Chapter 52

It didn’t take long for him to write the proposal letter. All he had to do was arrange the conventional expressions and appropriate embellishments in order. Once he finally finished the proposal, he placed it in an envelope, sealed it with his signet, and immediately summoned the footman in charge of mail. If the recipient was in the same region, it was standard to send a servant directly, but for distant places like the Earl’s, mail was used.

He handed over the proposal letter, along with Diane Lina’s letter.

“There’s no rush, so wait for the postman’s visit and send it by regular mail.”

The Earl’s family had left just this morning. If he sent it by express, the proposal might arrive before the Earl’s family even reached their estate—a comical situation. Now that the proposal was written, he had to stop the meaningless things he’d been doing with Diane Lina. The mail, considering the Earl’s schedule, could be sent slowly in a few days.

“I can go into town right away, Your Grace.”

“No! I said to wait for the postman like with the servants’ mail. There’s no reason to send it any faster.”

“Ah… Yes, understood.”

The footman was puzzled, as this was unusual, but soon nodded and accepted both envelopes, leaving the Duke’s study. Yet, he felt uncomfortable putting the Duke’s sealed mail in the basket with the servants’ letters in the hall. He placed the two envelopes under the empty vase on the decorative side table next to the entrance in the first-floor hall, so he could hand them over as soon as the postman arrived.

* * *

The next day, the morning sunlight shone gently through Diane Lina’s fourth-floor window. Despite the warm, bright sunlight, she couldn’t get out of bed.

“Ah… ahh.”

Twisting in the sunlight on her face, she let out a faint groan. She pulled the blanket up over her face. Even so, her shivering body hurt all over. She wasn’t often sick, but since last night she’d felt a headache and chills, and by morning her condition had grown serious.

“Breakfast…”

With the blanket over her head, she squinted at the clock on her desk. 7:20. Only ten minutes left until breakfast.

She hadn’t gone down for dinner last night, either. She’d barely endured through the reading lesson, feeling battered in both body and spirit, but she simply hadn’t been well enough to eat.

But if she skipped breakfast again, people might start to wonder, especially President Edward Wale. After saying memories didn’t matter, how ridiculous she’d look now, lying sick in bed. So she had to go down for breakfast.

But she had no strength to even sit up. If she showed up at the table like this, she’d probably be mocked even more. No, it was impossible.

In the end, she decided to skip breakfast too. But even if she didn’t eat, she still needed to tell Rodin in advance.

Even though she couldn’t imagine getting up, dressing, and going to find Rodin.

“Haa… haa…”

She tried to sit up, but ended up lying back down. But within a minute, she forced herself up, put on her slippers, changed clothes, and left her room, struggling to steady her staggering steps as she headed for the formal dining room on the second floor.

But when she reached the third floor, she ran into the Duke coming from the right toward the stairs.

“Good morning.”

Diane quickly bowed her head. She didn’t need a mirror to know what she looked like.

“Yes.”

The Duke nodded slightly and headed straight for the stairs. Fortunately, he didn’t pay her much attention.

“Teacher!”

Leon had also come to the stairs.

At Leon’s voice, the Duke stopped and looked at his son.

“Young Master.”

“Teacher, you didn’t eat dinner yesterday, and you didn’t come to my room! That’s bad. I can’t go to your room…”

Leon’s voice echoed painfully in Diane’s head.

‘What’s happening?’

Suddenly, Diane felt as if the world was spinning.

“Teacher!”

Leon shouted just as Diane’s body began to fall.

“Ah…!”

She thought she might tumble down the stairs, but what caught her wasn’t the hard steps, but the Duke’s strong arm and chest.

The Duke caught her, supporting her with his arm and body.

“Teacher, what’s wrong! What’s wrong!”

Leon’s voice felt like a lump of iron striking Diane’s brain.

“Leon, quiet down.”

Holding the swaying Diane, the Duke spoke.

She tried to pull away, but she really didn’t have the strength.

“Teacher, are you all right?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t have the strength for a long answer, but couldn’t say she wasn’t okay.

“What do you mean, ‘yes’! You just collapsed!”

Leon stamped his feet in anger beside her.

Her head throbbed again.

The Duke sighed.

“Your Grace, I don’t think I can eat breakfast. I was going down to say so to Rodin. Please tell him for me.”

Diane managed to force out the words.

She just wanted to tell the Duke and hurry back to her room to rest.

“That’s not the problem right now.”

“Ah… hic.”

Suddenly, the Duke lifted her up.

Diane was so startled she forgot she was sick for a moment.

“Your Grace!”

The Duke was carrying her!

She was in the Duke’s arms!

She wanted to get down immediately, but being held high in the air, she couldn’t.

“Put me down.”

“Stay still. You can’t even stand.”

Whether it was annoyance or irritation, his voice made it clear he was not pleased.

“Put me down. I’m fine.”

Diane pleaded, but he didn’t answer and started climbing the stairs she’d just come down. Leon followed after them.

“Leon.”

The Duke called his son’s name.

He only said the name, but Leon knew well that his father was omitting the words, ‘You’re not allowed on the fourth floor.’

In noble houses, the areas for servants were off-limits to the children of the family.

Nobles didn’t want their children exposed to commoner culture, but that wasn’t the only reason. They didn’t want their children to grow up spoiled, and also wanted to protect the servants from the children. If nannies or tutors didn’t have private space, they risked being invaded by children day and night.

Of course, the ‘protection’ wasn’t from humanitarian concern, but because servants who couldn’t rest properly might not perform their duties. Anyway, last night, even though Diane had broken her promise to visit Leon’s room after dinner, Leon couldn’t barge into her room because of that rule. So in a way, it had protected her.

“But Teacher is sick!”

Leon protested, even though he understood his father’s warning.

“Go to the dining room and tell Rodin to come to Teacher’s room. Teacher needs to rest, so don’t follow.”

The Duke’s voice was stern, and Leon, wanting to help, nodded and went back down to the second floor.

“Your Grace, I’m fine. Just put me down and I’ll go rest in my room.”

Diane pleaded again, but the Duke kept climbing.

Finally, Diane gave up the strength she’d been using since he picked her up.

With every step, she felt she might throw up, so she couldn’t stay tense anymore. She even thought she might faint while climbing the stairs.

It was better to just relax and let the Duke move her comfortably.

“Which room is it?”

As they entered the East Wing on the fourth floor, the Duke asked.

“Ah… second room from the end.”

So, still in his arms, she was carried to her bedroom.

The Duke set Diane down on the bed and stood a few steps away.

“Your Grace, please go have breakfast now.”

‘Please…’

Her body and head hurt so much she couldn’t even lift her head, and with the Duke standing in her room, she couldn’t lie down.

At this point, she was less uncomfortable about his presence than desperate to lie down.

“I will, when Rodin arrives.”

Diane felt strange and looked at the Duke’s face.

His flat tone oddly conveyed coldness.

It didn’t match someone who had just carried her to her room.

But she was too tired to care.

She leaned against the headboard and closed her eyes.

No matter that the Duke was still there—she didn’t have the strength to keep her eyes open.

Normally, she wasn’t often sick, but when she was, it was severe. She hadn’t been this sick in years. Maybe that’s why it was so bad.

Within minutes, Rodin came to her room, and as soon as he arrived, the Duke left without a word.

Diane just felt relieved that the Duke had left and collapsed into bed.

Rodin said something beside her, but she barely knew what she was answering.

At some point, she must have fallen asleep.