Chapter 5

‘Of all the things I could’ve forgotten, how could I forget this?!’

Lydia hurriedly sat up.

But the moment she did, an intense wave of pain struck her, making her hunch over.

“Ugh!”

Her entire body ached as though every muscle had been strained.

On top of that, it felt as though even her internal organs were hurting, probably because she had injured herself internally by drawing upon her Purification power. Lydia grimaced and clutched her stomach.

‘It hurts! It hurts! Someone save this villainess!’

The pain was so horrible that she wondered if she might actually die from it.

It was then that an arm suddenly reached out from beside her and supported her as though embracing her.

“Calm down.”

The low voice brushing against her ear sent goosebumps all over her body.

A moment later, something touched Lydia’s lips.

A medicine bottle.

“Drink.”

A bitter smell immediately rushed into her nose.

Her instincts screamed at her to refuse, but Lydia gritted her teeth and opened her mouth.

The man tilted the bottle, pouring the medicine into Lydia’s mouth. His movements were remarkably slow and gentle, as though he was being considerate of her.

In the end, Lydia emptied the entire bottle while practically being held in the man’s arms.

“Good girl.”

The man spoke as though praising her before wiping the corner of Lydia’s mouth with a handkerchief.

Meanwhile, Lydia shuddered at the horribly bitter taste of the medicine and grimaced.

‘What is this? Should something this awful even be allowed to exist in this world?’

The taste was so terrible that it even made her forget her instinctive wariness toward the person in front of her.

Just then, the man brought something else to Lydia’s lips.

“This time, a reward.”

Something round and hard touched her lips.

‘A piece of candy?’

This was no time to be picky. Lydia opened her mouth without hesitation.

As he placed the candy inside, the man’s finger brushed against her soft lips.

‘Ah, I feel like I’m alive again.’

Lydia rolled the candy around inside her mouth, washing away the bitter taste.

A brief silence followed.

Perhaps the medicine was taking effect quickly, because before long, the pain throughout her body had subsided considerably. Thanks to the candy, the bitterness had almost completely disappeared as well, making her feel much more comfortable.

Only then did Lydia finally become aware of her surroundings.

An unfamiliar room that was excessively spacious and luxurious.

The unfamiliar clothes she was wearing.

And…

A huge man who was practically embracing her from behind!

‘What the hell?!’

Lydia jolted in shock.

“What’s wrong? Does it hurt?”

At her sudden, violent reaction, the man turned her toward him as though checking her condition.

“That shouldn’t be the case.”

At last, Lydia could clearly see the man’s face.

As expected, it was Ludwig.

Hic.

Lydia instinctively held her breath.

‘What is this?’

Even the calmest person in the world would be shocked by this situation.

‘Why is this man doing this to me here…?’

The sheer shock left Lydia frozen.

After looking at her for a moment, Ludwig began to explain.

“This is a townhouse owned by the Grand Ducal House.”

In other words, the person who wasn’t supposed to be here wasn’t Ludwig.

It was Lydia.

“Do you remember collapsing, Lady Lydia?”

Lydia watched his expression carefully before nodding.

“As you probably know better than anyone, your condition was quite serious, so I brought you here first. It was an emergency.”

It feels like you skipped a lot of the explanation in the middle!

Her condition might have been bad. It might even have been an emergency.

But how did that become a reason to bring her to his own house?

“Even if you’re uncomfortable, please bear with it for a little while. It would be best not to overexert yourself until the medicine takes full effect.”

His sweet voice was calm and matter-of-fact, as though he were simply listing facts.

While Lydia was too speechless to say anything, Ludwig continued explaining.

She had dirtied her clothes by vomiting too much blood. A maid from the estate had changed her clothes. They had already been washed, so she could take them with her later. The doctor had provided emergency treatment, but since she had been unconscious, it would be best for her to undergo another examination later. The medicine she had just taken was effective against internal injuries and also had pain-relieving properties. It might make her a little sleepy, but she wouldn’t be in pain…

“If there’s anything else you’re curious about, ask.”

“Then why are we in this position right now?”

Lydia immediately seized the opportunity and asked.

Ludwig casually responded with a question.

“Is that important?”

Of course it’s important!

Even while they were having this conversation, Lydia was still half-embraced in Ludwig’s arms.

Therefore, Lydia’s question wasn’t really about wanting to know the reason.

It was a roundabout way of saying please let me go already.

‘Is this man actually insane?’

To be honest, Lydia was extremely flustered by the current situation.

It wasn’t simply the fact that she was far too close to an unfamiliar man.

The biggest problem was that the man was Ludwig.

“Lady Lydia, I believe it would be best if you made an effort not to stand out.”

Ludwig’s words from before were still crystal clear in her ears.

‘…You hated me that much, so what exactly are you plotting now?’

The solid body pressed against her back.

The thick arm wrapped around her waist.

His voice brushing against her ear.

To make matters worse, Ludwig was even idly playing with Lydia’s hair as though teasing her.

The unnecessary intimacy made Lydia extremely uncomfortable.

‘This is bothering me.’

Ludwig stared at Lydia for a moment.

“…Well, you’ve finished taking the medicine.”

Then Ludwig slowly stood up.

He carefully and gently lowered Lydia back onto the bed.

After pulling the blanket up over her, Ludwig said,

“Get some rest for now. Your health comes first.”

“I want to go home right now.”

“Unless you want to vomit blood again on the way home, it would be better to see the doctor first.”

Lydia had no counterargument, so she firmly closed her mouth.

Seeing her expression, Ludwig gave a small chuckle.

Buried snugly beneath the warm blanket, Lydia watched Ludwig leave using only her eyes.

His tall frame and broad shoulders.

She had never paid much attention to them before, but suddenly, they were all she could notice.

“Oh, right.”

Just before leaving the room completely, Ludwig turned his head.

“Your younger sister is here as well. If you’d like to see her, just say so.”

Those words immediately snapped Lydia back to reality.

‘Damn it! Sylvia!’

“Waaahhh, Big Siiis…”

Sylvia sniffled as she hugged Lydia tightly.

“Don’t go… Please don’t leave me… I can’t live without you, Big Sis…”

“I haven’t died yet.”

“Waaahhh…”

Lydia was beginning to have her doubts.

‘Could Sylvia actually be trying to kill me?’

It was a reasonable suspicion.

She kept mourning Lydia even after being told she wasn’t dead, and despite being told Lydia was injured, she hugged her so tightly that she seemed determined to make her internal organs burst.

At this point, the theory that Sylvia was actually an assassin hiding her true identity didn’t seem entirely implausible.

“How am I supposed to live if you die, Big Sis?!”

But when Lydia saw Sylvia sobbing so desperately, her heart softened.

In the end, Lydia abandoned all her thoughts and patted Sylvia’s back, comforting her.

‘Yeah, right. What assassin? Sylvia doesn’t have the brains for that.’

Her somewhat dim but kind-hearted younger sister simply loved her big sister too much.

“Just try dying before me! I’ll kill you myself!”

…She does love me, right?

“Waaaaahhh!”

Sylvia continued sobbing for quite some time before finally managing to stop.

“Sniff.”

She had cried so much that her eyes were swollen and her nose was bright red.

Still, she was pretty.

‘Is this what a tragic-romance heroine looks like?’

“I’m just glad you’re safe, Big Sis. Really.”

Sylvia smiled brightly, though there were still traces of tears on her face.

Seeing her like that made Lydia’s nose sting for some reason.

‘That’s right. Where could I find a younger sister who cares about her big sister as much as Sylvia does?’

Although Sylvia caused a lot of trouble, she really was a kind girl.

Whenever she ate something delicious somewhere, she would save some for Lydia even if she barely had enough for herself.

Whenever she saw something nice, she would remember it and later try to take Lydia there.

That was why, no matter how much trouble Sylvia caused her, Lydia could never abandon her sister.

‘Although she really does cause a lot of trouble.’

A lot.

“Big Sis, but I was really surprised.”

Sylvia’s words pulled Lydia out of her thoughts.

“Why?”

“Well, you see…”

Sylvia paused for a moment as though trying to find the right words.

‘Did she eat something delicious or something?’

Since they were at the Grand Ducal House, they must have been treated to plenty of food.

Lydia would ask what they had served and make it for Sylvia once they returned home.

But Sylvia’s next words were something Lydia could never have imagined.

“I’ve never seen anyone as cool as Lord Ludwig in my entire life!”

The bombshell came completely without warning.

Lydia jolted in shock.