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Chapter 35
Rose’s skin, in contact with the Duke, was unbearably hot.
“What kind of fever…!”
Seeing Rose so flushed, the Duke couldn’t help but frown. He bit his lower lip as he looked at her, limp and powerless in his arms. He glanced around to see if anyone from Rose’s party was nearby. But there was no one—no maid, no bodyguard.
“She came out alone in this state…”
Or rather, was she sent out alone?
‘She just got divorced.’
The Duke found himself somewhat unsettled by the sight of Rose muttering that with a bright smile. He lifted her into his arms and turned into a quiet alley. People had been giving suspicious glances at the Duke, standing with a woman collapsed in the middle of the square.
“Where should I take her?”
Should he bring her to his mansion? No, that might start unnecessary rumors. He wouldn’t care, but it could cause Rose trouble. Perhaps the clinic?
“…Lady Wens is well-known; rumors might spread unnecessarily.”
Seeing her lying there, people might whisper that she had been “abandoned.” The Duke didn’t want Rose to hear such talk. He was stuck, unable to decide what to do. Rose’s body still felt like a burning flame. He watched her panting irregularly in his arms and bit his lip. A terrifying thought crossed his mind: what if something happened to this delicate woman?
At that moment, he remembered some people he had forgotten.
“…I know where to go.”
He chuckled bitterly at remembering them late. The Duke strode forward, carefully scanning his surroundings as he turned the corner.
Where he thought no one would be, a small figure of a knight appeared. The knight couldn’t take his eyes off the Duke in his robe and the collapsed Rose. Frowning, the Duke quickly moved past.
“…Could it be, my lady?”
The person he encountered was Cern, Rose’s bodyguard. Seeing Rose like that made him doubt his eyes. Just now, hadn’t she been in some man’s arms? Her face was buried against the Duke, so he couldn’t see her features properly. But her neatly braided, pale pink hair was unmistakably hers. To confirm, he followed the Duke.
The man in the black robe was extremely suspicious, holding the collapsed woman while glancing around. Cern, not realizing it was the Duke, continued following him. He didn’t lose sight of the Duke as he disappeared into the crowd. But the Duke noticed Cern following him.
‘Why is he following?’
Determined to shake him off, the Duke quickened his pace.
‘…He’s onto me!’
The Duke began running to lose Cern. Cern chased after him relentlessly. The gap between them closed. If only they could turn the next corner, he might catch him. The Duke turned into an alley; Cern followed swiftly. But when Cern rounded the corner,
“…What?”
He froze.
“Where did they disappear to?”
It was a dead-end alley. But the Duke and Rose were nowhere to be found. Flustered, Cern hurried to the mansion.
‘I need to check if she’s there. If she’s really in his arms…’
He felt uneasy, though he hoped the woman in the Duke’s arms wasn’t Rose.
‘If it’s Lady Rose, she would never come out alone.’
He felt anxious. What if the person with him really was Lady Rose? He was following Cedric’s orders, but he was still her bodyguard. Cern ran to the mansion, thinking only of Rose.
As he entered through the main gate, the knights saluted.
“Hey, Cern.”
Breathless from running, wind whipping his face, Cern stopped.
‘Phew… someone might think I ran that fast the wind blew up!’
The knight dismissed it as a coincidence. Cern, despite running so hard, caught his breath and asked the knight:
“Where is my lady?”
“…Lady? Ahahaha, well…”
When asked about Rose, the knight looked embarrassed and lowered his head.
“Your lady has divorced the Count.”
“So where is she now?”
Cern had expected the divorce. He worked for Cedric and knew it would happen eventually.
“…Aren’t you surprised?”
The knight’s eyes widened at Cern’s calm reaction.
“If it were the usual Cern, he’d go: ‘What? Really? No way! Why our lady! This can’t happen!’ That’s the reaction he should have.”
He imitated Cern’s reaction, glaring suspiciously at him, pretending to act as expected.
“…I’m so shocked I can’t speak! How could our lady be divorced!”
The knight laughed heartily at Cern’s over-the-top act.
“Haha, you startled me. I thought you’d become a completely different person, Cern.”
Cern glared at the knight, who still wouldn’t reveal where Rose was.
“Huh? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Me? I’m just…”
Cern gave him an innocent look, though he was scheming.
“Hmph. You’re being annoying today.”
“Oh, sir. When have I ever gone against you?”
Cern mischievously pinched the knight’s shoulder.
“Where is my lady now? She didn’t just leave without saying goodbye, right?”
Cern’s polite tone contrasted with his narrowed eyes as he pinched the man’s shoulder.
‘Say it already.’
Social interactions were complicated. He wanted to ignore him, but the knight was persistent. To carry out Cedric’s orders smoothly, it was better to maintain a good relationship with the other knights.
‘With Lady Gwen gone, I need to do better.’
Cern had just sent Cedric a telegram. Eric had expelled Gwen. The knight sighed and rummaged in his pocket, quietly handing Cern a folded note.
“Your lady has already left. She wanted you to have this, as she couldn’t say goodbye personally.”
“My lady… has left?”
Cern’s mind went blank. If she wasn’t at the mansion… could the woman he had seen really have been Rose? In his eyes, the woman in the Duke’s arms looked like she was being kidnapped.
‘She’s just a woman who has nothing to do with me. I was only approaching her under Cedric’s orders.’
Cern calmed himself and took the note. He was her bodyguard, yes, but now he considered her unrelated to him. Slowly, he unfolded the note:
*To Sir Cern,
Thank you for being my bodyguard all this time. I felt so reassured having you by my side. I’m sorry I can’t say goodbye in person. I hope you won’t feel too sad about this note. Let’s have a meal together sometime—not as a knight and lady, but as siblings. Looking forward to seeing you again.
P.S. Did you make up with Jane? You need to reconcile so the three of us can eat together. *
Even though it should have been delivered long ago, the note still radiated warmth. Cern stared at it endlessly.
In a quiet place stood an old, shabby mansion, barely resembling a noble house. A woman with long pink hair, flowing down to her waist, tended the garden. Though not large, it was a cozy space where she could plant her favorite flowers, now in full bloom.
“Summer’s almost over. Time to plant autumn flowers.”
The woman, intoxicated by the fragrant blooms, was remarkably beautiful for her age—clear skin, delicate features, a slender frame. A woman who looked every bit the image of a first love. She resembled Rose strikingly—this was Rose’s mother, Rivera. She began watering the flowers in the garden.
“Countess Serviat.”
From behind Rivera, the Duke of Artium’s voice spoke without warning.
“Eek!”
Startled, she clutched her chest, took a deep breath, and turned slowly.
“Duke? What brings you here…?”
Seeing the Duke was one thing—but he wasn’t alone. A woman, limp and lifeless, rested in his arms. Her body hung like a corpse. Rivera swallowed nervously, sensing something was off. The woman in his arms felt painfully familiar. She steadied her racing heart and stared at the girl—small in stature, with pink hair.
“Rose!”
Her long-lost daughter, in the Duke of Artium’s arms.
“What… what happened?!”
Tears began filling her eyes.
“Baby, baby! Try to wake up!”
Rivera looked at Rose, breathing heavily, tears in her eyes.
“Duke, what happened to our Rose?”
Her voice trembled, and she looked at him with desperate eyes, praying her daughter was unharmed.
“She has a high fever. Let’s bring her inside first.”
Rivera nodded vigorously at his words. She wiped the tears running down her cheeks and hurried inside. Joy at seeing her daughter after three years was eclipsed by fear that something might be wrong. Her trembling hands reached for the door, but before she could touch it, it creaked open.
“What’s all the commotion?”
A man emerged—Demon de Serviat, Rose’s father. Seeing her husband, Rivera broke down completely. He held her in his arms, comforting her, then turned a cold gaze toward the Duke. More precisely, toward Rose in the Duke’s arms. His expression was icy, utterly stern, as he looked at her.
