After having a late breakfast, we prepared to go to the palace together. Terdeo, who had been calm in the morning, now looked tense, his face hardened. Sometimes, a single action can be more comforting than a hundred words. Without saying anything, I stood beside Terdeo and placed my hand on his arm, as if to say, "I'm here, don't worry." A small smile bloomed on his stiff face. At that moment, the butler approached us from a distance, holding something.
"Her Highness, the Duchess."
"Hmm?"
"The Count Verdikt sent a letter as you mentioned during breakfast."
It was a kind of threatening letter asking me to be a witness for the Countess Verdikt, who had returned from the sacrifice.
"Thanks."
"Oh, and…."
"Hmm?" The butler hesitated, glancing at Terdeo. Terdeo, noticing the butler's unusual behavior, frowned and urged him on.
"Is there something you need to report?"
"Yes, Her Highness, a gift has arrived for you."
"For me?"
Is there someone who would send me a gift? Could it be the Countess Verdikt? Or Cersia? Ah, it must be that large package behind the butler.
"But if it's a good gift, why are you so hesitant?"
"Well…."
Terdeo's eyebrows furrowed. He questioned the butler in a serious tone.
"Who sent it?"
"The butler handed me the large gift he had been hiding behind his back.
"Adewus Fortun sent you some medicine, Her Highness."
"Adewus sent it to me?"
He sent me medicine? I don't need medicine; Adewus does. I looked at the herbs the butler handed me, puzzled.
"But I'm not hurt or sick. Did he send it by mistake?"
"He delivered it in person."
Can you eat that raw?
'It must be useful.'
Each time Terdeo chewed, the unique bitter scent of the herbs rose. His expression twisted in discomfort.
'So it is bitter.'
Even if it's good, there's no need to eat it so hastily. After swallowing the herbs with difficulty, Terdeo said briefly.
"It's rotten."
"Excuse me?"
"All the medicine and herbs are rotten. It's best to throw them away."
"…What?"
They look fine to me.
"Didn't the doctor say they were rotten, butler?"
"…I didn't receive that information, but there might be something wrong with them."
"Maybe the doctor was tired. He couldn't even tell that they were rotten at first glance."
Terdeo took the herbs from my hand and handed them back to the butler.
"Send them back to the sender."
"But they said it's hard to find these herbs. Is it okay to send them back?"
"You can get them anytime if you want to."
"But the doctor…."
"Let's ignore the doctor. He seems to be out of his mind from fatigue. …Do you want to eat those herbs?"
I don't want to eat them, but they might be helpful.
"I'll get five times more of these herbs for you tomorrow. So throw away the rotten ones."
After sending the herbs back, we continued our journey.
"At least it seems like he's made up his mind, which is a good sign. We don't need to worry too much."
"…What?"
Terdeo asked, as if he didn't understand what I was saying.
"We should worry more."
"…What?"
"Since he sent the gift so openly, we should worry more. And about what happened yesterday…."
Is he worried because he doesn't want to accept the apology? I tilted my head in confusion, and Terdeo clicked his tongue and closed his mouth.
'But where did Adewus get those herbs? Where did he get the money?'
He couldn't have gone out to get them himself. He doesn't have much money.
"Let's send the gift back and proceed with the next report, shall we?"
The butler smiled at us.
"Her Royal Highness, Princess Dodolea, has graciously allowed your visit."
Right, now is not the time to waste on such herbs. We immediately set off and boarded the prepared carriage. Since we had finished our preparations in advance, the carriage we were in, along with the carriages carrying the maids, quickly departed. The palace is not far, so it won't take long.
'Soon….'
We will finally face the reality of the curse. Perhaps we can put an end to this long struggle. Maybe… it's unlikely, but still. Dodolea might repent today and help us lift the curse on the Laphreon family.
'It's almost impossible, but….'
Still, I couldn't help but feel both hopeful and nervous. I took a deep breath and glanced at Terdeo across from me. Terdeo, who had been busy with the rebels, was engrossed in the pile of documents he had brought along. Maybe he's trying to forget this tension by doing so. I didn't want to disturb him, so I quietly closed my mouth and looked out the carriage window.
"Yesterday, you said the slaves from the defeated country were being offered as sacrifices at the temple, right?"
"Yes."
Terdeo, in his uniform, reviewing documents, looked just like he always does. It felt as if the person who confessed to me yesterday and this morning was a mirage.
'Was it really you who confessed to me yesterday?'
Honestly, I was worried about how he would look at me this morning… but Terdeo was no different.
"Do you remember the time we were asked to catch a runaway slave from the Schwartz Kingdom?"
"Yes, I was involved in the arson incident, so you didn't take the case."
"Right. The last place the slave was seen was near the mountain market."
"You were supposed to take that case, but you didn't want to."
"It wasn't my case. They just asked for my opinion. The slave was probably already sacrificed."
"…Probably."
"The sacrifices turn into piles of ashes… the chosen ones are ultimately killed without a trace, so it would look like they disappeared in the daily news."
I nodded briefly. Terdeo, resting his chin on the window frame, signed the document and turned to the next page. I stared at him blankly.
'Maybe it was all just a dream?'
How could he be so calm? Maybe I just had an impossible dream because of the stress. Yes, that seems more plausible. But if it wasn't a dream…
'How do I feel about Terdeo?'
As soon as I asked myself, my heart sank.
'…It hurts.'
I pressed my palm against my aching chest. Even though I thought we would go our separate ways after the contract ended, I had somehow taken it for granted that I would continue to be with Terdeo. I had come to rely on him so much that being by his side felt natural.
'If the contract ends….'
I won't be able to meet Terdeo or the Laphreon family as easily as I do now.
'…I don't want that.'
Will the curse on the Laphreon family be lifted by the time our contract ends? And if the curse is lifted…
'Will Terdeo marry another woman?'
Will he look at another woman the way he looked at me, call her "my wife," smile at her, share food, and risk his life to save her…
'I don't want that.'
The thought made my chest throb and ache. As the stiffness spread throughout my body, I frowned.
'Do I love Terdeo?'
Just thinking about it made me feel as if I were submerged in boiling water, my whole body tingling with heat. It felt like I had a fever. I hurriedly reached out and opened the carriage window. The cool breeze from the moving carriage didn't cool my face.
'Maybe I'm confusing love with dependence?'
I rely on Terdeo a lot. Maybe I'm just trying to think of it as love because I don't want to be separated from him. Honestly, the concept of 'love' has become vague to me. Trying to get rid of my foolish past self, I can't even remember what it felt like to be excited and happy about love. All I can recall is my foolish past self, smiling happily while not knowing if the man I loved might kill me. Terdeo, who had been reading documents, suddenly turned his gaze to me. When our eyes met, I stopped breathing.
"Why?"
All my thoughts vanished with his sudden question.
"What were you thinking?"
"…Nothing."
"Lie."
Terdeo's sharp gaze seemed to read all my thoughts.
"Are you confused because I'm acting the same as usual?"
He hit the nail on the head. It was almost as if he could read my mind. I nodded obediently.
"…Yes."
"Because I seem to be acting normally?"
"To be honest, I thought maybe it was a dream. It feels more realistic to think it was a dream."
Terdeo let out a light laugh at my honest answer.
"I can't act like nothing happened."
He closed the document he was reading and pushed it aside.
"But I said yesterday that I would only be selfish until then. Today, I'll go back to being my usual self."
"Ah…."
A weak sigh escaped me. Why am I feeling so weak? What's there to be disappointed about?
"But this morning, you…."
"That was… right after I woke up, so I was acting on impulse. I'm restraining myself now, so you don't need to worry."
I felt a surge of emotion. I haven't been worried, but he keeps telling me not to worry since yesterday.
"You have really strong self-control."
Without realizing it, I grumbled and shot back sarcastically. Terdeo crossed his long legs and leaned back in his chair.