Chapter 8 –  The Gathering (Part 2)

Until this morning, the day had not seemed particularly bad.

Of course, she still couldn’t figure out why Cassius, despite witnessing her drunken antics, had no intention of breaking off their engagement. Still, his recent behavior didn’t seem particularly aggressive, and even the way he called her name had softened compared to before, allowing her to let her guard down a little.

So, when Cassius, during breakfast, told her to dress warmly as they were going somewhere together today, she hadn’t found it strange at all, even though it was currently the season for summer attire.

After finishing breakfast, Elysia had casually put on an early winter outfit and headed to the corridor in front of the study, as Cassius had instructed.

Waiting for her in front of the study, Cassius, also dressed in an overcoat, led her into the room. He opened a closet-like door on one side of the study, revealing a hidden teleportation array. Elysia was genuinely astonished upon seeing it.

Creating a teleportation array was no small expense. It required not only money but also considerable effort. The array was constructed by carefully processing mana stones and attaching them to the floor, one by one. The process of refining mana stones was extremely delicate, and the stones had to be joined together without the slightest error.

Even a minor mistake during installation could result in ending up in the wrong location or sustaining injuries from the shock of teleportation. Therefore, several specialists, each responsible for tasks such as adjusting the power of the mana stones, designating coordinates, and ensuring safety, had to work together. Moreover, the maintenance costs were exorbitant, making it an unattainable luxury for most people.

‘To think something like this was installed in a private residence! Outside of the royal palace or specially designated locations, this must be unique!’

Elysia was amazed not only by the fact that such a rare device was installed in the house but also by the fact that it was being used for her sake. She felt a little touched.

Elysia, holding Cassius’s outstretched hand, stepped onto the teleportation array with a flutter of excitement.

“Are we going somewhere nice?”

Cassius, responding to her question, merely said she’d find out upon arrival, and then activated the array.

The two arrived at a shelter located halfway up Fjord Mountain, a place Elysia had only heard about. Cassius explained that the teleportation array installed in the ducal residence allowed them to travel to most significant locations outside the royal palace.

“The suspension bridge on Fjord Mountain is the longest in the Kingdom of Brunchia and is renowned for its breathtaking views. I wanted to see it with you.”

With those words, Cassius took Elysia’s hand and stepped out of the shelter into the biting wind. For the first time, Elysia realized that even the most handsome man could make her want to hit him and run away.

‘Are you insane? Why go through this kind of suffering in the cold?’

However, Cassius, oblivious to her thoughts, smiled faintly and tightly fastened the fur-lined cloak around her before pulling her along. Elysia, unable to say she didn’t want to see it, had no choice but to follow him.

Descending from the shelter, they soon reached the suspension bridge. While Cassius walked across the swaying bridge as if it were solid ground, Elysia, who rarely exercised beyond casual strolls, found the experience harrowing. The moment she stepped onto the bridge, she clung to Cassius’s arm with all her might to avoid falling due to the strong winds and the swaying bridge.

Cassius was surprised by Elysia’s sudden clinginess. Following Aaron’s advice seemed to have brought them closer so quickly that he began to feel hopeful. He placed his hands on Elysia’s shoulders.

However, upon seeing her face, Cassius was taken aback. Elysia, with her face red from the cold, her hair whipping wildly out of her cloak and slapping her face, looked as if she were on the verge of being blown away.

“Ugh… uh…”

Elysia tried to say something but couldn’t form coherent words. Cassius’s original plan had been to walk to the middle of the suspension bridge and admire the mist rising from the valley and merging with the clouds at the mountain’s summit—a breathtaking view.

Fjord Mountain was known for its capricious weather, so even though a snowstorm was currently raging, waiting on the bridge for a short while might reveal a clear blue sky, with the mountains, mist, and clouds creating a majestic scene.

However, at this moment, Elysia looked as though she couldn’t endure another second on the bridge. Cassius removed his gloves and touched her cheek to warm it, only to be startled by how cold it was.

“Elysia, are you alright?”

Elysia, who was far from all right, couldn’t even muster her voice to answer and barely managed to shake her head. Even shaking her head was a struggle, but to survive, she had to express her discomfort with all her might.

Elysia was convinced. This was punishment.

Being brought to the suspension bridge of Fjord Mountain was undoubtedly a terrible punishment for pointing her finger at the Duke and telling him not to live his life that way.

Cassius swiftly pulled the completely frozen and dazed Elysia into his coat. Then, he hurriedly began to leave the bridge. It didn’t take long to return to the mansion’s office through the shelter and the means of transport.

When Cassius appeared in the office, still carrying the stiff-as-a-log Elysia in his arms, Aaron, who had been organizing work documents after arriving for duty, was startled and greeted the Duke.

“Your Grace! Where on earth have you been? This freezing air… Madame?!”

“Call Pedro immediately. And the head maid too!”

At Cassius’s urgent shout, Aaron hurriedly stormed out of the office. Still holding Elysia in his arms, Cassius headed straight for her bedroom. Fortunately, Elysia’s body began to thaw quickly once they were inside the mansion, but now, the opposite happened—her temperature began to rise rapidly.

Despite the chills making her jaw tremble, Elysia, feverish and delirious, began muttering her thoughts aloud without realizing it.

‘This wretched bastard…’

“This… wretch…”

However, her mouth hadn’t completely thawed yet, so her pronunciation was unclear.

The more she thought about it, the more unfair it seemed. It was her fault for drinking so much that she lost control and ended up ranting, but why had the Duke been in front of her room so late at night in the first place? Even if she had been terribly drunk, she wouldn’t have made a scene if no one had been there. She could have just slept it off, and everything would’ve been fine.

“Why… in front… of my room…”

Elysia wanted to ask Cassius why he had been in front of her room back then, but she still couldn’t speak properly. Hearing Elysia’s words, Cassius felt regret. Judging from her stammered words, he interpreted them as asking why such a cruel person like him had appeared in front of her.

***

The men of the Grendel Ducal family were known for their exceptionally robust constitutions. From a young age, they trained in martial arts, enhancing their natural strength and rarely falling ill, often going their entire lives without catching a single cold.

As such, the family physician was not there to treat minor illnesses but to prepare for potential poisonings—a risk for high-ranking nobles—or severe injuries from sword training.

This robust constitution wasn’t exclusive to the Duke and his heirs. It seemed as though the very land of the Grendel estate fostered health, as even the servants, regardless of gender, were remarkably healthy.

For Cassius, who had grown up especially strong among such people, the cold of Fjord Mountain was nothing that a thick coat couldn’t handle. But for Elysia, who had lived an irregular lifestyle in the Serenze family and had little stamina, the experience was akin to extreme survival training.

Elysia became the first person in decades to fall ill with a fever in the Grendel mansion. After examining her, the physician diagnosed her with a fever accompanied by chills, caused by physical exhaustion and sudden exposure to the cold.

Although the cause was clear, the physician, knowing the Duke’s constitution, simplified the explanation to say it was akin to a severe cold. However, Cassius, who had never experienced a cold himself, couldn’t believe it. To him, Elysia’s condition seemed life-threatening.

The physician’s thermometer readings showed that her fever wasn’t dangerously high, but her cheeks, still red from the cold, made her appear worse than she was.

“Why isn’t she improving yet? She’s warmed up, the room’s temperature is perfect, she’s eaten porridge, and taken medicine. Why hasn’t her fever gone down?”

Cassius, who had barely waited after the medicine was administered, was now berating the physician as if he were ready to kill him. Explaining that medicine takes time to work would have been futile.

Seeing the physician at a loss, Grace, the head maid, stepped in.

“Your Grace, colds and fevers vary in recovery time from person to person. Symptoms and outcomes differ, so the remedies used in each household also vary. Since you’ve never been sick, we don’t have much experience with treating someone ill. If Madam has a history of frequent illness, perhaps we should inquire about the remedies used in the Serenze household?”

Realizing her point, Cassius immediately gave orders to the staff gathered in Elysia’s bedroom.

“Butler, send someone to the Serenze estate immediately to explain the situation and gather their remedies. Aaron, go to the Haas Trading Company and bring back any effective medicine you can find, no matter how rare or expensive. I will personally visit Marquis Gottree right now.”

Half-conscious, Elysia overheard all of this and wanted to shout out loud:

‘Stop making such a fuss and just let me rest quietly!’