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Chapter 24
After finishing his conversation with Cecilia, Ains returned to the Graham ducal estate. Just as he arrived at his office, he was informed that Doctor Watt had come to the mansion along with Jacob.
“My lord, I have brought Doctor Watt.”
With a short knock, Jacob’s voice came from beyond the door. Ains, who had been pacing back and forth in his office to calm his tangled thoughts, lifted his head and looked toward the door.
“Come in.”
No sooner had he given permission than the door opened and an elderly man entered. It was Doctor Watt—the personal physician of Cecilia and also the doctor who attended his grandfather, Damon Graham.
“Good day, Your Grace. I heard you were looking for me.”
“That’s right. Sit down first.”
Ains gestured toward the sofa on one side of the office. Doctor Watt took the indicated seat, and Ains sat across from him.
“Would you like some tea?”
“Tea would be fine, thank you.”
“Jacob, bring two cups of tea.”
At Ains’s instruction, Jacob bowed.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After giving his reply, Jacob left the office.
Ains looked at Doctor Watt with a complicated expression. However, he didn’t immediately speak.
After some time, a maid entered with refreshments and placed a cup of tea in front of each of them. Only after she quietly greeted them and left the room did Ains let out a long breath.
“I called you because there’s something I need to confirm.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“I’ve already heard—from you and from Cecilia—that she took the treatment and is suffering from side effects.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Is there no other way to deal with the side effects besides suppressants?”
“No, there is another way.”
The unexpected answer made Ains lift his head.
“What is it? Tell me.”
He pressed urgently.
Doctor Watt found Ains’s sudden eagerness puzzling. He knew well that Ains had shown no interest in Cecilia’s condition before. Yet ever since the divorce, Ains had begun to care, which struck him as strange.
After hesitating briefly, Doctor Watt spoke carefully.
“The issue affecting Viscountess Marbes right now is mana. As I mentioned before, Trintz disease is a condition where mana gradually hardens, and the remedy used is the Tieria flower, which activates mana. When the tendency to harden meets the tendency to move, even after taking the treatment, the two forces inevitably clash within the body.”
“……”
“That’s why the side effects cause mana to go berserk. If the mana were merely unstable, it would result in nausea or headaches. But if it runs wild, it could lead to coughing up blood or even falling into a coma.”
Ains grew more anxious as he heard no reassuring words—especially after having personally witnessed Cecilia coughing up blood.
“So what is the solution?”
Unable to contain his frustration, he urged him on. Doctor Watt cleared his throat and continued.
“If the mana adapts properly to Viscountess Marbes’s body and circulates smoothly, the side effects will disappear. And to help the mana adapt as quickly as possible, there are two methods.”
Ains swallowed dryly. Without delay, Doctor Watt explained.
“Either Viscountess Marbes suppresses the rampaging mana herself, or someone capable of controlling mana stays by her side and continuously stabilizes it. Either option would be better than relying solely on suppressants as she is now.”
When he finished, Ains nodded, his brows furrowing. Though his gaze was directed at Doctor Watt, he wasn’t truly seeing him.
Like his father, Ains had reached an exceptional level in swordsmanship. Controlling mana was not difficult for him.
Which meant… wasn’t he also someone capable of calming the mana running wild inside Cecilia?
If so, then perhaps he could help her.
After a long silence, Ains spoke cautiously.
“Does it have to be a specific kind of person to control the mana? Would someone like me—a swordsman—be able to do it?”
“Yes, of course. Whether a mage or a swordsman, anyone who can guide another’s mana can do it.”
“I see.”
Ains nodded at the answer. It was, at least, somewhat hopeful—though whether Cecilia would accept his help remained uncertain.
“Is there anything else you can tell me about Cecilia’s condition?”
“Nothing beyond what I’ve already told you today.”
“……”
Ains remained silent for a while, watching Doctor Watt closely, as if trying to verify the truth of his words. But Doctor Watt’s gaze did not waver in the slightest.
“Very well. You may go.”
“Your Grace.”
Just as Ains was about to dismiss him, Doctor Watt called out. Ains looked at him, wondering if there was something more.
Doctor Watt hesitated, frowning slightly before finally speaking.
“Is there nothing you wish to ask me about the former Duke of Graham’s health?”
He asked bluntly.
Cecilia was not the only one Ains had consistently ignored. His grandfather—the former Duke of Graham, Damon Graham—was another.
Though he knew it was presumptuous, Doctor Watt asked anyway, hoping for something. Ains parted his lips slightly, then closed them again.
Even now, Ains still harbored deep resentment toward his grandfather. In his eyes, his grandfather was the one who had sent his father to his death.
If not for him, Alex would never have joined the subjugation of monsters—and would never have been killed by one.
Losing his mother, and then his father in an instant… the pain had been too much for him to bear alone.
That pain and anguish had only deepened his hatred and defiance toward his grandfather, while Damon had grown accustomed to being resented by his grandson.
And so things had come to this—time passing with only bitterness remaining, the rift between them growing deeper.
“…No.”
In the end, Ains chose to turn away once again. Worried, Doctor Watt spoke again.
“Will you not regret it? The former Duke does not have much time left. You know that as well, do you not?”
It was another chance—perhaps the last—to forgive his grandfather.
Ains lowered his gaze and shook his head.
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t feel like the right time yet. And I would prefer you not bring up this topic again, Doctor Watt.”
His words carried a warning.
Doctor Watt had already overstepped enough, and Ains had tolerated it. But if it continued, he would not remain silent.
“…Understood.”
Doctor Watt finally relented. Not only had he grasped Ains’s meaning, but he also knew he had no right, as an outsider, to push further.
“Then I will take my leave.”
Doctor Watt stood, bowed to Ains, and left the office with steady steps.
Footsteps echoed, followed by the door opening and closing. After he left, Jacob carefully entered.
“Your Grace, regarding the rest of today’s schedule—”
“Cancel everything. And leave me. I want to be alone.”
“…Yes, as you wish.”
Jacob bowed and quietly exited.
Only then, left alone, Ains leaned back against the sofa.
“Regret…?”
He slowly turned over Doctor Watt’s words in his mind. There was only one thing in his life that could be called regret.
Tilting his head back, Ains stared at the ceiling and slowly closed his eyes. Darkness soon enveloped him.
Though it was still morning, an unusual fatigue weighed heavily on him today.
He wanted to return to his bedroom and rest, but he didn’t even have the strength to make it that far.
In the end, he chose to rest for a while in the silent office.
