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Chapter: 06
I woke up.
Blinking repeatedly, opening and closing my eyes, my vision gradually cleared. It was the same antique ceiling I had seen before.
As my sight sharpened, the memory from just moments ago became vivid. The same symptoms from my previous life had manifested again.
“…I’m screwed.”
A hollow laugh slipped out between my teeth.
Why can’t I escape the damn cycle of that illness! Was my plan to start a new life really going to end like this?
“What do you mean you’re screwed?”
“…!”
Damn it, the bigger problem was right here.
When I shifted my gaze from the ceiling, a large-framed man was sitting, leaning against the chair by my bed.
He had his legs crossed, looking down at me at an angle.
Jet-black hair, sharp eyes, red irises. It was Kairon.
“Why are you here…?”
As far as I knew, Kairon had never once entered Eket’s room.
The combination of Eket’s white-toned room and that huge, dark man felt strange even to me on the first day of possession.
He couldn’t have been waiting out of concern for me, someone he had no interest in at all.
Then I remembered the conversation I’d overheard when I briefly woke up earlier. Could it really be… because of Lia’s request?
“Why didn’t you leave?”
“I’m leaving now.”
Fortunately, he said he was leaving.
“Oh, I see.”
Despite the coughing up blood earlier, my body felt quite fine. In fact, my head even felt clear.
“Go, quickly.”
Kairon looked at me as if he didn’t understand something, then slowly rose from the chair. His movements were sluggish.
From what I knew, Kairon was skilled in swordsmanship, athletics, combat, and anything related to war. He had even gathered people with his excellent sword skills to form a knight order, and after becoming a duke, he had proven himself in several battles.
So why was someone so capable moving so clumsily? It was like someone had something unresolved and was acting uneasy.
I was quietly watching him, irritated by his slow movements, when he turned back to face me.
“When did you get this skinny?”
Seeing him stop and stand right in front of me, I almost lost control of my expression.
You can’t get irritated at a terrifying mastermind like him!
“Hmm, since I was born.”
“Were you weak from birth?”
“No, I’m just naturally slender.”
His gaze slowly scanned my body.
“W-What are you looking at me like that for!”
I hurriedly crossed my arms and hands in an X to cover myself. Kairon didn’t even notice my reaction and continued inspecting my body from top to bottom. Then he spoke again.
“You’re barely a third of my torso.”
Well, that’s just because he’s big.
“And you don’t seem to have any muscle strength.”
He examined me thoroughly and even let out a small sigh.
“When did you start being so interested in me?”
I sat up.
“I know you’re busy, so go on quickly.”
Didn’t he say he was leaving today? It seemed past the time he should have departed.
“…Alright. Anyway, it doesn’t look serious right now, so I’ll leave it at that.”
Does that mean he wouldn’t have left if it had been serious? I thought it wasn’t the kind of thing he should be commenting on and watched his back.
Fortunately, Kairon really did leave my room this time.
“Phew!”
Finally, he was out.
Seeing him leave with that annoyed expression, it felt like he was about to say something catastrophic—like that my weak body made me unfit to be a duchess.
After Kairon left, I got out of bed.
I didn’t know how long I had been lying there, but my condition was good. It was as if the earlier coughing up blood had been a lie.
The room had an attached dressing room. I wanted to see just how skinny I must be for him to say such things.
I stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room. Only now could I properly see Eket’s face and body through the reflection.
Her face was fairly pretty. The combination of blonde hair and soft pink eyes gave a faintly charming impression. The skin was pale, though.
“…Yeah, she’s skinny.”
Kairon’s words were not lies or exaggeration.
Shoulders where the bones were visible, thin legs… From top to bottom, the reflection showed very little flesh.
Eket had always eaten little, naturally small and slender. But her body wasn’t weak—it was just her constitution.
I recalled Eket’s past memories. Had she ever collapsed coughing up blood like this?
She had memories of severe colds in childhood or fatigue after overexertion, but anyone could experience that. There was nothing indicating a particularly frail body.
After turning the problem over in my head, the conclusion was inevitable… I had carried the illness from my previous life into this one.
“This goes against the rules of a romance-fantasy world.”
I muttered, glaring at my pink eyes in the mirror.
Shouldn’t all the pain and illnesses of my past life disappear when you possess a new body?!
It was unfair. I had suffered from an unknown illness in my previous life, and now I couldn’t even enjoy a fresh start like others. And I’m supposed to be the duchess of the empire!
I couldn’t let this second life slip away so meaningless.
I clenched my fists and spoke to the blonde woman in the mirror with resolute determination.
“…Since it’s come to this, I’ll enjoy everything I can, even if I’m sick.”
The servants had already gathered in one place under Kairon’s orders. Everyone except the small group assigned to care for Eket was present.
None of the servants looked cheerful. Tension filled the dark room, connected even to the underground prison.
Especially the servants from the kitchen and those who served in the dining room trembled with fear.
“If even one of you reacts strangely to this food, this blade will pierce your thigh immediately.”
Kairon’s blade hovered dangerously close to the chef’s thigh.
It wasn’t life-threatening, but it was enough to frighten. The chef’s legs shook uncontrollably, visible even to other distant servants.
“One stab for each abnormal reaction.”
The escape routes were already blocked. No one could leave until they confirmed that the day’s dishes and all previous ingredients were safe.
There were two objectives for today’s gathering:
- To properly inspect the food.
- To discipline the servants.
Even if the food was fine, since the mistress had fainted, a warning was necessary.
Kairon commanded his subordinates through fear, a method he had mastered to survive since childhood.
Every flicker of the candlelight swaying from the ceiling cast faint shadows on the fearful faces.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
The servants had to eat the food in front of them in order. Onion, potato, meat, bread, spices, sauces…
All ingredients were piled in front of each servant, enough to monitor their bodily reactions.
“Ah, I forgot something. Anyone who leaves here won’t get out unscathed either.”
No one misunderstood his meaning: leave here with a safe body? No—they would be pierced by the master’s blade and thrown into the underground prison.
Normally, this much food would be a rare opportunity, but not now.
They couldn’t trust what was in the food, and might collapse like the mistress. Everyone hesitated.
“What are you doing, not eating?”
Kairon watched lazily, bringing the blade closer to the chef’s thigh. Then, with a swipe, the pants covering the thigh tore slightly, a thin line of blood appearing. The chef froze, holding his breath.
“I prepared it so it’s easy to pierce. Don’t be scared yet.”
It was natural for Kairon to handle this situation sensitively—it was a matter that could even affect the lives of the duke and duchess.
The servants reluctantly began eating the food in front of them.
Apart from chewing and swallowing, there was no sound at all.
They knew that any misstep could land them in the underground prison, bleeding.
While Kairon watched, his aide approached.
“The mana-stone inspection found no harmful substances in the food. We also checked for hidden drugs in the kitchen or bodies—none were found.”
No servant showed abnormal reactions, and the mana-stone inspection ruled out drugs. This matched the doctor’s assessment.
So, the food contained no drugs.
It was reassuring that the plot was not against the duke and duchess, but still, there was unease.
This meant Eket had become ill.
But why would someone living comfortably and abundantly in the ducal mansion get sick?
