CHAPTER 80……………….
Ricardo, who had been crouching in front of the spot where the kittens were, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Linaria gasping for breath.
The moment their eyes met, Linaria was overcome with the impulse to flee.
But—
Meow.
The cries of the kittens held her back.
Hearing their pitiful mews, Linaria changed her mind and knelt down beside Ricardo.
Her knees became damp, but her body was already soaked, so she paid it no mind.
And then she understood why Ricardo had been so hesitant.
Hiss—!
The mother cat she had seen earlier in the day had returned for her kittens.
Her fur bristled, and with her mouth open, she let out a sharp, threatening cry. She looked as if she wouldn’t allow anyone to touch them.
A glance—
And there was already a scratch mark left across the back of Ricardo’s hand.
Linaria realized what must have happened before she arrived.
‘If I leave things like this, even the mother cat will die.’
Up close, the neglected wound looked severe.
“We’re not trying to hurt you or your babies.”
She softened her voice to ease the cat’s wariness.
She could feel Ricardo’s questioning gaze, as though asking what on earth she was doing—but she ignored it.
“This place is dangerous. Let’s go somewhere safe.”
The mother cat looked as if she might claw at Linaria any second.
But when Linaria simply waited quietly, the cat stopped hissing and, after some hesitation, shifted her body slightly aside.
She was allowing them to touch her kittens.
People often assume that animals cannot understand human words.
But in truth, animals were more sensitive than anyone to human emotions.
Without delay, Linaria took off her shawl and wrapped the trembling kittens.
Then she looked back at Ricardo.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you picking up the mother cat?”
“……”
“Are you scared she’ll scratch you again? Then I’ll carry her.”
“……No.”
Perhaps because of the earlier injury, Ricardo was being overly cautious, and his slow actions were frustrating.
“If you’re going to be like that, I’ll just take all of them myself.”
Only then did Ricardo hurry to pick up the mother cat. She still seemed wary, but she allowed herself to be held.
Once she confirmed that, Linaria ran.
The first place that came to mind was her own room, so she headed back and went straight to the fireplace.
“Miss, what in the world happened?”
Seeing Linaria return soaking wet, Anna was flustered.
“Anna, stoke the fire hotter. And I need towels—and some food the cats can eat…”
“Yes, right away.”
When she noticed the kittens in Linaria’s arms, Anna quickly grasped the situation.
“I’ll help too.”
“You should wash and change, Miss.”
“It’s fine. I’ll help—it’s urgent.”
Anna could not break Linaria’s stubbornness.
“Then…”
The two women bustled about together.
Before long, Kaas joined in as well, helping dry the cats with clean cloths and giving them food.
In the process, they hurt their hands, but paid no attention to it.
“Kaas, can you go right now and bring a veterinarian?”
The labored, wheezing breaths of the cats were unsettling.
Not only the mother, but even the kittens weren’t in good shape.
Seeing the mother cat unable to properly eat the boneless fish they had prepared made Linaria even more worried.
‘The mother has to eat properly to feed her milk to the kittens. At this rate, they won’t survive.’
She finally resolved to call a veterinarian, but instead of Kaas, it was Ricardo who spoke up.
“No, I’ll go.”
Until now, he had only watched Linaria flit around busily, his expression full of confusion.
So this was unexpected.
“I know this area better. It’s better if I go.”
“…Please do.”
She wasn’t fully convinced, but she had no grounds to refuse.
After Ricardo left, Anna all but pushed Linaria to wash and change.
In the meantime, Kaas kept an eye on the cats.
“Anna, could you brew some tea? Make it strong, please.”
“But it’s almost bedtime, Miss.”
“I plan to stay awake if I can.”
“Miss…”
“Please, Anna.”
Unable to win against Linaria, Anna reluctantly went to do as asked.
Linaria sat by the fireplace next to Kaas, watching over the weary cats.
“I’ll keep watch, so get some sleep. Just watching won’t make them better.”
“Better that than waking up to find them dead. I… just want to do everything I can.”
“You already have.”
“……”
“And I’ll make sure what you fear doesn’t happen. So you can rest easy.”
“You’re not a vet. How can you stop it?”
Kaas looked away awkwardly, as if he hadn’t thought that far ahead.
It was obvious his mind was racing. His flustered look was so endearing that Linaria couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Then she rested her head on Kaas’s shoulder.
Crackle, crackle—
The firewood popped as it burned. With her gaze lowered, Linaria murmured:
“If I fall asleep like this, won’t I start sleepwalking again tonight?”
“Are you afraid?”
“…Yes. I think so.”
“……”
“It means my body moves out of my control, without me even knowing.”
She thought she’d rather just suffer nightmares.
“You’ve been fine until now. It’ll be the same as when you didn’t know about it.”
Kaas’s tone was gentle.
“I’ll always be by your side.”
Then, after a pause, he added softly:
“Not just me, but the people you hold dear, too.”
“…Yes, you’re right.”
As if realizing something, Linaria quieted down.
Not long after, the door opened.
“Miss…”
“Shh.”
Kaas hushed her quietly.
Anna, who had returned with tea, found Linaria dozing off.
Though she had insisted she wouldn’t sleep, her eyelids had betrayed her. Anna chose not to wake her, and left again.
Linaria opened her eyes only when Ricardo returned with the veterinarian.
Soaked by the rain, Ricardo guided the doctor inside.
He looked pale, as though he had rushed desperately the entire way.
“With medicine and rest, they’ll recover.”
After carefully examining the cats and tending to the mother cat’s wound, the veterinarian finally spoke.
They had gotten past the worst.
Because it was so late and the weather was bad, the veterinarian decided to stay the night at the castle.
Everyone relaxed, relieved. But Ricardo, still shivering from the rain, insisted on staying near the cats as if he wouldn’t leave until they were fully healed.
“This is my bedroom.”
But with just that one remark from Linaria, the matter was settled.
The next day, the cats were visibly better.
But just as relief set in, Linaria received news that Ricardo had caught a cold and couldn’t get out of bed.
‘Honestly, I don’t even want to go near him…’
Still, there was no denying that Ricardo had truly worried about the cats.
‘And I think I know why he caught that cold.’
She could still clearly picture him, drenched and trembling, unable to take his eyes off the cats or care for himself.
At last, late in the afternoon—
After much hesitation, Linaria went alone to visit Ricardo.
“I came to tell you the mother and kittens are all improving.”
It was obvious at a glance that Ricardo was burning with fever.
He nodded weakly.
Linaria’s eyes flicked to the large pillow beside him.
‘If I picked that up right now and pressed it over Ricardo’s nose and mouth, he’d resist.’
But he was too weak to stand, so he wouldn’t be able to shake her off completely.
If she kept pressing, Ricardo would die.
It would be striking down the betrayer before he could betray her.
‘No. There would be evidence.’
Linaria erased the impulsive murder plan from her mind.
“I hope Lord Obel recovers quickly.”
Perhaps because she had just imagined killing him, her voice came out stiffer than usual.
And with that, she turned to leave—
“For me…”
Ricardo’s parched voice rasped from his cracked lips.
But the room was so quiet that his words reached Linaria’s ears clearly.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord’?”
“……”
“…You called August ‘brother.’”
Ricardo’s face flushed red, hotter than his fever.
Whether it was from embarrassment or illness, Linaria couldn’t be sure.
But the way he quickly averted his eyes left no doubt—he was ashamed.
Normally, he would never have voiced such a thought aloud. But with his defenses lowered by sickness, he had blurted it out on impulse, and only afterward realized it.
