‘No—if I get caught…!’
Panicked, I darted my eyes around and quickly jumped down to the floor.
I scrambled under the dresser just as the bedroom door burst open.
And the person who stepped inside was…
‘It’s the personal physician?!’
My eyes widened in shock.
The doctor strode confidently toward Adrian’s bedside.
At the same time, I tensed up.
‘Wait… this smell?’
That bitter scent I’d been chasing all this time.
It was coming strongly from the doctor.
‘What… is this?’
Carefully peeking my head out, I watched what he was doing.
‘He’s changing the IV?’
Since Adrian couldn’t eat on his own, he was being nourished through an IV.
And the physician was replacing that IV drip.
But there was still plenty of fluid left. Why change it now?
As I watched from the shadows, eyes gleaming—
The doctor finished replacing the IV and left the room with a twisted smirk.
Once his footsteps faded into the distance…
I scrambled out from under the dresser in a hurry.
‘What on earth… was that?’
The IV still had plenty left, yet he changed it intentionally.
And that same bitter smell.
‘This is suspicious.’
I needed to tell my sister.
Without hesitation, I bolted out of the room.
—
“Meeeow!!”
Panting, I shouted loudly for my sister.
She was reading a medical book and turned around in shock.
“Heavens, May!”
She rushed over in alarm.
“I told you not to stay in cat form at the duke’s estate!”
Oh—right!
I quickly transformed back into human form and clung to Sabina.
“I have something to tell you!”
“What is it?”
“There’s a bitter smell around Adrian.”
Sabina tilted her head.
“Bitter smell?”
“Yeah. And there’s also a bit of a sharp sting to it. So…”
I explained everything I had noticed.
That bitter scent I’d first smelled in Adrian’s room the day we arrived.
How the smell had faded since Sabina started staying close to him.
And how Adrian’s condition began to improve at the same time.
Then today—
“The doctor came to change the IV. And he smelled just like that bitter scent.”
“…I see.”
As she listened quietly, Sabina’s eyes suddenly narrowed sharply.
She must’ve connected something.
“Thanks for telling me, May.”
Sabina stood up right away.
“I’m going to check on Adrian’s room.”
The determined look on her face reassured me completely.
I nodded eagerly.
“Okay!”
I hope this strange smell I noticed can help Adrian recover…
—
Sabina headed straight to Adrian’s room.
The bedroom was quiet.
Adrian still hadn’t opened his eyes.
The face that used to smile at her so playfully was now pale and bloodless.
Seeing him like that—
—made her heart ache unbearably.
‘Adrian…’
With her lips tightly pressed together, she turned to the IV bag beside the bed.
The clear fluid inside seemed harmless enough.
But—
‘…That bitter smell.’
Sabina trusted her familiar.
Without hesitation, she changed out the IV and examined the old bag carefully.
Gripping it tightly in her hand, she spun around.
Her eyes were cold as ice as she strode purposefully out of the room.
—
Two days later.
After Sabina’s devoted care, Adrian finally regained consciousness.
“Adrian, are you awake?!”
Sabina bent over him, asking urgently.
His dazed green eyes slowly came into focus.
And then a faint smile touched his lips.
“…Who’s this? Am I dreaming right now?”
His low voice was hoarse and cracked, but still laced with his usual mischief.
“Sabina, is that you?”
“Oh my god, Adrian!”
Sabina couldn’t hold back her joy and threw her arms around him.
Adrian gasped in surprise, wide-eyed.
His mind, still foggy, snapped into clarity like cold water had hit him.
“S-Sabina?”
His face turned bright red, like a ripe tomato.
But Sabina clung to him tightly.
Her voice trembled with emotion.
“I really thought you’d never wake up…”
“…”
For a moment, Adrian felt a lump form in his throat.
That one sentence alone told him just how much she had suffered.
He gently patted her back.
“I’m sorry… You must’ve been scared.”
“…”
Though Sabina didn’t respond, her trembling shoulders said everything.
Adrian hugged her back just as tightly.
A short while later, Sabina, cheeks flushed red, finally pulled away.
“A-anyway, I’m so glad you’re awake.”
Then, her eyes suddenly sharpened as she fired off questions.
“So how do you feel? Anything hurting? What about your aura heart?”
“Uh—what? I think I’m fine…”
Startled by her intensity, Adrian instinctively answered.
But Sabina frowned and chided him again.
“Don’t just say you’re fine. Try checking your condition properly.”
At her insistence, Adrian carefully attempted to circulate his aura.
And then—
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped his lips.
“What? What is it? Are you in pain?!”
Sabina’s face instantly filled with concern.
Adrian frowned deeply, clearly displeased.
“My aura… isn’t flowing right. Feels like something’s blocking it.”
“You’re still recovering. Don’t push yourself.”
Just then—
SLAM!
The door burst open.
Duke Valencia and the physician appeared.
“Adrian!”
The Duke rushed forward with joy the moment he saw Adrian awake.
But the physician’s reaction was very different.
“Impossible…!”
He couldn’t hide the shock on his face.
His eyes, locked on Adrian, clearly said: This shouldn’t have happened.
At the same time, Sabina gave him a frosty smile.
“‘Impossible’? That’s a strange thing to say, isn’t it?”
Her suspicion had become certainty.
She narrowed her eyes and asked coldly:
“You sound like you didn’t want the young master to wake up.”
“W-what?! What are you talking about?!”
Flustered, the physician raised his voice.
Ignoring him, Sabina pulled something from her robe—it was the IV bag.
“Were you counting on this?”
The physician’s eyes went wide.
The Duke, Adrian, and even the physician all stared at the bag in her hand.
And Sabina calmly revealed the truth.
