Maybe it was because she kept telling him only nice things, but it was hard to believe what the woman said.
“It’s true! Young Master, are you scared of teddy bears?”
“No! Who’d be scared of something like that?”
“Neither am I. You’re this cute. There’s no way I’d be scared of you.”
The woman smiled softly. Her sprout-green eyes curved gently as she looked at him.
…Cute?
Before he knew it, Jayden was staring blankly at Viola’s face. Her pink hair, stirring in the breeze, looked just like sweet cotton candy.
Her big round eyes, and the dimples that appeared every time she smiled.
Cute is something like Viola. Not someone like me.
Look who’s calling who cute.
Jayden meant to grumble a little, but one look at Viola’s eyes told him she undoubtedly meant it.
He didn’t really understand, but… he didn’t feel bad. It seemed like Viola liked him.
“Viola, do you like cute things?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t like cute things?”
If that was really true…
“…My cheeks are really squishy, too.”
Glancing at her, Jayden tried to make his case in his own way.
Cute things are squishy. Maybe Viola will like me.
But—pfft!—for some reason Viola burst out laughing.
Then, as if she couldn’t help it, she pinched Jayden’s cheek and gave it a stretch out of habit. Squish.
“Ah?”
It seemed to have been an unconscious slip, because the woman started and let go.
“Oh? I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! That must have upset you, Young Master.”
Jayden only shook his head and asked as if checking:
“So.”
“Ye-es?”
“…Is it squishy?”
As he said it, Jayden rubbed his cheek against Viola’s hand like a crafty cat.
The truth was, Jayden found people’s feelings difficult. He hadn’t had many people to share feelings with until now.
He’d had a family when he was little, but his father and mother had died on the very same day.
His older brother had left for the Academy. And the only other family he had left, his uncle, was frightening. Until recently, his uncle had hardly even been in the residence.
So other people’s hearts were hard for him… but he thought he understood one thing.
That if he did this, Viola might like him even more.
Sure enough.
She poked his cheek, poke, poke, with delighted eyes.
Hm. I see. So this is how you do it.
The corners of Jayden’s mouth wanted to curl up in satisfaction, but he put on a prim air on purpose and only pushed his cheek closer.
“When are you coming again?”
Jayden asked Viola pleadingly as she gathered her things. The pink ribbon pin was still in his hair.
“Whenever you call me, Young Master. And even if you don’t, I’ll come every day.”
Hmph. Then why not just stay here the whole time?
Jayden was about to pout, but pulled his lips back in. He’d turned six this year, after all. He couldn’t act like a little kid.
“Then where are you going now?”
“I thought I’d go to the dispensary. Your fever’s completely gone now, so I thought it was time to change your medicine.”
“Medicine? Mine?”
“Yes! Yours, Young Master.”
Viola answered brightly, but Jayden frowned before he knew it.
“I’m not even sick right now anyway… Do I have to take medicine?”
Yesterday had been miserable with the burning fever and the dizzying headache, but right now he truly didn’t hurt at all.
Jayden asked with a hint of pleading, but Viola was firm.
“Of course. You have to take it for your illness to get better.”
“I guess, but…”
It was true that his pain had eased in an instant after taking the medicine Viola made for him. A strange effect he’d never experienced before.
But the thought of taking medicine still made him feel strangely reluctant.
“What’s wrong?”
Viola must have caught his odd expression, because she asked, full of worry.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
But unlike his words of agreement, his heart was in a tangle.
“Relying on medicine is what weak humans do. You’re a Dragonblood, Young Master.”
“You overcome it with your own strength. Look at His Grace the Duke. He’s on a completely different level from a runt like you!”
His swordsmanship instructor’s voice kept echoing in his head.
Being sick was bad enough, but taking medicine too? His instructor would surely call it a disgrace if he found out.
Jayden looked up at Viola. There wasn’t a trace of reproach in the woman’s eyes. As a kind person would, she seemed more worried about his health.
But he still felt as though he were doing something wrong.
Leaving Jayden’s bedroom, I headed straight for the compounding room.
Hm. Time to move on to the next stage.
It was too early to judge, but Jayden’s fever showed no sign of climbing again.
Now that his condition had stabilized, I could start preparing his real treatment.
There was just one thing bothering me, though…
Jayden pretended otherwise, but however I look at it, he seemed like he really doesn’t want to take his medicine.
Mm-hm. I understood.
No—familiar might be the better word. Back in Heiron village, too, the children had tried to run away whenever I tried to get them to take medicine.
But that didn’t mean I’d just meekly let them go.
In that country village, I’d won the children over in less than a week. With my special syrup medicine.
Just you wait, Jayden! I’m going to make you the most delicious children’s syrup in the world.
Laughing wickedly like a witch, I began writing out the recipe.
“So what I need right now is…”
I got up and checked the kinds of herbs already stocked there.
There’s plenty of spikeleaf.
I’d heard Cain had bought it up at a high price until there was none left anywhere, and there really was a mountain of it.
Easily enough to last several years.
But this alone won’t actually cure him.
It was true that spikeleaf suppressed a raging dragon’s power, but the effect was far too faint.
But what if its potency could be amplified?
That would solve everything in one stroke.
And thanks to the original, I knew exactly how to do it.
As long as he took his medicine properly, Jayden would never have to be sick again for the rest of his life—that was the idea!
Maybe I’d been too absorbed in my work.
Before I knew it, it had gotten dark outside the window.
When did it get so late?
I cleaned up, went back to my room, and waited for Melody to come.
Knock, knock. At the sound, I lit up and went straight to the door.
But unlike yesterday, there was no sign of Marie or Melody; Becky seemed to have come alone.
“Miss Viola, could I speak with you for a moment?”
“Did something happen? Where are Melody and Marie?”
“Oh, Marie’s on her way with Miss Melody now. But there’s something I need to tell you before that…”
Becky’s mouth turned down sharply, as if she were about to say something very serious.
What is it! What happened?
Did something happen to Melody?
Thankfully, it wasn’t that, but what Becky told me was more shocking than I’d expected.
That last night, on their way to the laundry, they’d gotten into a run-in with Celia.
“I’m sorry, Miss Viola. It seems we got you caught up in a misunderstanding for nothing.”
“I’m not the problem right now, am I? Are you all right, Becky? And Marie?”
Becky’s eyes welled up, deeply touched.
“Thank you for worrying about us. But we’re all right. We never lied in the first place. And we never stole anything.”
“Then I’m really glad.”
I’d been so tense, but I felt much more at ease.
“More importantly, I came to tell you to be careful. You got caught up in a strange misunderstanding because of us.”
“I told you that’s fine. If anything, thank you for telling me like this.”
I’d thought Celia had been strangely hostile toward me when we ran into each other in front of Jayden’s bedroom.
Now I understood.
She must have heard that Cain had lent me his jacket and gotten the wrong idea about the two of us.
Hmm, this is awkward…
That really was just the Duke being considerate.
But I decided not to worry about it too much.
It was a ridiculous misunderstanding anyway. It would clear itself up someday.
But contrary to my hopes, the misunderstanding only grew deeper.
Two days passed.
Celia Dorn was irritated to the very ends of her hair.
Viola, Viola. He might as well make a song of it.
She muttered it irritably.
It had started two days ago. Jayden had begun going on and on about Viola from the moment he opened his eyes.
