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Chapter 18
The shirt that must have been white until morning was now a complete mess. The child, wearing shorts, stockings, and loafers, resembled Victor to a surprising degree.
Except for the way he snarled and struggled like an injured fox.
“Damian?”
She hadn’t expected to encounter him like this before even exchanging greetings, but Ibel tried to remain calm.
‘They said he reacts when he hears his name.’
He wasn’t completely out of his mind. It was more that he was driven by instinct.
They had said that when he was calm, he could be extremely docile.
Ibel carefully examined the boy who whipped his head toward her.
His eyes were clear, and his body wasn’t swollen. But what bothered her was how quickly his chest was rising and falling.
It looked like he was short of breath—and forcing himself to hide it.
“Damian.”
She called his name softly once more.
The servants, already flustered, were startled by Ibel’s sudden appearance and loosened their grip.
The boy didn’t miss that brief moment—he sprang up like a bullet—
“!”
—and bit down hard on Ibel’s hand.
“Ah!”
“My lady!!!”
The horrified servants tried to grab him and pull him away, but the more they did, the stronger his bite became.
It was painful, far beyond what one would expect from a child’s strength, but Ibel didn’t show it at all.
“Everyone, stop. Step back.”
Even saying those two short commands wasn’t easy.
With a slight twitch of her brow, instead of pulling her arm away, Ibel pushed her fist even deeper into the child’s mouth.
“Ugh…!”
Just as expected, the child gagged and instinctively loosened his jaw. In that instant, Ibel swiftly pulled her hand free and, moving like lightning, grabbed the back of his head and slammed him to the ground.
The boy growled in frustration and thrashed about, but Ibel pressed him down firmly with her weight, not budging in the slightest.
“Who taught you to prey on the weak while yielding to the strong? That kind of pride-less attitude isn’t right.”
“Grrr!”
“If you’re upset because of your mother’s bedroom, I’ve already ordered everything to be restored. Once you’ve calmed down, would you like to go and tidy it up yourself?”
For a moment, the boy’s struggling stopped.
Others didn’t notice it, but Ibel, whose body was in direct contact with his, could feel it—and that was enough for her to be certain.
This kid understands everything.
‘He doesn’t seem truly insane. It’s more like he’s pretending—protesting in his own way.’
Haa… haa…
Listening closely at such proximity, his breathing was definitely not normal. There was no rash, so it didn’t seem to be a fever.
She still didn’t know what the Bayer family’s hereditary illness was.
‘By process of elimination, it’s definitely not a mental disorder.’
Then what was the problem?
As she pondered deeply, she felt the boy finally go limp, as if he had given up. She then instructed the servants to carry him.
“Lay him in the room that Sersanna used to use.”
A short while later.
“Did you hear about it?”
“You mean how my lady completely subdued the young master? Toby, who was there, has already been spreading the story everywhere!”
“They say she even saved Eloy?”
“Wow. Looks like the young masters have finally met their match.”
“When Eloy asked how she did it, she said that if you’re bitten by a vicious dog, you should push your fist deeper into its mouth!”
“Amazing. How can she be so decisive? No wonder His Highness the Grand Duke fell for her.”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Ibel’s feat spread throughout the entire mansion in an instant.
The servants and maids who had witnessed everything firsthand ran around breathlessly, eager to tell others.
As the story spread, it became more and more embellished, and by the time it reached the kitchen, Ibel had practically become a hero.
“We don’t even know what kind of food she likes yet! This is a problem. She must be injured, so we should at least serve some meat.”
Old chef Vans, who was in charge of the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves.
The other kitchen staff, who had been huddled together listening to the tale, quickly got busy—churning premium butter, rolling dough, and bustling about.
“Today it’s Wellington! Time to show my skills.”
Following old Vans’ spirited command, everyone moved energetically.
For the first time in a long while, a pleasant atmosphere filled the entire mansion.
Meanwhile, at that same time, Ibel was once again with Victor.
Victor had heard everything and stopped his work to come find her.
“I can do this myself, you know.”
“I know.”
She said it awkwardly out of embarrassment, but Victor replied calmly as he wrapped the bandage.
At this point, even apologizing didn’t seem enough.
Yesterday, at least, there hadn’t been any wounds—but today, clear bite marks were etched into her delicate skin.
Though Ibel appeared unfazed, his heart was not at ease.
“It’s my fault for calling Damian when he was agitated. I’m not saying I’m fine because I have some ‘kindness disease’—objectively speaking.”
“You were trying to save a servant. There’s no need to blame yourself.”
It seemed like Victor was the one blaming himself.
After watching him silently, Ibel drew a firm line.
“You weren’t there, so there’s no need for you to blame yourself either. And it’s not like you can abandon your work and stay by my side every moment of every day—nor would I want that. This was an accident. Something that could have happened.”
“……”
“More importantly, I examined Damian with a doctor’s eye. He seemed to have difficulty breathing… Didn’t you say he was healthy?”
What exactly was a doctor?
To Victor, who only thought of it as someone who treated injuries, it was hard to understand.
What was it that made her act so composed?
“Victor.”
As he momentarily fell silent, Ibel looked straight into his eyes and spoke without hesitation.
“I know who I am. I am the daughter of the Claren family, the adopted daughter of the Eberstein family, and your contract wife. But before all of that, I am a doctor.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s because I’m a doctor that I’m fine. Getting hurt a little while examining a patient’s condition isn’t a problem, and if I keep feeling sorry or worried about that, I won’t be able to continue treating patients. That would mean you don’t respect me as a doctor. Did you bring me here as a doctor? Or as a noble lady?”
Her gaze was intense.
Eyes as beautiful as marigolds, yet strong as if they held the sun itself.
Filled with belief in herself, a firm sense of identity, conviction, and strength… she was vivid, almost as if one could be drawn into her.
Victor, who had been quietly gazing at her, slowly apologized.
“I was mistaken, Ibel. You are a doctor with sufficient experience and skill.”
“Yes, I am a doctor. And I don’t like it when others interfere with my way of treating patients. Excessive worry isn’t consideration.”
At her sharp tone, he let out a low chuckle.
Even though Ibel was currently “acting like a lady”… yes, this was who she had always been.
The kind of person who would jump into surgeries she had never learned in university to save a dying soldier, who would grab a screaming patient’s hand and shout for them not to die while doing everything she could.
The one who, after staring at a blood-soaked, cold corpse, would grit her teeth and move on to save the next patient…
He had never once seen her stop.
‘Perhaps that’s why I kept being drawn to her.’
In that place where everyone became tainted and broken, Ibel alone had remained unchanged.
Back then, he didn’t understand what drove her so much—but now, he felt like he did.
A sense of duty.
Pride and dignity as a doctor. And confidence in herself.
In short… she was admirable.
Only now did Victor fully realize why he had sought Ibel out, and why he wanted her by his side.
“I learn a lot from you.”
“What have I even done?”
Shrugging, Ibel straightened her posture seriously. Victor also released her hand and sat down.
“It seems it’s time to talk about the hereditary illness.”
