Chapter 8 –  The Gathering (Part 3)

As the door to the Alchemy Department of the Royal Academy of Advanced Studies slammed open, Professor Emilliano van Gottree sighed deeply at his experiment desk. The research students, terrified by the Duke’s scarier-than-usual appearance, fled the room faster than ever.

The Duke strode toward Emilliano but almost stepped on a strange furry bundle rolling around his feet that looked somewhat like a mop. He spotted it just in time and kicked it aside with the tip of his foot.

The furball, which rolled away with a yelp, barked like a dog and then meowed pitifully like a young animal before wriggling and sliding over to Emilliano’s side. Picking up the bundle of fur, which looked neither like a dog nor a cat, Emilliano raised his voice angrily.

“Are you trying to show off for coming during the day instead of the middle of the night? And why are you kicking this poor creature?!”

The furry creature responded with a loud roar, like a tiger, and then began growling like a wolf.

“It’s not even a real animal, just one of your bizarre inventions. I don’t have time for this. Do you still have any of that leftover elixir from your last universal cure research? Hand it over now.”

“Are you out of your mind? Even if it’s you, how can you ask for that?!”

When Emilliano shook his head in shock, Cassius began searching the lab himself for where the medicine might be. Annoyed at having his experiment interrupted, Emilliano’s words grew harsher.

“Who are you planning to kill? That thing has such severe side effects! What are you even going to do with it?”

Cassius froze.

“There were side effects?”

Sighing, Emilliano finally left his experiment table and sat down on the sofa, holding the furry bundle.

“I told you back then. That thing kills all diseases but destroys the healthy parts of the body too. You never listen when I talk about my research… Anyway, doesn’t this look like a real animal? It can mimic various creatures depending on the situation. At first glance, it seems like it just makes animal sounds, but it can actually search for things, secretly record events happening on the spot, and play them back later. Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it?”

Cassius, with a murderous expression, replied, 

“I don’t care about that. Do you have any inventions that can cure a disease instantly?”

“Why are you being so frustrating? At least tell me what kind of illness it is, so I can give you something similar or make something new.”

“It’s a cold.”

“…A cold?”

“A feverish illness similar to a cold. A terrifying disease that causes a high fever and renders the body immobile.”

At Cassius’s words, Emilliano, who had gone quiet for a moment, put the mechanical animal down and got up to quietly lock the door to his lab.

“Until you explain everything, you’re not leaving this room—let alone getting any medicine.”

Having locked the lab door, Emilliano stared at Cassius with a determined look, clearly unwilling to let him leave until he explained why he was here and searching for a cure. Knowing Emilliano’s stubbornness, Cassius, pressed for time, quickly laid out the situation.

“I visited Fjord Mountain with Elysia, but she ended up catching a severe fever. If we delay, her life could be in danger. Give me the medicine.”

“Is it a cold, a fever, or some other illness that’s left her on the brink of death? If it’s a cold, proper treatment and rest at the beginning will cure it. Does Lady Serenze have some chronic illness?”

Even as he spoke, Emilliano began searching for an alchemical potion designed for soldiers working in extreme environments to recover quickly from illness.

But as he rummaged through his lab, Emilliano suddenly paused, questioning what Cassius had just said.

“Why did you go to Fjord Mountain?”

When no answer came, Emilliano pressed further.

“Answer me, Cassius. Why did you go to Fjord Mountain? What were you doing there?”

“I inspected the northern border region from the suspension bridge.”

Cassius’s overly quick response only made Emilliano more suspicious. Holding the potion he had found, Emilliano hid it behind his back and continued questioning.

“Why on earth would you take Lady Serenze to a border inspection? And it’s not even the season for inspections.”

Seeing Cassius’s expression, which clearly said he wasn’t going to explain further, Emilliano thought deeply. As a genius professor and one of the Kingdom’s few experts on Cassius’s psyche, he soon arrived at the truth.

“Don’t tell me… You heard somewhere that the suspension bridge is a popular spot for couples. But instead of taking her to the small suspension bridge in the valley of the maple forest outside the capital, you decided to take her to Fjord’s suspension bridge—the largest and longest in Brunchia?”

Cassius said nothing, staring intently at one corner of the lab. Emilliano, knowing how Cassius’s excessive enthusiasm combined with his influential position could lead to disasters, placed his hands on the Duke’s shoulders with genuine concern. Struggling not to laugh, Emilliano clenched his teeth and said:

“Cassius, whatever location you’ve chosen for your next date, cancel it. Ask around for the most popular dating spots in the capital and take her there.”

“Such ordinary places are…”

“No.”

Emilliano tightened his grip on the Duke’s shoulders and glared at him.

“You MUST choose such an ordinary place. If you don’t want to get your engagement broken off, remember my words.”

Cassius’s next planned date location was an abandoned house infamous among thrill-seekers for its terrifying reputation. It was said to be haunted by the vengeful spirits of a family of murderers who had been brutally killed in retaliation, driving visitors insane. Though there were no actual ghosts, the gruesome remnants of the murderers and their victims left behind in the house often shocked visitors more than any supposed haunting.

Cassius had thought it would be a better choice than a tame haunted house at an amusement park for a thrilling experience. While he still believed this, Emilliano’s advice weighed on his mind.

Handing the potion to the hesitant Cassius, Emilliano shoved him out of the lab and returned to his desk with a sigh.

***

Having left the Duke’s office, Aaron trudged into the small office of the Haas Trading Company. He slumped into the chair across from Ronan, ignoring his brother’s curious gaze. 

Ronan, concerned by Aaron’s unusually dejected demeanor, chose to wait silently until Aaron explained himself.

“Brother, I think I’ve made a mistake.”

Ronan’s heart sank. In the Haas family, it was usually him who caused trouble, while Aaron had always been the upright one. Even in his role as the Duke’s secretary, Aaron was known for his flawless work. For him to come here looking this troubled, it had to be something serious.

“What happened? Is it something related to the Duke? Tell me. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will.”

“…For now, just find the most effective fever medicine we have in the company.”

Though surprised by the request, Ronan immediately summoned an employee to search for the medicine. As they waited, Aaron explained the situation.

After the Duke had rushed off to see Emilliano, Aaron had stayed behind in Elysia’s bedroom to assess the situation. From the still-conscious Madam, he learned how she had caught the cold.

Aaron realized that the Duke had chosen Fjord Mountain’s suspension bridge based on a hint he himself had casually dropped. Feeling responsible for ruining the Duke’s date and causing Elysia to fall ill, Aaron was overwhelmed with guilt. Listening to his brother’s confession, Ronan was dumbfounded.

“The Duke of Grendel is such an idiot. This isn’t your fault, so stop blaming yourself. It’s such a ridiculous disaster that I can’t even laugh at it.”

Standing up, Ronan said to Aaron:

“Wait here. I’ll bring something for the poor Lady Serenze.”

Too dispirited to argue with Ronan’s comment about the Duke, Aaron remained slumped in his chair, waiting for his brother to return.

***

The coachman, Seti, who had hurriedly brought Butler Pedro to the Serenze estate by carriage, felt a chill even colder than inside the Duke’s mansion as he stood in the bright and cheerful Serenze estate’s entrance hall.

Considering the urgency of the situation and his position as a servant of the Duke’s household, Butler Pedro didn’t wait to be shown in. As soon as he entered the estate, he explained the purpose of his visit to Alma, the Serenze family’s head maid.

Alma passed the message on to Lillian von Plum, the mistress of the Serenze household. Upon hearing the news, Lillian rushed to the entrance hall with an unusually cold demeanor and began questioning Pedro.

“So… For some reason, my Elysia has caught a severe cold at the Duke’s residence and isn’t recovering. And now you’ve sent someone to her family home to find some secret remedy?”

Seti, holding his hat nervously, shrank under Lillian’s sharp gaze. Even Pedro, who had never looked this uncomfortable in front of the Duke himself, appeared ill at ease.

“There are rarely any illnesses or colds at the Duke’s residence. Even His Grace has never fallen ill…”

“Oh my. So, what you’re saying is that my Elysia has caught a disease that someone as magnificent as the Duke couldn’t possibly catch? As her mother, I can’t understand how my daughter could catch a cold in a season that isn’t even winter. How exactly is she being cared for at the Duke’s residence?”

“We deeply apologize for that. We’re doing our best to nurse her back to health, but we thought it would be best to inquire about any remedies or medicines used in the Serenze household to help her recover faster.”

Though still angry, Lillian softened her tone for her daughter’s sake. Calling for a maid to bring the medicine Elysia usually took when sick, Lillian was about to hand it over to Pedro when Daisy, summoned by Alma, stepped forward.

Lillian, puzzled by Daisy’s sudden appearance and intense gaze, realized what she meant and withdrew the medicine she had been about to hand over.

“My daughter is suffering alone in an unfamiliar place. I can’t just send medicine.”