THJDM 39

chapter 39

The rain continued without pause even the next day.

Rubiana spent the entire day staring out the window.

Even when she tried to read a book or a newspaper, she found it hard to concentrate.

At that moment, she saw a horse carrying a soldier galloping through the main gate.

“It must be a telegram!”

Rubiana quickly rushed down to the first-floor lobby.

Her guess was correct.

Countess Virginia Payson, who had come out first, was holding a telegram in her hand.

“It’s from Stephanie. Darrow is still raining, she says. It seems like he might be able to return tomorrow.”

Virginia gave Rubiana a gentle smile, as if to reassure her.

But Rubiana couldn’t feel at ease.

“Is he alright? He wasn’t hurt, was he?”

“Yes. There’s no mention of that.”

“What about the others? Are they all safe? Was there any major accident?”

Seeing Rubiana asking anxiously, Virginia’s expression softened with concern.

“Oh, Rubiana… Is this because of His Highness, the Grand Duke?”

“Ah… well…”

“Did the Grand Duke not send any other messages? I suppose if he didn’t, it would make you worry.”

Rubiana shook her head.

She wasn’t exactly worried; she just wanted to know the current situation.

I wouldn’t be worried about Elion. Not in front of Mother, at least.

Virginia held Rubiana’s hands and spoke gently, as if comforting her.

“There was no mention of the Grand Duke in the telegram. That means he’s probably safe, doesn’t it?”

“……”

“If something serious had happened to him, Stephanie would have mentioned it, right?”

“……Yes.”

Perhaps it was her mother’s voice.

The gentle, comforting words loosened the tension she had been holding onto all night, and tears began to fall.

Startled by her daughter’s tears, Virginia wrapped her trembling shoulders in a warm embrace.

“Oh, Rubiana… You’ve been so worried. I didn’t even realize.”

“It’s not that… I wasn’t really worried. But I kept… why…?”

Why am I crying? There’s no reason to cry. How foolish.

Rubiana herself was equally surprised by her sudden tears.

She couldn’t understand what had happened.

She shouldn’t be this worried about Elion.

It should just be a formal concern as a partner in a symbiotic relationship.

A small, trivial worry.

Then why these tears?

“He’s someone essential to keeping me healthy, so it’s only natural to be this worried. I can’t let the saint take him away. That’s why.”

Rubiana repeated this to herself several times, resting in her mother’s warm embrace for a while.

The next day, the rain finally stopped.

Looking up at the cloudless, clear sky, Rubiana’s heart was filled with dark clouds.

The end of the rain meant that the Royal Knights, who had finished disaster relief in the East, would soon return to the capital.

And if events had proceeded according to the original story, Elion would be returning with injuries.

Rubiana again sat by the window, staring at the main gate from early morning until the afternoon.

She was dressed in her outing clothes, ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

Sophie, pouring tea into an empty cup, spoke with worry.

“Miss, I’ll watch the main gate. Why don’t you rest for a bit?”

Rubiana, having barely slept for the past two nights, had sallow skin and dark circles under her eyes.

She had barely eaten, and her face had grown gaunt.

Smiling brightly to reassure Sophie, Rubiana shook her head.

“I won’t be able to sleep even if I close my eyes. I just feel better watching from here. Thank you for worrying, Sophie.”

“…Yes.”

Taking a sip of the warm tea Sophie poured, Rubiana’s gaze returned to the main gate outside the window.

“Ah!”

Rubiana’s eyes widened.

The figure riding a horse through the main gate was unmistakably her sister, Stephanie.

“She’s back!”

Jumping to her feet, Rubiana clutched her skirts and ran down to the first floor.

Stephanie had just entered the mansion.

“I’m home, Mother!”

“Stephanie, welcome back! You’ve worked so hard, my daughter!”

“Good job, Sister!”

Virginia and Rubiana hugged Stephanie tightly in turn.

“I just stopped by briefly. I need to change clothes and go out again. I also have to write a report on the fieldwork and submit plans for follow-up work.”

“Oh, my daughter, you’ve worked so hard. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Virginia examined Stephanie’s body carefully.

Fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any injuries.

“I’m fine. But…”

Stephanie paused, looking at Rubiana.

Thump, thump… Even though Rubiana was almost certain of what Stephanie was about to say, her heart trembled violently.

Hurry, Sister. Tell me the Grand Duke is hurt but not badly, please!

Rubiana stared intently at Stephanie’s trembling lips, silently praying.

“The Grand Duke Klitzmann is injured. While rescuing children trapped in a half-collapsed building, the remaining half suddenly collapsed… It seems he was seriously hurt in the head and shoulder.”

“……”

“It seemed better for him to receive treatment while staying in Darrow, but he insisted on returning to the capital, so he is now being treated at the Grand Duke’s residence.”

Seriously injured? Ah…

Rubiana hadn’t entirely expected Elion to be severely injured.

In the original story, a saint had been called for treatment, so the injuries must have been more than ordinary.

Still, since the story had already deviated from the original, she wanted to believe that the extent of the injuries might also differ.

But the heavens delivered a cruel blow to Rubiana’s hope.

“I have to see His Highness.”

Suppressing the tears threatening to fall, Rubiana said to Virginia,

“May I go to the Grand Duke’s residence, Mother?”

“Of course. Be careful.”

Virginia gently patted Rubiana’s shoulder and nodded.

At that moment, the door opened, and a man introducing himself as the Grand Duke Klitzmann’s carriage driver entered.

“His Highness the Grand Duke requests to see Miss Rubiana Payson. Could you visit the residence now?”

“Yes, I can go.”

With her mother and sister seeing her off, Rubiana climbed into the Grand Duke’s carriage.

Inside the moving carriage, she clasped her hands together.

That Elion had sent for her was both a good and a bad sign.

It was a good sign because he had called her, not a saint, to stabilize his unstable magic.

It was a bad sign because sending for her in such urgency indicated that his condition was serious.

Elion, please be safe!

Rubiana closed her eyes tightly, praying to the god who might be listening.

“He was injured in the head and shoulder, but the injuries aren’t severe.”

“That’s a relief.”

“He’s currently asleep, taking fever and sleeping medication.”

Rubiana listened to Hailey’s explanation as she looked down at the seemingly lifeless Elion.

Normally, Elion’s strong build—or perhaps the aura of a swordmaster—made him quite imposing.

But now, asleep from the sleeping medicine, he looked like an ordinary person.

Of course… he is just an ordinary person. He bleeds if pricked, feels pain with fever, same as anyone else.

Looking at his pale face, Rubiana’s eyes filled with deep compassion.

“The real problem is his unstable magic. It’s the first time it’s been this severe since the symptoms appeared, so we were worried. That’s why we brought you urgently.”

“I see… you did well. Thank you.”

Rubiana spoke sincerely.

Hailey’s decision to contact her first, rather than a saint, to check on her lord’s condition was truly a stroke of brilliance.

“I’ll stay by His Highness from now on.”

“Thank you. Please call anytime if you need anything.”

“Yes, I will.”

After Hailey left, only Rubiana and Elion remained in the room.

Rubiana held Elion’s hand.

She could feel his magic flowing into her through their touch.

It was hotter and more excited than usual.

Remembering Hailey’s words that these symptoms were unprecedented, Rubiana clasped Elion’s hand tightly with both of hers.

Her body, deprived of magic for the past two days, gratefully accepted it.

“Your Highness, I’m here. Don’t worry and rest peacefully. I’ll stay by your side.”

Rubiana whispered to the sleeping Elion.

Perhaps because she hadn’t slept properly for the past two nights, or perhaps because the magic flowing into her was so soothing.

Or maybe because she was relieved that Elion’s injuries weren’t as severe as she had feared.

Soon, Rubiana herself began to doze, lying across the bed and drifting into sleep.