Chapter 67

Unfortunately, the jewelry box was locked. Although the lock was small and fragile enough to be easily broken, if this truly belonged to the former Duchess, it didn’t feel right to do so.

I placed the jewelry box on my lap and returned upstairs after a walk in the garden. On my way up, the caretaker and the servants struggled so much that even I broke into a cold sweat.

“Sigh, I don’t think I’ll come down tomorrow. I feel bad making everyone work so hard.”

When I sighed and said this, the steward responded in surprise.

“But you’d feel suffocated and become depressed. If our lady gets depressed, we’d be on edge, too. Just think of it as giving us a bit of exercise every day.”

His lighthearted remark made me laugh, and I couldn’t help but agree.

Back in my room, I looked out the window to see Duke playing joyfully in the garden. I had worried that he might feel lonely with fewer people, but it seemed like a better environment for him to play in some ways. No one was to scold him, and the passing servants easily doted on him.

Was it the same for young Julian? Growing up in this peaceful villa must have been far more comforting and enjoyable than living among servants who constantly eyed him and a father who didn’t hide his disdain. And perhaps those experiences shaped Julian into the kind and gentle person he is today.

Thinking of Julian naturally brought a self-mocking smile to my face. I had tried all day to push thoughts of him away, but they crept in at every idle moment. Even the servants seemed to notice, becoming flustered whenever I zoned out.

Just then, Anna approached me and spoke as if to make conversation.

“My Lady, it’s getting chilly. Shall I close the window for you?”

I nodded with a smile, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. While Anna closed the window, I moved my wheelchair closer to the bookshelf.

The former Duchess’s bookshelf held a mix of fairy tales and poetry collections. It seemed she had read the poetry herself and read the fairy tales to Julian. I picked up a fairy tale book, imagining the young Julian, and flipped through it.

“Anna, look at this. It’s Cinderella. Do you think Julian read Cinderella?”

Anna seemed startled by Julian’s name coming from my lips but quickly forced a smile.

“His Grace, the Grand Duke was once a child too. Of course, he must have read it.”

“But just imagine it. Julian felt excited as the clock struck twelve—how adorable.”

I chatted with Anna as I flipped through several books. Occasionally, I found pages that the former Duchess had folded or small notes she had left.

One note that particularly caught my attention read, “Yul loved this one.“ Julian enjoyed stories with happy endings, which suited his gentle nature.

Night fell before I knew it as I continued browsing the fairy tales.

“My Lady, it’s time for bed. There’s plenty of time tomorrow.“

“Yes, I’ll just finish this one.”

I said as I reached for the lowest shelf and pulled out another fairy tale book. Just then, I heard a faint clicking sound from inside the bookshelf. When I leaned forward to look, Anna came over.

“Oh dear, careful! What are you looking for?”

“Something fell inside. Could you check for me?”

Anna crouched down and reached into the shaded area at the bottom of the bookshelf.

“Huh?”

It seemed Anna realized what she had found. She revealed a small, dusty object when she pulled her hand out. After brushing off the dust, it turned out to be a minor silver key.

We looked at each other and simultaneously covered our mouths. We both knew where this key likely belonged.

“Bring it quickly, hurry!”

Anna seemed just as excited as I was and hurried to fetch the jewelry box. I placed the box on my lap and inserted the key into the lock. What a coincidence.

Click.

The key fit perfectly into the lock. The unmistakable sound made our hearts race with excitement.

But I hesitated just as I was about to open the jewelry box.

“This really must be the former Duchess’s, right?“

“Yes, it must be. What do you think is inside? A wedding gift, perhaps? I bet it’s something beautiful.”

Anna seemed incredibly curious about the contents, and I felt the same. But in the end, I didn’t open the jewelry box and locked it again. Anna looked surprised and asked.

“Why did you lock it again? You’ve been curious about it all day.“

“I want to open it with Julian.”

Anna looked disappointed but soon nodded in understanding.

“My Lady, you’re right. I’ll take care of this. You should go to bed now. You need to sleep early to recover quickly.“

“Yes, yes.”

Once I lay in bed, Anna turned off the light and left the room. In the darkness, I quietly gazed at the jewelry box on the desk.

What could be inside? Could it be the wedding gift, after all? It would be adorable if it had a portrait of Julian from childhood. When will I finally meet Julian? When will I be able to calm my heart…?

That night, Julian appeared in my dream. We were lying side by side in the same bed, and Julian was reading me a large, thin storybook. The scene was so peaceful and warm that I wished I could stay in that dream forever.

* * *

The following day, I sat in bed and ate the breakfast Anna had brought me. I was nibbling on a slice of bread dipped in egg wash when I heard a knock. After taking a sip of my bitter coffee, I spoke.

“Come in.”

The caretaker entered. For some reason, he was beaming. Seeing a smiling face first thing in the morning wasn’t unpleasant, so I smiled back.

“My Lady, do you know who’s here?”

I had someone in mind, but I deliberately mentioned someone else.

“Who? Ah, the gardener must be back.“

“Oh, yes! He’s returned, too. He even asked if he could thank you later.“

“What’s there to thank? So who is it?“

“It’s me, My Lady!”

The owner of that loud voice was Doctor Thien. He had rushed in so quickly that his glasses were crooked.

Although his sudden appearance surprised me, I found it more amusing than anything. I covered my mouth with my hand, hiding my laughter.

“Thien, what brings you here? And your glasses are crooked.“

“Oh, really?”

Thien put down his medical bag and hurriedly adjusted his glasses. Despite being an excellent doctor and researcher, his behavior didn’t match that impression. With a lively voice, Thien continued.

“You were eating, weren’t you? I must have come too early.“

“No, it’s fine. I’ve become a bit lazy since coming to the villa.“

“Haha, resting like that is very good for your health!”

Thien seemed in an even better mood than the first day I met him. Since I was almost done with my meal, I asked Anna to clear the table. Thien sat in the chair by the bed and pulled a peculiar object from his medical bag.

It was an octagonal metal plate with intricate circular patterns etched on it. I knew little about magic but recognized such patterns from other magical artifacts. At the center of the design was a small, rare gemstone.

“A magical tool?“

“Yes, that’s right. It was quite a challenge to borrow this.”

With exaggerated motions, Thien wiped his forehead. Being around him made me laugh easily, and I didn’t bother hiding the smile that crept onto my lips.

“You must have gone through a lot. How does it work?”

Thien opened his mouth as if he had been waiting for me to ask.

“This, you see, is made of a mineral found only in the Kingdom of Visca across the sea. It’s called Viscario! When you engrave a magic circle on the Viscario and embed a rare gemstone at its center, the circle automatically reads and activates the spell. Of course, other magical tools can perform similar functions, but unlike minerals that temporarily store magic, Viscario can maintain its effect almost permanently…“

“Thien, stop. That’s enough. I’m not interested in that.“

“Oh, but I was just getting to the interesting part. You’ll enjoy it too once you hear how Viscario captures magic…“

“I’m sure it captures it just fine.“

“How can you say that? Aren’t you even a little curious?”

Thien looked deeply hurt. I struggled to suppress my laughter and waved my hand. If I indulged him out of pity, I might listen to him talk about Viscario all day.

“I’ll listen to it later. But for now, I want to know how this magical tool can help treat me.”

Thien looked a bit apologetic at that.

“I’m sorry, My Lady. This tool won’t cure you directly. However, it can tell us whether your illness is purely physical or related to magic.“

“I must have burdened you too much. But that’s enough to make me happy. Once we know the cause, I trust that a skilled doctor like you will cure me.”

Thien looked both shy and proud at my words.

“Of course. Leave it to me. Since you’ve trusted me, I’ll do my best.”

Thien reached under the magical tool and manipulated something. A clicking sound followed, and a blue light began to flow from the rare gemstone through the cracks of the magic circle. It was an unusual sight.

“Place your hand on this, please.”

Thien offered me the magical tool. Although I hesitated out of fear of magic, I eventually placed my hand on the magic circle. When my fingers touched it, the circle’s color changed gradually.

“… It’s black.“

Thien’s expression darkened. But that wasn’t what mattered to me. I gritted my teeth against the headache that started to pound in my head.

Once again, I began to see something. This time, to my surprise, it was a woman’s bare back.

TL NOTE: A more advanced chapter of this story is already up on the site. Visit dusk blossoms for more advanced chapters and stories.