Chapter 05
After finishing breakfast and returning to my room, I immediately began thinking about what I should do. Perhaps because I was finally back in the homeland I had always longed for, I felt I could be more positive.
(Even after marrying as a reward, this territory technically remained under my ownership, didn’t it?)
Maybe the royal family had pitied Natalie and allowed that.
No… most likely not. Since it was originally their own land, they must have intended to take it back with some excuse once Natalie died.
I couldn’t help but think this way, because after the war the royal family had rotted away… or rather, I had felt that even around the time the war began, the royal family had already started to go astray.
Once I fixed Mother’s health, I would have to attend the royal ball in the past—or rather, the future—hosted by the royal family.
When I knocked, Mother responded, “Oh? Who could that be?” I had come right away to check on her condition.
“It’s Natalie. Mother, may I come in?”
“My, my! Natalie, is that you? Yes, do come in.”
I opened the sturdy wooden door to see Mother’s room, decorated with elegant, subdued furnishings. In the center, she was lying on the bed.
Her voice had sounded lively, but her complexion was somewhat pale. I took a seat on the chair beside her bed.
“Mother… are you feeling all right?”
“Oh my, you came to check on me out of worry? Fufu… I’m fine. I’m sure it’s just a little cold from the change of seasons.”
“Even so… I can’t help but be worried about your health, Mother.”
Perhaps she noticed the troubled look I gave her, for she sat up and gently stroked my head. When her sleeve shifted, I caught a glimpse of her arm—where ominous black blotches had appeared.
(As I thought… she has Black Spot Disease.)
Black Spot Disease occurs when the flow of mana stagnates, causing spots to form on the skin. In severe cases, even blood circulation stops altogether. But in this time before the war, it had not yet become widely known.
“Come now, my sweet Natalie… show me your bright smile. A smile suits you best.”
“Does it… really?”
“Yes. Oh dear, I’ve made you strain yourself, haven’t I… I’m no good.”
“N-no, that’s not…”
Even though I had moved my lips to smile, when Mother looked at me, her expression was unbearably sorrowful. She pulled me into a tight embrace.
“There, there. Natalie is doing so well. If you have worries… you can always tell me.”
“…!”
“Now that I think of it, it feels like it’s been so long since we’ve spoken like this.”
“…u… hic.”
“Fufu, cry as much as you like. It’s important for people to pause and rest sometimes.”
As I felt Mother’s warmth, something I had been holding back finally broke. And yet, it also felt as though something inside me had begun to change—like I had regained something I had once lost.
“Mother… I must look so pathetic…”
“No, Natalie. Not at all. Whether it’s your father or me… whenever it becomes too heavy to bear, you may always come to us.”
“…Thank you.”
Mother gently wiped beneath my eyes with a cloth.
(I must find a way to cure this disease—no matter what.)
So that I would never again lose the mother I loved so dearly, I left her room and asked Mina to prepare for an outing. She looked slightly surprised—“My, that’s sudden”—but quickly arranged a carriage.
(Black Spot Disease may indeed still be little known, but…)
I climbed into the carriage and gave my destination. The carriage set off toward a place a little distance from my homeland.
When I stepped down from the carriage, I was greeted by a nostalgic scent that was different from my hometown. Before me stood a small, single-story house. I knocked several times with the door knocker, and a voice called out, “Come in.” As the door opened, the smell of herbs and disinfectant drifted out.
“Well, well, how rare… a healthy patient, eh?”
“Good day to you, doctor.”
This man was the light of hope for curing Mother… and also the one who had supported me since the time I was pregnant at the duke’s house—my friend, standing there.
