IMMCFC 34

 Chapter 34

As the moon hung in the sky, Cain found himself heading here almost out of habit.

He wandered through the garden aimlessly.

Even though he knew lingering longer wouldn’t fill the emptiness he felt, he couldn’t bring himself to return immediately.

He stopped in front of a flowerbed he normally wouldn’t care about and glanced at the flowers.

Viola always seemed to brighten up over such trivial things.

Unfortunately, Cain couldn’t find much enjoyment in it.

Yesterday had seemed enjoyable, but for some reason, that feeling was absent now. He couldn’t explain why.

Hah. What am I even doing?

Wasting time for no reason, and instead of finding peace, his mind was more tangled than ever.

Finally, Cain decided it was time to go back.

As he turned to step toward the mansion, a familiar presence brushed past his sensitive senses.

Rustle.

The light sound of footsteps on the grass.

And the distinct bitter-sweet scent of the garden carried on the wind.

The duke’s staff would never dare be out here at this hour.

Then the source of this presence could only be…

“Viola?”

Cain wondered if he was hallucinating. It couldn’t be real. She should be asleep at this hour. Why was she outside now?

But the figure before him was far too vivid to be an illusion.

“Duke…!”

Her skirt brushing her ankles, she lifted it slightly and ran toward him.

Finally stopping before him, she caught her breath.

Caught off guard by the unexpected meeting, Cain froze and said nothing. Viola’s eyebrows drew together in concern.

“I’m sorry, I’m really late, hehe…”

Viola scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed as she spoke.

Cain simply watched her quietly.

Wasn’t she asleep?

‘Why is she out at this hour? No… before that.’

He needed to check something.

“Are you… alright?” he asked.

She blinked and let out a short sigh.

“Ah, my body? I’m fine! But… I’m sorry if I caused you unnecessary worry…”

So she was aware she was being troublesome. Though, judging by her frequent antics, she often caused trouble anyway.

Still, her claim that she was fine seemed genuine as she began chattering as usual.

“I was surprised when I woke up in the bedroom. Someone must have moved me… I’m sorry, it must have been heavy…”

Heavy? Preposterous.

She was skinnier than he expected. Did she even eat properly?

Cain replied indifferently.

“Not really.”

“Huh? You moved me?”

Viola, walking ahead, turned sharply to look at him.

Had he admitted it, she would’ve been utterly shocked, so Cain said nothing.

Assuming his silence as confirmation, her ears flushed bright red in an instant.

“Ah… really? Thank you for helping me.”

Embarrassed… “heavy”… she waved her hands like a fan to cool the blush on her face.

‘A girl the size of a squirrel, yet she’s heavy,’ he thought.

Unaware of Cain’s thought, she waved her hands again and began speaking.

“I feel like I keep showing you silly things.”

It was hard to understand her standards. She could be timid over trivial matters yet astonishingly bold in serious situations.

“That doesn’t matter. Unless it’s about recklessly eating poisonous herbs.”

“Ah… that’s true. I’m sorry. At the time, I was desperate. I wanted to prove it myself, to be sure.”

Embarrassed, she quickened her pace.

Left unchecked, she might overexert herself.

Cain decided to change the topic.

“By the way, I met your daughter. Melody.”

“Ah! Really?”

It seemed like a pleasant topic, as she stopped in her tracks.

“Yes. She’s spirited.”

Cain recalled Melody.

Most children screamed when they saw him, but Melody wasn’t afraid. She even confidently made demands.

If not for her resemblance to Viola, one might have believed she inherited the Ashchern bloodline.

‘Do those with strong vitality differ from ordinary people?’

Or perhaps she simply resembled her mother. Viola was equally fearless.

He offered a brief compliment, and Viola’s face brightened.

“Actually, it’s not just because she’s my daughter. Melody isn’t always this bold.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! She’s so clever. Her heart is kind. She’s adorable, and she even gave me flower rings as gifts last time!”

Like a flood, she began boasting about her daughter. How happy she seemed!

Her budding eyes sparkled in the moonlight.

Cain watched with a faint smile, listening.

“She also finds her way around well! Athletic too. She even won first place in the village running contest last time. Haha, I wonder who she takes after.”

Cain’s faint smile stiffened slightly.

‘Who she takes after…’

He knew she was joking, yet somehow the comment bothered him.

His mood sank without reason.

“Duke? What’s wrong?”

Viola looked up at him, noticing emotions she rarely saw on his face.

But even if she asked, Cain had no answer. He didn’t know the reason himself.

He decided to remain quiet and continued the walk, pretending nothing had happened.

Night deepened steadily.

The Next Day, Afternoon

I found myself being scolded by Jayden out of nowhere.

“I heard everything! What were you thinking?!”

The moment he entered the bedroom for treatment, Jayden came straight at me, furious.

Apparently, he had somehow heard about yesterday’s events.

‘Oh… I didn’t expect Master Jayden would know.’

Lately, it felt like the children were always scolding me. Melody, Jayden… and I’m supposed to be the adult!

“Viola, you’re not even a Tamutar patient, so why did you eat that dangerous thing?!”

“I’m sorry! But I had to confirm it for myself.”

Honestly, even if Celia hadn’t been there, I would have eventually done it.

It wasn’t ordinary herbs—it was extremely dangerous.

I was confident I would be safe, but there was no telling how Jayden would react if he had to eat it.

Who would willingly agree to eat poisonous herbs?

So I had no choice but to confirm it myself.

I was only acting on what I intended, but apparently it worried Jayden.

I noticed the corners of his eyes reddened, likely from crying last night.

He was scolding me boldly now, but he was clearly shocked.

Jayden scrunched his nose and shouted again.

“Then it should’ve been me, the patient, who ate it! I’d have had to eat it eventually anyway!”

“The mixture isn’t complete yet. You can’t just take it recklessly.”

Besides, what I had eaten yesterday was merely the antidote, not the Tamutar medicine.

Eating poison and then taking the antidote is different from properly combining the two to make a safe medicine.

The latter minimizes side effects and is much safer. Yesterday, I only wanted to demonstrate the antidote’s safety.

I was lost in thought, staring at the floor patterns, when suddenly Jayden struck a blow.

“Then… you can do it, right?”