Even though I kept telling myself that I was just going to see a patient, my entire body froze the moment I saw Leopold. It was more due to tension than excitement or nervousness.

He looked noticeably more gaunt than before, and his complexion was pale. However, since he was fully dressed in his uniform, he didn’t appear to have lost weight. It seemed necessary to examine him properly.

Leopold appeared utterly taken aback, standing still as he looked at me. He was someone who always maintained his authority in front of his employees, so everyone seemed equally stunned by their master’s uncharacteristic behavior and couldn’t find their words.

I was the first to hesitantly step toward him.

“Escort the lady to the bedroom.”

He spoke sharply, as if we had returned to the past. The familiar coldness made my heart feel like it was dropping to the floor. Was he still upset about my request for him to leave? Or had he decided to distance himself from me once again? Despite repeatedly telling myself that he was just a patient and I was there to heal him, my chest felt constricted.

“Peter.”

When no one moved, Leopold called out to the butler in a cold voice once more. Only then did Peter appear from among the group and step between us.

“Madam. Please follow me.”

He still had that stiff demeanor. But I hadn’t come all this way just to rest.

I firmly expressed my refusal and, for the first time, spoke to Peter, giving an order.

“No, I have something to say to my husband first. Step aside immediately.”

“The Duke’s orders take precedence.”

Behind him, I heard hurried footsteps. I craned my neck to the side, standing on tiptoe.

“Leopold!”

This time, I was the one who was startled. He was leaving, almost as if he were fleeing. Peter quickly blocked my view again.

“Peter, this is not the time for this. I’m here to see a patient!”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Leopold is ill! Haven’t you noticed that as his butler?”

In my frustration, I raised my voice. Peter’s face turned to one of genuine bewilderment, as if he truly hadn’t known. He finally stepped aside, but Leopold had already disappeared. I hurried in the direction he had gone. At the same time, I heard the sound of hooves in the distance. With a sense of foreboding, I looked out the window and saw a black horse carrying its master away from the estate at a rapid pace.

“Leopold…!”

Without having time to consider why he was acting this way, I immediately ran to the front door. Then, without feeling the exhaustion, I sprinted around the main building to the stables. Just then, I saw Edgar, the stable manager, locking the door.

“Edgar, Edgar! Wait a moment!”

“…Madam?”

He looked at me with wide, surprised eyes, then quickly took off his hat and bowed. I nodded several times, too anxious to return the greeting, and urged him.

“Please, just give me a horse! Quickly!”

“What? Yes!”

Fortunately, Edgar promptly brought out a horse.

“This one’s the fastest after Carl.”

As if knowing I intended to chase after Leopold, he added this explanation. I thanked him and immediately mounted the horse. But by then, knights had caught up and blocked my way.

“Madam! Please dismount!”

“The White Forest is dangerous right now!”

“We’ll find the Duke!”

Familiar faces tried to stop me with concern, but I pulled the reins without hesitation. The knights, true to their training, quickly moved aside.

“Follow me if you can.”

I shouted as I set off, urging the horse forward. However, it was already dark, and the clothes I wore were cumbersome since I had arrived by carriage. I wanted to go faster, but there were limits. To make matters worse, snow began to fall heavily. With no other choice, I focused my magic at the tip of my nose to enhance my sense of smell.

Enhancing a part of the body temporarily with magic like this wasn’t an ideal method. The aftereffects were severe because you would lose sensation for a while after the enhancement ended. However, there was no other choice.

Relying solely on my sense of smell, I urged the horse forward. The fresh and invigorating scent of the forest was so different from the damp and eerie aura of the White Forest that it surprisingly made tracking him easier. Behind me, I caught the scent of burning torches and heard voices calling out for me and Leopold. Hoping they would follow well, I urged the horse to go faster.

Before long, I could strongly sense Leopold’s scent as if he were right next to me. Just as I was about to call out to him loudly, it happened.

“Neigh!”

The horse suddenly reared up and began to buck wildly. It seemed a small animal had crossed its path. I held onto the reins with all my strength, but once a horse got excited, it was hard to calm it down. Moreover, I was already struggling to control my magic to avoid losing Leopold’s trail, making it difficult to hold on.

“Aah!”

In the end, I fell from the saddle, and only then did the horse calm down. It was hard to move my body, as if something had broken during the fall. Pain surged through me, making my head spin. I needed to tend to it quickly, but I couldn’t think straight. Just then, I heard rustling nearby, followed by a startled voice calling out to me.

“Hazel!”

Leopold… Why did he avoid me if he was going to show up in front of me like this anyway?

My eyes welled up with tears of relief. I muttered to myself, trying to convince myself it was just because of the pain.

“What on earth…! Ha… I didn’t think you’d follow me all the way here…”

His voice, supporting me as he spoke, sounded a little incredulous.

“You wouldn’t have known. I never imagined you’d run away from me! Ugh… More importantly, I’m in so much pain right now. Lay me down for a moment.”

My voice rose without me realizing it, as if I were scolding him, but the increasing pain made it hard to continue speaking. Leopold calmly explained.

“There’s a cave right next to us. It’s snowing now, and the ground is muddy, so it’s better to move. Just hang in there a little longer.”

I already felt miserable enough with my disheveled state, and his voice somehow felt cold.

I barely managed to nod, and he carefully picked me up. A cry escaped my lips. It was definitely a broken rib. I kept repeating to myself like a mantra that the pain would soon disappear, gritting my teeth to suppress my groans. Fortunately, as he had said, there was a small cave nearby, just big enough for two adults to barely fit inside.

Leopold set me down on one side and helped me take off my wet robe. Then he quickly removed his outer garment, spread it in the middle, and laid me back on top of it. He then positioned himself by my head and offered his lap as a pillow. I was relatively more comfortable than before, but the pain persisted. Breathing heavily, I finally released the control over my magic.

“Whew…”

In an instant, the sensation of pain numbed, and I couldn’t feel anything. I focused on healing for a while. Leopold remained silent, not speaking again.

What was all this about? On my way to the Lawrence estate, I had continuously imagined how I should treat him. I kept telling myself that I just needed to fulfill my role as a healer and part ways with him, and I had barely managed to steady my heart.

After receiving my mentor’s letter in D’Agnon, I had suffered from insomnia for days. I couldn’t even eat properly.

“I can vouch that Leo is sincere with you.”

I couldn’t even guess why my mentor felt the need to assure me of that. Meanwhile, Alisa handed me Emily’s letter. When I confessed that I had actually peeked at the letter on the spot, she surprisingly praised me and suggested I visit Leopold.

Everything felt like it was pushing me.

In the end, I packed lightly, feeling that my worries would only grow if I stayed. Before leaving, I instructed Larian and Rose to head to the academy before winter ended, and I entrusted Stefan with their protection. He wanted to follow me to the Lawrence estate, but I thought it would be better for the young Rose to have Stefan, whom she knew, rather than a stranger. To break his stubbornness, I borrowed a carriage from Count Soltanir and asked for his escort. Thus, I arrived at the Lawrence estate without any hindrance.

Of course, I didn’t expect him to willingly receive treatment. If he had a condition serious enough for my mentor to know about, yet he had been pretending to be fine all this time, he would likely continue to hide it. But I hadn’t expected him to avoid me so recklessly… I wanted to know the reason. To have a proper conversation, I needed to finish my treatment quickly.

I proceeded to heal the broken ribs, torn fascia, and ruptured muscles one by one. However, strangely, my magic didn’t flow as I intended. The flow was sluggish, and it was difficult to control delicately. Thinking it might be due to exhaustion, I focused harder than usual.

Boom. Boom.

However, all my efforts soon went to waste. Suddenly, a thunderous sound came from outside. Startled, I opened my eyes and looked at Leopold. He was leaning over me protectively. Soon, the entire cave began to shake.

“Leopold!”

Panicking, I tried to sit up, but he supported me and held me close. Fortunately, the strong vibrations and the loud noise pounding in my ears stopped quickly.

I slowly turned my head toward the entrance. Large rocks, trees, and snow-mixed earth had tumbled down, completely blocking the entrance. We were trapped in the cave.