Chapter 57 – The Duke on His Last Days and the Fox Caretaker (2)
Alexei’s teasing attitude hardly seemed like someone visiting a patient.
“I just want to be alone.”
Geoffrey muttered as he picked up the documents he had been reading.
“If you have nothing to say, would you leave? I’m a patient and need my rest.”
“Why would a patient be reviewing documents? Truly, is there anyone else in the world who amuses me as much as you do?”
“Alexei… my head is spinning.”
“Are you trying to kick me out when a friend as precious as I am is here?”
Despite the clear order to keep visitors away, Alexei showed no annoyance—only jokes. He laughed so loudly that the bedroom windows rattled. After a long bout of laughter, Alexei suddenly became serious.
“And who said I had no business here? I came to share news about my beloved cousin… But if you need rest, I suppose I should leave.”
Alexei closed the window with a clatter and prepared to walk out. As soon as he turned his back, Geoffrey cleared his throat.
“…You’re taking good care of her, right?”
Geoffrey asked about someone he hadn’t even seen a shadow of since arriving.
“She’s safe,” Alexei replied.
“Good to hear.”
“You didn’t know how much you cared about my cousin, did you?”
Alexei teased again, and Geoffrey’s expression darkened. He didn’t care what Alexei thought of this situation.
“She’s a guest of the Caspian household. Where is she now? Is she hurt anywhere?”
Seeing Geoffrey suddenly becoming talkative at the mention of Mio, Alexei puffed out his cheeks.
“Then you should’ve known better than to go to the hunting grounds.”
Geoffrey grew angry at Alexei’s scolding.
“I’m not in the mood for wordplay, Alexei.”
“I’m always sincere, Geoffrey. Did you miss me? Were you dying to hear news about me? Wondering if I was eating well? Or who I was dating now?”
Alexei’s rapid-fire words as he approached the bed made Geoffrey cling tightly to it.
“You’ve finally lost your mind?”
He had never been curious about Alexei’s private life.
Alexei shrugged and muttered.
“You never accept anything. Few people are as boring as you. It’s tragic.”
“Please, enough nonsense.”
Seeing Geoffrey frown as he threw aside the documents, Alexei lowered his voice mischievously.
“Maybe you should stop taking your medicine, Geoffrey.”
Geoffrey hid the veins in his wrist bulging under his shirt.
“Your nagging is excessive today. Even I have limits.”
The medicine was meant to prevent seizures. To stop taking it meant one of two things: to give up life, or to find a true partner. Either choice felt distant and impossible right now.
“I’m so scared I feel like I might cry.”
Their silent quarrel cast shadows that tangled like predators. The tension was brief, and Alexei’s playful voice returned.
“By the way, I mentioned that you might not have long to live.”
“Such a cruel hobby you have.”
“Not entirely false. A warrior never knows when death may come on the battlefield.”
Alexei collapsed onto the bed, causing it to tilt. He plucked a flower from the floor and chewed it thoughtfully.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about,” he said seriously.
Geoffrey made an annoyed face.
“What is it? Say it quickly and leave.”
“Why were you holed up there for two weeks? Normally, you wouldn’t have stayed even a day.”
Geoffrey hesitated, tracing the scar on his side as he pondered. A wound that once seemed eternal now healed quickly under his touch.
“My condition was bad. I’d been hit by a poisoned arrow and stabbed in several places.”
“Geoffrey, the passing dogs would laugh. You, who once enjoyed drinks atop a pile of corpses, expect me to believe a few men managed to take you down?”
Alexei’s words were true. Ordinary people would have died from such wounds—but this time, Geoffrey had struggled in the cave like any normal man.
“…It’s a prepared meal. Isn’t it polite to show at least that much effort?”
Hearing Geoffrey’s reply, Alexei laughed heartily.
“So you pretended to be defeated? Ha! Truly, Geoffrey, only you would answer that way. You’re completely insane.”
Watching Alexei laugh to tears stirred an uneasy feeling in Geoffrey.
“To hear such things from you is not pleasant. Now, do leave.”
Geoffrey hid behind the documents in farewell.
Night deepened, and Caspian Castle fell into silence.
“…Hmph.”
Alexei’s visit only complicated Geoffrey’s already heavy mind. It had taken time to finally usher him out.
“Damn Alexei.”
Though he had feigned indifference, the incident was far from trivial.
“This wasn’t the original plan…”
He had been dragging Ben, who attacked him in the forest, to a secluded spot. Just before capture, he had seen a small fox. He thought if he saved it, it would flee the forest. But the little fox had blocked Ben instead.
“That’s largely why I stayed in the cave.”
Rather than return to Caspian Castle or kill Ben Caspian and his men, he had chosen this alternative.
“It’s funny. Staying in the cave wasn’t so bad.”
He enjoyed a rare quiet, hearing only water, wind, rustling leaves, and distant animal cries.
“But I wasn’t entirely alone.”
A fox lingered near him. The tiny creature had brought herbs to help him, even moistening them with its fur to help him ingest them. The warmth it provided ignited something in his cold heart. Geoffrey recalled the fur-stained shirt and covered his eyes with one hand.
“But I can never truly be free.”
Though his body was there, he worried constantly about others—his subordinates, the castle household. At least Duke Urcheka’s presence provided some relief.
“Keeeeng, keeng.”
Angela, drooping, crept close to Mio, bending forward and stepping back repeatedly.
“What is that ridiculous behavior…?”
Annoyed, Mio flicked a paw.
“Go away, pup.”
Each movement of the large dog kicked up the dry soil of the garden.
―Grrr… Ah! Really!
Watching the sullen Angela reminded her of what Geoffrey had done before.
“Was it like this?”
She pushed a small stick, and Angela, excited, drooled and bounced in place before rushing at her.
―Grrr, grrr. Hey! Don’t come here!
The dog’s enormous mouth seemed ready to swallow her, frightening her. Luckily, it grabbed the stick and spun around in place.
“Even the dog inherited its owner’s madness.”
Playing briefly had drained her. Night deepened, and Mio’s worried gaze returned to Duke Urcheka’s words echoing in her mind.
“Geoffrey… might die soon?”
She hadn’t revealed the cave’s location to Lavinia for this reason. She had thought everything would resolve just by coming here…
“I need to check his condition myself.”
Geoffrey’s pale face haunted her thoughts, and sleep seemed impossible.
Mio moved stealthily in the shadows, climbing the building’s vines and stepping onto the window ledge to reach the second floor. Geoffrey’s bedroom window was slightly open, allowing her easy entry.
A small shadow moved beyond the open window.
“Am I making a mistake?”
Bathed in moonlight, she hesitated at the windowsill. Geoffrey looked thinner than she remembered.
“No… I can’t let him die like this.”
His life or death was in her hands. To let him live—or not—was entirely up to her.
Geoffrey coughed and reached for the blanket, but his large hand fell weakly.
“He doesn’t even have that much strength left?”
Mio climbed quickly onto a stool and leapt to the bedside, successfully reaching him.
“His face… so pale.”
The moonlight cast deep shadows across his worn, sharp features. Even in illness, he looked strikingly handsome.
“Geoffrey… looking fragile…”
She wiped drool from his lips with a paw and tried to cover him with the blanket.
“This blanket is so heavy.”
It was too much for her, and a faint whining sound escaped. Suddenly, Geoffrey stirred and pulled her into an embrace.
“You’re crazy! Let me go!”
This wasn’t why she had come. She had only intended to check his condition.
She pounded on his muscular arms, but he didn’t budge. She considered biting his arm but refrained—he already suffered enough, and being bitten would only add to his pain.
“Geoffrey… might die soon…”
Mio reflected on the reversed roles. She had been anxious about her own life, but now he might die first.
A large hand brushed gently across her back.
She should have recoiled, but instead, the touch felt warm. Mio finally felt the aches of climbing to the second floor.
―Haaah…
A yawn escaped her.
“Yes… I’ll rest for a moment.”
With that, Mio buried her face into Geoffrey’s chest and closed her eyes.
