Chapter 8

“Oh? Where are you going?”

While chewing on a piece of toast and reading the newspaper, Shiorin looked up in surprise.

Daniel looked different today.

Usually, he looked more like a farmer than a doctor.

The kind of person who could climb a ladder to pick peaches or pull turnips from the ground without looking out of place.

But today—

“I have a house call.”

Daniel answered immediately with his usual innocent smile.

The combination of brown trousers and a brown coat was a little old-fashioned, but overall he looked quite respectable.

Dressed like that, he almost resembled…

A university professor.

A brilliant young professor appointed at an unusually early age because of his genius.

“What is it? Does something look strange?”

Feeling her stare, Daniel awkwardly began checking his clothes.

Blinking blankly, Shiorin slowly shook her head.

“No. You look fine. Honestly, your usual appearance is the strange one.”

“Huh?”

“But what’s with the sudden house call?”

“Ah, well…”

He scratched his cheek.

“I need to earn money. If we’re going to split food expenses and maintenance costs, I need to work too.”

Ah.

Remembering their previous conversation, Shiorin quietly folded her newspaper.

Then, as though she were granting him a special favor, she pointed at the seat across from her with her chin.

Daniel immediately brightened like an excited puppy and sat down.

When she handed him bread and butter, he even smiled with his eyes.

“But, Shiorin.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have poor circulation?”

The unexpected question made her look at her hands.

She had forgotten because it had become a habit.

But Daniel had probably found it strange that she wore gloves even inside the house.

Especially since ever since they started living together, she put on gloves the moment she woke up.

She didn’t want to accidentally see his memories.

Not even once.

Having someone else’s memories forcibly flood into her mind was not an enjoyable experience.

And sometimes the truth she learned became poison rather than medicine.

At this point, she had made it a rule to use her ability only during investigations.

“Poor circulation, huh…”

Maybe that was simply how a doctor interpreted it.

It was a surprisingly cute assumption.

But she wasn’t that fragile.

Shiorin slowly shook her head and smiled.

“No. I’m a germaphobe.”

Daniel’s eyes immediately shifted toward the study.

The room was a complete disaster.

Shiorin laughed again.

“…Well, it’s a slightly unusual type of germophobia. I just absolutely hate getting dirt on my hands. You could say it’s a cleanliness obsession focused on one specific body part.”

“Ah. A specific body part…”

Daniel looked genuinely fascinated.

“I’ve never encountered a case like that before. That’s very interesting.”

Shiorin simply chuckled.

Then she reached for the water bottle.

Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she wanted a drink of cold water.

But at that exact moment—

“Ah!”

“Oh…”

Shiorin jerked her hand back as though she’d been electrocuted.

She and Daniel had reached for the bottle at the same time.

Their hands had touched.

“…”

“…”

A brief silence followed.

Daniel spoke first.

“I shower twice a day.”

“…”

“Once after exercising in the morning, and once before bed.”

“…”

“I also wash my hands constantly. I use hand sanitizer all the time.”

Daniel had completely misunderstood.

He was desperately trying to emphasize how clean he was.

Flustered, Shiorin nodded enthusiastically.

“Ah, yes. Of course I know. I saw this month’s water bill. It was much higher than last month’s.”

“Oh. I see…”

“No, I mean…”

She waved her hands.

“I’m not saying you should stop washing, Daniel…”

“…”

“Um…”

Unable to think of anything else to say, she blurted out:

“What time will you be back from your house call?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.

That sounded exactly like something a wife would ask her husband.

“I should’ve just said I had poor circulation.”

She had tried too hard to sound cool and somehow ended up upsetting a doctor who simply liked being clean.

Fortunately, Daniel was incredibly easygoing.

“The place I’m visiting is quite far away.”

He smiled.

“I’ll probably be back late in the afternoon. Even if I finish early, it’ll likely be close to midnight. Don’t wait up for me.”

The gentle tone in his voice made Shiorin automatically nod.

Then she suddenly froze.

“Wait. What is this?”

“Why does this conversation sound like something married couples would say?”

Unfortunately, she had been single for fifty-nine years across two lifetimes.

Her body immediately rejected this unfamiliar atmosphere.

Besides, Daniel’s role in her mind was perfectly clear.

“I’m Sherlock, and you’re Watson! I’m Sherlock, and you’re Watson!”

Suddenly jumping to her feet, she looked around frantically.

Then she grabbed his medical bag from the floor and shoved it against his chest.

“Get going, Watson.”

“…Huh?”

“I mean go earn money already. Aren’t you going to help pay the water bill? Do you want to live without being able to shower?”

Daniel stumbled backward in confusion.

“Uh… uh…”

Before he knew it, she had pushed him all the way down the stairs.

Bang!

The front door slammed shut behind him.

For a moment, he simply stood there, stunned.

Then he took a deep breath.

But he couldn’t hold it for long.

“Heh… hahaha!”

Laughter escaped him.

He shook his head while chuckling to himself.

Passersby glanced at him strangely, but he didn’t care.

Still smiling, he continued walking down Estreet’s Twelfth Avenue.

And as he walked—

Someone began following in his footsteps.

***

Hissss—!

A massive train bound for the eastern region released a powerful burst of steam.

Clank. Clank.

As the long train began moving, passengers looked out the windows.

Among the crowd, a tall man carrying a medical bag opened a compartment door.

Slide.

The compartment was first class.

A private carriage lined with individual rooms.

Step. Step.

Daniel entered one of the rooms near the center.

The spacious cabin contained a table and comfortable seats facing each other.

Picking up a newspaper from a nearby shelf, he began reading naturally.

After about a page—

“What was so funny earlier?”

A voice suddenly came from across the table.

Even though there had been no sign that anyone else was there.

Lowering the newspaper, Daniel smirked.

A young blond man sat across from him, looking curious.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you laugh like that, Duke.”

Daniel crossed his arms and looked at him.

His expression and gaze bore no resemblance whatsoever to the ones he showed Shiorin.

“Has it?”

His reply was indifferent.

But the young man was probably right.

The man sitting before him was practically his shadow.

Louis Graham.

Daniel’s personal knight.

Their fathers had arranged the position, and Louis had accompanied him since his teenage years.

They had known each other for fifteen years.

Ignoring Louis’s obvious curiosity, Daniel changed the subject.

“What about the thing I asked you to investigate?”

“Wow. That’s cold.”

Grumbling, Louis reached into his inner pocket.

Then he placed a stack of papers on the table.

“Responses from the scholars.”

Several pages filled with densely packed writing.

Daniel immediately began reading them.

After a while, one eyebrow rose.

“What is this? None of these are proper answers.”

“Exactly.”

Louis shrugged.

“Nobody knows. They can’t even guess what those square-shaped characters are. Most of them just begged for more time.”

Daniel’s expression darkened.

He had secretly mobilized some of the finest linguists in the Therman Empire.

And not one of them could decipher it?

“…What kind of woman are you?”

He had thought it hundreds of times.

But this was the first time he had said it aloud.

Daniel remembered the countless notebooks stacked in one corner of Shiorin’s storage-room-like study.

Every single one was filled with those square-shaped characters.

Like a code.

When he first discovered them, he thought he had finally found a clue.

Yet—

“Give them more time.”

His voice grew colder.

“And tell them that if they value their lives, they’ll decipher everything within a month.”

Louis nodded.

Then he added,

“Honestly, I don’t think she’s an ordinary woman either. As for what kind of woman she is…”

He smiled slightly.

“You’re the one investigating that personally, Duke.”

Quietly removing his glasses, Daniel turned toward the window.

The scenery rushing past felt familiar.

Of course it did.

This was the same train he always rode when returning to the ducal estate.

One year ago, he never would have imagined it.

Never imagined that he would board this train as the Duke of Caldir.

…Brother.

Calix Caldir.

Daniel had an older brother.

There was a ten-year age gap between them.

Calix had been the perfect heir.

Unlike Daniel, who constantly caused trouble growing up, Calix lacked nothing in either character or ability.

Because of him, Daniel had been free.

For someone who spent his life yearning for freedom, his brother had been an irreplaceable source of support.

A trusted ally.

Someone who shielded him from restrictions and expectations.

He truly had been.

Until one year ago.

Until the day his brother inherited the duchy…

And died a sudden, violent death.