No—was it even worry in the first place? Someone who was truly worried would never talk like that.
So it’s a crime for a Dragonblood to be sick? It’s not as if Jayden wants to be ill.
When he needed all the help he could get, she was only piling pressure onto a young patient.
But the woman didn’t stop.
“Running a fever for no reason, honestly. Nothing gets any better at all. You’re exactly the same as three years ago. This isn’t something contagious, is it? Ha, what a fate I’ve been dealt.”
Her voice seemed to have dropped, because I couldn’t hear exactly what was said, but judging by the mood I caught, it was clearly nothing pleasant to hear.
I knocked on the door hard on purpose, pretending I hadn’t noticed anyone inside.
Knock, knock.
“Young Master, are you in there? It’s Viola. May I come in?”
When I deliberately raised my voice to call Jayden, the voice that had been snapping inside cut off abruptly.
A moment later, with irritable footsteps, the door was flung open.
“Can’t you hear that someone’s talking? Knocking on the door like that—how uncultured.”
The one who appeared was a familiar face. A blonde woman in a lavish dress. Taller than me, with sharply upturned eyes.
It was the very same person I’d run into in Jayden’s bedroom the other day.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know someone was already here. It’s the young master’s treatment time, so I was in a hurry…”
I apologized with my eyebrows drooping, as if I were truly sorry.
But she seemed to have no intention whatsoever of accepting my apology; she waved her fan in front of her nose and scowled.
“…A pharmacist?”
Once again, she looked me over from head to toe. An unpleasant gaze, like someone appraising a cheap trinket.
Then she saw the medicine bag in my hand and snorted.
“I thought I smelled something strange. You must be the new commoner pharmacist, then?”
Oh, is the smell of herbs that strong? I spent all my time shut up in the dispensary, so I’d gotten used to it and hadn’t noticed.
I liked that bitter smell of greenery myself.
But noble young ladies, more used to the floral scent of perfume, might certainly find it off-putting.
I closed up my bag again and greeted her sheepishly.
“Ah, yes. My name is Viola.”
The woman looked me over from head to toe once more, then raised one corner of her mouth. I didn’t know much, but I could tell she wasn’t exactly welcoming me.
“Hmm.”
I was a little intimidated by her eyes, as fierce as her striking face, but I did my best to stay calm.
“And you are…”
“Celia Dorn. The young master’s personal lady’s maid.”
The moment she confirmed my status, she dropped all formality, and she put particular emphasis on her family name.
I wondered, but she really is his personal maid.
Dorn was a name I’d heard back when I was still living as a noble young lady. Come to think of it, hadn’t I heard that the Dorn countship had a youngest daughter?
I was lost in thought for a moment when she narrowed her eyes and gave a fake little laugh as she asked:
“I hear you have a child. It must have been so hard, all on your own, without even being married.”
Hmm. I couldn’t tell whether she was sympathizing with how hard it must have been or urging me to have it harder, and it left a bad taste, but for the moment I answered lightly.
“No, not at all. I have an adorable daughter, so I’m nothing but happy.”
My answer didn’t seem to please her, because a crack formed in the smile she was forcing.
“Then why don’t you just go raise that adorable daughter of yours? Why are you hanging around His Grace the Duke? Hm?”
“Pardon?”
“I just wondered if you weren’t dreaming of climbing the ladder… with a child in tow, no less. Something naive like that.”
Her smile said she’d seen through everything I was thinking, but I was only bewildered.
I’d felt it before, but following her train of thought was really hard work.
“Climbing the ladder…?”
I had been promoted from a country pharmacist to the ducal house’s personal pharmacist, it was true. But that didn’t seem to be what she meant.
What is all this about? I couldn’t make sense of the storm of words pouring over me, so I asked, and she muttered scornfully:
“Didn’t anyone teach you as a child not to look up at a tree you can’t climb?”
“What do you—”
“The future Duchess of Asheln is watching you very closely, so mind how you behave.”
The future Duchess? Did that mean Cain was engaged? That couldn’t be.
Not only at the start of the original but throughout the whole story, Cain was a confirmed bachelor who never took a wife.
…Don’t tell me I changed the original’s plot and something’s different now?
But if so, the engagement should at least be widely known. It was the Duke of Asheln’s engagement, after all.
What on earth is going on?
“…That doesn’t make sense.”
I muttered it quietly to myself before I knew it. Celia must have heard me, because she shouted at me.
“What doesn’t make sense? How dare a commoner like you look down on me?”
It was at that very moment.
Cough, cough! Khh.
A violent coughing came from inside Jayden’s room.
“Y-Young Master?”
Kheh. Cough, cough.
What? His fever’s gone down, so there’s no reason for him to be coughing. Has something gotten worse?
Celia and everything else didn’t matter right now.
“I’m sorry, but this is urgent! Please move aside!”
“Ha? A commoner, not knowing her place, giving me orders?”
Celia fumed at me, but this was no time to waste on things like that.
I hurried into Jayden’s room.
Unable to contain her temper, she stood there glaring at me for a long moment, then vanished far down the corridor.
“Young Master, are you all right?”
I rushed over to Jayden. That cough had sounded really serious…!
When I got to the bed, Jayden was sitting with his back against the wall.
But contrary to my worries, he didn’t look pale.
“When did the coughing start? Your fever should have gone down.”
Unlike me, asking in a state of anxiety, Jayden was perfectly composed.
“I’m not.”
“Pardon? Then that sound just now…”
I didn’t understand, so I asked again, but once more Jayden’s answer didn’t change.
“I said I’m not.”
Ahem, ahem.
He cleared his throat lightly, then turned his head away sharply. Like someone who was embarrassed.
I was still baffled.
His voice certainly was clear. That couldn’t be the case if his airways were bad.
Then that sound earlier…
Don’t tell me. Was he helping me? Because it looked like I was in trouble?
Jayden had been stealing glances this way the whole time, as if gauging my reaction.
Only then was I sure.
What is this? It’s so touching.
To be honest, I’d been worried he might feel uncomfortable around me, but it seemed he’d opened up to me a little.
Children really are angels.
It felt like I’d received an unexpected gift. Deeply moved, I covered my mouth a little.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“I wasn’t helping you.”
“I haven’t said thank you for helping me yet, though.”
He seemed to belatedly catch the hole in what he’d said, because Jayden’s eyes went wide with alarm.
His way of talking was prickly, but I could see right through to his heart.
What am I going to do with this adorable child?
“Anyway, I really wasn’t, okay?”
“Ye-es, I understand.”
“No, I’m serious, I wasn’t.”
“I said I understand.”
When I only agreed in words and looked at him with a warm smile, Jayden recoiled in horror.
“For now, would you sit here for me?”
Unlike yesterday, when he’d been so defiant, the boy hesitated for a moment but did as I said.
I checked Jayden’s condition.
Mm-hm, his fever’s fine after all.
I’d come every hour to check even after Jayden fell asleep, and there’d been no sign of anything wrong. The medicine seemed to suit his constitution well.
As for his treatment going forward… hmm.
I was sorting through my thoughts when I felt Jayden keep glancing at me.
At my left forearm, to be exact. The exact spot I’d been hurt yesterday, but I was wearing long sleeves, so he couldn’t see what state it was in.
He must have been worried. A lot.
The child was fidgeting with his fingers, trying not to let his nerves show. He wasn’t a very honest child, but maybe I’d help him along a little.
“Young Master. There’s something you want to say to me, isn’t there?”
“Huh? N-no? Not really. I-it’s not like that?”
He immediately played dumb, but his face was honest. The child’s red eyes were trembling.
“Hmm, is that so? All right, then. I’ve done everything I needed to, so I’ll be going.”
When I got up without a trace of regret and pretended to gather my bag, Jayden hurriedly spoke up again.
“Uh, uh, w-wait!”
“What’s the matter? You said you didn’t have anything to say to me.”
“N-no. Th-that’s…”
Fidgeting restlessly, the boy caught hold of me.
That’s it, you’re doing great! I waited for him. At last—
“Th-that, s-s…”
