SWRD 24

Chapter 24

By the afternoon, my fever had finally gone down. As the heat subsided, my body felt lighter.

And with my body feeling lighter, my mood lifted as well. I sat on the bed smiling, when Doctor Sarah looked at me with a serious expression and began to speak.

“Young Lady.”

“Hm?”

“Please don’t walk around on your own without support.”

“…Ah, sorry…”

…How did she know? She really is a top-notch doctor.

“Even walking with assistance should be limited to short distances.”

“Okay…”

“If you need to go far, it’s better to be carried by someone close to you.”

Carried by someone…

For a moment, I recalled how Killid had effortlessly picked me up and slung me over his shoulder.

And along with the memory, a vivid sensation came back to me—so vivid it flustered me.

To shake off the feeling, I unconsciously shook my head side to side. But when Doctor Sarah gave me a puzzled look, I quickly stopped.

“…Ahem, I’ll keep that in mind. But how close does someone have to be to count as ‘close’?”

Was Killid someone close to me?

Wait—what kind of thought is that?

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter if they’re far away, as long as you can call them to come to you.”

“…Ah.”

So that’s what she meant by “close.” Got it.

…Why am I acting so dumb all of a sudden?

“Since your fever has gone down and your ankle isn’t a major issue, I’ll leave you for now. Please call if you need anything.”

“Okay, thank you.”

After Doctor Sarah left the bedroom, I slowly made my way to the desk.

A little while later, I sat down and finished writing a short letter.

[To Miss Roa,

Due to unexpected circumstances, I had to return to the Duke’s estate without saying goodbye.

I’m not well enough to visit you immediately, but I’ll send word and come to see you as soon as I recover.

I haven’t forgotten your help, or our promise.

Sincerely,
Elisa Crawford.]**

About half a day had passed after I sent the letter to Viscount Camel’s estate.

“Young Lady, you have a visitor.”

The butler informed me of the guest while I was enjoying some tea in the corner of my room.

I set down my teacup and blinked.

“Who is it?”

Could it be Roa Camel? No, I didn’t use a carrier pigeon, so the letter must’ve just arrived… no way it’s her.

“It is His Highness, Kaiden Eos.”

I nearly jumped to my feet, completely forgetting about my ankle.

“What?”

Kaiden Eos.

The first prince of the Kingdom of Eos.

A handsome man with dazzling blond hair and emerald-green eyes.

And…

“Bella’s fiancé.”

…Technically the fiancé of Lady Crawford, but to me, that’s the same thing.

I silently stared at the man sitting across from me. His perfectly shaped lips moved.

“It’s been a while.”

“…Yes. It has, Your Highness.”

“I’ve been busy. Though I’m not sure if that counts as an excuse.”

Kaiden spoke in a voice as dry as his expression.

An excuse, huh.

Well, it has been long enough to warrant one. These two haven’t seen each other in a while.

But neither Kaiden, who offered the empty excuse, nor the person sitting here to hear it—me—really needed it.

I shook my head and decided to help Kaiden skip the pointless pleasantries and get straight to the point.

“What brings you here today, Your Highness?”

They hadn’t seen each other in ages. And it was clear he only came because he had something to say.

They didn’t seem like typical fiancés. That’s right.

Bella and Kaiden Eos were engaged in name only. In reality, they were worse than strangers.

“Bella probably never wanted it to be that way…”

It all started three years ago.

It was Killid’s 18th birthday. The banquet hall at the Crawford estate was packed, and among the guests was Kaiden Eos.

Bella saw Kaiden for the first time that night—and fell for him instantly.

Anyone who reads romance fantasy could probably predict what happened next.

In fact, back when I was reading “My Daughter the Villainess,” I could practically guess the next chapter even before reading it.

Bella tried to show her affection to Kaiden during Killid’s birthday party—and was promptly rejected.

If only she had given up then. That would’ve been better for both her and Kaiden—and spared the readers some stress. But Bella didn’t take the path that was good for everyone.

After the party, she stopped eating altogether.

In simple terms, she went on a hunger strike. Her one demand? To marry Kaiden.

Bella held out for a whole two weeks. Eventually, the Duke of Crawford intervened.

Looking back now, her health must’ve taken a major hit around that time. That’s likely when her constitution took a nosedive. No doubt about it. That’s when the Bella-who-is-weaker-than-the-sick truly came to be.

In the end, the result of the duke’s intervention was an engagement between Bella and Kaiden—who were only 16 and 18 years old at the time.

And after that?

Kaiden used his busy schedule as an excuse to completely ignore her.

Despite the engagement ring and the royal gifts, Bella barely ever saw Kaiden—only during official events.

She clung to him, then cursed and insulted him, and eventually began ignoring him just like he did to her.

“…And so their relationship became worse than strangers.”

But Bella, with her pride, never wanted others to know how bad things had gotten.

So, many who weren’t well-connected in social circles—like the servants—still didn’t know the engagement was in shambles. The most obvious example was Enfi.

Enfi’s face briefly floated to mind before fading away. In his place, Kaiden’s hand appeared before me.

I looked closely at what he was holding out on his palm.

“…A marble?”

“Have you seen it before?”

“No.”

It did remind me of something. But it was a childhood toy that Kaiden wouldn’t know.

“It looks like one of those marbles shot from those old toy boats…”

What was that toy’s name again? Goo-something Boy?

It wasn’t mine. A friend I was close with had it when we were kids. It was her older sister who really loved it.

Anyway, it was a murky black marble, about the size of a candy…

Definitely nothing I’ve seen since I possessed Bella.

“Then I suppose you don’t know what it’s used for either.”

Could be used for marble games, I guess…

“No, I don’t.”

Kaiden stared intently at my face.

Was he trying to figure out if I was lying?

“Go ahead and stare all you want.”

I met his gaze directly without flinching.

Who knows how long we exchanged silent stares?

Finally, Kaiden withdrew both his gaze and the marble.

“Thank you for making time for me, despite the sudden visit.”

So he’s leaving? …He came all the way here from the capital just to show me a marble?

“Well, maybe not. He probably came to see Killid and just dropped by here too—for whatever reason.”

Just as I recalled that Kaiden and Killid were on friendly terms, Kaiden’s voice reached my ears.

“Are you alright?”

Instead of answering, I just looked at his face.

Alright about what? Did I miss something?

“Your ankle.”

“Ah…”

“I heard it’s difficult for you to walk.”

Suddenly, I wondered if Kaiden had misunderstood something. Since I was the one spending time with him right now… I felt the need to defend my honor.

“I didn’t wrap a healthy ankle in bandages.”

“…”

“So, it’s not like I faked an injury just to invite you to my bedroom instead of the parlor.”

“I didn’t think that.”

Maybe it was just my imagination, but Kaiden seemed a little flustered. I thought I saw his green eyes waver.

“Glad to hear that there’s no misunderstanding.”

“Well then, take care on your way back, Your Highness. I trust you’ll understand I can’t see you out.”

“Of course. May the blessings of Temar be with you.”

Temar was probably the god of healing or something like that.

I watched as my overly formal fiancé left the bedroom.

As soon as the door closed behind him, I placed a hand over my chest and let out a deep breath.

“…That scared me.”