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Emily Denkart.
As the Lady of the Denkart House, she was the first to take the lead in exemplary tasks such as sponsorships and charity work. She was highly respected and praised among the aristocratic society.
But that is not all.
She provided aid in numerous fields and was also heavily sought-after by many noble families to be their daughter-in-law before her marriage, thanks to her rare silver hair and elegant and graceful appearance.
“So you’re Rovel.”
Emily, the Duchess in front of me was just as her great reputation said.
Her movement while drinking tea was impeccably graceful, and the slight smile on her face  was full of elegance.
Were all noble ladies this elegant?
But let’s not be fooled.
The Duchess was the one who poisoned the only person Edrick trusted and relied on the most.  and she was also the one who plotted against him every chance she gets without being revealed.
She was such a vicious person. Yet, no one even suspected her since she was very meticulous, and clever.
‘If I hadn’t read the original novel, I would have been fooled like everyone else.’
“You look very smart as I’ve heard.”
Ahem. Despite being evil, I think she has good eyes.
Well, anyway since I became Edrick’s servant, I expected her to call on me at least once.
However, going up a few more floors than Edrick’s room was very troublesome—. Right now, I wanted to be with Edrick and heal from him—.
“T, thank you. But—I don’t know if it’s okay for me to sit here like this with Madam—”
Although I was feeling annoyed inside, I lowered my head further  as if I were very nervous.  I tried to portray myself as an immature youth.
‘That way, she’ll look down on me and leave me alone.’
Fortunately, she didn’t suspect anything. She even gave me some refreshments and told me not to be nervous.
While pretending to be wary, I slowly reached out to the plate and ate the cookies one by one.
‘Ah, it’s so good.’
The delicious cookies brought out a genuine smile and slowly loosened my expression.
When I had emptied half of the plate, she ordered the maid to pack up the cookies separately for me. The atmosphere became very harmonious just as the Duchess intended.
“You’re a very cute kid. Please be at ease and listen.”
“T, this is enough. But— Uhm— Madam. Why did you call on me?”, I asked timidly and she replied in a very generous voice,
“I heard Edrick has changed a lot since you came .”
“T, that’s—”
“I’ve heard everything. I told the butler to praise your work, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t stay still. I wanted to express my sincerity directly to you for my son.”
The Madam’s personal maids put two leather bags that held the so-called  ‘sincerity’  on the table.
Clank, clank.
To sound like that, the bags must be quite heavy.
‘Aha. In short, you’re saying you’re going to buy me out with money?’
“T, this is—!”
I quickly waved my hand and muttered timidly.
“I don’t know if I can take it—I didn’t do anything.”
—Of course, I took care of the Young master as per my duty and I actually haven’t done anything that warranted such a reward.
These days, the Young Master usually lives under a pile of blankets.
“You are a humble child. Just being by his side will give him strength.” She reassured me in a very sweet voice even though she knew I was just a lowly servant. It left a bad taste in my mouth. These people sure are good at saying things they don’t mean.
“If you see something I can do for my son in the future, please tell me.”
I swore to her over and over again.
As she wishes.
*****
It was already late at night when I returned to Edrick’s bedroom.
Several members of the medical staff had already visited his bedroom one after another. The process could be quite uncomfortable, yet he never became angry. It would be more accurate to say that he was apathetic. He was just laying limply on the bed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
‘Yeah— my illness is a problem. But the Young Master’s illness and situation are also a problem.’
I swallowed my bitterness and looked around  Edrick’s room. His room was full of luxury but there was nothing he could name as his own.
And the same was true of people.
The Duke had to leave the territory under the call of the Emperor and there was no one here to protect him.
‘
..’
Somehow I feel frustrated.
In the original work,  it was described only to the extent that ‘ Even Edrick’s shadow didn’t leave the Denkart mansion,’ but—.
‘What’s with this reality? This is no salt field.’ (salt field meaning is something like you can get something without working hard.)
It was a rare unbearably hard disease even for people at 19 or 29 years old.
But he was only 12 and had to endure it all alone—.
Then, Edrick let out a small groan.
“—Ugh.”
“Y, young Master. Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“—Enough.”
And then, he bit his lower lip,  trying to stifle his groan. Such a strong preserve at such a young age.
‘How can you not make a sound even though you have  Ferrus?’
Ferrus, sometimes known as “the devil’s disease,” is a malignant disease with an unknown cause.
At first, the ankles became stiff and rotten, and as time passed, the terrible disease spread to the legs and thighs, the heart, and the face.
The intensity of the pain varied from day to day.
One day, it seemed like a thin dagger was slicing their entire body, and the next, it felt like raw flesh was being burned. As a result, the patients were terrified, claiming that the devil was pulling a terrible trick on them.
‘—Whoo.’
Of course, I was once among those who had to suffer through it. I  started sweating just from thinking about it
But seeing a child younger than me endure it all alone like that made me feel stifled.
I used to cling to my mom,  my dad, and my brother every time and cry—. I even asked them to just kill me on somedays—.
“It may be difficult, but you need to take your medicines and meals regularly. Also, please keep in mind that anger is not good for your health. If you do something goes wrong, you may lose consciousness.”
‘Yeah, take some medicine. Then the pain will be less, right—’
It seemed that the doctor was just as frustrated as I was.
“Young Master. Please keep that in mind.”
However, Edrick didn’t seem to listen to the doctor’s words.
I stood there calmly with my arms crossed, watching the situation, and then asked the doctor who was waiting for his turn.
“Uhm, Doctor. Could you teach me how to do emergency resuscitation?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
Even in the midst of pain, Edrick suddenly raised his head as if he had heard what I said.
His eyes, which had been hazy with a sickly color, became clearer again.
As expected, this works better than talking nicely to him.
I replied as if it was perfectly natural for me to ask what I asked.
“If the Young Master collapses and there is an emergency, we should take action.”
“Do you want me to collapse?” Edrick said through gritted teeth.
“No way. However, since I am a servant of the Young Master, shouldn’t I learn just in case you collapse from not eating or taking medicine, as you are doing right now? Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ll be the first to respond .”
When he heard this,  the Young Master pouted his lips and turned his head away in disgust.
He looked as if he had seen the most disgusting thing in the world. Okay so, let’s just take some medicine.
As time passed,  all the examinations were completed. Only the Young Master and a few servants, including myself, were left.
The Young Master, who became very sensitive in the meantime, threw away all the medicine we handed to him.
It was like the beginning all over again.
“I don’t need any of this— let me go! I hate this place!! Get me out of here!!!”
But this time, he only yelled angry words, unlike his usual tantrums.
This was probably because of his dry and rotting black feet which I glimpsed under the covers.
So despite his rudeness, I can’t help but feel sorry for him.
Perhaps the other attendants also felt similar emotions, so they bowed their heads more deeply than usual.
Only, the medicine bottles were sent flying in all directions again and they rolled on the floor in a mess.
I picked up a  medicine bottle nearby and held it in my hand.
The expensive medicine bottles were replaced this time, so there wasn’t even a  small scratch.
But I wasn’t very satisfied.
‘
.’
After quietly closing my eyes for a moment and contemplating, I approached the Young Master.
He was panting from the exertion his small shoulders shaking, like a wounded cub.
I asked him in a calm tone.
“Then, should we get ready to go out?”
His pale face immediately hardened because he thought that I was just joking.
Well, he’s never been out of this mansion before.
This was because no matter how much he asked, the Madam never gave him permission saying it was for his own health.
It was understandable he would react like this—.
Still, there was always a first time for anything. Obviously, the first attempt would be difficult.
However, It was too early to give up just yet.
“Let’s go out.” I promptly told him again.
“But there is a condition. Since I am helping Young Master in fulfilling  this wish,  please grant my wishes as well.”
Edrick narrowed his eyes at my overly confident manner.
He was still suspicious, but it looked like he was willing to hear me out.
It looked as if he would immediately extend his claws like a kitten if he didn’t like what he was hearing.
So,I tried to negotiate with caution.
“How about  10 wishes?”
“
.”
“Oh, my. That’s too much. Then— eight?”
“
.”
“Um— No. Five.”
“
.”
“Okay! Three! Let’s agree on three!”
Clap clap clap!
When I dramatically announced the conclusion of the negotiations with applause, Edrick and his other servants looked at me as if I was a crazy person.
I responded with a shameless smile.
“Young Master knows, too. What would happen if I, a servant, do this  right? It’s not going to end with being scolded once, but I have to stick my neck out for you .”
I  made a solemn face and raised my hand like a knife and drew it across my neck.
“Slash.”
“
.”
“Slash slash.”
“—Stop joking and tell me what you want.”
As if I was appeasing a weary beast, I demanded in a soft but clear tone.
“First, please accept me as a Young Master’s personal servant.”