Chapter 007
“Haah, haah.”
It was a dream.
When I woke up from the dream, the pain that felt like my heart was being squeezed came and disappeared again. Without realizing it, I placed my trembling hand over my heart.
Only after feeling my heartbeat moving steadily did I feel that I was alive. Only then did I notice my surroundings.
I knew I had collapsed around dinner time, but now it was already the middle of the night. Beside the small flickering candle, Summer was sleeping with her head down.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
A strange, or rather familiar, male voice was heard.
The source of the voice was by the window.
“Ha…Hailrus…?”
“It seems you have abandoned honorifics now.”
It was Hailrus.
“Why are you here…?”
“I gave you a communication stone, but you never contacted me. When I contacted first, I heard that you had collapsed.”
Even if I had collapsed, Hailrus being inside my room at this late hour was too much.
Even if we were engaged, we had not even held our engagement ceremony yet.
“What kind of dream did you have?”
Hailrus, who had already walked to the front of my bed, reached his hand toward my cheek.
His hand gently covered my cheek.
His hand was slightly cold, but it felt refreshing.
Without realizing it, I rubbed my cheek against his hand because of the cool sensation.
I suddenly worried that Summer might wake up after seeing him come so close to the bed.
“Summer might wake up.”
“It’s fine.”
For some reason, Hailrus’s answer made me feel relieved.
“Did you hide your appearance with a magic stone?”
“No.”
“Then how…?”
“I hid my presence.”
“But I can still see you.”
Instead of answering my question, he only shrugged his shoulders.
“The person you saved in the forest back then was me, right?”
“……”
“I knew because of your black hair.”
“……”
“So you helped me at the social party because of that?”
“Probably.”
The man who had been standing near the bed had already come closer and sat down in front of me.
“Why were you so badly injured back then?”
“If you tell me about your nightmare first.”
“…Someone called me here.”
“And?”
“Now it’s your turn to answer, Duke.”
Perhaps dissatisfied with my answer, Hailrus’s expression became slightly sulky for a moment.
But when he showed a playful smile, he soon opened his mouth.
“I was attacked.”
“Attacked? By whom?”
He did not answer my question.
Instead, he looked at me as if it was my turn.
But when I did not say anything, Hailrus moved even closer.
“Your eyelashes are beautiful.”
“……”
“Your nose is also nicely shaped.”
“……”
“Your eye color is beautiful, just like your hair color.”
“Anything?”
“Wow, are you admitting that too, Duke?”
At my playful laugh caused by his unusual answer, he carefully pushed me back onto the bed.
“Anything… could compare to you?”
“W-what did you just say…?”
“Sleep more. I saw that you woke up, so I will leave now.”
If his answer from earlier had been surprising, his answer now was shocking.
Before I could stop Hailrus, he quickly left through the window.
Without even having time to put on the bedroom slippers neatly placed under the bed, I approached the window barefoot where he had left.
He was already gone, but I still waved my hand toward outside.
Because I felt that if it was Hailrus, he would probably be watching.
Then, at the sound of rustling, Summer woke up.
“Ah, Miss!”
Summer’s reaction was much stronger than I expected.
“You’re awake? You cannot walk around like this! I’ll call Count Brandt!”
What was this déjà vu?
I hurriedly grabbed Summer, who was about to run out the door.
“Summer, wait. How long was I unconscious?”
“If you had passed tonight, it would have been the fifth day.”
“Five days?”
I thought I had only collapsed that day because I opened my eyes and it was dark outside, but more time had passed than I expected.
“Please stop moving and lie back down.”
Not long after Summer left the room, my parents entered looking as if they had just woken up.
“Roa, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Kayla gently brushed my hair aside with her warm hand.
“Yes, it’s good that you woke up. That you woke up…”
Brandt, who was standing near the bed, gave an order to the servant.
“When the day breaks, call Doctor Usman immediately.”
“Yes.”
Brandt came beside Kayla and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Call us anytime if you are in pain.”
“Yes. Thank you, Father.”
After everyone left the room, it felt strangely empty.
Since I had regained consciousness, even Summer, who had been sleeping beside my bed, returned to her own room.
As soon as morning arrived, everyone became busy preparing to call Doctor Usman.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the count’s residence.
“Who is it?”
“I am Schmitz Iberia, the personal physician of the Duke of Hailrus’s family.”
At the unexpected visitor, the servants who were moving busily all stopped at once.
“Quickly call the Count!”
There was no need to call Doctor Usman because a doctor had already arrived at the house.
The first thing he said after entering was:
“Duke Hailrus said he was sorry that he could not visit together.”
…That was what he said.
“I will formally introduce myself. I am Schmitz Iberia, the personal physician of the Duke of Hailrus’s family. You may call me whatever is comfortable. I graduated from Er National Academy and studied medicine there.”
Schmitz was extremely young for someone who was called a doctor.
Everyone seemed to think the same thing and hesitated to ask, but Schmitz spoke first.
“I entered and graduated from Er National Academy early. That is why I started practicing at a younger age compared to other doctors. However, my skills are absolutely not inferior.”
Everyone seemed to have their curiosity resolved and let out small sounds of understanding.
“Does the Duke know that my daughter has awakened?”
At Brandt’s question, I somehow felt nervous as well.
“No. The Duke does not know. I also only found out just now that the young lady had awakened. After the young lady collapsed, the Duke asked me to visit today. I simply came on the date he requested.”
The fact that he had come to my room last night was something only I knew inside the count’s residence.
“Excuse me, Young Lady. Could you tell me what symptoms you felt before collapsing?”
At Schmitz’s question, I explained the pain I felt before collapsing and when I woke up again.
“If the young lady did not directly harm her heart, the cause is unclear. To find the reason, more detailed observation is necessary. For now, I will give you Schmitz’s special nutritional medicine so that you can regain your strength.”
“Special?”
“Yes. Because the Hailrus family tends to come in often due to injuries and also trains intensely. So I developed it myself. Since your body is weak, I will give you a weaker version. Even one pill will make you full of energy.”
His words were true.
I only took one tiny pill, but the dizziness disappeared and my energy returned.
Before leaving, Schmitz handed me a small letter.
Then he came closer and whispered so quietly that no one else could hear.
“The Duke asked me to deliver this to you.”
“To me?”
When I asked to confirm, he only nodded confidently.
He did not add anything else.
“When the young lady regains her strength, I will properly examine you. Along with the special nutritional medicine, I have also prescribed a stabilizing medicine. Please take it every evening.”
“Thank you. I will visit the Duke separately.”
“I am glad the young lady woke up. Then I will see you again.”
After politely greeting Brandt, Schmitz left the count’s residence.
I felt that it would be bad if the letter Schmitz brought became known to others, so I carefully hid it inside my pillowcase.
Only after everyone left the room did I take out the hidden letter and open it.
Hold the communication stone in your hand and call the name of the person who possesses the matching communication stone. It will activate.
I think I forgot to tell you how to use it.—Eden Clur Hailrus.
“Pfft.”
Did he really send a letter through Schmitz just to write this?
Yes, he said he came because I did not contact him through the communication stone last night.
Fine. I’ll try using it.
I took out the communication stone wrapped carefully in a handkerchief inside the desk drawer.
Does calling the name mean the entire name?
“Eden Clur Hailrus.”
When I called his name, the communication stone made a small buzzing sound.
It rattled slightly in my hand before soon becoming quiet.
“Hailrus?”
-……
“Eden?”
-……
No matter how many times I called his name, the communication stone showed no reaction.
There was also no response from Hailrus.
“What? Did you trick me?”
-……
“Hey, Duke Hailrus. You told me to use the communication stone, so I did. Why aren’t you answering?”
-……
“You rude Eden Clur Hailrus.”
“What does rude mean?”
Hailrus’s voice suddenly came from the communication stone.
Surprised, I accidentally threw the stone from my hand.
