Nora, who said she’d be back soon, hadn’t returned.

Leticia grew tired of waiting and left the room. She decided to take a look around the castle. Whether she liked it or not, this was where she would be staying, so it wouldn’t hurt to familiarize herself with the place.

She hadn’t expected the castle to be well-maintained, thinking it was only large in size, but to her surprise, the castle was in impeccable condition. The grandeur she had sensed from afar was evident throughout the interior. The ceilings were particularly high, and she imagined the sunlight streaming through the tall windows would be a breathtaking sight.

For Leticia, who had a frail constitution, good lighting was very important.

As she walked aimlessly, she realized she had wandered quite far.

‘What is this room?’

Just as she was about to turn back, Leticia noticed a door wide open. For a moment, she thought she was seeing things. Otherwise, there was no way a room so similar to her chamber in Rearbon could exist here.

Upon closer inspection, it was different, but the layout of the room and the style of the furniture bore many similarities to those in Rearbon. In particular, the large window above the head of the bed was strikingly identical.

“…Madam! H-here you are!”

Out of nowhere, Nora came running, panting heavily. She awkwardly smiled as she closed the door Leticia had been looking at moments ago.

“This room is a bit messy… All the luggage has been moved. The meal downstairs is ready, so shall we go?”

Nora’s behavior was undeniably suspicious.

‘Whose room is this?’

“Whose room is this?”

“It’s no one’s room. Compared to your room, it’s utterly lacking!”

As Nora urged her along, Leticia reluctantly turned away.

But that room was undoubtedly prepared to the point where it was ready for someone to stay in at any time, just like her own.

—

The meal was accompanied by a heavy silence.

Leticia, too, focused solely on eating. She had been feeling chills and a sense of unease since earlier. She wanted to finish the meal as uneventfully as possible.

“Do you like the room?”

“Of course.”

“That’s a relief.”

It was clearly a question asked out of courtesy.

“What exactly do you like about it?”

“Pardon?”

She hadn’t anticipated the follow-up question. It felt as though he was trying to confirm whether she truly liked the room. Leticia found his question strange but answered honestly.

“It’s spacious.”

“And?”

“Is there supposed to be more?”

“The more reasons you have to like it, the better, don’t you think?”

It was as if he was persistently trying to verify if she was telling the truth.

“For example, you might like the bright color of the curtains or the pattern on the bathroom door.”

“Are those things important?”

“If they are, would you tell me?”

She had no interest in conversations that went nowhere. Leticia decided to give a vague answer to end the conversation.

“It’s exactly as you said. I like the pattern on the bathroom door.”

“The grotesque, intertwined snake design?”

“…”

He frowned as if he couldn’t understand her taste.

Of course, Leticia had no idea what the bathroom door pattern looked like when she answered. But it was too late to admit that now, so she simply nodded.

Besides, she didn’t have the energy to think deeply about it at the moment. Leticia knew from years of experience that the best thing to do in such situations was to lie down on a bed.

“In any case, I’m glad something suits your taste.”

Leticia put down her utensils.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to down some wine and use that as an excuse.

“I didn’t know you enjoyed strong liquor.”

“Ugh…”

As he said, the dark red wine was pure alcohol. The liquid burned her throat as it went down, leaving her stomach feeling scorched. Even a single sip made her feel lightheaded.

“…I’m tired, so I’ll head to bed first.”

“Dessert will be served soon.”

“I’m fine.”

He shrugged. Leticia, already feeling unwell, struggled to handle the heat rising from the strong drink.

She calmly wiped her lips with a napkin and stood up from her seat. At least, that’s what she thought.

“Do you realize how pale your face looks?”

“…”

Just standing up made her vision sway. Callius, who had been sitting far away, was suddenly by her side, holding her arm.

He was an incredibly quick man. Leticia bit her lip as a random thought crossed her mind.

‘If I’d known, I wouldn’t have sat face-to-face with you for this meal.’

With that thought in mind—

“I’m fine…”

“…Tishia!”

Her accursed body seemed to be causing trouble again. Leticia felt Callius’s grip on her tighten as she closed her eyes.

—

Leticia’s illness had no clear symptoms. However, when her stamina dropped, she experienced severe dizziness and eventually collapsed.

It wasn’t something that could just be dismissed as a naturally weak constitution, as failing to rest in time could lead to loss of consciousness. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Perhaps the past few months had been nothing short of a miracle. Even after throwing herself into the cold river, she had miraculously survived.

Of course, she had been bedridden for weeks, but considering the circumstances, it was fortunate.

Maybe that’s why she had been deluded into thinking that her illness—if it could even be called that—had improved somewhat.

Falling ill immediately upon arriving at Siscreek was not part of the plan.

“It seems her tension has eased.”

“If tension eases, shouldn’t she feel better instead of falling ill?”

“…I’ll monitor her until there’s improvement.”

An unfamiliar voice alternated with Callius’s.

Soon, the sound of a door closing echoed, and the surroundings grew quiet. She wanted to open her eyes, but even that felt too difficult.

Now that she was alone, the sleepiness she had been holding back overwhelmed her. Leticia soon lost consciousness entirely.

—

When Leticia opened her eyes, the fever had subsided, and she felt much clearer. For the past few days, the high fever had left her unable to think straight. The last time she had been this sick was after throwing herself into the Senat River.

Each time she briefly opened her eyes, she saw Christine sitting nearby, watching over her.

“…Christine.”

“You’re awake?”

Christine’s shimmering hair swayed before her eyes.

“Have you always been this frail? You startled me. Last night, you were sweating so much that I was—”

“I’m fine, Christine.”

But her words seemed unconvincing, as Christine’s expression remained serious.

“Where is Lord Maxis?”

“…Well, he’s somewhere, I suppose. I don’t know exactly.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t as though she wanted to see him immediately upon waking. Leticia easily accepted the answer and tried to sit up.

“You shouldn’t get up yet.”

“Sorry, Christine, but I know my body better than anyone. Compared to the past few days, I’m in great shape right now.”

Unable to refute her, Christine simply helped Leticia sit up.

“I’ll go fetch your meal.”

“No. I’ll go eat.”

Having been bedridden for days, Leticia wanted to leave the bed. Christine didn’t stop her a second time.

—

Leticia sat at the center of the large table and ate at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow.

As the meal progressed, Nora asked, “Shall I bring out more?”

“This is enough.”

Leticia finally set down her fork and wiped her mouth. Throughout the meal, there hadn’t been a single sound of clinking utensils. Once the quiet meal ended, Callius appeared.

He glanced at Leticia before sitting beside her.

If he had even a shred of decency, he would have asked if she was feeling better. But Callius showed no such inclination.

Instead, Nora carefully placed a plate in front of him, clearly watching his mood.

“It’s a relief you didn’t die. If you had died so quickly, I would’ve been in trouble.”

So, to him, the days Leticia spent suffering from a high fever amounted to just that.

‘It’s a relief you didn’t die.’

His choice of words never failed to disappoint.