IBWHK 26

~Chapter 26~

For once, it was a perfect morning.

Even a low-ranking official gets a day off after working six days, so it didn’t make sense for me, a bandit leader, to work all over Lombard every single day like a dog.

Even though the inquisitor was almost here, working every day was just too much.

So today, I didn’t schedule anything at all.

I warned everyone, everywhere, that if anyone disturbed my precious day off, I would have them executed.

By the way, I wasn’t joking. I was 105% serious.

“Ah, this feels good…”

I woke up slowly and blinked my eyes.

The dark, cozy feeling of the bedroom made me feel even more comfortable.

Nero was curled up, sleeping soundly under my arm. The weight and warmth of his body made my heart ache a little.

I reached out to pet Nero without thinking, but stopped when pain shot through my palm.

“Ah!”

I pulled my hand back and checked the injury, groaning.

Last night, it was just red, so I thought it would get better if I slept, but it was worse now. My whole palm was swollen and dark purple.

Even touching the sheet hurt and stung.

“Nyaa?”

“It’s okay. Go back to sleep.”

Maybe Nero noticed something was wrong, because he blinked sleepily at me.

I stroked his forehead with the back of my hand, trying to make him sleep, but his big amber eyes only grew brighter.

Nero stretched out and started rubbing his face and forehead on me.

Sometimes, he’d blink slowly when we made eye contact.

That was a loving “cat kiss.”

“Oh, my baby! You’re the cutest cat in the world! Kiss, kiss… Ow!”

I couldn’t hold back and tried to hug Nero, but pain shot through my palm, and I had to let him go.

Maybe Nero thought it was a game, because he rolled over and showed his belly.

At least the bed was soft.

But I screamed loud enough that someone outside the door heard.

“Madam, sorry to disturb your rest, but are you alright?”

“I’m not alright. Come in.”

I really wanted to stay in bed, but I needed to do something about my palm.

My maid came in quietly and knelt down.

“Call the doctor.”

“Where does it hurt? I’ll go bring Sir Rotter, the court doctor, right away.”

The doctor she meant was from the capital.

The first time I got sick here, Mrs. Olden said Lombard doctors couldn’t be trusted and brought in a new one from the capital.

She really believed everything from the capital was best.

It was true Lombard was behind in some ways, but as a former Lombardian, the obvious bias still hurt a bit.

“Not Sir Rotter.”

“Then who…?”

“I told you before. I made Gilbert, the doctor from inside the city wall, my personal physician. Bring him.”

The maid looked worried and glanced around.

I tilted my head, and the maid replied carefully.

“I-I’ll go ask Mrs. Olden.”

“Fine, whatever.”

It was my day off, so I didn’t want to argue over every little thing.

I waved the maid away.

Before long, Mrs. Olden showed up.

I was used to reading negative feelings in others. I grew up in an environment where I had to be sensitive to such things.

She looked at me with sharp, cold eyes.

But she quickly returned to her usual calm and elegant face.

“I heard you needed the doctor.”

“I hurt my palm.”

“I see.”

Even though she was always obsessed with watching my every move, today, Mrs. Olden didn’t ask too many questions.

Maybe she had finally given up on me, I thought for a moment.

“Sir Gilbert… No, wasn’t he just a lowborn commoner? I’ve sent for Gilbert.”

“You didn’t have to call him ‘lowborn.’”

“I was curious what kind of skills he had, since you seem to trust him so much. Now I’ll get to see the famous doctor in person.”

Of course, she hadn’t given up.

As if she didn’t hear my sigh, Mrs. Olden handed me a tray.

“Please drink this. It’s a warm drink to settle your stomach.”

It was the usual spiced wine with honey and nuts.

At first, I thought it was odd to drink alcohol on an empty stomach, but after doing it every day, I got used to this pointless noble custom.

I picked up the cup under Mrs. Olden’s careful gaze.

“Ah!”

Nero hissed and smacked the cup with his paw.

Because my palm hurt, I was only holding it loosely, so I dropped the cup right away.

The expensive carpet below the bed was stained dark red like blood.

“Nero? Why are you doing this?”

Nero, who was usually cute and talkative, now glared with his fur standing up.

‘Maybe he doesn’t like the spices in the wine?’

Cats do have sensitive noses.

It felt awkward causing trouble in front of Mrs. Olden, who hated Nero, but I stayed calm and gave my order.

“Clean the floor.”

“Yes, and I’ll bring you a new drink.”

Unlike my nervous mood, Mrs. Olden left the room without a word.

She came back soon with a new cup.

I grabbed it tighter, ignoring the pain in my palm. Nero wrinkled his nose and suddenly jumped again.

Luckily, I moved fast and dodged his paw.

I quickly drank the wine to keep Mrs. Olden from nagging me.

“Don’t blame me, I dodged it.”

“But madam!”

“Nero just doesn’t like the smell. If he does this every day, it’ll be a problem, so don’t bring this drink anymore.”

“No, you have to drink it. This isn’t just wine—it’s medicine for your health!”

No wonder it tasted awful—it was medicinal wine.

I always thought nobles drank for no reason, but now it made sense.

Still, since she was looking out for me, I felt bad refusing just because of the taste.

I decided to let it go this time.

“I’ll let you have your way about the doctor, but I can’t allow you a new maid.”

“What?”

“A maid is the face and pride of her master. Such an important thing can’t be decided by you alone.”

I was about to give in, but that annoyed me.

Even when she saw my face twist, Mrs. Olden didn’t back down.

“I am the chief lady-in-waiting to Her Highness, the Princess. I have a duty to lead her onto the right path. Every little thing you do affects the royal family’s honor!”

“Enough!”

I raised my voice and cut her off.

“Does this look like the royal palace to you? I’m the bandit leader of Lombard now. Use the right title.”

“But Lady Elysia—!”

“I don’t want to hear it. Leave. When you come back, be a servant to the bandit leader, not to the princess’s palace.”

After I ordered her out, Mrs. Olden couldn’t stay any longer and left the room.

The maids came in and changed the dirty carpet. I watched them while petting the still-angry Nero.

They all looked like typical southerners from the capital.

‘For jobs like cleaning, they could at least hire some locals.’

Something still felt wrong.

“It’s poison.”

Gilbert put down the cup and tried to keep his voice calm.

But his face was stiff. He had just found poison in the cup I drank from every morning.

He checked the test paper again and again, not believing it turned black.

“Who could do such a thing to you?”

“I have a guess…”

I let out a deep sigh and leaned back on the cushion.

Normally, the maids would collect the dishes after breakfast.

But today, I made a fuss so they’d run out before picking up the cup.

I hid the cup until Gilbert came.

‘It really was poison.’

Even though I suspected it, seeing the test paper turn black was still a shock.

I had no idea why Mrs. Olden would want to hurt me.

So I asked the most important question first.

“What kind of poison? Is it deadly?”

“No, but…”

Gilbert hesitated, then spoke.

“It contains something that causes infertility. If a young woman like you drinks it, her period will stop in a month or two. If she keeps drinking it, she’ll become permanently infertile.”