Chapter 63
Did I… survive?
I had been wandering like someone lost in darkness with no visible exit.
But now, I blinked my eyes at the familiar ceiling in front of me.
Every time I blinked, my swollen eyes stung, and tears welled up.
I tried to move my fingers, to test my body, but for some reason, it didn’t respond.
“Could it be that I can’t move my body? Or… is this another dream?”
I barely managed to twitch my fingers, and only then did I realize that I wasn’t in a dream, and my body wasn’t paralyzed. Relief washed over me.
Using my left hand, since my right wouldn’t cooperate, I turned it over and examined it carefully.
It was fine.
Aside from my injured right shoulder, there didn’t seem to be any major issues.
“…But who brought me here?”
The last memory I had was collapsing in the bushes, so I had no way of knowing who had saved me.
First, I needed to properly check my condition.
As I tried to lift myself, there was a brisk knock at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Miss, it’s Daisy.”
Before I could respond, Daisy flung the door wide open.
She clearly hadn’t expected me to have woken up.
Carrying a bunch of wet towels and medicine, Daisy froze when she saw me half-sitting up.
“Miss! You’re awake!”
“…Daisy.”
My voice was rough and cracked from not speaking for a while.
Daisy, dropping everything she was holding, rushed to me in a panic.
“Oh my! Are you uncomfortable anywhere? Wait, I’ll call the clinic!”
I watched her frantically babbling and calmed her down.
“Calm down, Daisy. Can you tell me everything one by one?”
I kept coughing because of my scratchy throat. Daisy poured water into a glass and handed it to me after checking my condition.
“Thanks.”
I smiled faintly, and I saw tears well up in Daisy’s large eyes.
“Miss… why did you wake up only now? The Empire is in complete chaos.”
Daisy wiped her tears roughly on her white maid sleeves and hiccupped.
Chaos in the Empire?
Just how long had I been unconscious?
I had countless questions about what had happened while I was out.
But before anything, I had to ask one thing first.
“Ailey?”
I had been tricked by a monster pretending to be Ailey, so I didn’t know where the real Ailey was.
Even as I collapsed, I had been most worried about whether Ailey was safe.
Hoping she was unharmed, I anxiously awaited Daisy’s reply.
Daisy clasped her hands tightly and delivered news I could be happy about.
“Ailey is safe. She comes every day to check if you’ve woken up. Today, she came a little early before attending her lessons.”
“That’s a relief… really.”
I exhaled in relief and finally felt the burning ache in my right shoulder.
As I held it with my left hand, Daisy gasped and stopped me.
“You can’t use your shoulder! The wound is deep. If you’d waited even a little longer, it would have been really bad! If not for Marquis Layton, Miss…”
Daisy trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, sighing through tears.
“Daisy, don’t cry.”
She sat there, shedding tears as if she might collapse to the floor.
I could tell she had been terrified that I might die, reliving the days she had been worried.
“Everyone thought you might leave us… the whole Grand Ducal household prayed day and night. Especially butler Hyle and Marquis Layton…”
I didn’t need to be told to know they had worried.
Hyle, who often complained about his greying hair, must have added another worry to his list.
“Where is everyone now?”
Daisy wiped her tears and picked up the fallen wet towels and medicine bottles.
“Butler Hyle went to receive a guest.”
“Hyle? Why is he receiving a guest? And Layton?”
If a guest came to the Grand Ducal household, it would normally be my duty to host.
In exceptional situations, Layton, as the guardian of the Grand Ducal family, could take over.
Of course, Hyle, the butler of the Bennett household, held a position far beyond ordinary butlers.
Having served my parents since their childhood, Hyle had the complete trust of the household staff.
Ailey and I trusted Hyle like a great-grandfather.
‘Still, it’s odd for Hyle to receive guests. Where did Layton go?’
My curiosity didn’t last long.
Daisy, placing the wet towels and medicine bottles on the bedside table, scratched the back of her head in a slightly embarrassed manner.
“Well… the Marquis went to the Imperial Palace today.”
“The Imperial Palace?”
Layton and the Imperial Palace… the two words felt incongruous.
Seeing my wide, rabbit-like eyes, Daisy hurriedly explained further.
“There was a commotion over a monster appearing at the hunting festival. And since you hadn’t woken up, the Imperial Court was in quite a predicament.”
That made sense. A monster appeared at a royal festival, there were even casualties, and the court would naturally be troubled.
Moreover, rumors must have spread that the Grand Duchess Bennett, whom the Emperor especially watched over, was injured. The social circles would be abuzz.
I could guess all this without seeing or hearing it.
“The newspapers ran articles every day saying the source of the monsters must be found. Such monsters had never been seen in the Imperial Capital before, so prompt action was required.”
“What does that have to do with Layton?”
Daisy came closer and gently loosened the bandage on my right arm.
Seeing the blood still seeping slightly, she sighed deeply.
“A unit was formed to investigate whether the monsters were intentionally sent into the forest where nobles were gathered. And the person leading that unit is Marquis Layton.”
“What?”
The news shocked me. I lifted my head sharply.
As I applied pressure to my right shoulder, Daisy carefully moved my arm aside, murmuring with concern.
“You can’t put weight on it. The wound might burst and it would be serious.”
“My wound isn’t the important part right now. Layton is in charge of that?”
He usually avoided troublesome matters.
And his relationship with the Emperor was complicated.
At the first royal banquet I attended with Layton, the two of them acted as if wearing masks.
Though it’s common in noble society to hide true feelings, theirs was extreme.
They spoke only trivial words wrapped in smiles to conceal their intentions.
For Layton to accept the Emperor’s request… the most plausible guess is that he had no choice but to comply, lacking grounds to refuse.
“Of course. The Marquis agreed without hesitation. And he repeatedly asked me to take care of you.”
“So that’s why he’s busy?”
“He’s working day and night. Ever since he brought you here, he seems to have barely slept.”
Hearing Daisy’s lament that “he’s worried too,” I bit my lip.
Layton leading the monster suppression unit… he was already busy enough, and now it would be even harder to see him.
The period of my own health crisis was approaching as well.
At least I could freely give him the medicine made from Titiano flowers, which was a relief.
‘Still, it’s strange. Why did the Emperor specifically assign Layton this task?’
I knew he was a great war hero.
But within the Empire, his reputation wasn’t particularly good.
Called the “Demon Marquis,” he was known as a cold figure, merciless.
A boy who survived countless battles unscathed, defying death wherever it lurked.
A genius who won wars deemed impossible by everyone else, bringing peace to the Empire.
Yet, despite his achievements, the Zaines family never rose to the central nobility and rarely appeared in society.
Practically, they were marginalized.
So when Layton, head of a declining house, appeared in the capital with the Grand Ducal household, many noble families were naturally wary and tried to keep him in check.
The Emperor must have known this, yet he still entrusted the monster suppression unit to Layton.
‘Is he using Layton?’
Thinking carefully, I began to understand the Emperor’s clever plan.
He appeased both the fearful nobles and Layton.
The commander leading the unit would be praised if he successfully uncovered the monsters’ source—but criticized if he failed.
A capable Layton uncovering the source and mastermind would earn clear recognition.
Fail, and the central nobility would have a new story to belittle him.
The Emperor had managed to escape taking sides cleverly.
“It’s done, Miss. Now lie down again. We must tell Ailey the news quickly.”
Daisy cleaned and re-bandaged my shoulder, reaching to help me lie down.
But I couldn’t rest peacefully yet.
I needed my dear little sparrow, who had so much to tell me about everything that had happened.
