The Villain's Sickly Wife Dislikes Being Overprotected - Chapter 2.1
“Has she not regained consciousness yet?”
“No, she hasn’t.”
“And the doctor?”
“He’s currently analyzing the test results.”
The aide answered.
“Is Ekette in her room?”
“Yes, she is.”
Kyron arrived at Ekette’s room. The door was slightly ajar. He pushed it open and entered.
Ekette lay unconscious on the bed in the middle of the room, her face pale.
As the coughing and hemoptysis had stopped when she collapsed, Ekette’s face now looked peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping.
After gazing at his wife for a moment, Kyron turned his eyes to survey the room.
Today was his first time entering this place.
The interior was neat and not excessive, very much like Ekette.
He was about to leave the room when he hesitated. A small frame on the bedside table had caught his eye.
He picked up the frame.
“……”
He could immediately tell it was a family portrait from Ekette’s childhood.
His gaze lingered on the frame for a while.
So she slept with her family portrait by her bedside.
It was the first thing he had learned about his wife.
Kyron soon put the frame back in its place and stared blankly at Ekette.
The servants had already cleaned the blood that had been on her lips, but the scene of her coughing up blood earlier was still vivid in his mind.
The afterimage of that scene lingered particularly long.
He closed his eyes with a frown. Recalling the earlier scene was not particularly pleasant.
It must be because of this mood that he found himself interested in the small frame on the bedside table, something he wouldn’t have even noticed normally.
Unnecessarily sentimental.
***
“How is her condition? It wasn’t poison, was it?”
As the voices reached me, I slowly regained consciousness. My eyes were still closed.
“It doesn’t seem to be poison. The tests didn’t detect any toxic substances.”
“Are you certain? What exactly did you test for?”
It was Kyron’s voice. His conversation partner seemed to be the doctor.
Judging by how faint the voices were, I guessed they were talking in the corridor outside the room.
I remained lying down with my eyes closed.
“We used the Haemagglutination test. It’s a simple method, but reliable.”
“If it’s not poison, then why is my wife like this? Why hasn’t she woken up yet?”
“We also checked for the possibility of infectious diseases, but it doesn’t seem to be that either.”
“Then?”
“Hmm……”
The doctor didn’t immediately provide an answer. He probably didn’t know the cause of this illness.
“It would be good if we could do more detailed tests, but for now, we haven’t been able to find the cause.”
It was the answer I had expected. The doctors in my past life couldn’t find the cause of my illness either, so it wasn’t surprising.
“So in conclusion, you don’t know why my wife is like this?”
“We’ve conducted various tests, but all results came back normal. If I had to point out one thing, the Duchess is quite weak physically.”
“Weak?”
“Yes. She’s extremely frail. There could be various reasons for this. It could be due to lack of exercise, or continuous fatigue. Stress is also a root cause of many illnesses.”
“……So, you’re saying this isn’t just a problem of today, but that she’s been weak all along?”
Kyron asked in disbelief.
Yes, it would be hard to believe. For someone who doesn’t have even a speck of interest in his wife, how would he know whether I’m weak or strong?
“That’s highly likely. I think Your Grace would know better than I do if the Duchess has been feeling tired regularly.”
The doctor, unaware of the distant relationship between the couple, said this. But Kyron wouldn’t know me well.
I wonder if he’s even listening attentively to the doctor. He probably has no interest in my health. Isn’t he just letting it go in one ear and out the other with a bored expression?
Just as I was curious about how my husband would respond to the doctor’s words, a new voice joined their conversation. It was Kyron’s aide.
“Your Grace, if we don’t depart soon, it will be difficult to reach the intermediate destination today.”
The aide urged Kyron. Unfortunately, it seems I won’t get to hear how Kyron would respond to the doctor.
“We’ll leave right away.”
Kyron replied as if he had been waiting for this. He must be busy.
Finally, he’s leaving.
I felt relieved. Kyron’s departure was much more comfortable for me. He was just an uncomfortable person, after all.
Just as I was about to relax, thinking he was leaving now…
“Master.”
I heard a familiar voice.
There weren’t many voices I knew here, having been possessed for only a short time.
This was the voice of my maid, Lia.
Why her?
I perked up my ears.
“What is it?”
“I am Lia Light, the maid who attends to the Mistress.”
Lia introduced herself to Kyron.
Why is she suddenly addressing Kyron?
“And?”
“I have s-something to tell you, Master.”
“What is it?”
I became anxious.
Should I get up now and go out to the corridor?
I had no idea what Lia was trying to say to Kyron. Something unfavorable to me might come out of her mouth.
“Master.”
Lia’s voice trembled finely as she called Kyron. She was extremely nervous.
My heart trembled along with her. I was gripping the blanket tightly, ready to throw it off at any moment. If Lia were to say something strange, I was prepared to jump out and stop her.
But her next words surprised me. She hadn’t come to Kyron to tattle on me or express complaints. It was the opposite.
“Please… please, look at the Duchess just once. Please comfort her just once.”
As I heard her words, the strength in my hand gripping the blanket suddenly disappeared. It was such an unexpected statement.
“Comfort her…?”
Was it just my imagination that Kyron’s voice sounded sharp as he immediately asked back?
“The Duchess is a thoughtful and kind person. All of us servants like her.”
For a moment, I felt a warmth welling up in my chest.
I didn’t know Lia would stand up for me. And to do so in front of the cold Kyron.
Before I knew it, I was holding my breath and focusing on the conversation as if someone might hear me breathing. Even though they wouldn’t know I was listening inside.
“I don’t have time to leisurely listen to your feelings about my wife.”
Kyron’s voice was cold enough to make Lia’s courage seem futile.
“Th-that’s not it!”
Lia desperately tried to stop Kyron.
Then I heard a small thud. Could it be that Lia had fallen to her knees?
“Even before the meal earlier, the Duchess collapsed with a nosebleed!”
Oh no. I was frustrated. To think that my husband would already know that I was sick enough to collapse twice. Kyron surely wouldn’t be pleased to hear this.
“What did you say?”
As expected, Kyron’s voice was even sharper than before.
“It seems the Duchess’s health has been deteriorating.”
“Hah… This is similar to what the doctor said earlier.”
He probably means he doesn’t want to hear the same thing twice, so she should step aside.
But Lia had unexpectedly strong determination. Her pleading continued.
“If, if only the Master would look at the Duchess kindly just once, it would help her recover.”
Lia’s voice was trembling so much that I almost wanted to rush out and stop her myself.
Translator
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lurelia
Known for turning pages faster than I move in real life. Warning: May suddenly vanish into fictional realms, leaving behind only a vaguely potato-shaped indent on the sofa.