CH 13.1

It took days before Lila could open her eyes. She’d been asleep for so long that she couldn’t open her eyes properly to the bright sunlight and burst into tears.

“Lila!”

Lila barely lifted her eyelids, feeling a small warmth tug at her hand.

“M, hmm…”

“Don’t talk. Do you know you’re unconscious for a few days now?”

The voice was tight, and no matter what she did, words wouldn’t come out. Lila shuddered as she recalled the last memory.

“Hm, huk.”

“It’s okay, Lila.”

Michael took her hand and held it tightly. Lila slowly calmed down at the sound of his young but strong voice.

“Do you want some water?”

Lila was suddenly aware of how thirsty she was. She nodded slightly, and Michael spooned some water into her mouth.

“Drink a little. I’ve rung the bell, and the doctor will be here soon.”

Before he could finish, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

He opened it.

“Madam!”

Jessie burst into tears as the doctor came in. She hurried to Lila, but she couldn’t lay a hand on her, only shuffled her feet.

“Doctor, please take a look at my lady.”

“Young master, please excuse me.”

Michael, who had been sitting by Lila’s side, stood up at the doctor’s words and moved out of the way.

The gray-haired old man checked Lila’s wounds and pulse carefully.

“Thank goodness we’re over the hump. You could have been in real trouble.”

The doctor nodded reassuringly and pulled out a potion.

“It’s a potion from a famous alchemist. Now that you’re awake, drink it and you’ll be well in no time.”

After taking out a potion to increase stamina and heal wounds, the doctor stood up.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, young master.”

“Thank you.”

After the doctor left, Jessie approached Lila and burst into tears.

“My lady, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

Jessie’s troubled complexion belied her words.

“Jessie…”

Lila was so grateful to Michael and Jessie for their concern for her. With trembling hands, she reached for Jessie’s hand and patted it.

“My lady…”

“Jessie, go to the kitchen and get some watered down soup. She needs to eat something and take her medicine.”

“Yes, young master!”

Jessie left the room and Michael sat down gently next to Lila, smiling reassuringly as he gently pushed a stray strand of mauve hair from her forehead.

“Thank you so much for waking up.”

“…Michael.”

Struggling to call him, Lila’s eyes filled with tears. A soft handkerchief gently touched her face.

“You’re an idiot.”

Michael’s eyes narrowed as he heard every word.

“I’m sorry…”

Lila smiled through her tears. She was relieved to see his face, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

As she continued to wipe her sobs from her face, Michael became frustrated.

“My uncle is at the palace right now. He’s going to catch whoever did this to you.”

Lila recalled Charlotte at Michael’s words. She didn’t know what she’d done to deserve such a hateful glare.

She didn’t know why she was acting like she was the one who’d been insulted when she’d been the one who was being ignored.

‘Who is really the hateful one.’

Lila was offended by Charlotte. Her tone reminded her strangely of someone else.

‘Those who pretend to be nice are unlucky?’

Being nice and being played for a fool? That’s not being nice, that’s being an asshole.

Her fingers pressed tightly against her brow as she wrinkled it and wore a frown.

“You have a scary face.”

“…my face?”

“Yes. Pretty scary.”

“Pfft…”

She laughed at Michael’s honesty, but it hurt to laugh when her whole body was as hard as stone.

“Hmph, huh, pfft.”

Even as she sobbed in pain, the laughter didn’t go away. As he watched Lila giggle, unable to move properly, Michael muttered softly.

“You didn’t really hurt your head, did you?”

The little gentleman with the serious face and voice was adorable, and Lila laughed even harder.

By this time, Lucas was emerging from his private audience with the Emperor. Theobald, who had been waiting for him, hurried toward him.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Do you… have to do it now?”

Theobald’s face turned fierce at the look of annoyance on his face.

“Are you disobeying my orders now?”

Lucas was already in a low mood from being alone with the emperor.

The absence of the courtiers and the untoward incident at an imperial event could not be ignored.

The Emperor interrupted, questioning Lucas about the circumstances of the day and trying to find the culprit.

The emperor tried to appease Lucas and make the incident go away. The imperial palace should have taken the lead on the matter, especially since it was on a mountain that belonged to the royal family, but they didn’t.

He resented that.

Lucas didn’t want to back down, but the Emperor played hard. After soothing him, the Emperor suddenly changed tack and threatened him.

He was the first to blackmail him with the potion he needed during his heat. Lucas didn’t care about his own pain.

When Lucas refused to back down, the Emperor played his last card: Lila.

As they were not formally married, they needed the Emperor’s permission to marry. It was already granted, but it was not difficult to overturn it.

Lucas felt his blood rush backwards, but once he’d betrayed Lila, he had no choice.

He had to give up on public punishment. Of course, he could always punish her privately, so he would have to back down.

The Emperor was kind enough to provide Lucas with a large supply of potions for estrus.

Normally, this would have been impossible. Every year, the Emperor would only give him the amount he needed for his heat, no matter the cost.

Suspicious, Lucas resigned himself to humiliation.

That’s how it was, but there was no way that the prince would look good in front of him. Besides, the prince’s purpose was obvious even without asking.

Lucas didn’t miss his startled glance. His red eyes turning to Lila’s face.

Lucas glared at Theobald and slowly opened his mouth.

“No matter how much you call, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you cannot call me, the head of the Duke of Montefeltra, without an appointment in advance. I’m sure you know.”

The voice was low and filled with displeasure. Theobald was offended, too.

“I won’t take up much of your time, so let’s have a cup of tea.”

But he couldn’t be angry. Nor could he dismiss Lucas with his usual disdain.

He had to know, about her.

“I’m sorry, but my wife has not yet awakened, and I do not have time for a leisurely cup of tea. I hope you will excuse me…”

With that, Lucas bowed and left the room without hearing the crown prince’s reply. Theobald, who had never been treated this way before, swallowed his rising anger and glared at the disappearing Lucas.

“She’s mine. Do you think she’s your wife?”

In my dreams last night, she stood before me, a thin line of tears. Theobald looked into her resentful cobalt eyes and vowed.

“I’ll help you, Lila.”

Remembering how she had held him in her dream, Theobald stared at Lucas’s back as he disappeared into a tiny dot.

* * *

A man hurried through the vaulted hallway. Throwing open the ornate door that seemed to be trimmed in gold, Count Pinatelli hurried to his daughter, who lay motionless.

“Charlotte, are you all right?”

A middle-aged man with golden eyes and the same hair color as hers asked while sitting on the sofa next to her bed.

“Father…”

“That’s a shame, you’re with him.”

“I just want to…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

The Count’s expression was tinged with pity as he felt sorry for Charlotte, whose complexion was flushed with exhaustion.

“Luckily, Duke Frederick came to your rescue. I don’t know why he’d bet against you, good girl…”

“I didn’t do anything wrong… Father believes me, right?”

“Of course I do. That’s the way it is in the aristocratic world. The slightest coincidence can bring you down, so you must be careful, careful, careful, my dear.”

“Yes, I will. I love you, Father.”

The Earl smiled fondly as he patted Charlotte’s back as she clung to him, calling him ‘Daddy’ as she had as a child.

In his arms, Charlotte wiped the tears from her eyes as if they had been washed away.

‘They don’t realize I’ve been using tools, do they?’

Charlotte tensed at the sudden appearance of the Duke of Montefeltra’s knights.

Despite her protests, they were adamant. As they were about to drag her away, claiming it was their lord’s orders, Heinrich miraculously appeared.

If it weren’t for him, she would have been dragged away and tortured.

“What the hell was that ugly man talking about?

Apparently, she wasn’t injured enough to die, so she didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.

“Sweetie, let’s not go out for a while and let you rest.”

“I’m feeling much better now.”

Charlotte wanted to go out, now that things were settled; it would be reassuring to get out and hear the rumors.

“Duke Frederick must have taken a special interest in you.”

“Did the Duke say that?”

“He says you should rest at the mansion for the time being. I have to go to the manor again tomorrow for the company, so do as he says and rest.”

“… Yes, I will.”

Charlotte’s mother was living with a mistress elsewhere, and her father, Count Pinatelli, also had a mistress on the estate.

Charlotte would be alone at the Count’s mansion in the capital.

For now, she decided it was best to keep quiet and wait. Charlotte got out of bed when the Count left the room.

“I must know how things are going.”

It was vague enough to send a letter to Lady Huras. Perhaps she, too, had been interrogated.

“This sucks.”

Charlotte tugged at her tousled hair, stroking it back. When she was annoyed, it was best to take it out on her maid.

Charlotte twisted her fair lips.