Chapter 38

The Duchess, now fully recovered, asked me to have tea time one afternoon.

After neutralizing the poison that she had been addicted to for five years, the Duchess’ headache, insomnia, and intermittent abdominal pain lessened a lot.

“Lise, did you hear the news in the morning?”

“Yes.”

I nodded as I watched the Duchess’ clear complexion.

“It is said that Prince Jade finally destroyed all the pirates.”

“Yes. Soon, the sea route for Irvia will open.”

Although she was not openly happy, there was still a calm expectation on the Duchess’ face because of the anticipation of seeing her son after five long years.

The Duchess and Erhan had been sick after the death of their predecessor, so they couldn’t get close and face each other.

In fact, she smiled much more when she looked at me than when she looked at Erhan. But the Duchess truly cared for her son.

I always remember her saying that no matter what happens to her, Erhan must be saved. The desperation was such that she was hiding her blood coughs from Viscount Perelman.

“Then Erhan can come back. It has already been five years.”

“Yes, spring is already coming.”

I said with a grin.

“He must have recovered a lot now. Master Erhan won’t have any dizziness or seizures anymore. Of course, we haven’t found the cause yet, but it is good that we found a treatment.”

Duchess said, “He couldn’t even properly celebrate his coming of age…”

I was stabbed by my conscience and sipped my tea silently. In fact, it was a faraway land where I knew we would not be able to meet for five years, and that he would spend the rest of his time until adulthood alone in a foreign country.

But I didn’t expect to use this treatment either. My dream of raising him better than anyone else was devastating.

“He must have grown up a lot,” said Duchess.

“Yes, he’s 19 years old now.”

“I wish he resembles the late duke.”

The duchess glanced at the portrait on the wall.

“He was tall, strong, and one of the most handsome men ever.”

I also looked at the portrait of the late Duke of Casseus.

He had a good appearance, was certainly handsome, and his dark eyebrows and straight eyes were quite attractive.

‘Don’t expect too much…’

I took a short breath, recalling the dwarf and cringe-worthy 19 years old Erhan.

The only thing that resembled the grown-up Erhan in my memory, and the late Duke, was only their black hair.

The Duchess was also quite a beautiful woman, and it was quite lamenting why he couldn’t come out like that since the blood of two gorgeous people was mixed.

It was quite a reversal from the pretty boy back in his childhood days.

“Even if he doesn’t grow as we expected, we should welcome him.” In case the duchess would be so disappointed, I said softly, “Whatever his appearance, he’s the only successor to Casseus.”

“Lise, how can you be so matured?”

‘That’s because I know the future…’

“As a mother, I am ashamed of not seeing him grow properly.”

“Don’t say that,” I replied bluntly.

“It’s because I couldn’t come up with a better prescription and wasn’t good enough. I can’t find the cause or a perfect solution… I could only think of a way to recover.”

There was a sense of guilt about sending Erhan away. I could have sent him when he was a little bigger, but I knew that the shipping route to the southern region would be blocked for a long time, so I sent him away in haste.

For five years, he must have felt completely disconnected from his homeland. But how lonely is the little boy who could only rely on Frederick to have a companion must have been?

I didn’t feel bad.

‘He must’ve been resenting me inside his heart!’

I tried to be firm with a doctor’s conviction, who forced themselves to give bitter medicine to someone who didn’t like it.

Even if he came back and was upset and cold-hearted, she had to keep her eyes open carefully and with vigilance as she had to protect the duchy in any way possible.

Either find evidence to reveal everything, or wait and protect everyone until all the rebels are safely suppressed.

“Lise, it’s all thanks to you that I’m still alive, that’s why you should never say that you’re not good enough.”

The Duchess stroked my hair.

“In a way, you also saved Erhan. You just don’t know how much my grateful heart wants to give you everything.”

“…Thank you. Even so…” I said with all my heart, “I want to see him as much as Madam does. How he changed.”

Even if it is a disappointing appearance with an anxious facial expression, a dwarf body that seems to reveal the ribs, and hair that has no gloss, I will definitely smile brightly.

 

***

 

“Oh, finally all the damn pirates have been wiped out?”

At Zikel’s report, Erhan smiled and threw the sword he was holding on the floor.

He used to take out his jacket when training at the training hall because Irvia has an eternal hot temperature all day all year around. His body was full of sweat.

The maids would deliberately take the road close to the hall, looking sideways at his tall and wide shoulders. Whether he knew it or not, Erhan muttered eerily.

“I guess Prince Jade finally got some work done. If it had been one more month, I would have gone out to the sea and drowned all the pirates myself.”

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Erhan’s dark eyes, just past adulthood, shone drowsily.

According to Lise’s prescription of five years in a place without climate change and consuming Little Grass, he had never suffered anything but muscle pain in the past years.

There was no frequent nausea, dizziness, no yellow vision, and insomnia.

His appetite also improved so he ate well, and by adapting to the culture of Irvia where traditional martial arts were well developed, he learned all kinds of physical skills besides swordsmanship.

Zikel had to swallow his dry saliva several times in a strange sense of incompatibility after looking at the former depressed little boy become an impeccable young man in just five years.

The bones, which were firmly established throughout the growth period, the features with a cool atmosphere, and thick eyebrows seemed to be a strange mixture of the late Duke and his wife.

He also had a cold and creepy aura somehow.

Although the cute features of his childhood were still there, he’s giving off a strange atmosphere.

In this place, where there was no Frederick, no Duchess, and no Lise, Erhan grew up to be his own character.

“Can I send a letter now?”

“It is possible to correspond in three days. It will take a little more time to get back on track.”

His teacher, Zikel had no choice but to be polite to him now, since Erhan had grown up enough to have the presence of a dignified owner of Casseus.

“Then send a letter to the Casseus Castle right away.”

Erhan’s red lips painted an arc.

“We will leave as soon as the route is reopened.”

 

***

 

“My Lady, I don’t know if I can say this, but…”

Esther, my new maid in charge, cut my nails and smiled.

“Ah.”

Unlike Jenny, who was quite old, Esther was definitely more attentive in terms of beauty.

The aristocrats don’t even want to cut their own nails. I’m not even a kid and you’re cutting my nails. Commoners don’t know, but nails have their own mana.

I thought it was a little uncomfortable, but I didn’t purposely stop Esther because she wasn’t a doctor or a wizard.

“You don’t have to say anything you don’t know,” I said, blinking my eye.

“Oh… Well.”

Esther smiled awkwardly, quite bewildered.

“That’s… That’s right.”

“I always say the right thing.”

I spoke confidently, Esther trimmed all my nails neatly and said cheerfully.

“Not a big deal, I just wanted to say you’re so pretty.”

“What?”

“It was not obvious when the Lady was still young, but I feel like you’re getting prettier as you become an adult. You have great skin, pretty hair, exquisite eyes, nose, and lips.”

“That’s right.”

I look like a pretty aristocrat every time I look in the mirror. But I’ve never forgotten my commoner origin.

“My looks are okay in the first place, but to be like a noble is a different story, since I can wear pretty clothes and eat good things, I have no choice but to be grateful.”

“Ri-Right.”

Esther gathered my nails neatly and quickly managed her expression.

“I heard you’re going to see Viscount Perelman off again today?”

“Yes, he is going to the northern region this time since spring has come.”

“But the northern part of the mountain is rough… Wouldn’t it take a few months?”

In fact, Diel recently went to the northern part of the country and picked out a list of all the 18-year-old, blonde, and green-eyed girls. It seemed to take some time because of its low population density and large land.

‘There’s a fat chance he won’t find her again and come back.’

Viscount Perelman never found his daughter even until I was condemned to death.

However, this time, I, his assistant, was guarding the duchy. That’s why he could move quite freely, and there was no case of being hurriedly summoned because Erhan went south for treatment.

Therefore, you never know. Maybe this time he can find the daughter he wants to see so much.

‘Because I got the dragon’s claw, I might be able to figure out a new paternity test method soon… But the timing doesn’t match.’

Still, it will be completed the next time he returns.

“You have a lot of hair. It hasn’t been long since I cut it, so I should have done it a little thinner.”

Esther spoke to me in a friendly way, braiding my hair.

“Do you want the ribbon yellow? It’s your favorite color.”

“Sure.”

“There’s a big cherry buffet restaurant in town. It was really nice. You like cherries, right? I think you can stop by with Diel on your way back.”

“Thanks for the recommendation, Esther.”

Looking at Esther, who already fully understood my appetite, I felt a little awkward as if I had become a real aristocratic young lady, unlike when I was with Jenny.