Moreover, she suddenly lost her memory, so even if she didn’t show it, the shock must have been significant.

“I should at least keep watch today so she can sleep well.”

Cindy quickly filled the kettle with the herbal tea Tamia had requested. It was the herbal tea Tamia had prepared in advance.

She didn’t know what it was, but since Miss Lumiere started drinking Tamia’s herbal tea, her condition had improved.

Although Lumiere wouldn’t remember due to the accident, she had been unwell for about a month.

She, who had always been healthy, started suffering from migraines, insomnia, and fever. She even scratched her body as if she had hives.

The worst was right after she finished the portrait work. Lumiere had locked herself in her room for two days.

‘Really, I was so worried something might happen to her then.’

Lumiere refused to eat and insisted that no one should come in. Everyone in the mansion waited for her to come out.

Luckily, she came out after two days, but she looked terrible.

‘Come to think of it, she headed straight to the temple and met Tamia after that.’

That was a stroke of luck. After meeting Tamia and receiving her care, Lumiere’s condition began to improve.

“…Hmm, could this be magical herbal tea?”

Come to think of it, Tamia had always been a bit mysterious even when Cindy and Lumiere were young. Cindy sniffed the herbal tea kettle she was holding.

“If it were magical herbal tea, wouldn’t I have drunk it first?”

“Gasp!”

Startled by the sudden voice, Cindy turned around. Tamia, who had just entered through the back door of the kitchen, was taking off her coat and smiling.

“Did you do something bad? Why are you so surprised?”

“I was just startled! Did you just come in, Tamia?”

“Yes. I came back early because it was a wasted trip again.”

Tamia washed her hands as soon as she came in and checked the herbal tea in the kettle Cindy had filled.

“Oh dear, this won’t be enough for today. I’ll change my clothes and prepare more herbal tea. You’re taking that to Miss Lumiere, right?”

“Yes. But Tamia, where do you go every Tuesday at dawn?”

“I told you, I’m looking for a book. The temple library gets new books on Tuesday at dawn, so I go to check them first.”

“So, what book is it?”

Cindy asked with wide eyes, but Tamia just smiled, tapped Cindy’s nose, and avoided answering.

“Don’t try to know everything. What if you get hurt?”

“It’s a secret that could hurt me if I know? Now I’m even more curious.”

“If I tell you easily, it wouldn’t be a secret. I’ll change my clothes and come down. You go to Miss Lumiere before she wakes up.”

Tamia skillfully evaded the situation.

Cindy, following her with a disappointed look, shook her head and snapped out of it.

“Oh, my goodness. I need to go to Miss Lumiere, but I’m daydreaming.”

As she searched the pantry for some snacks to take on the tray, something fell in front of her.

[To my singing canary, Laurel.]

A love note written in a very familiar handwriting.

“Oh, Dad.”

…A singing canary!

Cindy shivered with goosebumps and quickly put the note with the small wildflower back in the pantry.

Even though she knew about it, she didn’t want to see her dad’s love life firsthand.

‘Still, I was worried he’d be lonely all his life, but he’s dating. He’s better than me.’

Cindy chuckled and hurriedly took the tray upstairs, pretending she hadn’t seen anything.

* * *

‘She must still be sleeping, right?’

Cindy cautiously entered Lumiere’s bedroom. She placed the tray on the table and closed the half-open curtains to block the sunlight.

The room became quiet, even the sunlight wasn’t disruptive.

Cindy, feeling relieved, checked Lumiere’s complexion as she slept peacefully. Her breathing was steady, indicating a deep sleep.

‘Thank goodness. I hope she sleeps in today…’

Cindy looked at Lumiere with a sympathetic gaze and carefully tucked the soft blanket up to her chest.

Her disheveled red hair clung to the white bedding like flames. It was intense without burning and captivating without spreading.

Cindy looked at her sleeping lady with newfound admiration.

Her snow-white skin was flawless, and her delicate frame seemed fragile enough to break with a little force.

Even with dirt on her face and dressed in worn-out clothes, Miss Lumiere’s unique aura couldn’t be hidden.

‘That’s probably why she caught the eye of such a bad man…’

Cindy shivered, thinking of someone tall and devilishly handsome.

‘If he was going to come, he should have come earlier! No, wait… What difference would a day or two make? What kind of lover leaves the lady alone all the time?’

Cindy pouted her lips, checked Lumiere’s complexion once more, and quietly left the room.

No matter how she thought about it, Karl Winger was infuriating.

A lover who was too busy to see her even once a month.

A man rumored to have many hidden lovers besides Lumiere.

A cold-hearted man who wasn’t there when she needed him.

A few days ago, when Miss Lumiere finally said she had broken up with that man, Cindy felt completely relieved.

No matter how much money he had or how handsome he was, a lover who wasn’t there when needed was a bad lover.

At least, that’s what Cindy thought.

“But why is he coming back now! When I sent him a note saying Miss Lumiere was sick and asked him to come quickly, he didn’t even reply once!”

As Cindy walked down the second-floor hallway, she glared at the west wing’s study visible through the window.

At that moment, Cindy noticed something strange.

“…Huh? Why are those two together?”

Without realizing it, Cindy leaned out the window to look at the west window.

Tamia, who had gone upstairs to change clothes, was with Chris.

And where they were headed was definitely…

‘It looks like they’re going to see Mr. Karl? Why didn’t they call me? I know more about Miss Lumiere’s condition.’

And Tamia was taken right after she returned…

It looked as if they were waiting for her to come.

“Hmmm, what’s going on?”

Why does it feel like there’s something going on?

As Cindy tilted her head in confusion, a voice suddenly called out from below.

“Cindyyy! Cindy Cindy!”

A high-pitched voice, like a canary, called her name.

Startled, Cindy began to turn her body back from the window.

‘Huh? Oh no!’

Her hand, which was holding onto the window ledge, slipped, and Cindy’s body began to tilt out of the window.

* * *

Knock, knock.

— Come in.

At the sound of permission from beyond the study, Chris slowly opened the heavy wooden door.

In the study, filled with the gentle morning sunlight, his master stood in front of the largest window.

“I’ve brought her, Mr President.”

Despite Chris’s words, Karl didn’t take his eyes off the window for a while.

Tall, with a neat profile, he gazed outside without moving.

Outside the window, Nore Lyman was seen waiting for the carriage driven by Jeffrey.

Chris Gunther’s shoulders stiffened as he followed his master’s gaze.

Was he suspecting something? Did he find something suspicious?

‘Nore Lyman should be a doctor with a neutral stance.’

In fact, he was such a humble back-alley doctor that calling him neutral was an overstatement.

He wasn’t of the caliber to treat nobles or the wealthy, but his skills were solid, and he sometimes waived fees for those poorer than himself.

Moderately conscientious, moderately timid, and experienced in various areas, he was just the kind of person his master would like.

He was at the top of Chris’s list of doctors he had prepared in case of emergencies.

For Chris, who pursued perfectionism, mistakes were unacceptable.

Yet, somehow, he couldn’t help but feel nervous in front of his master.

Because Karl was even more of a strong-willed person than he was.

‘A strong-willed person.’

There was no better word to describe his master.