After saying my goodbyes, I found myself at the front gate of the Graham Duke’s residence. To my surprise, the Duke’s carriage was waiting there.

Noticing my wide eyes, the coachman greeted me with a polite smile.

“Good day, Viscountess Marves. The master has ordered us to take you home by carriage.”

It was an unexpected gesture of kindness from my grandfather.

I hesitated for a moment but then climbed into the carriage. It had been a while since I experienced such a smooth ride, especially after using carriages frequently lately. I realized it was fortunate not to have to wait for a commercial carriage.

“Madam, Dr. Watt is here.”

As soon as I entered my bedroom after arriving at the mansion, a maid informed me. Rivet had sent for Dr. Watt as I got off the carriage, but I didn’t expect him to arrive so soon.

“Let him in,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed. The door opened, and Dr. Watt entered with his medical bag.

“Good day, Madam. I came because Duke Graham called for me.”

“Ah, Grandfather…” A small smile appeared on my face, feeling his genuine concern for me.

“I heard you coughed up blood. May I examine you?”

“Yes, please.”

Dr. Watt retrieved the tools he had used last time to diagnose the Trintz disease from his bag.

“Could you hold this?”

I took the tool he handed me, and light emanated from it like last time, though it was mixed with some murky hues.

Dr. Watt observed this closely and nodded. “The Trintz disease has been cured, but as I mentioned, these are the aftereffects caused by the clash between the activated mana and your body’s energy.”

“I see.”

“If you rest well, you’ll recover soon. However, since we don’t know when or how it might recur, you should always carry a sedative. It will help calm the mana.”

“Understood.”

As I returned the tool to Dr. Watt, he began packing his bag again.

“By the way, is the sedative only made from the Tieria flower? Is there any way to prevent this with a mana stone or other methods?”

If these aftereffects were permanent, I wouldn’t know how many sedatives I would need. The Tieria flower was not only costly but also difficult to obtain. It would be a hassle to rely on a continuous supply.

Dr. Watt frowned, pondering his response. “A mana stone, like before, would help to some extent. But it’s limited. Unlike when you had the Trintz disease, the mana isn’t contracting and hardening; it’s quite the opposite. Ah, perhaps…”

“Perhaps?”

“How about learning magic? If you learn to control mana, you could calm it yourself without medicine. But this is only possible if you know how to handle mana…”

I felt disappointed by Dr. Watt’s suggestion. Magic was a rare skill possessed by only a few. Even with money, you couldn’t learn it without talent, which usually developed in childhood.

This meant that if one didn’t show any exceptional talent for magic in childhood, the chances of learning and using it as an adult were extremely slim.

Naturally, I had never displayed any talent for magic, making the suggestion feel hopeless.

As I sighed in disappointment, Dr. Watt hesitated before speaking again.

“Alternatively, seeking help from a mage or someone skilled in mana might be beneficial.”

“Thank you. If I need further assistance, I’ll reach out to you again.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Dr. Watt removed his hat and bowed before leaving. After he exited, I lay back on the bed.

While enduring the aftereffects was preferable to succumbing to the Trintz disease, dealing with them was still burdensome and challenging.

Why did I have to suffer from such a terrible illness?

I could only blame my frail body.

Just then, there was another knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Viscountess Marves, it’s me. Rachel Lorette.”

It was Rachel’s voice from outside.

“Come in.”

I sat up in bed to greet her, but Rachel appeared troubled.

“Is something wrong?”

“Well…”

Rachel, who usually spoke without hesitation, finally managed to voice her concern.

“They said they couldn’t find the medicine bottle in the dining room.”

“What?”

I blinked, confused by her words.

“It should be there since I dropped it.”

“We searched thoroughly, but it’s nowhere to be found.”

“Could someone have picked it up?”

“We checked with the maids, but there’s no indication of that.”

I raised a hand to my forehead, feeling a wave of frustration.

I didn’t think any of the maids would recognize the value of the ingredients in that medicine.

Only a few knew about my Trintz disease. The other members of the Graham household merely perceived me as frail.

In that context, it was unlikely anyone would steal the medicine for profit.

Then who took it, and why?

My head throbbed, and I felt a slight fever creeping in.

“For now, search again, and if you still can’t find it, let me know.”

“Yes, Viscountess Marves.”

Rachel replied, bowing deeply.

Later that night, in the study of the Graham Duke’s residence, Ains Graham sat at his desk, flipping through documents. However, the words on the pages failed to register in his mind.

His thoughts were consumed by what had transpired during dinner.

He had heard from a servant that Cecilia had visited the Graham residence to see the ailing former Duke, Damon Graham, and that she had left after dinner.

Initially, Ains had no intention of attending the dinner. He found their relationship awkward and dreaded the idea of his grandfather bringing up uncomfortable topics during the meal.

However, he recalled the report on Cadia Moldovan that his aide, Jackson, had compiled earlier, which compelled him to join.

He was concerned that Cecilia might be swayed by a scoundrel like Cadia Moldovan, who seduced noblewomen to swindle them out of their money.

Ains was acutely aware that the million gold alimony he had given Cecilia was all she had left after their divorce.

The Marves Viscountess family, to which Cecilia originally belonged, was not wealthy, and having lived like a delicate flower in the Graham Duke’s greenhouse, Cecilia surely had no other assets apart from the alimony.

Ains didn’t want to see Cecilia, the former Duchess of Graham, reduced to poverty and misery by giving her wealth to Cadia Moldovan.

Even though she was no longer the Duchess, her downfall would still reflect poorly on his reputation.

Determined to help, he decided to attend the dinner to present Cecilia with the report detailing Cadia Moldovan’s true nature, especially since she had defended him as a friend.

However, what he witnessed was Cecilia coughing up blood.

Her face was pale, her lips devoid of color, her eyes glistening with tears, and her shoulders trembled weakly. Ains couldn’t help but notice every detail of her labored breathing as she struggled.

She appeared gravely ill, and he found it impossible to look away. He tried to convince himself it was only natural to be concerned, but that image lingered in his mind.

Cecilia reminded him too much of his mother, who had passed away from illness when he was a child—so fragile and delicate.

What kind of illness could cause her to cough up blood?

Ains pondered for a moment before turning his gaze to his desk drawer. He reached out and opened it.

Inside was the medicine bottle that Cecilia had dropped in the dining room.

He picked up the bottle containing the sedative, which held brown pills inside. Just by looking at it, he couldn’t discern what illness it was meant for.

Frowning, he gripped the bottle tightly, troubled by its contents. He examined it closely before placing it back on the desk.

He needed to uncover the nature of Cecilia’s illness.

“Jacob.”

Ains called for his aide. Jacob, who had been waiting, entered the study.

“You called for me?”

“Bring Dr. Watt. I need to confirm something.”