LDLDE 05

Chapter 05

The Little Daughter-in-Law Runs Everything!

• Madam, why am I here? Where is my father?
• Iris, did you dream about your father? He hasn’t come back yet. Let’s wait a little longer together, alright?
• What do you mean he’s already left? That’s impossible. Why…? How long has it been since he left?
• Let me see… it’s been a week. But don’t worry. After a few more nights, your father will return with lots of gifts.

I couldn’t believe it.

I was sure I had gone back to before Father left—but he had already left the village a week ago?

Before I turned back time, I couldn’t even find a trace of him. So how was I supposed to protect him now?

What on earth went wrong?

Ancient magic couldn’t set an exact time, but the conditions I placed had definitely been followed.

So I should have returned to a point where I could still safely protect Father.

‘Maybe… was Father always destined to leave no matter what I did? Or is there something we’re supposed to solve together to keep him safe?’

Although I was flustered, I quickly began searching for Father.

But it was as if he had disappeared underground—there was no trace of him. Strangely enough, all traces of him cut off the moment he left the Cornel territory.

It was unsettling. My father couldn’t use swordsmanship or magic at all. That meant he had no way to erase his own tracks.

Then there was only one possibility.

‘He must have had someone with him.’

I didn’t know whether he left willingly or was kidnapped, but someone capable of erasing traces must have been with him.

This situation had completely derailed my plan. I instinctively realized I couldn’t find Father on my own.

So I immediately chose a backup plan.

‘I’ll meet Uncle Ricardo and get help from the Windrich family.’

Entering the Windrich mansion was just one of many obstacles I would have to face anyway.

‘I don’t know how long he’ll keep me here, so I should move quickly.’

I pulled the bell cord and called for Richel. Then I declared confidently:

“I’ve ended up staying here as a guest, so I’d like to greet the Duchess!”

* * *

“Hello! The sunlight is really nice today, isn’t it?”

I smiled brightly as I entered the Duchess’s bedroom.

The curtains were drawn and the windows were shut, but a faint gap let warm afternoon sunlight seep in.

“Whose voice is that? Who are you?”

I walked to the window and slowly pulled back the curtains.

“My name is Iris Swan.”

“Iris? Was there such a young maid in this house? He wouldn’t hire a child like this.”

“I’m not a maid. I’m a physician.”

“A physician?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Uncle Ricardo entered the room and cut between us. He must have hurried over after hearing I came here.

He drew the curtains closed again. The bright room sank back into darkness.

“I’ll send her back in a few days, so don’t worry too much, Diana. More importantly, how are you feeling today?”

There was clear affection in Ricardo’s voice as he spoke to the Duchess.

It was the first time I had ever heard him speak like that. He had always been kind to me, but this warmth was on an entirely different level.

‘So Uncle can make that kind of expression too.’

I quietly admired him as I watched his clear smile.

Everyone in the empire knew how deeply he loved his late wife. It was even legendary that he used magic to turn the harsh, cold northern estate into a garden of southern flowers for the woman who came from the south.

But I had never actually seen how he treated the Duchess with my own eyes, so I had never understood the depth of his affection.

‘But seeing him now… he really does love her.’

With an involuntary gentle smile, I looked at the Windrich couple as if they were a painting.

“I’m feeling quite good today.”

“That’s a relief. And your meal?”

“I ate a little earlier.”

“How much did you eat?”

“I cleaned my plate completely. The mushroom soup today was especially delicious.”

“Is that so?”

Ricardo glanced at a maid standing by the door. The maid quietly shook her head.

Rather than pressing the Duchess further, he simply smiled faintly and kissed her forehead.

“For someone with such a small appetite to finish everything… that’s good news. I should reward the chef.”

“And you?”

“I cleaned my plate too. It was so delicious I almost licked it like a savage.”

At his uncharacteristic joke, the Duchess laughed out loud. Her voice was bright and clear, hard to believe she was so visibly ill.

“By the way, please introduce this child. She said she’s a physician, but why are you sending her away in a few days? Didn’t you bring her here to take care of me?”

“That’s not—”

The Duchess looked at me with faint curiosity and anticipation. Ricardo looked flustered.

‘I might have chosen the wrong target.’

If I persuaded the Duchess instead of Uncle Ricardo…

I quickly stepped forward, smiling brightly. I lifted my skirt slightly and bowed.

“Let me formally introduce myself again! My name is Iris Swan. I came from the Cornel Barony to treat you. By the way, I was the one who treated the Cornel Baroness.”

Ahem. I emphasized “I was the one.”

But the Duchess reacted to something completely different.

“The Cornel Barony? Oh my, that’s so far away. Wasn’t the journey difficult? Even I get tired returning to my hometown… and you’re just a child…”

Her voice carried both concern and warmth.

‘Now that I think about it, the Duchess’s homeland, the Royce Duchy, is near Cornel Barony.’

I had even used a mana gate in the Royce Duchy a few days ago.

She must have been feeling nostalgia from meeting someone from the south like her.

“It was a bit hard, but seeing you now makes all my fatigue disappear. So… may I have the honor of examining you?”

“Oh my, how adorable. What a pretty way of speaking.”

She didn’t really believe I was a physician, but she seemed willing to play along with my act and offered her hand.

Ricardo sighed heavily, but he didn’t stop either of us.

“Thank you.”

I carefully took her thin wrist, like a twig.

Despite my confident introduction, I wasn’t a real physician. I knew herbs, but I had never studied medicine. I couldn’t diagnose someone by pulse.

‘But I have mana.’

Slowly, I let my mana flow into her body. She flinched slightly at the unfamiliar sensation but didn’t pull away.

‘As expected… her mana is tangled. Just like the Cornel Baroness.’

The mana inside her body was twisted in a subtle way—so delicate that only a mage sensitive to mana or one directly observing its flow could notice it.

As I unconsciously made a serious expression, the Duchess’s face also stiffened.

“Is something wrong?”

“As you already know, your condition is quite weak. It’s even difficult for you to move around now, right?”

I continued more brightly, forcing a cheerful tone despite her faint, bitter smile.

“But don’t worry! I can definitely treat you! As I said, I already treated the Cornel Baroness who had the same symptoms.”

“Is that so?”

“So… may I stay by your side for a while to treat you?”

“Very well.”

The Duchess agreed far too easily.

“I’m not old enough for you to trust me so easi— huh?”

“I said it’s fine.”

“Diana.”

Ricardo, who had been silently listening, let out a small sigh.

“Don’t indulge her play-acting. And, little one, since you’ve already greeted Diana, you should return to your room. Diana needs to rest now.”

“Ricardo.”

The Duchess gently grabbed his arm with her left hand.

“This is my body. Shouldn’t I be the one choosing who treats me? Not you.”

Her voice was still soft—but firm.