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Chapter 19
“Please tell me. I’ll listen.”
“The Bayern family illness… is a mysterious lung disease.”
This disease, which appears suddenly, can trace back several generations.
In the past, it was thought to be a curse, and only those who survived after bearing many children inherited the family line.
Nowadays, with advances in science and medicine, it was understood to be a pulmonary disease, yet there is still no cure.
They tried doctors, alchemists, even witches—but it was all meaningless.
“For the collateral lines, it rarely manifested. But for the direct line, the impact was severe.”
“I see.”
“I was fortunate not to manifest it. But Susanna has been frail since childhood. After giving birth, she grew weaker and weaker.”
“Has Susanna continued to live here?”
Ibel carefully organized the story in her mind.
By applying a process of elimination, she could clearly see why Victor was unaffected and why Susanna had been afflicted.
“Susanna has never left the estate. She has always been here. I, on the other hand, traveled quite a bit with my father from around the age of ten.”
“So even when you two were children… you didn’t open windows and kept the curtains tightly closed?”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“And even during your grandparents’ generation?”
Ah, I’ll need writing tools.
Ibel stood, fetched a fountain pen and notebook, and opened them.
She had already suspected it was a lung disease, so what needed immediate change was the environment.
“It’s probably because the idea of a curse was so strong. The only odd thing is that Susanna’s husband also died from illness.”
That makes calling it a ‘family disease’ a bit questionable, doesn’t it?
“First, let me explain this. In modern medicine, for lung disease, ventilation is crucial. Remove all those unsightly curtains and open the windows wide. Where curtains are necessary, replace them with thin ones, and wash them at least once every two weeks.”
“Yes.”
“And I really, really want to say this… get multiple ladders. For every corner of Lambrie, between stones, and among statues…! We’ll clean all the mold growing there.”
Medicine isn’t the first priority—changing the environment comes first.
Next was a careful check on the two children’s conditions.
“I heard Anselm has been coughing. What about Damian?”
“As far as I know, Damian is fine.”
“Fine?”
But that’s not true.
‘I haven’t conducted a proper examination, so let’s move on for now.’
I’d heard that the children’s fierceness was so much that the attending doctor had been replaced three times. So there were likely no proper medical records, meaning she would have to start fresh.
“And Ibel, I hope you can respect this: I don’t want the children to learn about the family disease.”
“You don’t want them to fear it unnecessarily.”
“Yes. If the house were the issue, I would have sent at least Anselm to a boarding school, but symptoms appear before he reaches that age, and as you’ll see, Damian cannot be sent to school either.”
“And separating them would be another problem. I’ve heard they’re very close.”
Ibel began to form a clearer picture of the tasks at hand.
In truth, there’s no medicine for a lung disease. Many internists have researched it, but there’s no definitive solution.
A regrettable reality.
“In the capital, many people live with chronic coughs due to nearby factories. But the treatment they receive is limited to painkillers and suggestions to rest.”
“I see.”
“Honestly, I don’t know if I can overcome the limits of medicine. But I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.”
Scritch-scratch.
As Ibel wrote in her notebook, she wrote the words “male” and “female” and asked:
“Aunt, you have no symptoms, correct?”
“Yes. For reference, she went to a convent around the age of ten. After Susanna left, she came to the estate under the pretext of taking care of the children.”
So it doesn’t affect only males, and there must be another common factor.
Ibel, retracing her thoughts, asked about Damian again.
“Does Damian often wander outside?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been told. Shortly after Susanna left, he would go into the forest and not return for two days. It became a habit afterward. He’s so active that keeping him in a room is difficult.”
“Conversely, Anselm spends a lot of time inside the mansion?”
“Yes, that’s what I’ve been told. He loves books and learning, so he mostly stays in the library.”
They are twins—one was afflicted, the other not.
Their daily habits differ greatly.
‘It seems to me the house itself is the problem.’
So is the house the issue? Or its environment?
She would have to eliminate possibilities one by one to find out.
“I’m grateful Ban-ya Halme helped me.”
Finishing her thoughts, Ibel smiled.
“I need a list of all long-serving staff, especially those who live in the mansion. I also need a list of anyone who has had a chronic cough.”
“I’ll call Ban-ya Halme immediately.”
Soon, Victor summoned Ban-ya Halme and the butler.
Facing them, Ibel explained calmly and stated her requests.
“I’d like to inspect the staff quarters tomorrow afternoon, so inform everyone.”
“Understood. The staff quarters are separately built near the annex.”
The butler politely explained, showing the estate’s layout.
‘It really is grand when you look at it this way.’
Behind the main mansion are three annexes. The staff quarters are divided by gender. One building, formerly for the knights, is now closed as it no longer fits modern times. Food storage is located separately to the east and west.
Ibel admired the estate layout, astounded by the Bayern family’s wealth.
After enjoying this moment, Ibel went downstairs to receive greetings from the staff.
By principle, she should have waited until after the ceremony, but Victor had given the order early so Ibel could gain authority quickly.
No one in the Bayern household would refuse a request from the family head.
“Welcome back, future Madam!”
“Welcome back, future Madam…!”
Descending the spiral staircase slowly, the orderly staff all greeted her.
It was… somehow more striking than she had imagined.
Seeing this made the reality of becoming Victor’s wife sink in.
Even if it was only a temporary contract.
“What?! Is that true?!”
That night, Genevieve, having returned from an outing, was furious after hearing today’s events from her favorite maid.
“Damian bit her, and she handled it gracefully, leaving a good impression?”
“Yes, yes.”
“Hah. So young and already knows how to handle children. I wonder if she gave birth to one somewhere.”
Genevieve was already in a bad mood. Hearing the staff call Ibel the ‘future Madam’ only twisted her stomach further.
“I thought she’d run away if she met Damian…”
Muttering, Genevieve waved her hand; the maid quickly brought her a fan.
“This is my house! I’ve decorated so much with my own hands! And that Victor boy doesn’t even appreciate it. Fine. But now he expects me to become an old maid in the back room? That’s unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable.”
Raising the children Susanna left behind had been exhausting.
Victor never acknowledged that, but Genevieve had put in effort herself.
She tried to break their spirits with all manners of discipline and beatings.
“And instead of acknowledging my efforts, he brings in a wife without any proper greeting. Overnight, she’s the future Madam!”
Genevieve truly felt hurt.
Today’s encounter with Mrs. Evershtein was the problem.
“My daughter’s matters, I’ll handle myself. Please do not worry about it.”
