Ariadne was confined to her room for several days.

During that time, she made no effort to come out and asked no questions about what was happening outside.

She simply remained eerily quiet, eating the meals delivered at set times and undergoing examinations from the physician whenever he arrived.

Other than that, she did nothing.

She merely existed.

She was silent, as if hollowed out.

“Her nutritional state is fine. She seems to be sleeping well, and I’m told she’s eating regularly,”
“There are no noticeable problems.”

Ambrose House’s physician, Brown, finished his report in a flat, detached tone, insisting there were no abnormal findings. And yet something felt off.

“But?”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s no way someone with no issues would change that drastically. Something must be wrong for her to be like that.”

‘The real problem is standing right here.’

Brown thought this as he looked at Kieron, whose face was much gaunter than before.

Ever since locking Ariadne in her room, Kieron had remained in this haunted, restless state. He demanded daily examinations, insisting that the reason for her sudden change had to be uncovered.

But every day, at the same hour, with the same questions, Brown found nothing.

Ariadne showed no particular abnormalities other than her lowered blood pressure.

She reacted to everything with subdued apathy, yet observed more closely than ever and thought relentlessly about every detail.

If there was one issue—

“Her muscles have weakened a bit from being confined for so long, but aside from that, nothing else. Some light exercise would help, but…”

“…The suspicions haven’t been cleared yet. She’ll come out after that.”

She had always been delicate, and her strength had deteriorated further after spending so many days indoors.

Reduced muscle mass meant reduced endurance, so her stamina had also declined. Her ability to get through daily life was diminishing day by day, yet he wanted to keep her confined for several more days.

Brown sighed and placed today’s examination report on his master’s desk.

“Then I’ll take my leave. Shall I return at the same time tomorrow?”

“Yes. And make sure you check her mental state thoroughly.”

“…Of course. I will.”

He had already submitted several full reports on her psychological condition, yet Kieron wanted another. At this point, Brown privately suspected that it was not the young lady but the master who needed a mental evaluation. But such thoughts were meant to remain thoughts only.

He valued his job—and his salary—far too much to voice them.

“Did you finish your report?”

As soon as Brown stepped outside, the head butler, Derrick, appeared. He had no idea when Derrick had arrived.

Glancing at his colleague’s grim expression, Brown sighed heavily and moved a few steps away from the office door.

“Let’s talk over there.”

He said, nodding towards the empty corridor on the other side of the hallway. He started walking towards it and nodded again.

Although they always maintained impeccable decorum in front of the master, the two men had actually built a deep bond over their many years working together on the ducal estate.

They were of a similar age, had joined the household around the same time and shared similar tastes and values.

It hadn’t taken long for them to grow close.

Over time, they became men who fulfilled their roles impeccably in front of their lord. Yet the moment they stepped away, they were two colleagues who worried about the ducal house more than anyone else.

Brown moved first, and Derrick followed after checking their surroundings.

“How is my lady faring?”

Once they slipped into a quiet corner where no one was around, Derrick asked in a low voice.

Brown let out a small sigh and shook his head.

“There’s nothing wrong. In fact, her mind is clearer than before, and she doesn’t seem uncomfortable when eating anymore, unlike before. She’s perfectly normal—perfectly fine.”

No issues, no abnormalities, and nothing that required watching. Brown said so and sighed again, more heavily this time.

“It’s His Grace who’s showing abnormal signs. That’s what worries me more. What do you think?”

“…That is our master’s business. Watch your words.”

Derrick answered with a grim expression. But despite his warning, Brown only continued sighing as he spoke.

“Watching my words is for when His Grace is present. I truly mean it—I’m worried about him. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that he’s the one who isn’t acting normal.”

“Brown—”

“You have eyes, don’t you? For days he’s been in a frenzy trying to uncover proof of her supposed infidelity, and he’s found nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Derrick tried to cut him off, but Brown seemed too agitated, too consumed by his own thoughts to stop.

“My lady, on the other hand, is living as if nothing happened. I’ve never seen her so peaceful since she arrived at this estate. Meanwhile His Grace only grows more unsettled by the day. You can see it yourself, can’t you?”

And it was true.

Brown remembered all too clearly how Kieron had reacted when Ariadne finally gave up after enduring one rejection after another. She had tried everything to repair their relationship, but the head of the family responded only with cold indifference and cutting ridicule.

Only when her heart had been worn down completely, and she had pulled away, did he begin to notice her; his sudden concern was mixed with irritation and spite.

“His Grace doesn’t know how to express emotions. He probably can’t even identify what he feels in the first place.”

“I can understand it, given the kind of life he’s had. But this… doesn’t he seem like a child picking on someone he actually cares about?”

Brown was deeply worried about Kieron.

The man had lived a brutally difficult life.

Orphaned at a young age, he was relentlessly hounded by the Council of Elders and forced to work tirelessly just to rebuild his shattered home. The moment he managed to regain a shred of power, the Council resumed their torment, piling on unreasonable demands and wearing him down day after day.

So when Kieron chose to marry a young woman raised in a loving noble household, Brown secretly felt relieved.

He believed that someone who had grown up cherished might finally soften the master’s hardened edges.

Truthfully, my lady was a good person.

Everyone adored her—

Everyone except one person: Her own husband.

“My lady needs time to heal her heart as well. She’s only just begun regaining her strength, and if His Grace keeps acting like this, we won’t be able to take our eyes off either of them.”

She was finally — albeit only just — getting better.

She seemed steadier, although there was a faint air of detachment about her.

It was as if she had finally laid something down and felt lighter for it.

The more things unfolded this way, the more anxious the master became. It was as if everything he had held in his grasp until now was slipping away.

Neither of them could take their eyes off the situation.

Brown ruffled his hair in frustration and let out a long sigh.

“Please, I’m begging you—don’t shut your mouth just because it concerns the master. If something seems off, even something small, tell me. His Grace is never going to seek an examination on his own.”

“I still cannot report the master’s condition so carelessly…”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Anyone who hears you would think you’re the only one worried about him!”

Despite everything he had said, Derrick still didn’t understand, so Brown finally scolded him quietly.

He was just as concerned for their young master. His desire to see their master happy was just as sincere.

What use were rigid principles when this stubborn friend acted as if he alone bore all the concern?

Brown stomped once and exhaled deeply.

“Please just cooperate. All right? I still need to check on my lady’s maid. Instead of being so rigid, if you’re worried, act on it with me. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Please, really.”

After giving his friend’s shoulder a firm pat, Brown finally turned away and let out a heavy sigh that echoed down the corridor.

The estate was overflowing with patients who were all unwilling to cooperate. It was enough to drive him mad.

Shaking his head, he thought of the next patient waiting for him and the many more who would inevitably flood into his examination room by the afternoon. Wherever he looked, he saw people who were unwell.

Of course, life in this world required accepting a certain level of risk, both physical and mental. That was one of the first lessons he had learnt when he began studying medicine.

But still.

How could everyone here be so unconcerned about their own health?

Were the masters themselves indifferent, and had the servants learned to mirror them?

Either way, it was far from ideal.

The fact that, as a physician, he could only ever react, never prevent, drew another weary sigh from him.

He decided to examine Derrick soon as well. The man had once been far more assertive, but he had recently become unusually timid. He needed counselling just as desperately as the others did.

Such a sudden change couldn’t be put down to age alone.

With these thoughts weighing on him, Brown hurried down the stairs.

Behind him, Derrick watched his friend’s figure grow smaller and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

“How could I dare move, when my actions are what caused all of this…”

None of this would have happened if he hadn’t tried to bring the master and his lady together.

For days, Derrick had been drowning in regret.

Perhaps it was because he had witnessed their argument first-hand, forced to stand there helplessly while the master and mistress exchanged cruel words and the lady cried out in despair.

Every time he remembered their raw voices and her expression, his entire body felt as heavy as stone.

Despite the truth eating away at him, he still couldn’t bring himself to tell the master.

He hated himself for that. He had truly believed that he was doing something good for them both. But in the end, everything simply fell apart.

Derrick stood there, staring down the empty corridor, long after his friend had disappeared from view.

Only when the silence around him became as dark and suffocating as it had been for the last few days did he finally turn and quietly leave.