fainting. He hadn't noticed any signs of illness.

It was their first proper date, and the atmosphere had been very pleasant.

Moreover, Roena, who had been blushing and exclaiming in delight at the Delus flower field, didn't look sick at all.

'Why suddenly? What caused this?'

Akid, unable to find an answer, opened the door.

"Your Highness?"

Hanna, who was tidying the bed, looked puzzled.

Then—

"Miss!!"

She screamed, unable to take her eyes off the fallen Roena.