TRST 18

By the time I finished speaking, we had arrived at the front gate of the Graham Ducal Estate. For some reason, a carriage from the Graham family was waiting there.

As I blinked in surprise, the coachman politely greeted me with a gentle smile.

“Good day, Viscount Marbes. My master has ordered that you be escorted home by carriage on your way back.”

It was an unexpected gesture of consideration from my grandfather.

After a brief hesitation, I climbed into the Graham family’s carriage.

Having ridden in carriages frequently these days, it had been a while since I experienced such a smooth ride. I had been worried that it would be difficult to find a hired carriage anyway, so this worked out perfectly.

“Milady, Doctor Watt has arrived.”

No sooner had I entered my bedroom after returning to the mansion than a maid came to report.

Although Rivet had told another servant to summon Doctor Watt as I stepped out of the carriage, there was no way he could have arrived this quickly.

“Let him in.”

I gave permission while sitting on the edge of the bed. Soon, the door opened and Doctor Watt entered, carrying his medical bag.

“Good evening, my lady. I have come at the summons of Duke Graham.”

“Ah, my grandfather…”

Even so, I couldn’t help but smile faintly, feeling that at least he was genuinely worried about me.

“I heard you coughed up blood. May I examine you?”

“Yes, please.”

Doctor Watt took out the same instrument he had used previously to diagnose Trintz Disease.

“Would you hold this?”

I took the device as he handed it to me. Just like before, it emitted a glow—but this time, there were murky streaks mixed within the light.

After observing the phenomenon closely, Doctor Watt nodded.

“Your Trintz Disease has been cured. However, as I mentioned before, this is a side effect caused by forcibly activated mana colliding with the energy within your body.”

“I see.”

“You should recover quickly if you get plenty of rest. However, since we cannot predict when or how it may recur, you must always carry a suppressant with you. It will help stabilize your mana.”

“Understood.”

I handed the device back to Doctor Watt, and he began packing his medical bag again.

“By the way… is the suppressant only made from Tieria flowers? Is there any way to prevent this using mana stones or other methods?”

If these aftereffects were to last a lifetime, there was no telling how much of the medicine I would need.

Tieria flowers were not only expensive but also difficult to obtain. If I needed a steady supply of suppressants made from them, it would be troublesome.

Doctor Watt frowned slightly, as if in thought.

“Mana stones may help, as before—but only to a limited extent. Unlike Trintz Disease, your mana is not contracting or hardening. Rather, it is the opposite. Ah, perhaps…”

“Perhaps?”

“What about learning magic? If you learn how to control mana through magic, you may be able to stabilize it yourself without relying on medicine. However, this is only possible if you are capable of handling mana…”

I couldn’t hide my disappointment at his suggestion.

Magic was something only a very small number of people could use. Even with money, one could not learn it without talent—and such talent usually manifested in childhood.

In other words, if one did not show aptitude at a young age, the chances of learning and using magic as an adult were extremely slim.

And I had never shown any talent for magic.

As I sighed in disappointment, Doctor Watt hesitated before speaking again.

“If not that, you might consider seeking help from a mage or someone capable of using mana.”

“…Thank you. I’ll call for you again if needed.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Doctor Watt removed his hat and bowed before leaving.

Watching him go, I lay back on the bed.

I had thought that suffering from side effects was better than dying from Trintz Disease—but now that I was experiencing them, even this felt burdensome and exhausting.

Why did I have to be afflicted with such a dreadful illness…?

The only thing I could do was resent my own weakened body.

Just then, there was another knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

“Viscount Marbes, it’s me—Rachel Lorette.”

It was Rachel’s voice from beyond the door.

“Come in.”

I sat up in bed to receive her, but for some reason, Rachel looked troubled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…”

Rarely hesitant, Rachel struggled to speak before finally forcing the words out.

“They said there was no medicine bottle found in the dining room.”

“What?”

I blinked, unable to grasp the meaning of her words at first.

“I clearly dropped it in the dining room, so it should be there.”

“We searched as thoroughly as we could… but we couldn’t find it.”

“Could someone have picked it up?”

“We checked with the maids, but we found no signs of that either.”

I raised a hand to my forehead.

It was unlikely that any of the maids would even know the value of the ingredients in that medicine.

Only a few people knew that I had suffered from Trintz Disease. To everyone else in the Graham household, I was simply frail.

Given that, it didn’t seem likely that anyone would have stolen it to sell.

Then who… and why?

A headache began to throb, and I could almost feel a fever rising.

“For now, search again. If you still can’t find it, report back to me.”

“Yes, Viscount Marbes.”

Rachel bowed deeply in response.

Late at night, in the study of the Graham estate, Ains Graham sat at his desk flipping through documents. However, though his eyes were on the papers, none of the words truly registered.

His thoughts were occupied with what had happened at dinner.

Through a servant’s report, he had learned that Cecilia had visited the Graham estate to see the former Duke, Damon Graham, and would be leaving after dinner.

At first, Ains had no intention of attending the meal.

After all, things between them were awkward, and he disliked the idea of his grandfather bringing up uncomfortable topics at the table.

However, he later recalled the report his aide Jackson had compiled about Kadiya Moldovan, and ultimately had no choice but to go.

He was concerned that Cecilia might be deceived by that good-for-nothing who lured noblewomen and extorted money from them.

He knew all too well that the one million gold he had given her as alimony after their divorce was all she had.

Her family, the Marbes viscountcy, was not particularly wealthy to begin with, and Cecilia had lived like a sheltered flower within the Graham household. She was unlikely to have any assets beyond that alimony.

Ains did not want to see Cecilia hand over all her wealth to Kadiya Moldovan and end up destitute.

After all, she had once been the Duchess of Graham—if her end was utter ruin, it would tarnish his own reputation as well.

Thus, he had intended to attend dinner and hand her the report exposing that scoundrel’s true nature, especially since she had defended him as a “friend.”

But what he saw there instead was Cecilia coughing up blood.

Her pale face, bloodless lips, reddened eyes glistening with moisture, and her frail, trembling shoulders—Ains found himself unable to look away as she gasped for breath.

Anyone could see she was gravely ill. He had no choice but to notice. That was how he justified it to himself, even as her image lingered in his mind.

But it was not easy to forget.

Because Cecilia, looking so weak and fragile—like his mother who had died of illness in his childhood—felt both unfamiliar and terrifying to him.

Just what kind of illness caused her to cough up blood?

Lost in thought, Ains’ gaze shifted to a drawer in his desk. He reached out and opened it.

Inside was the medicine bottle Cecilia had dropped in the dining room.

Ains picked up the vial containing the suppressant. Inside the transparent bottle were brown pills.

From its appearance alone, it was impossible to tell what illness the medicine was for.

Frowning, Ains tightened his grip around the bottle.

After staring at it for a moment, he set it down on the desk.

First, he needed to find out what illness Cecilia was suffering from.

“Jacob.”

Ains called for his aide. Jacob, who had been waiting, entered the study.

“You called for me?”

“Bring Doctor Watt. There’s something I need to confirm.”