She clenched and unclenched her hands a couple of times, then deliberately calmed herself and began to organize her thoughts.

‘Alright. Anyway, it’s a fact that large sums of money were sent to that hospital during the previous family head’s time. With that amount of money, it’s more than just someone being admitted.’

There were roughly two cases where large amounts of money would flow into a hospital.

A donation.

Or long-term hospitalization.

‘The nanny said Bushin seems to visit there every month? If what she heard is true, why would he still be visiting that place regularly?’

If it had been a simple donation, there would be no need to visit monthly until now.

‘So it seems like someone’s hospital bills were being paid…… Could they still be hospitalized? According to the ledger, this started a very long time ago.’

As Giselle tilted her head in contemplation, there was a knock and the door opened.

“Madam, I heard you injured your hand!”

The one who rushed into the room was none other than Fernan, the Taylor family’s doctor. Because of this, Giselle had to put aside her thoughts to greet him.

“It’s nothing, Dr. Fernan. Just a small scratch.”

“You shouldn’t take even a small scratch lightly. If germs enter the wound, you could get tetanus and……”

Fernan scolded her with a serious expression and launched into a lecture. She surrendered with an embarrassed smile and let him treat her. As she watched him work, Giselle’s eyes suddenly sparkled.

‘I wonder if Dr. Fernan knows something?’

She had heard that his father had also been the family doctor here at the Taylor household. So she thought he might have heard something from his father.

“There, all done……”

“Doctor, are there any sick people among the Taylor family’s collateral branches?”

In her impatience, she asked the question before Fernan could finish speaking. He looked at her with a puzzled expression as he was packing up his medical bag.

“To be more precise, is there anyone suffering from a mental illness who’s hospitalized……”

Thud.

Fernan’s bag fell to the floor, spilling all the medical instruments inside.

“Ah! I’m sorry, madam.”

Fernan hurriedly gathered his medical tools and put them back in his bag. His hands trembled slightly, but Giselle, startled by the sudden incident, didn’t notice.

Instead, she quietly waited for him to repack his bag.

During that time, Fernan caught his breath and calmed himself, then scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

“Haha, I’m quite clumsy by nature. I’m really sorry for startling you. Um, what were you saying just now?”

Fernan took another deep breath in the middle before asking his question. Despite his seemingly calm expression, his eyes trembled anxiously.

But thanks to his hair slightly covering his eyes, Giselle couldn’t detect his inner turmoil.

“I was asking if there’s anyone in the collateral branches suffering from a mental illness. Someone whose condition is bad enough to require long-term hospitalization.”

“……Well. Since there was hardly any interaction with the collateral branches, I haven’t heard of such a thing.”

He wiped his damp palms on his pants and answered while pretending to be calm.

Giselle, unsatisfied with his answer, asked another question.

“Haven’t you heard anything from your father? I heard he was the previous family head’s doctor.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be of help, madam.”

Fernan repeated the same answer to her question. He didn’t know. He was sorry. That was all he could say.

What more could a man who knew his father’s wrongdoing but had concealed it until now say?

As he rubbed his palms together again, shivering with self-loathing for his cowardice, Giselle nodded with a sigh.

“I see. There’s no need to feel sorry or burdened, doctor. I was just asking in case you might know something.”

“……May I ask why you’re inquiring about this?”

Fernan hesitated for a moment before asking in a careful tone. Giselle gave an awkward smile at his question and shrugged as she answered.

“As the family head’s wife, I thought I should look into it. If there’s someone who’s ill, it would be my duty as the mistress of the Taylor household to protect and care for them.”

“You don’t have anyone specific in mind?”

“Of course not. Who would I have in mind? I haven’t even fully grasped the internal affairs of the mansion yet. It’s just that during the previous family head’s time……”

Fernan’s expression hardened at Giselle’s casual addition. But she changed the subject as if there was no need to say more.

“Anyway, thank you for treating me, Dr. Fernan. It’s a bit embarrassing since it’s such a minor injury.”

“N-not at all. I finally earned my keep as the family doctor. Though of course, I wouldn’t want you to be ill.”

Fernan also responded to her words with his usual banter. But his gaze as he looked at her was extremely anxious.

Like someone facing a secret that would soon be exposed.

* * *

“What happened? What’s wrong with your hand?”

Giselle, who was greeting Lucas as he returned from work, widened her eyes at the sight of his hand.

Bandages on the man’s hand that had been fine this morning?

“Did you hurt yourself somewhere? How badly are you injured? Did you receive proper treatment? You didn’t just wrap it in bandages, did you?”

“One at a time…… No, I think I should be asking you that instead.”

Lucas was trying to calm Giselle, who was bombarding him with questions without giving him a chance to answer, when he narrowed his eyes.

He noticed that her finger was also wrapped in a bandage, just like his.

“Did you hurt your hand?”

“Ah, this? It’s just a small scratch……”

Giselle made an embarrassed expression at his question and quietly hid her hand behind her back. But hiding it wouldn’t make Lucas leave it alone.

“Let me see. How badly are you hurt?”

He took another step forward and pulled out the hand she had hidden behind her back. Alarmed by his determination to unwrap the bandage and check the wound, Giselle tried to stop him.

“Let’s go inside first, Lucas.”

“What?”

Only then did Lucas realize that he hadn’t even entered the mansion yet.

And he belatedly remembered that all the household employees had come out to greet him upon his return.

“……”

His gaze inadvertently turned toward his surroundings. At the same time, the employees who had been watching the couple with warm smiles began to avert their gazes and pretend not to see.

Even the butler and head maid were trying to suppress their smiles and feign ignorance.

“Ahem.”

Lucas felt his face heating up involuntarily and cleared his throat as he looked away. Among the employees, he spotted his friend and family doctor, Fernan.

Normally, he would have teased Lucas mercilessly at such a moment, but for some reason, he was quiet today.

“……?”

Puzzled by this, Lucas tilted his head. Come to think of it, Fernan didn’t look well either.

Just as he was about to speak to him, wondering if something was wrong, Fernan made eye contact with him and smiled mischievously.

The same playful, glib self that Lucas had always known.

‘I must have been mistaken.’

Seeing Fernan’s playful smile, Lucas thought it must have been his imagination, smiled slightly, and turned to enter the mansion with Giselle.

He didn’t notice Fernan watching his retreating figure for a long time with a rigid expression that belied his earlier smile.

* * *

The one waiting for Lucas after his bath was none other than Giselle.

Lucas tightened his robe and approached her as she sat quietly with ointment and bandages placed on the table.

“What’s this?”

“What do you mean? It’s ointment and bandages. I got them from Dr. Fernan. Come here and sit down.”

When he pointed at the items on the table with his eyes, Giselle responded as if it was obvious and gestured to the chair across from her.

Lucas raised one eyebrow and then asked with a slight smile.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to treat me yourself?”

“Of course.”

Giselle nodded confidently and urged him again. Lucas laughed lightly at her behavior and obediently sat down.

His attitude suggested he was humoring her like a child showing off, but she didn’t mind and pulled his hand toward her.

“Ugh…… that must have hurt.”

Giselle’s brow furrowed as she examined his palm to apply ointment. Since he had removed the bandage to bathe, his wounds were fully exposed.

“How did you get hurt anyway? When I asked the driver earlier, he was evasive.”

“Well…… I just got hurt somehow. It’s not even that serious.”

I did well to silence the driver, he thought to himself with relief.

What would she say if she knew he had clenched his fist so tightly that his nails had dug into his palm like a fool?

“But the wounds look quite deep……”

Giselle grumbled, wrinkling her nose in dissatisfaction with Lucas’s answer. Nevertheless, her touch was extremely careful as she applied a small amount of ointment to his wounds.

“What were you really doing to get wounds like this? It’s as if you were pressing hard with your fingernails…… Don’t move!”

Giselle was applying ointment to his wounds and adding more when she scolded him for flinching. Lucas sighed and firmly closed his mouth.