Stop!

I wanted to scream, but my mouth would not move as I willed it to.

Struck dumb.

That was the phrase that suited me best right now.

It was in that moment, as I could only cry out inwardly with words that could not become sound.

“Gasp, hah.”

A dream. It had been a dream.

Upon waking from the dream, the pain squeezing my heart returned and then disappeared once more. Without thinking, I brought my trembling hands to rest over my heart.

It was only after feeling the steady rhythm of my heartbeat that I felt I was alive. Only then did the surroundings come into view.

I had known I collapsed around evening, but now it was fully night. Beside the softly flickering candlelight, Summer was slumped over, asleep.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

An unfamiliar, no, a familiar male voice reached my ears. The source of the voice was by the window.

“Hylus…?”

“So you have dropped the formal speech at last.”

It was Hylus.

“Why are you here…”

“I gave you the communication stone but heard nothing from you, so I tried reaching out first, only to hear that you had collapsed.”

No matter that I had collapsed, it was too much for Hylus to be inside my room at this hour of the night. Even if we were soon to be engaged, we had not yet held the engagement ceremony, which made it all the more so.

“What did you dream about?”

Hylus, who had drawn close to the bedside before I had even noticed, reached his hand toward my cheek. That hand then gently cupped my face.

Hylus’s slightly cool hand felt refreshing. At that cool sensation, I found myself unconsciously rubbing my cheek against his hand.

I worried that Summer might wake up and see him, having come so close to the bed.

“Summer might wake up.”

“It’s alright.”

For some reason, Hylus’s answer of it being alright put me at ease.

“Did you hide yourself with a magic stone?”

“No.”

“Then how?”

“I concealed my presence.”

“But I can see you just fine.”

In response to my question, he only shrugged his shoulders instead of answering.

“The person I helped in the forest back then, that was you, wasn’t it?”

“……”

“I recognized you from the black hair.”

“……”

“So that is why you helped me at the social party?”

“Perhaps.”

He had been standing near the bed, but before I knew it, he had drawn close and sat down in front of me.

“Why were you so badly injured back then?”

“Tell me about your nightmare first.”

“…Someone called me here.”

“And?”

“Now it is Your Grace’s turn to answer.”

As though unsatisfied with my answer, Hylus’s expression turned briefly sulky, but when I gave him a playful smile, he soon opened his mouth.

“I was ambushed.”

“Ambushed? By whom?”

He did not answer the question and instead wore an expression that suggested it was now my turn. But when I did not open my mouth, Hylus drew a little closer.

“You have lovely eyelashes.”

“……”

“Your nose is beautifully defined too.”

“……”

“Your eye color is just as pretty as your hair color.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Oh my, is Your Grace actually admitting it right now?”

At his uncharacteristic answer, a playful laugh burst out of me, and he carefully laid me back down on the bed.

“Whatever could compare to you.”

“W-what did you just say…”

“Get some more sleep. I have seen that you are awake, so I will take my leave.”

If his earlier answer had been unexpected, his answer just now was downright startling. Before I could even reach out to stop him, he swiftly slipped out through the window.

Without even having time to put on the bedroom slippers neatly placed beside the bed, I padded over barefoot toward the window he had gone out of. He had already disappeared, but I waved my hand toward the outside anyway. Because I had a feeling that Hylus would be watching.

And then, at the rustling sound, Summer stirred and rose from her spot.

“Oh, Miss!”

Summer’s reaction was more intense than I had expected.

“You are awake? You should not be walking around like this! I will go and fetch the Count!”

What is this sense of deja vu.

I hurriedly grabbed Summer, who was one step away from bolting out the door.

“Summer, wait. How long was I unconscious?”

“Tonight will make it five days.”

“Five days?”

I had woken up to find it dark night and assumed it was the same day I had collapsed, but more time had passed than I thought.

“Please do not move any further, and lie down in bed.”

Not long after Summer left the room, my parents entered, looking as though they had just been roused from sleep.

“Loa, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Kayla’s gentle hands softly smoothed my hair back.

“Good, I am so relieved you woke up. You woke up and…”

Brandt, who had been near the bed, gave instructions to a servant.

“When daylight comes, send for Physician Usman immediately.”

“Yes.”

Brandt stepped closer to Kayla’s side and spoke in a warm voice.

“If you are ever in pain, call for us at any time.”

“Yes. Thank you, Father.”

With everyone leaving the room, it felt a little empty. Now that I had come to my senses, Summer, who had been sleeping by the bedside, also returned to her own room.

No sooner had daylight come than everyone was busy preparing to send for Physician Usman. At that very moment, someone knocked on the door of the count’s residence.

“Who is it?”

“My name is Schmitz Iberia, and I serve as the personal physician of the Hylus ducal household.”

At the unexpected visitor, the servants who had been moving busily came to a sudden halt.

“Go and fetch the Count at once!”

There was no need to go and summon Physician Usman, as a doctor had come to the house himself. The first thing he said upon entering was:

“Duke Eden Cler asked me to convey his apologies for being unable to visit in person.”

…That was it.

“Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Schmitz Iberia, serving as the personal physician of the Hylus ducal household. Please feel free to address me however you are comfortable. I studied medicine after graduating from the Er National Academy.”

Schmitz was far too young to be called a physician. It seemed everyone thought the same, and just as they were hesitating over whether to ask about it, Schmitz spoke first.

“I completed both my enrollment and graduation at the Er National Academy ahead of schedule. That is why I began at a younger age compared to other physicians. However, my skills will not fall short in the slightest.”

Everyone let out a short sigh, as though their curiosity had been satisfied.

“Does the Duke know that my daughter has woken up?”

At Brandt’s question, I felt a pang of guilt for no particular reason.

“No. The Duke does not know. I myself only just learned that the young lady had regained consciousness. After the young lady collapsed, the Duke asked me to pay a visit today. I came on the date he requested.”

The fact that he had come to my room last night was something only I knew within the countcount’s residence.

“Pardon the intrusion, my lady. Could you tell me what symptoms you experienced before you collapsed?”

In response to Schmitz’s question, I described the pain I had felt both before collapsing and when I came to again.

“If the young lady has not done anything to directly harm her heart, the cause is not clear. In order to determine the cause, more detailed observation will be necessary. For now, I will provide you with Schmitz’s special tonic so that the young lady may regain her strength.”

“Special tonic?”

“Yes. Given the nature of the Hylus ducal household, everyone tends to come in with injuries quite often, and they also push themselves through rigorous training. So I developed it myself. Since the young lady has a delicate constitution, I will give you the milder version. Even just one will have you feeling full of energy.”

Schmitz’s words were true. After taking just one tiny pill, the dizziness disappeared and I was brimming with energy.

Before leaving, Schmitz handed me a small letter. Then he drew close and whispered so that no one else could hear.

“The Duke asked me to pass this along to the young lady.”

“To me?”

In response to my confirming question, he only gave a confident nod and added nothing further.

“I will conduct a more thorough examination once the young lady has recovered her strength. I have also prescribed a sedative along with the special tonic, so please take it every evening.”

“Thank you. I will pay the Duke a separate visit to express my gratitude.”

“I am glad the young lady has woken up. Until next time, then.”

Schmitz exchanged a cheerful farewell with Brandt and left the count’s residence.

Thinking it would not do for the letter Schmitz had left me to be discovered by others, I carefully tucked it inside the pillowcase.

And only after everyone had left the room did I take out the hidden letter and unfold it.

The communication stone works by holding it in your hand and calling the name of the person who has the other stone. It seemed I had forgotten to tell you how to use it.

-Eden Cler Hylus.