Chapter 42
Just in time, footsteps were heard outside the drawing room. Soon, Chade entered the room, guided by Verdick.
It looked like they had just run into each other outside and were now helping carry my luggage together.
Unlike Verdick, who didn’t show any emotion even though it had been a while since we met, Chade walked straight over to me as soon as he saw me.
“Adelia, how is the Viscountess? Is she okay?”
The way he asked about my mother’s condition first, without any hesitation, touched my heart.
“Yes, she’s alright. Thankfully, her condition has stabilized now.”
“I see… That’s a relief.”
Chade looked truly relieved as he handed me my luggage. Verdick followed and placed down the rest.
“Long time no see, Verdick,” I greeted him.
But instead of responding, he just glanced at me briefly and stayed silent.
‘Wait… is he still upset about the time I made him faint?’
He didn’t seem to care about me at all and kept giving Chade an unfriendly look.
‘Did he hear about what happened at the duke’s house from Dad?’
That was the only reason I could think of for his attitude. Otherwise, there was no reason for Verdick to act this way toward Chade.
After the brief reunion, everyone sat down in the drawing room. My dad thanked Chade for bringing me and then suddenly turned to me with a question.
“By the way, Lia, since when did you start speaking so informally with the young duke?”
‘Uh-oh.’
He must have heard me talking casually with Chade earlier.
While I awkwardly turned to Chade, wondering how to explain, Chade spoke up instead.
“It was at my request, Viscount. I’ve received a lot of help from your daughter, and I didn’t think we needed to keep formalities between people our age.”
Even though Chade’s status was much higher than my father’s, he still spoke very respectfully.
But my dad just frowned and didn’t say anything in return.
‘Well, it’s understandable.’
After all, when we were at the duke’s house, I was treated poorly, and both of us had been in danger.
Chade seemed to realize this, too. After a moment of silence, he spoke again with a determined voice.
“I actually wanted to take this opportunity to apologize, Viscount. For the threat that was made against you and your daughter during your last visit to our estate.”
“……”
“I know no words can truly make up for what happened. But I believe it’s right to start with a sincere apology. It was entirely my fault.”
Normally, nobles never bow their heads. The higher their status, the less likely they are to apologize.
But Chade bowed deeply to my father without hesitation.
He was genuinely remorseful for how unfairly he treated the doctors, regardless of his reasons.
My father stayed silent for a long time, surprised. Then, finally, in a serious tone, he responded.
“I heard that the doctors who were taken to the duke’s estate have all been sent back home. It seems something has changed in your heart.”
“Yes. And that’s all thanks to your daughter.”
Chade turned slightly toward me and added, a bit shyly.
“She has a thoughtful mind and gave me a new perspective I never considered before.”
That seemed to soften my father’s expression a little.
Even though Chade was the same age as me, the fact that he realized his mistake and sincerely reflected on it seemed to ease my father’s heart.
“I’m glad to hear that. My daughter is quite thoughtful, just like me.”
“Yes, I’ve received so much help from her.”
As the two of them praised me back and forth, I honestly wanted to crawl into a hole from embarrassment.
Once the mood lightened, I quickly changed the subject.
“So, what are you going to do now, Dad? Mom’s condition seemed really serious…”
Everyone’s expression turned solemn again.
After a pause, Dad spoke carefully.
“Actually… I’ve recently developed a new medicine through my research. It might be the solution we need, but the problem is it hasn’t been fully tested yet.”
“You developed a new medicine?”
I was surprised—I hadn’t heard anything about my dad doing this. I looked at Verdick for confirmation, and he nodded.
‘So Dad has been working hard this whole time, too…’
Creating a new medicine isn’t easy. That he managed it while caring for Mom and working as a doctor was truly impressive.
“It’s all thanks to you, Adelia. I got a lot of ideas from the recipe for ‘Dospirin.’ But… I’m not sure if I should give it to your mother just yet.”
My father looked me in the eyes seriously.
“Could you take a look at it?”
“What?”
My eyes widened. I didn’t expect this request at all.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. As I said, the new medicine was inspired by something you made. And also…”
He glanced at Chade before continuing.
“You gave better advice than I did, even to the duke’s family.”
I could feel a quiet trust in his gaze.
‘I didn’t know getting my father’s recognition would make me this happy…’
Trying not to smile too widely, I replied.
“If it’s your request, of course I’ll help. But…”
I hesitated, and my dad nodded for me to continue.
“Even a great medicine depends on the patient’s condition. And I don’t know enough about Mom’s current state.”
“That’s true.”
“So… could I examine her myself?”
I asked while nervously looking at Dad.
In this world, my father was considered a very skilled doctor.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Adelia didn’t even have a license yet—she hadn’t even really worked as an assistant.
So it was a big request to ask him to let me examine my mother.
But unexpectedly, my dad smiled and exchanged glances with Verdick.
“Adelia, there’s something you should know first.”
“Yes?”
“Before you came, I discussed the new medicine with my mentor and other doctors. Their opinions were split.”
He raised an eyebrow and continued.
“Some were impressed and called it innovative. But others were very concerned. They said it was too dangerous to test a completely new medicine on Nella.”
From what I knew, the doctors around my dad weren’t the kind who blindly followed old traditions. They were forward-thinking.
And yet, even they were hesitant.
It made me realize again how difficult it was to use my modern medical knowledge in this world.
“But then I showed them your ‘Dospirin’.”
“……”
“It worked fast and had both pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects. It was easier to convince them with that. They were amazed. Everyone asked who created such a medicine.”
“Dad…”
I couldn’t say anything, but my father looked at me with deep green eyes and spoke gently.
“I’m very curious about where you learned all this medical knowledge. But I won’t ask.”
“……”
“Whether you studied alone or were taught by someone, the fact that you used your knowledge to create something new shows how talented you are.”
