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~Chapter : 14~
“Are you… okay?”
Her expression looked genuinely surprised.
‘I’ve never seen Rahel make that face.’
Moreover…
Her hair was in disarray, and her clothes were the same ones she had worn for training.
‘Ah, right. Rahel doesn’t know about my illness.’
I still hadn’t revealed my condition to either Rahel or the Duke.
My illness is in perfect harmony with Rahel’s ability to absorb the surrounding mana and turn it into her own, so if I had revealed it, I could’ve easily entered the Duke’s household.
The problem was, if I revealed my illness, I would also have to reveal that I knew Rahel’s constitution.
‘If I said I was sick, people would probably hesitate to make me a playmate, so it made sense to hide it…’
However, Rahel’s constitution was a closely guarded secret.
If I revealed that I knew about it, I would be seen as suspicious, so I had kept quiet.
‘I planned to get close enough to Rahel and the Duke to earn their trust and learn her constitution, then I would have told her… but… I never expected to collapse like this!’
“Sorry, miss. I know you’re shocked, but it’s not that serious of an illness. I’ve been like this for a few years…”
“…You’ve been sick for years?”
In my panic to reassure Rahel, I inadvertently blurted out, ‘Actually, I’ve been hiding that I’m sick!’
I immediately realized my mistake and clamped my mouth shut.
But the words were already out.
When I glanced at Rahel, her expression had hardened.
‘I’m doomed…’
It seemed she was angry that I had been hiding my illness from her.
“Does this mean you’ve fainted like this before?”
“No, no! This is the first time I’ve fainted. I usually just feel sick for a bit and then get better… it only lasts for about 20 minutes or so…”
I added more explanation, fearing that the more serious my illness seemed, the more she would be angry at me for hiding it.
“…Then, you were already feeling sick before you came near me just now?”
Rahel’s expression grew even more serious.
At the same time, I started to panic.
‘No! I can’t lose my position as her friend over this!’
In my desperation to avoid losing her trust, Rahel spoke first.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”
It was then that I saw the emotion in her eyes.
It wasn’t anger or frustration…
“I thought you… were going to die because of me.”
Fear.
What filled her eyes was fear and guilt.
‘She was worried about me.’
No matter how much I may become a ruthless villain in the future, that’s a story for another time.
What was in front of me now was the pure heart of a child who cared about her friend.
The moment I realized that, Rahel ceased to be just a character from a novel and became a real friend to me.
At the same time, all the things I had wanted to say to her before I collapsed came rushing back to me.
Now was the time to say those words.
“Actually, I’ve been waiting to say something to you, Miss.”
“…Something to say?”
I looked directly into Rahel’s blue eyes.
Because sincerity can be conveyed through eyes.
“I’m not afraid of you, Miss. Even though you’re the child of a traitor.”
“….”
“It’s not your fault, Miss. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
“….”
“If a friend is wronged, you don’t run away, you believe in them and help them. So…”
I tightly gripped Rahel’s hand.
“I will stay by your side.”
That was my true feeling.
Putting aside the fact that my life was on the line, I wanted to heal this child’s wounds with all my heart.
Rahel stared at me with trembling eyes, then lowered her gaze to the hand I was holding.
But she didn’t pull away.
‘Ah, right. I need to tell her about my illness.’
If a regular doctor had diagnosed me, they wouldn’t have been able to figure out what was wrong with me.
It was a mana-related illness, so only a magician could diagnose it.
Rahel must have been worrying about me without knowing what my illness was.
Just before Rahel started to worry even more, I was about to explain my condition to her when…
Knock knock
The sound of a knock echoed, followed by the butler’s voice.
“Miss, may I come in for a moment?”
“Come in.”
I tensed up when the two of them entered the room.
‘Are they going to scold me for hiding my illness?’
But to my surprise, the butler first examined my condition.
“I heard you collapsed. Are you feeling better, Vivienne?”
“Yes. Thanks to Miss calling the doctor right away, I’m much better now.”
“That’s a relief.”
However, the nurse beside the butler gave me a look that seemed rather meaningful.
‘This is making me uneasy.’
And, as expected, that feeling turned out to be correct.
“It might be best for you to rest at home until you’re better. If you push yourself while you’re sick, it could make things worse.”
“Does that mean you don’t want me to come to the mansion for a while?”
“Of course not. We’ll support you in any way we can so that you can recover quickly and return to the mansion.”
My heart sank.
The butler spoke as if it was for my sake, but in reality, it was about isolating me from Rahel.
‘An ill child with an unknown illness could be detrimental to Rahel’s emotional well-being.’
If this turned out to be an infectious disease, it would be even worse.
It was then that I realized why the nurse was wearing such a confident expression while looking at me.
But…
‘My illness actually helps Rahel.’
I suspected that the doctor hadn’t been able to diagnose my illness, but once the Duke’s household finds out, they’ll probably keep me close to Rahel to help her.
There was one problem, though.
‘They probably won’t believe me right away, since I’m not an expert.’
The Duke’s household would try to get an official diagnosis, but I wasn’t sure if there was a magician in the household capable of diagnosing mana-related illnesses.
If there wasn’t, they’d have to go through the cumbersome process of bringing in an external magician to diagnose it.
‘In the worst case, they might just dismiss me without further action, finding it troublesome…’
In any case, the only action I could take in this situation was to speak up about my illness.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, the door swung open unexpectedly.
An older man with glasses entered, and I immediately realized he was the Duke’s household doctor.
The doctor, noticing the butler and nurse, apologized in a flustered manner.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I learned the diagnosis and was eager to tell you right away…”
At the doctor’s words, Rahel, the butler, and the nurse all widened their eyes.
“This child’s illness has been diagnosed?”
“Yes. Sir Brian confirmed it.”
