Chapter 28:
Clea tilted her head slightly at the unusually sharp and sulky tone of voice.
Not being able to see his expression was incredibly frustrating.
“…Right.”
Not knowing how to respond, she simply nodded in reply to Isaac’s question.
Unaware that Isaac’s face had twisted even further.
“So why is it that the poison is only now causing these aftereffects?”
“Well, that is, um…”
How should she put it?
She couldn’t exactly say, “It’s because I didn’t eat.”
Besides, how was she supposed to eat when she’d been knocked out for an entire day? Honestly, she felt so wronged.
“So…”
Clea desperately tried to come up with something.
“Have you heard of intermittent symptoms?”
“Intermittent symptoms?”
“Yes. Uh, occasionally—though I’m not sure exactly when—just every now and then, veeeery occasionally, there’s a temporary decline in vision.”
She really emphasized the “occasionally.”
If she didn’t stress it like this, she felt like he might just glue her to the bed.
“It really only happens once in a blue moon.”
“So you’re saying it could happen at any time?”
“Well… statistically speaking…”
Statistically, my foot.
There were no statistics. None at all.
But if she didn’t say something like that, Isaac really might make sure she never set foot on the ground again.
“It seems to happen mostly when I’m very hungry.”
“When you’re hungry?”
“Yes… There was another time I skipped a meal and worked through it, and I had similar symptoms…”
The lies flowed out effortlessly.
And her expression didn’t change at all.
Turns out Clea had quite the poker face.
At least that was one relief.
“…I see. So that’s why you asked for food?”
“Exactly. As long as I eat on time, I’m totally fine.”
So please stop telling me not to go out on my own.
Clea said it with the mindset of cutting him off before he could go there again.
“And this is a side effect of the poison?”
“Yes.”
Clea nodded.
In truth, since she hadn’t actually experienced the poisoning herself, it didn’t really feel real to her.
“What else is there?”
“…What else?”
“List all the side effects of the poison you currently know.”
“….”
Oh no, he really went there.
Clea lowered her head with a slightly exasperated expression and gave a weak laugh.
Isaac stared at her silently, arms crossed.
“Go on.”
He urged her, showing no intention of letting this go easily.
“I already know a few: collapsing after just four hundred steps, getting tired easily, the vision loss… what else?”
“…I’m not sure?”
It would be nice if she knew too, but that was the problem—she didn’t.
Clea really didn’t know much about this body.
She only knew that it was abnormally weak.
“I honestly don’t know.”
“…”
“Really, I don’t. As you know, it hasn’t been that long since I became like this.”
“…I see.”
Isaac nodded, seeming to accept her words.
“So when exactly is the food coming?”
“It should be here any moment now.”
If she’d waited much longer, she might have been summoned before the Demon King again.
It was a good thing she asked for something to eat.
She’d nearly faced a very embarrassing situation.
“Why do you refuse to see a physician?”
“…I have a personal one.”
“When you collapsed, I tried to call your attending physician, and they said no such person exists.”
What? No personal doctor?
You’re a Countess!
Clea crossed her arms and thought hard.
Anyway, she knew her body better than anyone else.
When she was in danger, she’d get a notification window—far better than any doctor.
To begin with, this was a dead body that had been forcibly brought back to life…
“Seeing a physician won’t help. It’s fine.”
“Still, better than nothing.”
“Nothing’s better. I know my condition best.”
Clea blinked. Her vision cleared slightly.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Isaac looked down at her, then turned his head.
“Come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The door opened at his command, and a delicious aroma filled the room.
Clea’s eyes widened as she turned her gaze toward the moving figure.
‘…It’s a bit less blurry than before.’
Even squinting, she couldn’t make out any facial features.
At most, it looked like a vaguely dark shape with some color.
“Are you sure you can see well enough?”
“Um… If I get closer, I think I can at least see the shape.”
At her words, Isaac waved the maid away.
The table was covered with a white cloth and piled with food.
He had ordered easily digestible meals, so there was more salad, soup, and stew than meat.
Isaac lifted Clea into his arms.
Like holding a child—suddenly and without warning. Startled, she instinctively wrapped her arms around him.
“Give me some warning before you do that.”
“Sorry, slipped my mind.”
She was used to being carried by now, so it didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore.
At this close range, she could make out his outline.
It was definitely less blurry than before.
“Take some time to rest at home.”
“Once I’m better… I’ll need to start responding to invitations.”
“Invitations?”
“Yes, to tea parties and balls…”
Up until now, Clea Rino had never built personal relationships outside of business.
She knew the noble world was a place where a single misstep could get you devoured.
And Clea Rino, from the beginning, had a bad reputation. She was young, and on top of that, a woman.
She was born with every trait that would make others look down on her.
So she had to become stronger.
Surrounded by piranhas, even holding onto what she had was a struggle.
In the memories she inherited, Clea Rino never stopped working.
“Are you really planning to do all this alone?”
“I’ll ask for help if I need it.”
“…Try not to go around alone. I’ll assign you a guard—keep them with you.”
Ugh. Clea’s face twisted.
Of course, she understood that in this world, nobles traveled with guards, servants, or handmaids…
But she had a visceral dislike of the idea.
‘Sure, there are bodyguards in the world I came from too…’
Then again.
She was a noble now.
In her original world, it was like being a chaebol or a member of parliament.
Those types had bodyguards too, so this was probably normal.
‘If I want to live like a noble, I need to ditch my commoner mentality.’
She had to act like Clea Rino—confident and lacking nothing.
At least in front of Isaac. Once she entered high society, she couldn’t let her guard down for even a second.
“So, will they walk around in armor?”
“If you want. Otherwise, I’ll order them to wear less conspicuous clothes.”
“Got it.”
If she refused Isaac’s offer of protection, he’d probably get all snippy again.
For some reason, he seemed to get upset when she insisted on doing things alone.
“Isaac, are you worried about me?”
“…Yeah.”
After a brief silence, Isaac answered calmly.
“I see.”
Clea murmured something ambiguous and smiled as she fumbled around with her hands.
Her vision was starting to return, so though she couldn’t identify the food, it wouldn’t be hard to scoop it onto a plate and eat.
“You remember the promise, right?”
“Promise?”
“Yes. The contract. Do your best to pretend to love me.”
At her words, Isaac’s brow furrowed.
Clea, unable to see properly, kept her head low, focused on the dishes she could barely make out.
“…And when we part ways, let’s do it with a smile.”
Parting like that would be the happiest ending she could imagine.
It might hurt a little for both of them, but if she thought of it as a fleeting fever, that would be more than enough.
“Why do you keep talking about the end? We haven’t even really started yet.”
“Maybe I said too much.”
Clea smiled brightly.
“It’s just because I like you too much, Isaac.”
She shrugged casually.
Isaac’s expression became hard to read.
Clea, feeling around the table for quite a while, finally grabbed a fork and smiled in triumph.
“I’m afraid that if I fall too hard, I’ll cling when it’s time to say goodbye. So I’m saying this more to myself than to you—don’t worry.”
“It still doesn’t feel real to me, that you like me.”
Clea chuckled softly at his words.
Out in public, her face was always blank and her eyes cold. But around him, she was different.
With her smile now spreading, she looked like any ordinary noble lady her age, devoid of wariness.
“I really do like you.”
Clea spoke with a faint smile.
“Enough that I chose being by your side over revenge.”
She gave voice to the feelings in Clea’s heart.
Isaac, who had lifted his utensils, quietly looked up again—but Clea was already feeling around the plate with her fork.
She could’ve just asked for help.
How foolish.
He knew she had sky-high pride, but he hadn’t expected her to avoid help to this extent.
“Ah, it’s really delicious.”
What exactly was delicious?
Still, as she popped a barely-mixed salad into her mouth and spoke with satisfaction, Isaac finally began his own meal.
