Chapter 5 – Part 3

“The examination is complete. Fortunately, there don’t seem to be any significant issues.”

The duke’s physician said kindly, scribbling something in his notes.

Sitting awkwardly on the bed, Liese breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness there were no after-effects.

If there had been an unseen bleed or something more serious, the deal would have been off the table, because there’s nothing more worthless than a doll that’s scratched and doesn’t move the way you want it to.

Liese agreed with Marcus’s sarcastic advice to take care of herself, because if she was seriously injured, there would be no one to take care of her family.

“I heard you slipped on a slippery cobblestone, and luckily, the contusions aren’t severe. You might not like the bruises, but consider it all part of the recovery process.”

“Thanks for letting me know.”

The doctor scribbled more on a white sheet of paper and looked at Liese.

“Now, let’s take a look at your gynecology. Are your cycles regular?”

Liese, who was about to get off the bed, looked suspicious. Then her round auricles turned red.

“Why are you asking about that?”

“Because His Excellency has asked me to examine you.”

The doctor tilted his chin. He had a puzzled look on his face, as if he were wondering why she was embarrassed of him, a medical professional. Liese clasped her hands together in front of her.

“I thought you were only checking for bruises and concussion symptoms.”

“But His Excellency, the Duke, asked for a full and thorough examination.”

“Perhaps there was a miscommunication?”

“It was not a misunderstanding. It was clear that His Grace was very concerned about your physical condition.”

He showed no sign of backing down. The doctor gave a final blow, his face grim.

“Thanks to you, I’ve come to realize that His Grace is also infinitely tender with her lovers.”

“…Ah.”

Could it be that even to his confidant, or rather his personal physician, Marcus hadn’t revealed the details? If that were the case, then Marcus, as her lover whom he regularly met, had no choice but to be concerned about her “health.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he brought you to me because he didn’t want the hospital to have a record of your treatment.”

Liese still looked uneasy as she glanced briefly at the doctor’s handwriting. That, too was a medical record. Being someone who worked under the Duke, wouldn’t that also be shared?

Helpless, Liese wiped her reddened forehead.

“The cycles are pretty consistent.”

“Do you usually have excessive bleeding or pain?”

“Not much.”

Liese answered deliberately, her eyes darting to the bag on the side table. It contained a gift for the Duke.

“Now, let’s proceed with a simple examination. Please come this way.”

After asking a few awkward questions, the doctor led Liese into a bedroom that smelled of medicines.

***

After the examination, Liese followed the maid’s lead to the duke’s drawing room. As she approached the door, she was stopped by the sudden appearance of Mrs. Florence.

“Lady Brennan.”

The maid looked at Liese with longing in her eyes. Liese bowed unflinchingly.

“My Lady.”

“His Excellency’s guest is already inside. Although you came without notice, he is a distinguished guest, so Lady Brennan, you will have to wait elsewhere for a moment.”

This means that he is an incomparably more important guest than Liese, who had informed in advance. Even after hearing that right in front of her face, Liese silently nodded.

“Okay, then….”

“It’s okay, come on in.”

An elegant voice from inside gave permission to enter. After a moment’s hesitation, Florence’s eyes quickly scanned Liese’s clothing.

She didn’t like the way she looked in her usual plain dress. It seemed to her that it was not the proper attire for a guest in the drawing room.

“Come on.”

Florence sighed at the sound of the urging voice. The door opened and Liese slowly stepped inside.

Marcus was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a woman she hadn’t met before was sitting in front of a low table, sipping tea.

She seemed to be slightly over fifty. It was hard to gauge precisely, but she was a remarkably beautiful woman with a slightly wrinkled face. Her eyes, observing Liese, were of a low saturation blue, quite similar to Marcus’s.

‘She’s the Duke’s aunt.’

Recognizing her identity immediately, Liese bowed politely. Behind her shoulder, Florence spoke as if she had been waiting.

“Marchioness Astrid Witrock, the Duke’s aunt. My Lady, this is Miss Liselotte of the Viscount Brennan family.”

“I thought as much. Come on in.”

Lady Astrid smiled happily, covering her lower lip with her hand. The door closed behind them, and Liese stood before her, breathing calmly.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady. I’m Lieselotte Brennan.”

“I see. You must excuse me for dropping in unannounced, not knowing you had an appointment.”

“Not at all, and it is an honor to greet you.”

The lady sipped her tea in silence and patted the seat next to her.

“Marcus is away for a moment; I believe he received an urgent call, but he’ll be back in a moment.”

Liese hid her discomfort and took a seat next to her.

The sister of the previous duke, she was of noble blood, born and raised in House Balthazar and married into the great southern nobility, the Marquis of Witrock.

“You are as beautiful as I’ve heard.”

Astrid glanced at Liese and smiled.

“You could make a sack look good. It would still stand out. It’s clear from what you’re wearing now.”

“…You are very kind, my lady.”

Understanding the implied meaning behind the words with a missing subject, Liese responded courteously.

She wondered where she’d heard of her; it wasn’t unreasonable for rumors to spread that the Duke was in a relationship, which was exactly what Marcus had hoped for.

“You’d be perfect if you gained a little weight. You’re on the slimmer side, aren’t you?”

“Not exactly. I’m just a bit active.”

She curled her lips as she said it, wondering if it might have bothered Lady Astrid if not moving much was a virtue of the noble lady.

Still, there was no reason not to be dignified, so she didn’t change her mind. Astrid studied Liese’s face carefully.

“Have you slept with him?”

Startled by the abrupt question, Liese shuddered.

“No. Not yet… I mean no, no, no… I’m sorry.”

Astrid laughed out loud.

“Don’t be flustered. I wonder what that considerate boy did to an innocent girl.”

Who was she talking about? For the first time, Liese didn’t recognize the subject.

“Is Marcus treating you well?”

“…Of course. The Duke is far too kind to me.”

“Of course he is.”

Astrid laughed with an innocent giggle. A mischievous smile crossed her fair face, one she’d never seen in her life.

“Don’t get me wrong. Marcus would be too good for any woman.”

“Of course not. I agree completely.”

Liese swallowed dryly. Astrid continued dreamily.

“The war is over; House Balthazar’s business is on a solid footing. We’re about to have the greatest social gathering ever. It’s good to hear that Marcus is in love at a time when it would be perfect for him to marry, for summer is the season for falling in love.”

Listening to Lady Astrid’s words, Liese realized that she had stepped into a much larger arena than she had anticipated. Nonetheless, there wasn’t much she could do about it.

“There are rumors that he brought a reluctant woman here because he doesn’t want to marry. Such things happen in aristocratic society, don’t they? But Marcus wouldn’t deceive anyone with a mediocre woman, would he?”

Liese hoped the smile on her lips didn’t look too artificial.

The Marchioness, who had no idea what she was getting herself into, began to make small talk, obviously enjoying the company.

“In any case, I’ve been a little bothered. With rumors spreading all the way to the south about Marcus meeting a woman, I’ve been receiving inquiries about the truth one after another.”

“You must have been very distressed.”

Astrid threw up her hands in a dramatic gesture in response to the polite reply.

“Don’t even mention it! I’ve received quite a lot of mail. I stayed up all night opening them all. Among them, there were some letters that seemed to have mistaken the recipient, and even letters that Marcus should have received were mixed in. Love letters, confessing feelings. Could it be intentional? Asking me to check on my nephew, whom she loves so dearly? Those foolish girls, honestly.”

“I believe that as a Duke who is loved by everyone, it’s not surprising.”

“That’s true.”

Astrid agreed wholeheartedly.

“He’s very special to me. Almost like a son.”

Suddenly, a shadow fell across Astrid’s face. She looked like she was about to cry. Liese prepared to pull a handkerchief from her bag, though the change in airflow caught her off guard.

“You do know that my brother, the great Duke Balthazar, was killed in a great battle long ago, don’t you?”

“Ah….”

“Marcus has always been quite intelligent since he was young, and he seemed to accept his father’s death reasonably well. He used to say that losing one’s life in a bloody war was inevitable. He was a child barely out of his childhood.”

“…….”

“Marcus wasn’t the problem. Unfortunately, the Duke and Duchess loved each other too much. Excessively.”

The next words were completely unexpected.

“As for my sister-in-law, his mother, she couldn’t bear the grief of losing her husband and took her own life. How could she make such a tragic choice with such a young child?”

“Aunt.”