The Villain's Sickly Wife Dislikes Being Overprotected - Chapter 2.3

Kyron looked at me blankly as if something was incomprehensible, then rose from his chair. His movement was slow.

As far as I knew, Kyron was skilled in swordsmanship and good at anything related to exercise, fighting, and war. He even gathered people with his excellent swordsmanship to form a knightly order, and after becoming a duke, he went to war several times and achieved merits.

So why is this person who is good at using his body and quick moving so sluggishly? Like someone who has something left unsaid and feels uneasy.

It was while I was secretly looking at Kyron’s movements with dissatisfaction.

He turned his body and came back to me.

“Just when did you become this thin?”

I almost failed to manage my expression as I looked at him standing in front of me after turning back while leaving.

It would be a big problem if I got annoyed at the terrifying villain, right?

“Umm, since I was born.”

“You’ve been weak since birth?”

“No, I just have a thin constitution.”

His gaze slowly scanned my body.

“Wh-what! Why are you looking at me like that!”

I hurriedly crossed my arms and hands in an X shape to cover my body. Kyron, not paying any attention to my action, looked me up and down and opened his mouth again.

“Your body is only about a third of my torso.”

That’s because your build is big.

“You don’t seem to have any muscle either.”

He looked me up and down and even let out a small sigh.

“Since when have you been so interested in me?”

I raised my upper body.

“I know you’re busy, so please leave quickly.”

Didn’t he say he was leaving today? It seems like the departure time has already passed.

“…Alright. Anyway, your condition doesn’t seem too serious, so I’ll go now.”

Does that mean he wouldn’t have left if my condition was serious?

Thinking that it didn’t sound like something he would say, I watched his retreating figure.

Fortunately, this time Kyron really left my room.

“Phew!”

I finally managed to send him away.

Seeing him leave with that uneasy look on his face until the end, I thought he might say something drastic.

For example, saying that I, with my weak body, am not suitable to be a Duchess…

Left alone in the room after Kyron’s departure, I got out of bed.

I’m not sure how long I had been lying down, but I felt good. As if coughing up blood earlier had been a lie.

There was a dressing room attached to the room. Let’s see just how thin I am for him to say such things.

I stood in front of the mirror in the dressing room. Through the mirror, I finally got a proper look at Ekette’s face and body.

It was quite a pretty face. The combination of blonde hair and soft pink eyes gave a lovely impression at first glance. Though the skin color was pale.

“…I am thin indeed.”

Kyron’s words weren’t lies or exaggerations.

Shoulders with bones clearly visible, thin legs… The reflection in the mirror showed that I had little fat from my upper to lower body.

Ekette usually had a small appetite, so naturally, her build was small and thin. But she wasn’t sick, it was just her constitution.

I tried to recall Ekette’s old memories. Had she ever coughed up blood and collapsed like this before?

There were memories of having a severe cold in childhood, and feeling fatigue after overworking for a few days, but those are things that can happen to anyone. She certainly wasn’t particularly sickly.

No matter how much I racked my brain, the conclusion was… I had brought my disease from my previous life here.

“This goes against the rules of reincarnation novels.”

I muttered, glaring at my pink eyes reflected in the mirror.

Shouldn’t all the pain and illnesses from the previous life disappear when you possess a body?!

I felt wronged. It was bad enough suffering from an unknown disease in my previous life, but now I can’t even have a fresh start with a new body like others. And I’m even a Duchess of the Empire!

I can’t let this second life slip away so meaninglessly.

I clenched my fists. I spoke to the blonde woman in the mirror as if making a firm resolution.

“…In that case, I’ll enjoy everything I can enjoy, even if I’m sick.”

***

The servants were already gathered in one place according to Kyron’s instructions. Except for the few who were to nurse Ekette, everyone else had assembled.

None of the servants had bright expressions. There was tension in the dark room, which was even connected to the underground dungeon.

Especially the kitchen staff and those who had been serving in the dining room were trembling all over with fear.

“If even one person shows an abnormal reaction after eating this food, this knife will immediately be stabbed into your thigh.”

The place where Kyron’s blade was precariously touching was the chef’s thigh.

A spot that wouldn’t threaten life but could adequately scare.

The chef’s legs were shaking at the fact that he could be stabbed at any moment. It was visible even to other servants standing far away.

“One stab for each person showing an abnormal reaction.”

All escape routes were already blocked. No one could leave until they confirmed that all the food made today and all the ingredients used previously were fine.

Today’s gathering had two purposes.

To properly check the food and to discipline the servants.

Even if there was no problem with the food, since their master’s wife had fainted, some warning was necessary.

This was how Kyron managed his subordinates, by intimidation. It was a style he had learned to survive since childhood.

Every time the candle hanging from the ceiling flickered, a faint light rippled in the dark, damp room. Every face touched by that light was filled with fear.

“Well then, let’s begin.”

The servants had to eat the foods placed in front of them in order. Onions, potatoes, meat, bread, spices, sauces… all the ingredients that had been used for cooking.

A pile of each ingredient was stacked in front of each person. The quantity was large because they needed to check for bodily reactions.

“Ah, I forgot one thing. Those who leave leftovers won’t be able to leave here unscathed either.”

No one misunderstood what that meant. It meant they would be stabbed in the thigh or stomach by the master’s knife and thrown into the underground dungeon.

In normal circumstances, they might have welcomed the chance to eat such a large amount of food, which was rare, but now was not such a situation at all.

They couldn’t be sure what was in which food. Everyone hesitated, knowing they could collapse coughing up blood like their mistress.

“What are you doing, not eating?”

Kyron watched them leisurely and brought the knife aimed at the chef’s thigh closer. Then he lightly scraped the knife across.

As the single layer of pants covering the thigh tore, a thin stream of blood flowed. The chef froze, holding his breath.

“Ah, I just made it easier to stab. Don’t be scared already.”

It was understandable in a way that Kyron was handling this incident so sensitively. After all, it could be a matter of life and death for the Duke and Duchess.

The servants began to reluctantly put the food in front of them into their mouths.

There was no sound other than the sound of chewing and swallowing food.

Everyone knew that if they made even one wrong move, they would be thrown into the underground dungeon bleeding.

While Kyron was watching them, his aide approached.

“The magic stone test results showed no problematic components in any of the food. We also thoroughly checked for any drugs hidden in the body or in the kitchen, but found none.”

No servants were showing abnormal reactions, and the magic stone test results also negated the possibility of drugs. The doctor’s words had also been consistent with this opinion.

In the end, there were no drugs in the food.

It was reassuring to know that it wasn’t a plot targeting the Duke and Duchess, but on the other hand, he still felt uneasy.

If so, it means Ekette has developed some kind of illness.

Is there any reason for someone living comfortably in a wealthy environment like the Duke’s mansion to fall ill?