Chapter 39
I wouldn’t even talk like that about the neighbor’s kid.
His tone was so monotonous it was hard to convey in words. It was as if there were no rises or falls in his voice at all.
“Not sure.”
“Hmm… Is it because she’s at that age where she grows a lot?”
“How were your other children? Did they all sleep a lot when they were growing?”
At that, the Grand Duke shook his head slowly.
“No?”
“I don’t know. I never really paid much attention.”
For a moment, my body nearly staggered. How could someone say something like that so casually? Truly a new type of human being.
“W-Well, anyway… sleeping like this is strange. So I wanted to ask you something.”
“…Ask? Oh, you were going to make a request. That’s quite unique.”
“Yes… well… so what I mean is, please bring in a physician. From what I see, Lari’s condition is too strange. When we were together at the orphanage, she did sleep a lot, but it wasn’t to this extent.”
Only then did the Grand Duke nod.
“I’ll tell the Grand Duchess.”
“Couldn’t Your Highness call them yourself? After all, in this household, you’re the only person we can trust.”
“Me… trust me?”
A slightly strange expression appeared on the Grand Duke’s face, which had been emotionless the entire time.
It wasn’t that I truly trusted him. I only said that because the Grand Duchess wasn’t someone I could trust. But the Grand Duke nodded as if he’d been deeply moved.
“R-Right, well… anyway, please call a physician. I’m really worried about Lari.”
“Understood. Since you ask like that… and since this concerns my child, I’ll do so.”
Only then did the Grand Duke nod again.
Of course, I knew that even if the person he brought examined her, they wouldn’t tell the whole truth. It was obvious they’d report everything to the Grand Duchess.
‘Still, it’ll be a chance to show the Grand Duchess that the Grand Duke is paying attention to the children.’
So that she won’t be able to treat them carelessly.
‘And… you never know. Maybe I’ll hear at least a small hint about why Lari suddenly started sleeping so much.’
I slowly walked toward Lari. I’d achieved what I wanted, and there was nothing more to discuss with the Grand Duke. But when I went to Lari, the Grand Duke had already followed me.
“But it’s strange. You’re extremely rude, yet I feel like I’m being drawn along by your words without realizing it.”
“That’s because I only say things that are right.”
Up to now, there probably hadn’t been anyone who got angry at the Grand Duke or snapped at him.
Children would’ve been too scared to speak just from looking at him, and adults would’ve flattered him desperately to gain his favor.
The only one who might show anger or irritation toward him was the Grand Duchess, but even she wouldn’t have done it the way I did.
“Is that so. This is a new feeling.”
It was like that cliché: You’re the first woman to ever hit me.
‘Well, at least that’s about romantic relationships. Surely he won’t kill me just because I gave him a “new feeling.”’
After boldly saying everything, anxiety came rushing in.
‘Maybe I went too far because it’s about Lari. I should probably value my life. In a month… if I still don’t say that Rohen is the father, I might not just get kicked out—I might get killed.’
“A-Anyway… thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. This is about my child, so it’s only natural. It’s just that I can’t pay attention to everything.”
“That’s why you need me. Someone who can take better care of the children than anyone else. Someone who worries about them more than anyone else!”
“Are you advertising yourself? You really speak well. You don’t shrink back even in front of me, the Grand Duke. But a promise is a promise.”
Tch. At this point, it felt like he should’ve wavered just a little, but he didn’t waver at all.
“There isn’t much time left now.”
“I know.”
“But Rohen still doesn’t seem to know. There’s been no change at all.”
You’re only called a father if you act like one. I shook my head slightly and looked at Rohen.
“He’ll say it when the time comes.”
“I told you to prove yourself. If not, there will be nothing that can prove you.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Good. I like that you’re not stupid. I was worried you might try to throw a tantrum. Ah, right.”
Perhaps because people around him usually understood even when he cut out half his sentences, the Grand Duke nodded to himself.
“What is it…?”
“Oh. You’ll be going to the temple soon. Prepare yourself.”
“Today?”
“In a few days.”
That was all. No explanation of why we were going, who it was for, or for what reason.
‘The Grand Duke really needs to relearn how to speak.’
I looked at him silently, then let out a deep sigh.
“Can I go? Why are we going?”
“Ah. We’re going because of you. So you must go. A request came last time asking that you be brought to the temple. That’s why we’re going. It’s rare for the temple to ask first, so I intend to comply.”
“Ah.”
“Of course, no matter what you hear there, nothing will change. Then I’ll take my leave.”
That was everything. Once again, after saying only what he wanted to say, the Grand Duke left.
“I really don’t like him. How can he talk like that?”
“But he said he’ll call a physician, so it’s fine.”
“…Noona, everything he says to you is awful. He sounds like someone who’s deliberately trying to hurt you.”
Rohen grumbled, but from my perspective, Rohen and the Grand Duke were pretty similar—just a difference between slightly spicy and less spicy.
Still, Rohen seemed to hate the Grand Duke, whose way of speaking resembled his own, as if he were cursing him. I couldn’t bring myself to say, You’re exactly the same.
The next day.
Early in the morning, physicians arrived. Three physicians who said they’d been sent by the Grand Duke examined Lari, who barely ate and only slept.
But all three were busy giving the same answer.
“We cannot determine the cause.”
“It is simply part of the growth process. There is nothing wrong with her body.”
“Nothing in particular…”
Even with the Grand Duke present, they behaved as if they’d coordinated their answers beforehand.
“Look properly. There’s no way this is just part of growth. You’re saying there’s no cause? She wasn’t like this before, but she suddenly changed!”
Even when I couldn’t hold back and spoke up beside Lari, the physicians didn’t even glance at me. To anyone, I just looked like a poorly dressed child. After briefly scanning me, they hurried to ignore me.
“Have you truly examined her thoroughly and found nothing unusual?”
It was obvious they were on the Grand Duchess’s side. You could tell they hadn’t even examined Lari properly. That made me even angrier. If they’d examined her carefully and still said that, I might’ve accepted it—but they hadn’t.
“Yes. That is correct.”
“There is no need to worry.”
“I see. If that is your conclusion, then it must be correct. We are not experts in this field, so it would be improper for us to argue.”
At those words, the physicians hurried toward the door as if eager to leave.
“But if even one word of what you say turns out to be false, I will not let it go. You are not the only physicians in existence.”
“Haha… P-Please don’t worry. There is no falsehood in our diagnosis.”
“O-Of course…!”
Just then, the young physician—the one who had at least said “I don’t know the cause”—hesitated, then spoke.
“Medically, it is true that there is nothing abnormal. However… the human body is complex… and I believe that the cause cannot always be found in just one factor.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just my personal opinion. It is true that we found nothing, but rather than limiting your thinking to a single cause, perhaps it would be better to look at things from various angles… That’s why I said it. It seems like you’re calling too many physicians trying to find a cause… There truly is nothing. Please do not doubt us.”
His words felt unsettling. But since he was almost in tears, the Grand Duke simply waved his hand.
“Leave.”
“Yes…”
But hearing that, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
‘If the cause isn’t just one thing… does that mean multiple poisons used together?’
If it weren’t poison, a child couldn’t possibly sleep this much. Even in the original novel, the Grand Duchess had used poison on the children without hesitation. She’d imprisoned them in the orphanage and even tried to kill them.
‘Could it be that she’s found a method now? A way to kill the children?’
But there was no way she’d discovered something now that hadn’t been discovered in the original story. So what was it? What on earth was it?
I looked at Lari, then scanned the surroundings. Usually, poison comes from something ingested.
So ever since I noticed something strange about Lari, I’d been eating everything she ate—from water to snacks. But I was perfectly fine. Rohen was too.
Then what was it? Was it really just a growth phase?
“I called the physicians as you asked, but they say there is no cause.”
“…Thank you for calling them.”
Still, as expected, he’d clearly sent a warning to the Grand Duchess by personally calling in physicians. And the physician’s unsettling words had given me a tiny hint: don’t look for just one cause.
“There’s nothing to thank me for. Lari is… also my daughter. After hearing you… I felt worry. Just a little. So I’ll look into it myself from now on.”
