A soldier rushed in just in time to catch Edwin.

His legs gave way beneath him at that moment, and his body went limp.

He had lost consciousness again.

If the soldier had not caught him, Edwin would have fallen headfirst onto the floor.

The soldier carefully laid him down on a nearby sofa.

Even as all this unfolded before them, neither Ena nor Richel looked particularly surprised.

This was not the first time it had happened.

As Edwin’s fever slowly subsided, the periods during which he fell into a deep sleep grew longer.

At least that part was reassuring.

It meant his body was recovering more quickly.

The real problem came afterwards.

Whenever Edwin woke from one of these deep sleeps, he would immediately leave his room and wander through the estate, searching for Richel.

“It seems he’s wandering around in a half-asleep state.”

The physician concluded that Edwin was acting unconsciously.

After suffering from such a severe fever, temporary symptoms like this were apparently not uncommon.

“What now?! What happened this time?!”

The physician came hurrying in belatedly.

Judging from the splatters of stew beneath his chin, he must have run here in the middle of eating.

His face was bright red.

“How in the world are you handling things to let this happen again? Hm?!”

The moment he saw Edwin collapsed on the sofa, he immediately began shouting at the soldier.

His already irritable face flushed even darker with anger.

“I told you to keep proper watch over the Count! Didn’t I say it was dangerous to let him wander around?! How many times do I have to repeat myself? Hm?!”

“I-I’m sorry. The Count had fallen asleep, so I only stepped away for a brief moment—”

“And you call that an excuse?! You’re not a doctor, so what gave you the right to make your own judgment and leave your post?!”

His furious voice thundered through the room.

The soldier’s face reddened as well, clearly angered by the scolding, but the physician paid him no attention and only grew more heated.

“What if he collapses badly and hits his head next time?! How exactly do you plan to take responsibility for that?”

The physician raised his voice again, glaring fiercely as he shouted.

Unable to watch any longer, Ena stepped in to stop him.

“That’s enough. I understand you’re angry, but the Countess is right here.”

Upon hearing these words, the doctor calmed down.

He stopped shouting, but his face remained bright red.

It was the expression of someone whose patience had finally snapped after enduring too much for too long.

Edwin had exhibited this behavior day and night without pause, and each time, the doctor had rushed in a panic to check on him.

It took several deep breaths before he finally managed to calm down.

“…My apologies, my lady. I lost my temper and raised my voice disrespectfully.”

“No need to apologize. And from now on, assign two guards at a time. That way, they can cover for each other during emergencies. If you’re short on manpower, speak to the captain of the guard.”

“Understood.”

After answering the call, the doctor turned his attention back to Edwin immediately.

Fortunately, there were no major injuries or external wounds. Although Edwin’s breathing was labored, it was not yet severe enough to be life-threatening.

The real issue was that his fever was rising again.

Even while unconscious, Edwin groaned and mumbled continuously.

“Hngh… Richel… hng… I-I was wrong…”

The tearful ramblings remained painfully consistent throughout.

Edwin begged Richel for forgiveness between ragged breaths, twisting around violently as though he were trapped in a nightmare.

Then, suddenly, his breathing became even more labored.

The physician lightly shook him.

“My lord, wake up for a moment. It’s the doctor.”

“Ugh… hngh… ngh…”

Edwin’s eyes fluttered open briefly, his unfocused gaze landing on the physician before he closed them again.

It was clear that he would not regain full consciousness.

His fever seemed to be rising rapidly once more.

Ena returned carrying a towel soaked in cold water.

This was not the first time something like this had happened.

By now, she already knew roughly what needed to be done.

While the physician worked to bring Edwin’s fever down, he let out a weary sigh.

“Honestly, it would be easier if the Count and Countess simply shared a room. Then there wouldn’t be this much chaos…”

If Richel stayed with Edwin, he would probably stop wandering the estate searching for her.

But the physician quickly pushed the thought aside.

Richel herself was still a patient.

Her rib was broken, and dark bruises covered her abdomen.

Expecting her to take responsibility for Edwin as well would be shameless.

The doctor tapped a nearby soldier on the shoulder, signaling for him to take Edwin away.

Soon after, they disappeared with him.

Richel let out a long, exhausted sigh.

‘Anyone can see that Edwin’s completely out of his mind right now.’

It was an incredibly depressing conclusion.

If Edwin had truly lost his mind, the peaceful divorce she had once hoped for would no longer be an option.

Even if she managed to force the divorce, she doubted she would feel at ease afterwards.

The thought of handing over the estate she had worked so hard to build to someone mentally unstable was bitterly disappointing.

‘He never cared about the estate even when he was sane. If he’s like this now, it’ll only be worse.’

Following the death of the former Count and Countess in an accident, Edwin inherited the title.

However, he then practically abandoned the estate. He claimed that becoming a count had overwhelmed him to the extent that he could no longer manage his other businesses effectively

Richel had never truly believed that, though.

Edwin always hid behind excuses like that. He constantly neglected her, claiming he was busy and overwhelmed with work.

‘I wish Edwin had turned out more like his father.’

The former Count seemed perfect in every way.

Above all, he genuinely enjoyed working with his wife.

They were close both personally and professionally, and the former Countess spent her days at her husband’s side.

Richel had once looked forward so eagerly to her future with Edwin, partly inspired by the example set by the former Count and Countess.

“I guess not every child takes after their parents.”

At her quiet murmur, Ena turned her head.

She was busy opening the windows slightly to let fresh air circulate.

“You’re speaking about the Count, aren’t you?”

“…I thought I would live the way the former Countess did someday. People always say sons resemble their fathers.”

“The Count is certainly very different from the former Count in many ways.”

“It’s beyond merely being different. They have almost nothing in common. He’s unbelievably stubborn, overly sensitive, and completely incapable of proper communication…”

As she listed each flaw off on her fingers, Richel eventually let out another sigh.

‘Before marriage, getting married was the problem. After marriage, being married became the problem. And now divorce has become a problem too.’

This was why people needed to make careful choices.

The more mistaken choices piled up, the harder they became to undo.

Ena spoke quietly.

“The Count’s personality changed a great deal compared to when he was young. Back then… how should I put it? He was rather timid.”

“Timid?”

“He was extremely shy around strangers. He hardly talked, and no matter what he did, he often hesitated.”

The description felt utterly unfamiliar.

The Edwin Richel knew loved being around people, never minded attracting attention, and enjoyed acting on impulse.

“At that point, isn’t that practically becoming a different person?”

Ena let out a soft laugh.

Like the butler, she had worked at the estate for many years and watched Edwin grow up from childhood.

Whenever it drizzled, the young boy would wander along the stone paths in the garden.

His mission was to return any earthworms that had crawled onto the stones back into the soil before they dried out.

On days like that, everyone at the estate would find an excuse to walk through the garden just to watch him.

The sight of him wandering through the vast garden in his little raincoat was simply too adorable.

Once he had finished, the gardener would pick fresh flowers and give them to Edwin as a thank you for helping the worms.

Edwin would smile shyly before proudly presenting them to the Count and Countess.

“He definitely became much more outgoing as he grew older. He also developed a stronger will… and became colder.”

After he began spending time with noble children his own age, Edwin gradually changed.

He no longer kept his mouth shut shyly or hesitated awkwardly without knowing what to do.

Richel asked,

“So you’re saying his personality suddenly got worse?”

“Well… some people would say becoming decisive and strong-willed is a good thing. Besides, there were plenty of people who liked the Count back then too.”

“Isn’t that just because of his face?”

Richel spoke completely seriously.

Considering the shock she herself had felt when she first saw him, it was more than believable.

Ena laughed lightly.

“In that regard, he does resemble the former Count. Being handsome, I mean.”

In terms of appearance, Edwin surpassed even his father.

Of all the Isle family members, he was the most attractive.

Richel smiled, too, though there was a hint of bitterness at the edge of her smile.

If she had only known Edwin casually, she probably would have viewed him favorably, too.

But because she had married him, because she had become far too close to him, there were times when even his appearance meant nothing to her anymore.

Their relationship had nothing left in it.

‘Even if I can’t divorce him immediately, I still need to prepare. So that when the time comes, I can leave without hesitation.’

She decided to focus on what she could do for now.