***

Rumors were like words that had been given feet.

Over the past few days, Lianna had come to understand that all too well.

Throughout the journey to the capital, she constantly felt as though she were sitting on a bed of thorns.

Whenever the army paused to rest, the knights exchanged strange smiles and glanced back and forth between her and Calix.

It seemed that the fact that Calix had invited her to his bedchamber at Chester Castle had now become common knowledge.

But that might have been the least of her worries.

What truly troubled her was the rumor spreading rapidly among the soldiers that the Grand Duke had fallen in love with her at first sight.

The claim was utterly ridiculous.

What confused her even more, though, was that the man at the center of the rumors was doing nothing to dispel them.

There was no way those absurd stories had not reached Calix’s ears.

Yet he neither silenced the rumors nor denied them.

He simply allowed them to spread unchecked.

What on earth was he thinking?

A small part of her found herself wondering what lay behind his actions.

Lianna pushed all thoughts of him aside as the capital city of Grandel finally came into view.

Once they had passed beneath the towering gates — so high that she had to tilt her head back just to see the top — the magnificent sight of the bustling city unfolded before her.

She had deliberately entered the city separately from Calix.

If she had arrived with him, she would likely have been swallowed by the endless crowds gathered to welcome the victorious commander home.

“Thank you for everything, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave here.”

Calix didn’t try to stop her when she said goodbye.

Given that he had once spoken of marriage, it felt unsettlingly strange that he let her leave so easily.

Nevertheless, ultimately, it was for the best for Lianna.

Somehow, she had become entangled with him.

But it ended here.

Even though they now lived in the same city, their worlds were far too different.

She would never see him again.

Holding onto that oddly complicated feeling, Lianna gazed out of the carriage window.

Compared to the Chester territory, the capital city of Grandel was incomparably larger and far more chaotic.

Carriages and wagons crowded the streets, and people flooded every direction she looked.

Filled with noise and constant movement, the city pulsed with life, like a living, breathing creature.

According to Count Chester, the physician’s residence was located not far from Lutheran Avenue.

The thought that Joel would finally be examined by a proper doctor made her heart race with anticipation.

Even though they were far from the victory procession, the cheers of the crowds still echoed loudly throughout the city.

At that moment, people were probably throwing colorful flower petals into the air to welcome the returning army.

Perhaps even that man had set aside his usual cold expression and allowed himself the faintest smile.

Lianna quietly let the image of his face drift away on the passing wind.

The crowded streets slowed the carriage considerably, but fortunately, Luthern Avenue was not far from the city gates.

At last, the coachman gently brought the carriage to a stop and informed them that they had arrived.

After carefully straightening Joel’s clothes, Lianna stepped down from the carriage with him.

It had stopped in front of a three-storey stone building exuding old-fashioned elegance.

The second and third floors appeared to be rented living quarters, while the ground floor housed the physician’s apothecary.

Even from outside, the sharp scent of medicinal herbs hung heavily in the air.

Holding Joel’s hand tightly, Lianna cautiously stepped inside.

Behind the counter sat a clerk with an unmistakably bored expression.

The moment he sensed someone had entered, he slowly shifted his gaze towards them.

“What brings you here?”

“Um… I was told I could meet Physician Andre if I came here.”

When asked who had referred her, Lianna handed over the letter of recommendation that the Count had written for her.

Having read the letter, which bore the Count’s seal, the clerk pulled out a thick ledger and instructed Lianna to write her name in it.

Caught slightly off guard, Lianna accepted the quill that the clerk handed her.

The man looked at her suspiciously, as though doubting that she knew how to write.

Doing her best to ignore the condescending stare, Lianna quietly spoke.

“My younger brother has suffered from tuberculosis for a long time. I heard that Physician Andre is the most skilled physician in the capital, so I’d like to know when we might be able to meet him.”

The clerk glanced at Joel.

Seeing the boy, whose sickly complexion was obvious at a glance, he clicked his tongue softly.

“Physician Andre is currently away on a house call.”

“Then when will he return?”

“Who knows?”

She had come all this way to ensure that Joel was seen by a doctor as soon as possible.

The clerk’s indifferent attitude, as though this were none of his concern, made her blood boil.

With great effort, she suppressed her anger and said,

“Then we’ll wait here until he returns.”

“Hah. What did you say?”

At that, the clerk, who had seemed completely disinterested until then, suddenly burst into laughter.

He laughed so hard that tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, as though he had just heard the funniest joke ever.

Lianna frowned in confusion, unable to fathom his reaction.

What on earth was wrong with this man?

Had he hit his head somewhere?

“Judging by the look of you, you’re not from the capital. Did you come up from some countryside village?”

The clerk finally stopped laughing and asked the question.

In response to the rude and unpleasant question, Lianna’s neat eyebrows drew together.

Her voice took on a sharp edge.

“What does that have to do with seeing the physician?”

Even though she answered rather coldly, the clerk did not seem bothered.

Instead, he looked at her with pity and waved a hand dismissively.

“You’d be better off giving up and going back home.”

What kind of nonsense was that?

Just as Lianna was about to object, the clerk narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down.

“From what I can see, you don’t seem to have much money either.”

He was pointing out how poor she looked.

In case they ran out of money, she had deliberately bought clothes for Joel only.

Had she known she would be treated with such contempt, she would have forced herself to look more presentable, too.

“I have money.”

Lianna took out the pouch of gold coins tied around her waist.

When she placed it on the counter, the coins inside clinked together clearly.

The clerk’s eyes widened at the sight of the pouch filled with money.

When Lianna asked if this was still not enough, he shook his head and told her it was more than enough.

However, her relief was short-lived.

“But unfortunately, money alone isn’t enough to meet our master.”

“What do you mean?”

The clerk tapped the thick ledger he had shown her earlier.

“All the names written in this ledger are patients waiting to be seen.”

The ledger was densely packed with names.

Could there really be that many people waiting to see Physician Andre?

Lianna flipped through the ledger.

Each page was filled with names.

Panic rose inside her quickly.

‘It’s alright. The more serious this is, the calmer I need to be.’

Repeating that to herself, Lianna forced her gaze away from the ledger.

“Then… when can we see the physician?”

The clerk rubbed his chin, then slowly shook his head.

“Well… whether it takes one year or two, I couldn’t say.”

The fragile hope she had clung to plummeted heavily into her chest.

She had believed that if they could reach the capital, Joel’s suffering would come to an end.

But now he was saying it might take a year.

Perhaps even two.

What would become of Joel in a year?

“What will you do? Are you writing the name down or not?”

For a moment, it felt as though all the strength had drained from her legs.

The clerk’s merciless question hit her like an icy blade.

Shortly afterwards, Lianna left the apothecary, holding Joel’s hand tightly.

She wandered aimlessly through the streets as though detached from the world around her, eventually stepping into an inn that happened to catch her eye without even realizing it.

By the time she collapsed weakly into a chair inside, Joel looked at her with concern and spoke quietly.

“Sister… are you okay?”

“Hm? Ah, y-yes….”

Only then did Lianna realize that she hadn’t said a word on the way there.

She hurriedly forced a smile onto her face.

She needed to be strong at a time like this, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not dispel the shadows lurking in her expression.

Slowly rubbing her face, Lianna tried to steady the chaos swirling in her mind.

Then, gently taking her younger brother’s hand, she said softly,

“Don’t worry, Joel. No matter what I have to do, I’ll make sure a physician sees you… I promise I will.”

Though the words were meant for Joel, they sounded almost more like something she was desperately telling herself.

Joel quietly shook his head as he looked into those eyes that seemed almost frantic.

“…No. It’s okay. You don’t have to go that far.”

“What are you saying? We have to find some way.”

“You’ve already done enough for me, sister. So please… don’t push yourself too hard.”

Joel had already begun to suspect how Lianna had managed to save such a large amount of money.

She told him that she had saved it little by little over time, but he was fourteen.

He was no longer naive enough to believe such a fragile lie.

He had overheard whispers spreading among Grand Duke Einbert’s soldiers.

They said that the man had taken an interest in his sister.

Even to Joel, the atmosphere between the two of them had not seemed ordinary.

So naturally, he had come to understand.

That night, when his sister went to Chester Castle and never came back, he knew what must have happened there.