Chapter 58

Thud. Adelaide opened the palm-sized box. It arrived this morning with a large bouquet of flowers. She was getting tired of the constant barrage of gifts, but this one was special.

『I found it』

Adelaide smiled softly as she looked at the dried grass inside the box. It was Velido.

A map had been enclosed in the letter from Sycamore.

Though she had never been there, she knew where it was. It was the now-vanished slum area. It was indeed a plan that only Elkius could come up with.

Since she smelled the rose scent in the palace, she had expected Elkius to be involved in this matter, but she hadn’t realized he was involved deeply enough to procure the land personally.

‘How can I use this to my advantage?’

If this became public knowledge, the blame would be focused on Elkius. But Velido was so prevalent in noble society that there was a chance it could be swept under the rug.

‘I need to find a way to exploit this situation.’

Adelaide picked up the letter and the box, bouncing the decision in her mind.

As a habit to erase any evidence of her dealings with Sycamore, she instinctively tossed the box into the fireplace, only to realize her mistake immediately. She reached out to grab the box, but the flames had already engulfed it.

The ignited wooden box burned rapidly, billowing smoke. The white smoke quickly filled the room. Adelaide’s body shook and tilted as she moved to the window for ventilation.

“Ah…….”

She needed to put out the fire.

Velido’s effects were fast and strong. With each breath, the smoke sucked into her nostrils. Her mind became foggy, and her vision blurred.

Her legs lost strength. Adelaide didn’t even realize she had collapsed.

She shouldn’t.

The smoke that filled the room overwhelmed her consciousness. Her body tilted slowly. With a thud, her face hit the floor hard, but she felt no pain.

“Ah…….”

Her vision flickered. It felt like her whole body was floating, as if drifting above the sky. Laughter bubbled out of her without reason. It felt euphoric. As if it were okay to die like this.

“Adele.

The face of the love of her life flashed before her eyes.

“……Leon…….”

Her stiffened tongue spat out the indistinct pronunciation.

He, who silently watched over her, smiled tenderly. Tears kept flowing despite her attempts to smile.

‘Can I stay by your side?’

‘Will you not abandon me?’

As if understanding the words she couldn’t speak aloud, he nodded.

Adelaide smiled. Consciousness sank into the blackness.

“……Adele!”

The smoke that seeped through the doorway made Callion burst through the door and into the room.

Smoke was rising from the fireplace. Realizing what the smell was, he caught his breath and shouted.

“Everybody out!”

Then he opened the window, picked up Adelaide, who was slumped in front of the fireplace, and ran out of the mansion.

“Adele, open your eyes, Adele!”

Setting her down on the porch, Callion patted her cheek, trying to rouse her, but no matter how hard he called, her closed eyelids wouldn’t open. Her exhaled breath was so weak that he could barely feel it.

How much smoke had she inhaled?

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Callion blew into her mouth. Her whole body reeked of Valido.

“Adele, Adeleide!”

“Heh…….”

Her eyelids opened with a labored breath. Glassy, unfocused pupils groped for him. She groped him with a dazed gaze and mumbled through bleary eyes.

“……Cal…….”

“Adele, wake up!”

Callion’s voice was desperate. She blinked, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“No…….”

“Adele.”

“Don’t ………….”

Their eyes met, and Adelaide sobbed softly. Callion frowned, looking down at her.

‘Had she come back to her senses?’

“Adele, can you hear me?”

“……Don’t die…….”

Adelaide repeated the incoherent words, still reeling from the vision. Callion pulled her into his arms, desperate.

Someone with no immunity to Valido had inhaled too much smoke. If she doesn’t get help soon, she might suffer brain damage.

“Please… don’t…”

Is there any way to bring her to her senses?

Callion quickly racked his brain, lifting her up in his arms.

“Hold on just a little longer.”

He needed water to remove the smoke that soaked her clothes and body, and with Adelaide in his arms, he headed for the garden. He ran to the fountain in the center of the garden and jumped in without hesitation.

“Suck!”

A huge splash erupted in the calm water. Adelaide, drenched in cold water, clung to him, panting.

“Cough, cough!”

Unprepared, she coughed as she fell into the water. The exertion of her limp body seemed to rouse her.

Coughing as if she would vomit her intestines, Adelaide, who was slumped over, shed tears with a painful expression. Seeing her expelling the smoke she had inhaled would reduce the aftereffects, so Callion patted her back with a pained expression.

“Adele, look at me, Adele.”

“Cough, cough… Your Grace?”

Adelaide, who had barely stopped coughing, lifted her head. Light returned to her bloodshot eyes.

“Are you awake?”

Her gaze dropped to the floor, shaking as if trying to recall what had happened. Callion lifted Adelaide’s face with a gentle touch.

“Adele.”

“Ah…….”

The blue-black lips opened with difficulty.

“……I’m sorry.”

“Ha…….”

He was relieved to see that she was okay. Callion sighed in relief as he pulled Adelaide into a hug.

“Please, stop scaring me like this.”

⚜ ⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Upon entering the mansion, Adelaide was bundled up in layers of blankets and held in Callion’s room. The door and windows were open for ventilation, so the temperature was low despite the room’s warmth.

“Don’t think about leaving this room for a while.”

“…….”

Adelaide replied in a muffled voice, her face barely visible through the covers.

Adelaide’s room was closed. The fire in the fireplace had gone out, but the curtains and furniture were still smoldering, making it dangerous to enter.

She would have to wait for the smoke to clear before her room could be renovated, and for the time being, she would be held captive by Callion.

Callion, having quelled the commotion, sat on the edge of the bed and washed his face with dry water. He had figured out why such an incident had occurred in Adelaide, but he couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“If you wanted to know about Velido, you could have told me.”

“I was going to… mention it…”

She had intended to deal with the box and then speak to him, but who could have known it would turn out like this.

Adelaide, who was about to make excuses, closed her mouth. There was nothing to say, even if she had ten mouths, when she thought about how the mansion was turned upside down because of her.

“What were you thinking when you threw it into the fire?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose, I just accidentally…… didn’t realize it was going to happen.”

She had no idea Velido’s effects were so fast and strong.

Even after regaining her senses for quite some time, her vision was still dizzy from the remaining effects. Callion shook his head in disbelief.

“Usually, when one uses Velido for pleasure, they dilute a single leaf tenfold and mix it with rose water. Even then, it’s dangerous, so how can you-“

“…….”

His voice grew louder with each word. Adelaide buried her face in the quilt.

“Do you realize that you almost lost your mind ?”

“……I’m sorry.”

“I can’t keep an eye on you all day.”

“…….”

“You do that one more time and I’ll have you tied up so you can’t do anything.”

“…….”

Callion glared at Adelaide, who didn’t answer, then pulled the covers over her. He chuckled softly at the sight of her face, puffy from the Velido.

“I can’t even get angry.”

With a bitter smile, Callion touched her face. Her cheeks were cold from her dip in the fountain. Rising from his seat, Callion closed the open window, stoked the fire in the fireplace, and returned to bed.

Languid in the hot air, Adelaide dozed off with her eyes half-closed. Callion poked her cheek impatiently.

“Don’t doze off, you’re not supposed to sleep until the medicine wears off.”

“I know…….”

Adelaide rubbed her sleepy eyes and pulled back the covers. Callion pulled her shoulders still, forcing her to lean against him. She always tensed up when she touched him, so he knew she wouldn’t fall asleep.

Her shoulder, which leaned against him obediently, felt very thin. Callion gently stroked her good-looking hair and asked quietly.

“Do you remember what you said earlier, when you were drunk on Velido?”

“What… did I say?”

Adelaide, sitting up, asked with an anxious expression. She couldn’t remember what she had said because of her state of intoxication with Velido.

“Don’t you remember how you cried and begged me not to die?”

“Oh.”

A short sigh tugged at her lips.

This is the second, no, third time. Adelaide acted like she was traumatized by his death.

“Do I look so weak to you?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just that I’ve been having bad dreams lately…….”

Unable to tell the truth, Adelaide stammered. Callion, looking down at her intently, tightened his hand on her shoulder.

She’d been through so much since Tiflis, she had every right to be weary.

Now that she’s in the capital, with Elkius threatening her life at every turn, she must be very anxious, even if she pretends not to be.

Callion, who immediately believed her, smiled.

“You’ve been haunted by nightmares every day…”

“……?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t let you dream at all.”

“I… hmm.”

Callion’s lips gently covered Adelaide’s. Even from their touching lips, the scent of Velido still lingered.