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Chapter 37
Just Not My Type
“A lot of people… died?”
So it wasn’t just his mother? Was there more that Ricardo didn’t tell her? Frida was shocked and raised her voice. Even though Daniel tried to look away, he could see the fear in her clear, innocent eyes. Through all of this, Daniel realized, whether he liked it or not, that Frida was now a big part of his life. The boundary he drew was starting to blur and fade, thanks to people like Ricardo and Dominic, who were always crossing the line, whether they acted like it or not. Ricardo had already accepted Frida as family, which made things even more complicated. Daniel let out a small sigh she didn’t hear.
“What Ricardo told you should never be repeated to anyone else. I’m sorry I couldn’t take full responsibility for you, because things got out of hand.”
Frida hugged her knees and looked at Daniel with a serious face.
“It’s okay. I didn’t know anything about it.”
Frida couldn’t imagine that a single dose of echinacea potion could do so much harm. She had never thought the Duke’s mother and others could have died because of it.
“Please pretend you never heard any of this. Now that the emperor has no heir, if rumors start about the emperor being unable to have children, the Dowager Empress will suspect me first. That would put everyone here in danger.”
To be honest, there was no one to blame. Daniel felt guilty for telling Ricardo everything, thinking it would make him feel better. But that was his mistake. The memory of what he’d done made his head ache. He remembered giving the potion to Leopold out of jealousy. The woman who gave Daniel the echinacea potion worked at the mercenary lodge, and she warned him:
“Handsome young man, don’t drink too much. Just one sip at a time, and stop once the cough goes away. If not, you might never have children! With a face like yours, you need to pass it on, right? Haha.”
That winter, when Daniel came back to the castle, he saw that Leopold, who was coughing badly, wasn’t getting any care from the doctor because of their father’s illness.
“Cough, cough. Hi, Daniel.”
Leopold sometimes called Daniel “big brother” when his mother wasn’t around, but only when he felt like it. He never made fun of Daniel for being illegitimate.
“You must like traveling, big brother. I’m tired of just reading books. Where did you go this time? Tell me. Cough”
Tired of reading books? Did he think traveling around the mountains and freezing in the wild was fun? Daniel wished he could sleep in a warm bed, eat good food, and be cared for—if only Leopold wasn’t there.
“Drink this, young master. It’s good for coughs.”
Why did he give Leopold the bottle? Daniel wondered if he had been waiting for this day from the start, if his jealousy was always looking for a chance.
The doctor got suspicious when Leopold’s cough suddenly disappeared. It was discovered that Daniel gave him the medicine, and then everything fell apart. Duchess Marguerite was furious at the thought that Leopold might become infertile. The doctor, the maid who helped, anyone who heard about it—even those involved in executing Daniel’s mother—were all killed. Marguerite left no room for any rumor to spread. Daniel only survived because of his mother’s sacrifice and promise.
“If you let him live, Daniel will serve Leopold as his hunting dog for life. You know how skilled he is. He inherited his grandfather’s talent. That’s why you want him, isn’t it?”
A knight once said young Daniel was a rare genius—maybe a legendary knight like the “brave brown lion,” Marquis Nuberck Morenheitz. Marguerite kept Daniel close because she had invested too much to throw him away. Daniel signed a life-long contract to serve Leopold and survived.
The memories rushed in like a wave. Daniel pressed his forehead and spoke in a flat voice:
“Forget whatever you heard. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”
He almost laughed at himself. After all he’d done with a sword, how could he wish for no more deaths because of him?
Frida’s voice was small and gentle but firm.
“I understand what you’re saying, but… why do you blame yourself? It’s the Dowager Empress’s fault for being so cruel. You were just a child—thirteen years old.”
That’s what Ricardo always said. Thirteen? Did it really matter? He was still a jealous, selfish, evil boy at thirteen.
“Don’t believe everything Ricardo says. He probably made me sound better than I am.”
The Molly father and son were blinded when it came to Daniel. He never wanted anyone else dragged into this messy life.
“The truth is, a lot of people died because of me. You could have been one of them. Please don’t do anything dangerous because of me.”
Normally, anyone would be scared or upset by these words. But Frida wasn’t normal.
“No, that’s not the truth. That’s just guilt. The real truth is… this.”
Suddenly, Frida got on her knees and crawled into the darkness to find a book. She sat in front of Daniel, opened the book wide, and blocked his view of everything but her. She pointed at a page.
“I checked everything. Echinacea is good for coughs and inflammation, and here it says: ‘Long-term, high-dose use may cause infertility.’”
She looked at him with trusting eyes.
“See? It says ‘may cause’—not that it always does. One dose won’t cause any problem. If it’s really that magical, maybe we should plant echinacea all over the dukedom. We’d get rich!”
Why was she always on his side?
“I’m not saying you did well, but it’s clear the Dowager Empress was the bad one. She wasn’t even a good adult.”
“Why…?”
At this point, Daniel just had to ask. He could guess why Ricardo and Dominic cared about him, but this small woman—why did she trust him so much?
“Why do you even like me?”
Frida closed the book and snorted.
“Who knows? I don’t even like you today. You’re just not my type.”
That night, the duke and duchess came home late to Marian Hall. Muriel and Dominic were waiting for them in the dark hallway. Muriel followed Frida to her bedroom, but Dominic pulled Daniel aside.
“Let’s go to your office. I have something urgent to report.”
They rushed to the office, and Dominic quickly closed the door.
“The crazy deer is coming.”
Daniel frowned.
“Updyke?”
“Baron Boild is coming too.”
“I know. Three days from now.”
Dominic sighed.
“At this rate, they’ll arrive tomorrow. All three—Baron Boild, his wife, and Updyke.”
“What are you talking about?”
Dominic explained.
“The crazy deer gave Baron Boild and his wife a ride after their carriage broke down. Now they’re all coming together.”
“Was this your doing?”
Dominic was stunned.
“Of course not! I would never break a carriage with the baron’s wife inside.”
“But you thought about it.”
Dominic scratched his chin.
“Well… maybe. It’d be nice to keep the baron here for a while, give him some rest and make some money.”
Daniel looked out the window, thinking. Baron Boild wasn’t really a problem. As long as the right things got back to the Dowager Empress, it’d be fine. In fact, the baron’s wife could be useful as a lady-in-waiting for Frida. But the real problem was Heinrich Updyke. That guy was just trouble.
Daniel tapped his finger on the desk.
“This is going to be a headache.”
Dominic asked,
“Can I leave for a while?”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“Should I really break the carriage before they arrive?”
“Dominic.”
“Okay… never mind.”
Dominic moved closer.
“By the way, where did you find the duchess?”
“Brabant Hall.”
“Really? Why would anyone go to that dusty old junk room?”
Daniel gave him a cold look.
“Did you say I never read books?”
