“Ugh. Ugh.”
“Oh, goodness, are you alright, my Lady?”
I managed a weak nod at Susan, who stood wringing her hands in distress.
Actually, no. I am not alright. I feel like I’m going to die…
The stomachache had struck less than an hour after returning to the mansion from the Remut Territory. Beside Susan, Anna and Beth were bustling about in a panic, one clutching a wet towel and the other a glass of water, looking completely lost. Just the other day they were nursing me through body aches, and now, once again, I was indebted to them.
‘Ugh, and to think I was feeling lucky today…’
Is this the price for successfully conversing with my fiancé? Is that what this is? They say life has its ups and downs, but isn’t this a bit too extreme? I grumbled to myself.
Soon, the physician I had been waiting for arrived. The elderly man broke into a cold sweat under my savage, pain-filled gaze as he conducted the examination.
“Um, ahem, w-well, my Lady, what exactly did you eat today?”
“I… all I ate, all day, was wild strawberries…”
The physician’s wrinkled eyes widened. He scrambled to his feet and quickly scribbled a prescription. Convinced the strawberries were the culprit, he practically fled the room once he finished writing. I understood his reaction; Charlize had tormented him mercilessly in the past whenever she suffered from a hangover.
‘Ugh, and to think it was the strawberries—they were so delicious…’
Seriously, how could my luck be this bad?
“I hate being sick…”
As I muttered and scowled, I heard a sharp gasp near the door. Turning my head, I saw two guard knights staring at me with ashen faces before they quickly looked away. It was strange; I was the one ailing, yet they were the ones walking on eggshells.
‘Ah, Charlize must have taken her temper out on them whenever she was sick.’
Whether it was a hangover or a mild headache, Charlize couldn’t stand pain. Every time she felt ill, she would vent her frustration on those around her. I had no intention of doing so, nor did I have the energy, so I simply remained still. It was truly impressive that Charlize had the stamina to throw tantrums even while incapacitated. Oh, I’m dying…
It would be nice if a healing mage were available at a time like this. Unfortunately, the one who usually stayed at our house was away on a long trip. Such a pity.
In the meantime, the guard knights had left the room. Where did they go? They usually stood silently behind me unless ordered to leave, and I felt a flicker of curiosity—but it was soon eclipsed by my pain.
“My Lady… here is your medicine. If you take it and get some sleep, you’ll feel better.”
“Oh…”
I was too weak to even offer a thank you, so I simply closed my eyes.
How long had I slept?
I opened my eyes, the room bathed in a different light. Judging by the sky, not much time had passed. As I stirred to sit up, I noticed the maids’ expressions.
“Ah, m-my Lady. Are you awake?”
“Are you feeling alright?”
But why? Why were their faces like that? I gave a small nod and brushed my hair back. The medicine must have worked; I felt much better than before. I looked around, feeling somewhat at ease.
“I’m fine.”
Nothing appeared to have changed, yet their expressions remained remarkably odd. I tilted my head.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah, well…”
The maids exchanged glances, and Susan stepped forward as their representative.
“The guard knights are waiting outside. They said they would very much like to see you as soon as you wake up.”
“What? Then they could have just come in and waited.”
Did they wait outside because they were worried about waking me?
“That is… the guard knights brought some children with them.”
“Children?”
I tilted my head in confusion. When Susan asked if they should let the knights in, I nodded quickly.
The door swung open, and the two guard knights I had seen before falling asleep stepped inside. Dragged between them, two terrified children stumbled into the room.
‘They’re… the ones who gave me the wild strawberries?’
The faces were familiar. There had been three of them that day, though perhaps they’d left the youngest behind; only two remained.
What was this? Why had the knights brought them here? As I studied the scene, the answer struck me with sickening clarity.
Had they dragged these children here fearing I would vent my anger on them?
When Charlize was sick, she grew volatile, and those in her orbit usually bore the brunt of her temperament. Naturally, the guard knights were often the primary victims of her outbursts.
‘To think they’d use children as a human shield to deflect my temper.’
I couldn’t mask my expression; a scowl deepened on my face.
‘…Where exactly did it all go wrong?’
Zett, the handsome knight who had carried me, was not among them. These were mere functionaries. Seeing them watch me with such pathetic self-satisfaction—as if they had performed a noble service—made my blood boil.
“My Lady, we have captured the impudent children who dared to cause your stomachache!”
“Please bestow a punishment upon them!”
“……”
When I remained silent, the knights exchanged anxious glances, breaking into a colder sweat.
They clearly mistook my silence for mounting fury. I was furious, certainly, but not for the reasons they assumed. I was livid that they had abducted these children without a single word of instruction from me.
“…When did I tell you to bring them here?”
“Y-yes? B-but, my Lady, the s-strawberries.”
“Do you move without my orders now?”
“……”
“Are you planning to act entirely on your own from now on?”
“……”
The knights stammered, scrambling to bow their heads.
“We are sorry!”
“W-we just thought, since they dared to make you s-sick…”
“No excuses. Raise your heads.”
At my cold command, the knights hesitated—their massive frames looking oddly diminished—before looking up.
They appeared thoroughly cowed by my gaze. I dismissed them, and they retreated as if they’d been waiting for the smallest excuse to flee.
‘…I’m genuinely curious what criteria the Duke used to assign them to me.’
Were they men of great skill but absolute zero common sense? Or were they so terrified that they had devolved into this brand of cowardice? Either way, this was surely Charlize’s karma.
I sighed deeply, resting my chin on my palm.
All that remained were the children. They were trembling violently, eyes fixed on the floor, not daring to meet mine. When they had offered me those wild strawberries, they were just ordinary children with bright, unguarded smiles.
“Susan, I need to change.”
My skin felt clammy from the fever-sweat.
“Take them to the drawing room. And prepare the snacks I usually have.”
Charlize had a penchant for sweet desserts. The mansion was always stocked with treats tailored to her palate, so the request was simple.
Before leaving, I reached for the small stash of candies I had kept to mask the taste of my medicine. I pressed one into each child’s hand.
“Don’t tremble. Eat this.”
The children’s eyes flickered, wide with surprise.
They glanced from the candy to me and back again. When I gave them a slight nod, they carefully tightened their grips on the sweets.
“Th-thank you.”
“Thank you…! Hiccup.”
The maids gently ushered them away, and I went to change.
I didn’t encounter them again until I entered the drawing room.
The children were seated before a table piled high with snacks, yet for some reason, the spread remained untouched. Instead, they sat stiffly, still clutching the candies I had given them as if they were talismans.
‘What’s this?’
I adjusted the shawl over my shoulders and sat down across from them.
As soon as I moved, the children jolted upward.
I was certain their expressions had softened when I gave them the candy, so what had changed?
“Why aren’t you eating? Do you not like the snacks?”
“……Th-that.”
“Don’t tremble. You haven’t done anything wrong, have you?”
At my words, the children exchanged glances, and soon, tears pooled in their wide eyes.
The little girl couldn’t hold it back any longer and began to sob.
“……Why did you wait without eating the snacks?”
The little boy hesitated before answering.
“Th-the knights said, in front of the Lady, we shouldn’t do anything and must stay p-perfectly still. If we didn’t, they said they wouldn’t let us see our mom and dad…”
Insane. I cursed under my breath. What kind of threats were they making to children? As soon as he finished speaking, even the young boy burst into tears, perhaps finally overcome by the weight of his fear.
I stared at them with a troubled expression.
I tried to soothe them by diligently handing out more sweets, but the children remained terrified, tears dripping down their faces.
*Oh dear. You children are going through so much trouble because you got entangled with a villainess.*
Still feeling perplexed, I looked around the drawing room until my gaze fixed on one spot.
The display cabinet. I stood up abruptly, strode over, and plucked the ornaments from the shelves, placing one in each of the children’s hands.
“Here, look at this. It’s incredibly expensive.”
I held an identical ornament in my own palm.
This was a magically crafted piece. As I flipped the switch on the bottom, a phantasm of a butterfly flickered into existence, fluttering gracefully around me.
The children’s sobbing ceased, replaced by gasps of awe.
*Good. It worked.*
I placed my ornament on the table and pointed to the ones in their hands, showing them how to trigger the mechanism themselves.
From the little girl’s ornament, a pure white rabbit popped out and began to hop across the table.
From the little boy’s, a large jaguar appeared and let out a slow, phantom yawn.
It looked so real. Since this was an object that existed only in Charlize’s memories, I watched it with fascination myself.
“If you don’t cry anymore, I’ll give these to you.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. I don’t like it when children cry.”
I spoke haughtily, and the children quickly wiped away their tears.
Then, clutching the ornaments preciously to their chests, they glanced at me with newfound caution. I nodded, suppressing a laugh. Yes, they’re yours.
It was just as the expressions on the children’s faces began to brighten.