Chapter 41
I was walking absentmindedly and soon found myself in front of the stables.
“The Young Duke? What brings you here?”
“There’s no time to explain. Get Victor ready now!”
“Huh? But Victor is…”
“Hurry!”
“Y-Yes! Right away!”
At Chade’s command, the stable hands quickly gathered the saddle and riding gear.
While I stood there catching my breath, the maids struggled to load my luggage onto the horse.
‘It’s nothing serious. It can’t be…’
I tried to calm myself, but the letter alone gave me no clear answer. My heart wouldn’t settle.
‘From what I heard, Mom in room 406 only had mild gastritis symptoms… how could it suddenly become this serious…?’
I shook my head tightly.
Unfortunately, this world was one where even simple illnesses could lead to death.
I had been too relaxed. I let my guard down.
Should I never have come here? Should I have stayed out of the Duke’s affairs?
But then what about Dad? I couldn’t just let him die.
My mind was a mess. While I was staring blankly at the ground—
“Adelia, take my hand!”
I slowly looked up and saw Chade, already on the horse, reaching out to me.
For a moment, it felt like his hand was a lifeline.
As if captivated, I took it.
He pulled me up strongly, and I landed on the horse behind him.
“Riding separately is faster than a carriage. Viktor is the fastest horse in the Duke’s family.”
I just nodded quietly at his determined tone.
After taking a deep breath, he struck the stirrup hard.
“Hiiyaah!”
The horse galloped, shaking our bodies with every step. The cold northern wind brushed past my cheeks.
It smelled like winter—the same winter when I lost my mom.
My nose stung. When I sniffled quietly, Chade pulled me closer into his arms.
The way he held me told me I could lean on him.
I rested my head against his chest.
Thump, thump, thump.
The steady beat of his heart felt like it was telling me everything would be alright.
Silent tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Hic… sob…”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore, fearing that this was all my fault.
Chade let me cry freely while continuing to ride without stopping.
***
I didn’t know how long we had ridden.
The darkness of night had passed, and the sky began to brighten with the soft light of dawn.
Instead of white, snowy mountains, wide plains stretched before us, and the sun felt much warmer than the day before.
Chade had ridden nonstop. I had dozed off and woken up again several times in his arms.
Then, at one point—
“Adelia?”
Chade gently shook me awake.
“We’ve reached the marked spot on the map, but I’m not sure about the area. Is that small house your home?”
His voice sounded hoarse from fatigue. I turned my head to where he pointed.
There stood a stone house with a brown flag waving above the tower.
“…Yes, that’s it!”
When I confirmed it, Chade smiled with relief and gently stroked Victor, who had worked so hard.
Thinking of how both Chade and Victor hadn’t had proper rest, I felt grateful and sorry.
‘I can’t afford to be weak now.’
I braced myself as we approached the house, and Chade helped me down from the horse.
But—
There were no servants in sight, which was unusual.
‘Don’t tell me… No. Please not yet.’
I shook my head quickly. I had to see it for myself.
“I—I’ll go in first!”
I shouted to Chade and ran toward the mansion, holding my skirt up.
‘The annex…! She’ll be in the annex!’
When I reached the annex garden, I ran into a maid—Luella.
“L-Lady Adelia?!”
She dropped the basket she was holding when she saw me.
“Luella! Where’s Mom? Is she okay? No, never mind—I’ll check myself—”
“Wait, my lady!”
Luella grabbed my clothes and blocked my path, clearly flustered.
Her actions made my frustration boil over.
“Let go! Are you still going to stop me? You’re not letting me into the annex even now?!”
“It’s not like that…!”
Our commotion drew the attention of other staff. Among them was Dad.
“What’s all this noise so early in the morning…? My goodness, Lia!”
Dad rushed over and stepped between me and Luella. I clutched his sleeve and asked desperately.
“Dad, where’s Mom?”
“Lia.”
“No, tell me she’s okay… Please tell me it’s not true…”
Even though I shared memories with the original Adelia from room 406, I had never actually met her mother.
So I shouldn’t have felt so desperate.
But my body trembled with fear.
Was I going to lose someone again because of my interference?
Would Dad collapse in grief again because of me?
Would I fail to save a life that I could have helped?
‘I can’t let that happen again. Not like this.’
I looked at Dad, clinging to the last thread of hope. He looked tired, but remained calm.
Then finally, he said the words I had been waiting for.
“Lia, calm down. Thankfully, your mother is still alive.”
Dad bit his lip before continuing.
“But… this isn’t something to discuss standing up. Come with me.”
***
As soon as we sat in the drawing room, Dad began to explain in a heavy tone.
“Three nights ago… Nella suddenly clutched her stomach and collapsed. The staff called for me in a panic. She’s had stomach aches before, but never this severe. Even when I gave her herbs that usually help with pain, she vomited everything, and the pain wouldn’t stop.”
“…”
“I was so happy that my research had been going well lately… but now that her condition’s worsened so suddenly, I didn’t know what to do…”
Though Dad spoke calmly, I could tell how shaken he was.
I quickly asked about her current condition.
“So… how is she now?”
“Fortunately, her symptoms eased a bit last night, and she’s sleeping now. But we don’t know when it might happen again.”
Dad lowered his head with a bitter expression.
Oddly enough, his words gave me a small sense of relief.
‘At least her life isn’t in immediate danger. Even if she was in pain…’
I closed my eyes and thought carefully.
‘Stomach pain is a basic symptom of many internal illnesses. There could be an issue elsewhere…’
I glanced at Dad and recalled what he had just said.
‘If it was a sharp pain that made her collapse and regular painkillers didn’t work, it’s likely a muscle spasm.’
Muscle spasms can’t be cured with painkillers. You need antispasmodics, which calm the muscle contractions.
‘But stomach cramps can have many causes… It would be best to examine her properly. But will Dad let me?’
As I was thinking this, I looked over at him again. He sighed deeply and continued.
“Anyway, I sent that urgent letter to you when things seemed critical. I didn’t expect you to arrive this quickly.”
“Oh, well… Chade—I mean, the Young Duke—helped me. He brought me here on horseback without rest.”
“You came with the Young Duke?”
“Yes. He should be outside right now…”
Now that I thought about it, it was strange that there was no news from him after we arrived.
Just as curiosity made me turn to peek out the drawing room window—
