TLDH~15

Chapter 15

“Have you ever felt weakness in your arms or legs, or something similar? Or maybe your vision’s gotten blurry at times?”

“No.”

“Then—”

Before Dr. Paul could even finish, Grandfather shook his head firmly without a second’s thought.

Then the butler, who’d been standing quietly by the wall, lifted his head.

“You fell down a few days ago, sir.”

Paul turned back to look at Grandfather.

“Did you have trouble getting back up after you fell?”

“…A little. I might’ve fallen on my backside once or twice more.”

“Have you noticed your speech getting slurred at any point?”

“Once.”

No way.

Please, not that disease.

I looked at Paul, praying silently.

But, as if to crush that hope, Paul lifted his head with a grave expression.

“It seems the blood vessels have narrowed, causing issues with both the heart and the brain.”

“What?”

At Paul’s sudden words, Margo raised her voice in alarm, and the butler hurried closer to the bed in panic.

“It’s a precursor symptom of ictus.”

“……”

“Lady Leticia noticed it at a very good time. Had it been discovered any later, it could have been dangerous.”

A stroke.

‘So that’s it.’

If that was the illness, then it explained why Uncle Andrea had been able to take Grandfather’s authority for himself while Grandfather was still alive.

Because they hadn’t noticed it in time, Grandfather must have eventually suffered a full stroke. Then Andrea probably locked him away in the manor, calling it “house arrest.”

‘If that’s what happened…’

Then I could finally understand why a man like Grandfather—who had never named an heir all this time—had fallen so suddenly and completely.

He must have been left half-paralyzed, unable even to speak.

‘But he was your father.’

Why did he have to be so cruel?

Even without doing that, the heir’s seat was going to be Andrea’s anyway.

Father had refused the position, and Windrun didn’t have the ability for it.

So why go that far?

I stared blankly at Grandfather, remembering Andrea from my previous life.

Grandfather must have still trusted him.

And when I recalled Grandfather’s last expression as he looked at me back then, my chest ached faintly.

Of course, I couldn’t be sure of any of it.

But either way—this time, I could change things.

‘So that it doesn’t happen again.’

Ictus—or stroke—occurred when the blood vessels were blocked, cutting off blood flow from the heart to the brain.

But Grandfather hadn’t collapsed yet, and we’d caught it early.

‘It’s okay.’

If I could just get a treatment that dissolves the blockage—

‘Wait, does that kind of medicine even exist in this world?’

“Paul, it’s just a precursor, right? Ictus hasn’t started yet?”

“…No. It’s already in progress.”

I whipped my head toward him.

That answer hit like a hammer, and my eyes filled with tears.

“But—it can be treated, right?”

“It’s difficult, but if I can make a treatment, yes.”

I knew it!

“You can make it?”

“I’ve done some research on it before.”

Nice!

So that was the research he’d been working on back then.

I sighed in relief.

“But it’s not complete yet.”

Paul’s next words instantly erased that relief.

I looked up at him with drooping eyes, ready to cry at any second.

Flustered by the pitiful look, Paul cleared his throat awkwardly.

“The medicine must dissolve the waste within the blood vessels… but the key ingredient is still…”

He trailed off, biting his lip, and then suddenly looked up.

At the same time, a fragment of memory flashed through my head—his voice from before.

‘It should’ve been the bark, not the leaves. Damn it, stupid idiot.’

“Willow!”

I shouted without thinking.

“The bark!”

Normally, no one would think of tree bark as an ingredient for medicine.

Paul was no exception.

If he hadn’t once joined the Peluana War and seen the warriors there chewing on willow bark, he would never have known.

At first, he thought it was merely a pain reliever and used it to treat soldiers’ wounds.

It worked well for pain, but it had the side effect of poor blood clotting, which made it dangerous for treating external injuries—so he stopped using it.

But then, one soldier showing early ictus symptoms chewed a chunk of willow bark to ease severe pain in his leg—and the symptoms disappeared completely.

The bark hadn’t just dulled pain; it had thinned thick, sticky blood.

That discovery came years after the Peluana War.

‘So that’s why he couldn’t use it on Grandfather back then.’

But I couldn’t afford to wait until after that war.

After Peluana, Grandfather would never be able to leave the estate again.

‘That’s when it happened.’

Officially, it had been by the Emperor’s order, but Andrea must have been involved somehow.

There must have been a deal between them.

Did the Emperor truly want to destroy Esior?

My thoughts were spinning endlessly when Grandfather’s voice cut through them.

“What’s this about willow bark?”

“Um.”

I wanted to say, It’s a medicine containing salicylic acid, but I bit my tongue and looked at Paul instead.

Surely the expert could explain it better—

“I’ve never heard of it before…”

“……”

Ah, right.

This was before the Peluana War.

As I looked at his flustered face, I felt equally helpless.

How was I supposed to explain this?

Then suddenly, I remembered a book.

“I read in a book that if you boil and drink willow bark tea, it makes your blood clean.”

“Which book?”

“I don’t know. But it’s true. I saw it!”

I insisted confidently, even without knowing the title.

Paul stared at me, clearly debating whether or not to believe me.

I couldn’t stand his eyes on me, afraid he’d notice my nervousness, so I quickly turned to Grandfather.

“Grandpa!”

Hands on my hips, I looked up at him sternly.

“From now on, no more meat for you. No alcohol either. You have to take walks every day.”

“What?”

“And you have to sleep early. You can’t overwork yourself. I read that too much stress makes you sick.”

“How do you know that?”

Paul, Philip, and Grandfather all turned to me with equal astonishment.

“Books!”

I proudly used my favorite excuse and looked up at Paul, who nodded as if it actually made sense.

“Indeed, the young lady is right. Treatment is important, but lifestyle changes are just as critical. Lord Esior enjoys meat and wine, but he hardly moves around at all…”

Paul glanced meaningfully at Grandfather’s rounded stomach and cleared his throat.

Grandfather’s expression soured at the implication.

But what could he say?

It was true.

I patted his hand gently in reassurance.

“It’s okay! You’ll get better if you walk more.”

Grandfather stared at me for a moment, then let out a short laugh and shook his head.

“Ha! Ridiculous.”

But he didn’t move his hand away from mine resting atop it, so I knew he wasn’t really angry.

I grinned widely.

He froze at that smile, and Philip, ever the savior, stepped in smoothly.

“Lady Leticia is truly intelligent.”

“Intelligent, my foot.”

Grandfather waved his free hand dismissively, his brow furrowing.

But I knew now—when he said that, the corner of his mouth always twitched.

He was pleased but pretending not to be.

“Thank you, Philip.”

I beamed and gave a small, polite bow, making the butler’s face melt into a smile.

‘Guess I really am adorable.’

It used to feel awkward, but now I could feel my confidence growing.

When was the last time someone openly showed me affection like this?

‘When? Never.’

This was the first time.

The thought made my chest tighten and my nose sting a little. I bit my lip to hold it in.

‘It’s fine. I have now. That’s enough.’

Crying over the past was foolish.

Steeling my heart again, I turned my head—only to find Paul adjusting his monocle and staring straight at me.

His sharp, narrow eyes told me exactly what he was thinking.

He suspected I’d used my ability.

Feeling his gaze lingering on my nose and mouth, I forced a smile and turned away.

But I could still feel him watching me.

“I’ve never even considered willow bark before,” Paul murmured. “Remarkable.”

“Indeed.”

Grandfather’s eyes were now on me as well.

If I didn’t come up with a convincing excuse, I’d have no way out of this.

But I couldn’t exactly say, I know because I’ve lived this once already.

My brain scrambled for ideas—and found only one option.

It was embarrassing just to think about it, but I had no choice.

I swallowed hard and pressed my index fingers together nervously.

“This is… a secret.”

“…What?”

“…Pardon?”

Both Grandfather and Paul leaned in, confused by my mumbled voice.

‘Ugh, come on.’

My mouth felt dry as sand, but all eyes were on me. There was no escape.

Fine. No going back now.

“Because… I’m a genius.”

“……”

“A genius!”