- Chapter 16
“…Yes. I think she lost consciousness. When I got there, she was drenched in cold sweat…”
“…She’s been skipping meals often lately. I believe her weakened immunity combined with exposure to the cold wind led to a severe case of the flu.”
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying in bed, wrapped in a cozy down comforter.
At my bedside, Laura was sniffling as she spoke with our family physician.
“I must have been too careless. Lady Renata’s condition has been fragile for some time…”
“…From now on, pay closer attention to her health,” came my father’s concerned voice.
Hearing that, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion and swallowed hard against the tightness in my throat.
The physician turned toward me, perhaps hearing the sound. He placed a magical stone that changed color with temperature on my forehead.
Laura hurriedly rushed to the other side of the bed and took my hand in hers. Her freckled nose wrinkled as she sniffled.
“Lady Renata…”
“Don’t blame yourself, Laura. The dress I wore earlier today was too thin in the first place.”
“It’s not just that! Lord Count, you need to know—someone poured tea on the lady at the salon! And Lady Shinaba just laughed. Things like that spread fast, even outside the ballroom! I was so… so upset!”
Laura burst out, as if it had happened to her.
Hearing this, my father’s expression turned grim.
He was the kind of man who could never tolerate public disgrace falling on either Renac or me.
Pushing aside the physician, who had just picked up the now reddish-tinged magic stone, Father supported me by the shoulders and helped me sit up.
“What? Renata, you went through something like that and didn’t say a word to me? I’ll go to His Majesty immediately and demand answers!”
“…But doing that won’t undo what’s already happened, will it?”
I hoped my father wouldn’t make such a fuss over it.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Karina, who’d ended up doused in tea because of me.
But Father looked completely set on his course.
“Just wait until you become crown princess. I’ll make sure that woman suffers such humiliation that she won’t be able to show her face at any official event for three years.”
“What are you planning to do…? Cough, cough.”
“Oh dear. Renata, are you really feeling this unwell? Sir Seian, how is her condition?”
Seeing me coughing, Father anxiously patted my back and turned to the physician, Seian, the second son of a low-ranking viscount family, and graduate of the medical university, who had been serving as our family doctor.
“For now, it’s not critical. But the temperature swings are severe these days, and Lady Renata’s condition is quite weak. She must stay warm and avoid going outside. No strenuous activity whatsoever.”
Seian carefully wrapped the now-clear magical stone in a silk cloth and tucked it away.
In a world where mages had long since vanished, magical artifacts from the past were traded at astronomical prices.
That temperature-checking stone alone was likely something only a grand duke or higher could afford.
Before becoming our family’s physician, Seian had probably never even seen one.
His reverence for the item was almost sacred.
“I’ll send over some medicine later. But Lady Renata must stop skipping meals and take her prescriptions diligently.”
“…But the engagement ceremony with His Highness Khalid is the day after tomorrow. Will she recover in time?”
“Unlikely. From what I see, it would be best to postpone. That is, if such a thing is possible.”
As always, Seian was blunt but professional.
Father didn’t look thrilled by the idea of delaying the engagement.
Still, it wasn’t like we were calling it off entirely. A short postponement wouldn’t cause any great scandal.
After a moment of contemplation, Father sighed and nodded.
“…Perhaps this is for the best. I’ve heard Khalid has been treating you harshly. Let the Imperial Family feel the sting for once.”
“Father… I’m sorry. I didn’t stop by the D’Buina Boutique on the way back…”
“What use is a new dress if the ceremony is delayed?”
Shaking his head, Father left the room with Seian after the diagnosis was complete.
Left alone with Laura, I listened quietly as she sniffled and fussed over me.
Then, as drowsiness came crashing over me again, I closed my eyes.
But even as dawn passed into early morning, the fever showed no sign of subsiding.
When the sun rose, Father headed to the palace to inform Emperor Ikalis II of my condition.
Count Kessad Carneluti, a middle-aged nobleman, arrived early at the Imperial Palace to see Emperor Ikalis II.
He had been waiting in the audience chamber for some time, quietly studying the surroundings with his crimson eyes lined with faint wrinkles.
This was a palace steeped in centuries of history, its elegance beyond words.
Eventually, Kessad’s gaze settled on the golden throne perched atop five large marble steps.
Lined with vivid purple velvet cushions, the throne—currently empty—was the seat of power from which the emperor ruled.
Ikalis II, already awake for the day, was no stranger to tight schedules.
Meeting him without an appointment was no easy task.
But Ikalis had long considered Kessad’s visits welcome.
Today was no different; soon after, the two were granted a private audience.
“I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long, my old friend.”
“Thirty-seven minutes. Just enough time to strike a deal and exchange deposits—but I’ll let it slide, Your Majesty.”
“Haha! Still the same as ever. No one would doubt you’re a merchant through and through.”
The Emperor chuckled, brushing his finely shaped chin.
Kessad and Ikalis II had once been classmates at Barkalia, the empire’s elite academy.
Though they hadn’t interacted much back then, they’d grown close later—especially after the imperial finances began to falter.
Kessad had always hated being called a merchant, resenting the fact that his father had purchased their title.
But as time passed, either due to maturity or his own success, he’d grown more tolerant—even laughing off the nickname when Ikalis used it playfully.
Though today was an exception.
Kessad hadn’t smiled once since entering the room.
“I’ll skip the pleasantries, since we spoke not long ago. Your Majesty—Renata is ill.”
“She’s always had a weak constitution. I’ll have a tonic sent to her.”
“With all due respect, I’ll handle her medicine myself. The issue is that she won’t be back on her feet in a day or two.”
“…So she’s that unwell?”
For once, Ikalis II looked visibly concerned.
The engagement ceremony—meant to unify their two houses—was set for the very next day.
The recent war had cost the empire dearly. If he didn’t bind Renata and Khalid quickly…
The emperor stifled a groan.
Though he’d been grieving the loss of his beloved son Izar, he couldn’t afford to ignore the political landscape.
“She’s suffering from a severe fever. The doctor advised complete bedrest for the time being.”
“…Troubling indeed. Then what about tomorrow’s engagement?”
“That’s why I came today. After losing Prince Izar, the girl’s barely had time to recover, and now she’s fallen ill. I’m beginning to wonder if we pushed this match with Prince Khalid too quickly.”
Kessad let out a heavy sigh, lowering his red eyes with visible concern for his only daughter.
Ikalis II, unable to hide his anxiety, responded with haste.
“But didn’t she accept the engagement willingly? Renata… she’s an incredibly mature girl. She even asked me about Khalid’s whereabouts at the funeral.”
