TLDOWN 79

Chapter 79………………………………..

– The Person I Want to Protect

The next day, Lea woke up and stretched. Just last night her body had felt heavy, and she’d been burning with fever.

Perhaps thanks to the medicine Edward had given her, her body now felt lighter than ever.

“The medicine works really well.”

Lea had assumed her fever was just a side effect of the venom from the widow spider. After all, until now, even the fever reducers she had brewed herself had barely helped at all.

“But this medicine brought the fever down right away.”

Lea murmured as she fiddled with the empty vial. If even an ordinary fever reducer could work this well, then it meant it wasn’t a side effect of the venom after all.

“What a relief.”

She remembered how panicked she had been each time her fever spiked after Akkia left. But if the problem was simply that her own medicine hadn’t been effective, then the solution was much easier.

“I should go and ask Sir Edward about the ingredients.”

As it happened, he had suggested they share some tea before his departure today. Inviting him for tea early in the morning wouldn’t be improper.

Realizing there wasn’t much time before Edward’s departure, Lea quickly began to prepare herself.

She finished her morning routine faster than ever before, then knocked on Edward’s door. He opened it, freshly dressed, and looked at her with mild surprise.

“Sir Edward, would you care for a cup of tea with me?”

. . .

In the greenhouse, a tea table had been hastily set with enough bread and tea to substitute for a meal. Lea took a sip of tea before speaking.

“I’m sorry for bothering you so early.”

“Not at all. On the contrary, I was worried you might have forgotten our promise.”

He smiled warmly.

“More importantly, are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, thanks to you. Actually, I wanted to ask you something about that.”

“About me?”

Edward set down his teacup.

“The fever reducer you gave me. Could you tell me what ingredients it contains? It was incredibly effective.”

Lea’s leaf-green eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“I’m relieved it worked for you, my lady. That medicine is based on a recipe passed down in my family, but I also added several other medicinal herbs. The ingredients are numerous, and the mixture is quite complex.”

Edward spoke with an apologetic tone.

“To be exact, I’d need to consult the formula notebook—but that’s kept in my laboratory in the capital.”

“I see… then I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Lea felt deeply disappointed. If she had that medicine, she wouldn’t have to worry about fevers for a while.

Edward, noticing the regret in her eyes, made a suggestion.

“Then… why not accompany me to the capital?”

“…The capital?”

“Yes. I will only be staying in Biarritzcal for about two weeks before returning. Would you consider traveling with me then?”

The capital…

Lea had longed to go there more than anywhere else. If it hadn’t been for Dmitri, she would have gone long ago.

What should I do…

Sensing her hesitation, Edward continued.

“As I mentioned before, I’m conducting research on widow spider venom. If you were to assist me, it would be a tremendous help…”

Research on widow spider venom.

It had already been overwhelming enough working alone. Lea lowered her gaze and thought for a moment before replying.

“Thank you for the offer. But I can’t give you an answer right away. Would it be all right if I think about it and let you know later?”

“Of course.”

Leaving her with, ‘I’ll be hoping for good news,’ Edward departed for Biarritzcal.

❀ ❀ ❀

Three days after Edward’s departure, Lea came to a firm decision.

“I’ll go to the capital.”

Lea truly did love Belarus. She loved the kind people in the mansion. She loved Dmitri, who gave her boundless affection.

But…

“There’s nothing I can do here.”

She couldn’t spend her life treated like some fragile porcelain doll. She didn’t want to abandon her hard-won dream of being an apothecary.

He may not give me permission… but if not, I’ll persuade him until he does.

That was the conclusion she reached. Without wasting another moment, Lea headed to Dmitri’s office. He was busy as of late, occupied with matters concerning Biarritzcal.

“Grandfather, I…”

She had meant to declare confidently that she wanted to go to the capital. But when the moment came, the words stuck in her throat.

After hesitating several times, she finally mustered her courage.

“I want to go to the capital. No—I will go.”

When Dmitri gave no reply, Lea continued nervously.

“Sir Alencia invited me to research widow spider venom with him. It’s a field I’ve always been interested in… and more than that, I don’t want to abandon my dream of being an apothecary.”

She bowed her head like a guilty child. Dmitri listened quietly, then spoke.

“If you wish to study, I can support you as much as you like. Sir Alencia is trustworthy as well. But… is that really the only reason?”

His pointed question made Lea falter. Edward’s proposal had been tempting, yes.

But the true reason was…

Lea closed her eyes tightly and confessed.

“…In truth, I wanted to be with the Duke.”

She finally said the words she had long kept back. She missed Akkia desperately—so much that she prayed to see him even in dreams.

“I’m sorry. But I want to stay by the Duke’s side. No… I’ll be his strength, I promise.”

Surely Dmitri wouldn’t approve.

“Of course you worry about me. After all that unpleasantness, I understand your reasons for opposing this. But I don’t want to give up on the things I love out of fear of a future that hasn’t even happened yet.”

Lea raised her head and met Dmitri’s gaze. Her green eyes now shone with a new, unshakable resolve.

That light reminded Dmitri of someone—Ariel.

Ariel… your daughter has made the same choice you once did.

Dmitri closed his eyes, his heart heavy. Ariel too had once said something similar:

[Yes, Father, maybe I’ll regret choosing him. But I won’t give up the man I love just because I fear a future that hasn’t yet come.]

When Dmitri opened his eyes again, he said something Lea had not expected at all.

“Very well. Go to the capital.”

“…Truly?”

Lea stared blankly. She hadn’t imagined he would permit it so easily.

One regret in life is enough.

A faint, bitter smile touched Dmitri’s lips. He was no longer the foolish man who had once lost his daughter through stubbornness.

“But on one condition. You may not go as ‘Lea the apothecary.’”

“What do you mean?”

“You must go with me as Lea, heir to the House of Belarus.”

Lea’s mouth fell open. Not just as the duke’s young lady, but as the heir? She had never even considered such a thing.

But Dmitri continued as though it had long been decided.

“The name of Belarus will protect you. And in turn, you will use the strength of Belarus to protect the person you wish to protect.”

The person I want to protect…

Akkia’s face filled her mind.

❀ ❀ ❀

Cool winds announced that summer had passed and autumn had come.

Outside the window, the capital was bathed in fiery autumn foliage, breathtaking in its beauty.

But Akkia felt nothing. He had thought that if he just endured a month, he would be able to see Lea again.

Yet a month had stretched into two, and now the seasons had changed. Akkia sat in the palace archives, searching for permits and licenses necessary for the hot spring project.

As the crisp autumn air drifted in, he found himself thinking of Lea.

This isn’t the time for daydreams.

Just as he turned his eyes back to the documents—

“Have you heard the rumor? The Duke of Belarus has come to the capital.”

“What? He returned?”

The voices of two nobles entering the archives caught his ear. Akkia froze at the words Duke of Belarus.

By early autumn, rumors had spread everywhere:

The lion of Belarus, who had not left his estate since his daughter’s death, had returned.

They even called it the lion’s return.

“But here’s the real shocker—I heard he brought along a very young woman.”

“A young woman? Has he taken a concubine? His duchess has been gone for years, hasn’t she?”

“Exactly. Who knows—maybe that mysterious woman is whispering in his ear.”

Beside Akkia, Richel quietly listened. Then, with a sidelong glance at his master, who was calmly flipping through papers, he spoke.

“Your Grace, it seems the Duke of Belarus has indeed come to the capital.”

“Yes.”

“I hear Lady Lea may be with him. Shall I arrange a meeting—”

“No.”

Akkia cut him off. Even when Richel tried to offer a chance to reunite with Lea, he refused.

Without another word, Akkia gathered his documents and stood.

Why is he acting like this? He’s been waiting for her more than anyone.

Confused, Richel accepted the stack of papers that Akkia handed him.

“Once you’re back at the manor, see to sorting these.”

Leaving Richel shocked at the mountain of paperwork, Akkia unbuttoned the top of his shirt as he stepped out of the archives, heading away from the palace.

“Are you going out for another walk today, my lord?”

That had become Akkia’s routine: visit the palace in the morning to discuss business with the emperor, collect documents in the archives, then instead of returning home, stroll alone through the park before going back.

At first, Richel had offered to accompany him, but Akkia preferred solitude. It seemed those walks were his way of sorting his thoughts.

It must weigh heavily on him, all of this…

Understanding his master’s heart, Richel said no more.

As always, Akkia seemed intent on stopping by the park.

“Make sure all the documents are organized before I return.”

“…All of them? Before you come back?”

Richel’s eyes widened at the pile in his arms. Meanwhile, Akkia strode silently out of the palace gates.