Chapter 4
“Cough! Cough!”
No matter how much I wished it would stop, that damn coughing wouldn’t cease even with Kairon standing right in front of me.
“Cough!”
Damn it.
A sudden thought crossed my mind that I couldn’t keep showing such a 모습.
Showing weakness would not be a positive thing.
If it became known to the public that I had been bedridden just one year after marriage, the ducal house might consider it a disgrace. Or they might even cast me out, claiming that I was too weak to bear an heir.
A wife who wasn’t loved—and was also frail—would be nothing but a burden in many ways.
It had been the same in my previous life. Medical expenses were expensive, and the family who had to care for me whenever I fell ill gradually grew exhausted.
Even my family back then had been like that. So naturally, my husband—who didn’t even love me—would surely find my illness troublesome.
I might actually get divorced.
I didn’t want to be thrown out of here. I hadn’t even started my “golden spoon” life yet.
I hadn’t properly worn any top-tier dresses, nor had I fully enjoyed luxurious fine dining.
There was only one option now.
“Run…!”
For now, I had to hide my sickly appearance. I couldn’t afford to show this side of myself any longer in front of my husband.
Covering my mouth, I staggered to my feet. Even then, the coughing wouldn’t stop.
I hurriedly ran toward the door.
“Eeket!”
But my arm was seized.
The one holding my arm was Kairon’s hand. His grip wasn’t particularly strong, yet I was held in place as if locked.
Was I going to have to show him my condition like this? For a moment, despair twisted my expression.
“What’s wrong with you?!” Kairon shouted.
If this had happened just a few seconds later, he would have already left. The timing was unbelievable.
The only thing I could do in this situation was reassure him.
“I-I’m fi— cough! —ine…”
“Eeket!”
“I’m really fine—ugh!”
I wished he would just leave, but it was already too late.
Kairon, flustered, began patting my back.
In the midst of that, a fleeting thought crossed my mind—so he does get flustered too.
“Is there anyone outside!” he quickly shouted.
As soon as he called out, several servants rushed into the dining room.
“What is the matt— My lady!”
“My lady!”
Seeing the blood smeared around my mouth and on my hand, they screamed.
It made sense they were shocked—it was likely their first time witnessing such a sight. But I had experienced this countless times in my previous life.
I had been slightly startled when I first had a nosebleed earlier, but this time I didn’t panic helplessly.
Stay calm. The most important thing right now is to reassure Kairon. This illness wouldn’t bring disgrace to the ducal house, nor would it prevent me from bearing an heir.
I grabbed Kairon’s collar and gestured that I had something to say. I felt a bit guilty about getting blood on his clothes, but there was no helping it.
“What? You have something to say?”
Fortunately, Kairon understood my gesture and leaned closer to hear me.
“This isn’t som—cough!—thing to make a fuss over…”
But before I could finish my sentence, my strength gave out. The hand holding his collar slipped weakly.
I had intended to tell him not to overreact—that it wasn’t a life-threatening condition and there was no need to worry—but my strength drained before I could finish.
I collapsed helplessly. As I lost consciousness, I vaguely felt strong arms supporting my body.
“Has she not regained consciousness yet?”
“No, Your Grace.”
“And the doctor?”
“They are currently analyzing the test results.”
The aide replied.
“Is Eeket in her room?”
“Yes, she is.”
Kairon arrived at Eeket’s room. The door was slightly open. He pushed it open and stepped inside.
Eeket lay unconscious in the middle of the room, her face completely drained of color.
Since the coughing and spitting of blood had stopped when she collapsed, her expression now looked almost as if she were merely sleeping.
After staring at his wife for a moment, Kairon turned his gaze and looked around the room.
It was his first time entering this place today.
Neat, not overly decorated—an interior that suited Eeket well.
Just as he was about to leave, he paused. A small framed photo on the bedside table had caught his attention.
He picked it up.
“……”
It was clearly a family portrait from Eeket’s childhood.
His gaze lingered on the frame for a while.
So she used to keep a family portrait by her bedside when she slept.
It was the first thing he had learned about his wife.
Kairon soon put the frame back in its place and looked silently at Eeket again.
The blood around her mouth had already been cleaned by the servants, but the image of her coughing up blood earlier still remained vivid in his mind.
The afterimage of that scene lingered longer than expected.
He frowned and closed his eyes. Thinking back on it didn’t feel pleasant at all.
Perhaps that was why he had found himself paying attention to a small frame on the bedside table—something he would normally never have noticed.
Unnecessarily sentimental.
“What’s her condition? It wasn’t poison, was it?”
The voice slowly brought me back to awareness. My eyes were still closed.
“It does not appear to be poison. No toxins were detected in the tests.”
“Are you certain? What kind of test did you perform?”
It was Kairon’s voice. He seemed to be speaking with a doctor.
Judging by how faint their voices sounded, they were probably talking in the hallway outside the room.
I remained lying there with my eyes closed.
“We used a test involving hemlock. It’s a simple method, but reliable.”
“If it’s not poison, then why is my wife like this? Why has she still not awakened?”
“We also tested for infectious diseases, but it doesn’t appear to be one.”
“Then?”
“Hmm…”
The doctor didn’t answer immediately. They likely didn’t know the cause of the illness.
“It would be better if we could run more detailed tests, but at present, we are unable to determine the cause.”
It was the expected answer. The doctors in my previous life had also been unable to find the cause of my condition, so this wasn’t surprising.
“So the conclusion is that you don’t know why my wife is like this?”
“After conducting multiple tests, all results appear normal. If there is one noteworthy point, it is that the duchess is quite physically weak.”
“Weak?”
“Yes, very weak. There could be many reasons for this frailty—lack of exercise, chronic fatigue, and stress, which is the root of many illnesses.”
“…So you’re saying this isn’t just a one-day issue, but something she’s been dealing with for a long time?”
Kairon asked back, sounding doubtful.
Yes, it would be hard to believe. A man who had no interest in his wife would have no way of knowing whether she was weak or healthy.
“That is likely the case. You, Your Grace, would likely know better than I whether the lady has been fatigued in her daily life.”
The doctor, unaware of the couple’s distant relationship, spoke as such. But there was no way Kairon truly knew me.
Was he even listening properly? He probably wasn’t interested in my health. He might just be listening absentmindedly with a bored expression.
As I wondered how my husband would respond, a new voice joined their conversation. It was Kairon’s aide.
“Your Grace, if you do not depart soon, you will not be able to reach the midway destination by today.”
The aide urged Kairon. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to hear his response to the doctor.
“I’ll depart immediately.”
Kairon replied without hesitation. He must be busy.
Still, he was finally leaving.
I felt a sense of relief. His departure was far more comfortable for me. He was nothing but an inconvenience.
Just as I was letting my guard down—
“Master.”
I heard a voice I recognized.
Even though I had only recently possessed this body, there weren’t many voices I knew here.
This was my maid, Ria.
Why was she…?
I perked up my ears.
“What is it?”
“My name is Ria Wright. I am a maid serving the lady of the house.”
Ria introduced herself to Kairon.
Why was she suddenly speaking to him?
“And?”
“I… I have something to tell you.”
