Chapter 17
That strange pharmacist woman must have tattled.
She bit her trembling lips, trying to think.
She needed a proper excuse.
But her mind, mouth, and expression seemed to have lost their function, unable to do anything.
“Even in a world where money can buy anything, trying to buy a child is disappointing, Lady Lesper.”
“You know I had no ill intentions!”
Diane became desperate.
She had worked hard for a long time to reach the point where they could drink wine together like this.
She couldn’t bear to let it fall apart now.
She gripped the fan she was holding tightly with both hands.
“The fact that you heard about my son and didn’t share it with me first—that’s what’s improper.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Attempting to buy a child with money is improper in itself.”
“I’m sorry. But Bryce, it was for you. I intended to secure the child first and then bring him to you.”
“……”
“You know how I feel about you…”
Diane appealed emotionally, but Bryce’s gaze remained as cold as ice.
She bowed her head deeply.
She couldn’t bear to meet Bryce’s sharp gaze.
“If you weren’t Steven’s sister, I can’t even imagine what I might have done to you, Lady.”
“Bryce…”
“I’d like you to leave my house now, Lady. And I hope you won’t come for personal matters like this again. We’re not close enough to exchange gifts or have dinner together, are we?”
His cold voice cut through Diane’s heart painfully.
The thin thread of reason finally snapped.
‘Making a fuss over something trivial!’
Her blood boiled for a moment, then quickly cooled.
Diane slammed her wine glass down and stood up abruptly.
Even if it was a serious mistake, treating a lady like this was beyond rude.
She wanted to return home quickly.
“I’ll leave.”
“Give my regards to Steven.”
“Damn your regards… tell him yourself!”
Diane muttered under her breath and turned sharply without a proper farewell.
She stormed out of the reception room, but Bryce didn’t care at all.
He drained the remaining wine in his glass with an expressionless face.
* * *
Ray’s bedroom.
Ray was writing a long list of potential names for his pony, while she lay on the sofa, flipping through a gossip magazine, lost in thought.
‘Lady Lesper seemed to know I was an informant for Basler. But it felt like Duke Conver stepped in… it feels uncomfortable.’
Hmm… an unspoken sigh escaped her.
‘Does Duke Conver know I’m an informant for Basler? With his information network, he might. But if he knows, why doesn’t he show it? Did he help me earlier? Why did he help?’
Questions without answers continued to arise.
Ray, focused on his list, turned to her and asked,
“As, what are you thinking about?”
“So, what are you planning to name the pony?”
“Wow… I asked first, and you respond with another question!”
“Did I? Sorry. What was your question?”
Ray looked at her with disbelief, his eyes adorably narrowed.
What was it? She asked with her expression, but Ray’s eyes only narrowed further without a response.
“Have you decided on a name?”
“No, not yet. It’s an important name, so I can’t just decide carelessly. I need at least three days to think about it.”
“Are you teasing me?”
She had named Ray in three seconds.
When Ray’s mother asked her to name the child, the name ‘Ray’ popped into her head.
Recalling how she answered in three seconds, she told Ray, who seemed quite disappointed.
He even shed tears, asking how she could name a person in three seconds.
When she asked if he disliked his name, he said no, but three seconds was too short, he said tearfully.
Since then, Ray had been sensitive about naming things, and today was no different.
“Do you like the pony that much?”
“Of course! It’s my first horse! That lady may not be very pretty, but she has a kind heart.”
Wow! A person who gives a pony as a gift is kind-hearted?
She hadn’t realized their Ray had such materialistic thoughts.
“I don’t quite agree with you, but you seem happy with the gift, so let’s leave it at that.”
“Though the context is weird, I’m happy, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Gosh, you’re not backing down even once!”
She ruffled Ray’s hair and glared playfully.
“Isn’t the person who hates losing the most in the world you, As?”
Ray’s chubby cheeks smiled adorably.
His loveliness was so overwhelming it made her heart ache.
How long would this child’s cuteness last?
Ten years? Twenty years?
At this rate, her heart might not survive.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Young Master, I’ve brought dessert.”
Housekeeper Vanessa and two other maids entered, pushing a trolley with desserts.
Vanessa, a veteran housekeeper with over 30 years of experience, was already overwhelmed managing other maids.
But when Ray entered the ducal house, she volunteered to be his dedicated housekeeper.
Having been Bryce’s dedicated housekeeper, she now served his son as well, proudly serving the Conver family for two generations.
Her pride in this fact seemed immense.
Her gaze at Ray was filled with affection, and her demeanor was always courteous.
Though Astrid didn’t particularly like the strict and nosy Vanessa, she acknowledged that there was no one better suited to be Ray’s dedicated housekeeper.
For that, she was grateful.
Ray’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the lemon tart on the plate.
“What’s the dessert for?”
“Normally, there’s no dessert after dinner, but today we received some as a gift.”
“Thank you, Vanessa. I’ll enjoy it.”
His hand holding the fork moved briskly between the plate and his mouth.
Desserts sent as gifts were indeed beyond imagination in taste.
Though lemon tart was common, this one was different.
Even with her not-so-sensitive palate, she could feel the subtly different yet more refined texture and flavor.
“Wow! It’s really delicious!”
“Yeah, really!”
They emptied their plates, watching each other’s smiling faces.
At this moment, with delicious dessert in their mouths and watching the beloved child’s smiling face, her heart was overflowing with happiness.
But then it happened.
Clang, Ray’s fork fell from his hand.
His cute smiling face suddenly crumpled.
“Ugh!”
Ray clutched his throat in pain.
He seemed to have difficulty breathing.
“Ray!”
Hic! Hic!
The child struggled desperately to breathe.
Ray’s face grew paler, and tears welled up in his large eyes.
“Oh my! What should we do!”
“Why is this happening suddenly? What do we do!”
“You’re a pharmacist, aren’t you? Do something!”
Vanessa and the maids, who were about to leave with the trolley, turned pale and rushed in, each shouting.
Despite her trembling body, she spoke calmly into Ray’s ear.
“Ray! Get a hold of yourself! Drink the potion on your necklace!”
Hic! Hic!
Ray fumbled with his trembling hand for his necklace.
“What did I say when breathing is difficult? I said it’s the green potion! Hurry!”
Her clenched fist trembled.
She desperately wanted to take out the potion and put it in Ray’s mouth herself.
But she held back.
He needed to learn how to handle such emergencies himself.
At that moment, unable to bear it, Vanessa rushed forward.
“What are you doing? Time is of the essence! What potion is it? Let me do it!”
“No! Ray needs to do it himself!”
“What do you mean? What if something happens to the Young Master?”
“Just stand there and watch carefully. Ray can do it!”
It wasn’t easy to stop the headstrong Vanessa.
But she was trained in swordsmanship, and Vanessa was a small, slender woman in her 50s, so she eventually won.
Ray, eyes wide open and hands trembling, bit into the green potion bottle hanging from his necklace.
The small, transparent bottle was made of a special edible, soft material.
More like a transparent pouch than a bottle.
As the potion flowed down his throat, Ray’s breathing gradually eased.
Huff… ha! Huff, ha!
“Quick, call the doctor!”
She shouted at the maids, who were panicking and didn’t know what to do.
One maid quickly ran to fetch the doctor.
In the meantime, Ray regained his composure.
As his breathing returned to normal, his complexion improved.
The doctor conducted an examination, placing various medical instruments, including a stethoscope, on Ray’s body.
Finally, the doctor straightened up and said,
“The quick administration of the allergy medication saved the Young Master. As expected of a pharmacist and nanny!”
“He had a severe allergic reaction two years ago. Since then, I’ve made sure he always carries allergy medication with him.”
She spoke, still clutching her trembling hands.
Ray, who had calmed down, lay comfortably after taking the medication, but her heart continued to pound relentlessly.
The doctor asked again,
“What food ingredient caused the allergic reaction?”
“Apples. There was never any problem before, but he reacted that day. Fortunately, it happened at the pharmacy, so we could respond quickly.”
“……”
“We were relieved since he hadn’t shown any allergic reactions for the past two years… but today again…”
She bit her lower lip hard.
She felt pathetic.
She should have been more careful, but she wasn’t.
‘Foolish!’
Heat gathered in her eyes, but she managed to hold back the tears.
She didn’t want to be a complete fool.
“Ah… I see.”
The doctor adjusted his glasses and seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking cautiously again.
“Perhaps… he might be reacting to foods from the Kingdom of Bragal.”
“From the Kingdom of Bragal?”
“Yes. A quarter of the apples distributed in our empire are imported from the Kingdom of Bragal. And today’s lemon tart was made with premium butter from the Kingdom of Bragal.”
“……”
“The pollen from the Kingdom of Bragal might be the cause. Respiratory allergic reactions are often caused by pollen. Of course, a more thorough examination is needed.”
After finishing his words, the doctor left the room, leaving only her and Ray in the bedroom.
She felt she should stay by Ray’s side tonight.
He was much better, but it was still necessary to monitor his condition.
Ray spoke quietly with a drained smile,
“Having an allergic reaction to a dessert made with premium ingredients… maybe I don’t suit fancy food.”
Though he tried to look serious, his eyes were full of mischief.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at that sight.
“Should we just go back to our old house in the forest, As?”
“Yeah. Maybe we’re more suited to living in a cabin in the woods, eating simple food, rather than in a grand mansion. Regardless of who your father is.”
Haha, they laughed together.
Seeing him joke like this, it seemed Ray was truly alright now.
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