Chapter 68

There were not many people with such a constitution.

Lintail is a fruit commonly used in the capital, so everyone enjoyed eating it.

Astelle is the only person in her family with that constitution.

In the past six years of living in the eastern countryside, Astelle hadn’t seen Lintail fruit.

Naturally, Theor had never eaten Lintail fruit since he was born.

‘Maybe Theor also resembles my constitution……?’

Astelle thought about it, but she couldn’t get it out of her mouth.

It was a thought that should not be expressed in front of Kaizen.

Because Theor is now Astelle’s cousin’s son.

‘Maybe……maybe not.’

If not, it was a bigger problem.

Because it meant he was sick.

Astelle looked at Theor with confusion.

Fortunately, the carriage came to a stop soon.

When the three arrived at the mansion, the maids came out to greet them, but when they saw Theor, everyone stopped in shock.

Hannah jumped out from among the maids who watched in surprise.

“Lady Astelle? Young Master Theor……”

“Hannah, please prepare a wet towel. Theor has lost consciousness because of a severe fever.”

At Astelle’s urgent explanation, the mansion became as busy as if it had been bombed in an instant.

Hannah brought a towel, and the other maids ran to call the doctor.

Astelle laid Theor down on the bed and wiped his forehead with the towel Hannah had brought.

The heat was so intense, the cold wet towel on his forehead quickly became lukewarm.

“Your Majesty.”

A doctor from the Imperial Palace came into the room.

It was the doctor of the emperor whom she had met once when she fell sick with a fever during the tour.

The doctor looked closely at Theor, frowned, and tilted his head.

Then he asked Astellse, who was standing next to him with an anxious look.

“It’s strange. It doesn’t seem like a special disease. Did the Young Master eat anything special? Like a food he has never had before?”

“……he ate fruit, but I don’t know what kind of fruit it was.”

Astelle answered without confidence and looked at Kaizen.

Kaizen looked out the door.

One of the guards who was waiting in front of the door came inside.

“What did you find?”

“The cup handle did not contain any poisonous ingredients. The vendor selling the drink was not suspicious at all. The ingredients are all three fruits.”

The guard said the names of three fruits.

All three were common fruits found in the capital.

One of them was the Lintail in question, which can only be eaten in the capital.

The doctor asked Astelle again, who was silently listening to the guard’s explanation.

“Is there any fruit that Young Master has never eaten? Does he have a sensitive reaction?”

“Yes, there is.”

Astelle came to her senses and answered calmly, “Lintail……he has never eaten it before. Maybe that’s why.”

The doctor nodded, then he asked a question again, “Is there anyone in your family who is sensitive to Lintail? Most people who are sensitive to certain foods have a family history.”

A family history.

As soon as she heard those words, her body stiffened.

Astelle could not come up with the answer.

A calm voice from the side took the place of her answer.

“Come to think of it, my wife must have been like that.”

When she turned her head, she saw the Marquis of Carlenberg who had been at the bedside to see Theor.

After that, he did not look at Astelle and was answering in a low-pitched, indifferent voice.

“But that’s weird. My children were not like that, nor was my dead grandson.”

“Oh, it’s not strange. Genetic diseases often skip generations.”

Hearing those words, the doctor shrugged it off lightly.

‘……’

Astelle’s maternal grandmother did not have such a constitution.

Astelle knew it, but she didn’t say anything and fixed her eyes on Theor.

She could understand why her grandfather would lie about her maternal grandmother.

Her maternal grandmother, the Marchioness of Carlenberg, had long since passed away. No one remembered the details about her.

But if it was her cousin Sigmund, or her uncle, there might still be some people in the capital close to them.

“Take this antipyretic and he’ll be fine.”

The doctor took out a small vial from the bag he was carrying.

“If the fever goes down, there won’t be any problems, but he is still young, so he should rest for at least two weeks so that no side effects remain.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Astelle lifted Theor up carefully, supported his head, and poured the medicine into his mouth little by little with a spoon.

Theor was still unconscious and slowly drank the medicine Astelle gave him.

Astelle put Theor back on the bed.

The heat is still high.

A warm hand rested on her shoulder.

Her maternal grandfather, the Marquis, looked down at Astelle and patted her on the shoulder to reassure her.

Astelle also took his grandfather’s hand.

Kaizen was watching all this silently.

***

The antipyretic that the doctor gave worked well.

An hour or two after taking the medicine, the fever started to go down.

The high fever that had been boiling over gradually subsided, and the complexion that had turned white gradually regained its color.

“You’re fine. You will wake up soon.”

Astelle raised her hand and gently stroked Theor’s hair.

His fine black hair was wrapped around her fingers.

Theor’s condition was getting better and better.

Now the fever is almost gone and only a slight fever remains.

Even the sound of his breathing that had been difficult could be heard comfortably.

Fortunately, the fever went down and it doesn’t seem to be bothering him anymore.

“Ummm……”

After a while, Theor, who was lying on a cozy blanket, slowly opened her eyes.

“Theor? Are you okay?”

Blue eyes appeared between the eyelids.

Theor turned to Astelle and the people around him and slowly moved his head up and down.

“Huh……I’m fine.”

Astelle hugged Theor.

Kaizen walked over to the bed.

The dog lying by the bed recognized him and wagged its tail.

“Theor.”

“Your Majesty……?”

Theor looked up at him with a somber gaze.

Kaizen gave Theor a mixed gaze.

He told Astelle instead.

“I don’t think this place is suitable for a patient because it is too small. It would be better to move him to a larger bedroom.”

It is a guest room, not a room used by the owner’s family of the mansion.

It was also a small bedroom upstairs reserved for low-ranking guests.

It was Theor who chose this room.

The reason was that the branches of the garden tree were close enough to touch through the window, and the scenery of the capital in the distance could be seen at a glance.

Theor insisted on sleeping here with Blynn.

He was only going to sleep for a day or two anyway, so at that time Astelle allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

Although it is a small guest room, it has everything you need and it was nicely decorated.

However, it was a bit inconvenient because the room was too small for several people to enter.

Doctors and maids would keep coming and going, so it was nice to stay in a spacious and comfortable room.

For the patient, a well-ventilated room would be better.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your consideration.”

Kaizen looked at Theor lying on the bed for a moment, then turned and walked out.

Astelle got up from her seat and tried to see him off, but a firm voice interrupted her.

“No need.”

He said so and went out.

*

After Kaizen returned, the maids immediately started decorating Theor’s new bedroom in the spacious room on the second floor.

The maids moved Theor’s luggage and brought a new blanket.

Theor lay in his new bed.

Blynn, who followed Theor, was also lying on the bed with its front feet crossed.

Astelle, who was watching everything, came to her maternal grandfather, the Marquis.

“Sweetheart, you should rest too.”

Astelle closed her eyes as she heard her grandfather’s worried voice.

Her heart seemed to burst with regrets and remorse.

“I didn’t know Theor would have a constitution like me.”

Among her family, Astelle was the only one who was sensitive to Lintail fruit.

Neither her father, her brother nor her mother had such a constitution.

Theor has never had a sensitive reaction to a specific food or object.

So she thought he was fine.

However, such an idea was the problem.

While Astelle was blaming herself in her heart, a warm warmth enveloped her body.

The marquis hugged her softly and comforted her.

“It was unavoidable. You didn’t know either.”

“Hah……”

Had I known in advance, I would have never taken him to a place like a fair.

There was no use in looking back and regretting what had already happened.

Astelle sighed as she rested her head in her grandfather’s arms.

“Still, aren’t you glad that Theor is safe?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

She was very fortunate to see Theor being treated well without any major problems.

Theor slept soundly on the freshly made, clean bed.

Astell carefully wiped Theor’s forehead with a wet towel.

In doing so, she later realized the serious reality.

She now had to stay in the capital for two more weeks.

***