<b>ą¼ŗ Yuriel Wayne Dayna Alfred (14) ą¼»</b>
As Yuriel was readying herself for work, she heard the sound of a carriage amidst the rain.
āHeā¦ā¦shouldnāt have lectures today.ā
Brushing her doubts away, Yuriel made sure her appearance was as perfect as possible.
But when she heard the knocking on the door, Yuriel was sure that this person couldnāt be Ferzen.
Because he would never knock.
But if it wasnāt Ferzen, then who could it beā¦ā¦?
No, it wasnāt him either.
Since he shouldnāt be able to leave the dorms this early.
As her curiosity got the best of her, Yuriel walked towards the door and opened it.
And before her, stood an elderly man holding an intricate umbrella.
Yuriel stumbled as she greeted her grandfather ā The elder of the Alfred family, Corleone.
āGra-Grandfatherā¦ā¦ā
The old snake folded his umbrella, pushed Yuriel aside, as he entered the house.
āOn June 9th. You will return to the manor.ā
āYour answer Yuriel.ā
āI-I donāt understandā¦ā¦ā
Yuriel didnāt look at him, as her voice wavered.
āAnd what Yuriel, would be those marks on your neck?ā
Because of his words, Yuriel unconsciously raised her hands and touched her fair nape, realizing she wasnāt wearing a scarf to hide the marks.
āTake your hands off, Yuriel.ā
At the old snakeās annoyed tone, Yuriel meekly lowered her hands, exposing the traces Ferzen left on her nape.
āFerzen did itā¦ā¦ā
āHaā¦ā¦.hahahahahahaha!ā
The old snake crackled maniacally at Yurielās confession.
Using his cane, Corleone pulled down Yurielās collar.
And naturally, she didnāt offer any resistance to his abuse.
Because Corleone already engraved such behavior on her soul.
As the buttons were forcefully opened, the marks on her collarbone and sternum became visible.
And as Corleone saw this, the corners of his mouth curled in an amused smirk.
āYouāve done something useful for a change, Yuriel.ā
āWhen a man leaves such marks on a woman, he simply claims ownership over her.ā
After saying this, Corleone turned away.
āIāll see you in four days, my dear granddaughter.ā
āā¦ā¦Goodbye grandfather.ā
With one hand over her heart, Yuriel made a polite bow, as Corleone left the house.
As soon as the door closed, Yuriel sat down on her bed and fixed her attire.
It wasnāt a special day by any means.
In her mind, a furious calculation happened. And from it, she realized that on June 9th, her fertile period would begin.
With a feeling of dread surging from her depts, Yuriel got off the bed and went to work.
When she entered her office, she sat down on her chair and brewed a cup of black tea.
Then, she brought the teacup to her lips.
After that fateful day, 13 years ago, she had forgotten something crucial, but now itās becoming more and more noticeable.
Her hobbies, her likes, her dislikes, her taste in food, music, arts, and literature.
All of them are the same as Ferzenās.
āHad I not been raised for youā¦ā¦Would I still be āmeā?ā
Would she feel the same things she is feeling now?
Closing her eyes, Yuriel tried to control her conflicted emotions. As both her love and her hate were overwhelming.
āHe said he would come for me soonā¦ā¦ā
<b>You said you were coming.</b>
<b>But until now, no such thing happened.</b>
<b>Donāt you know? If a flower is watered beyond its limitsā¦ā¦the roots will rot.</b>
<b>But if you donāt water them enough, they will wilt.</b>
<b>Such a strange thing no?</b>
<b>This is called compromise.</b>
<b>I wonder if you want me to wither tooā¦ā¦</b>
A long, and unforgiven rainy season.
But even amidst all of this rain, Yuriel still felt thirsty.
After her morning lectures, Yuriel left the classroom.
Lizzy wished for them to have lunch togetherā¦ā¦But she refused.
As she walked toward the Administrative Building, and her office, Yuriel could see Geralt leaning against the wall in silence.
He must have noticed her as well since he looked at her in a shy manner.
āI admit that my conduct was unbecoming of a gentleman.ā
āHowever, the blame cannot be placed solely on me. I tried to be considerate towards you. And you reassured me that there was no need to rush thingsā¦ā¦I wouldnāt have felt betrayed if you told had me the truth. I hope youāre not that immature to mistake the goodwill I have shown to you.ā
Yuriel brushed her hair at Geraltās words.
Because he wasnāt entirely wrong.
He hadnāt meant to, but he still tried to manipulate her.
But how many men would be completely sincere, and go with a selfless approach to an arranged marriage?
Truthfully, it was hard to fault Geraltās behavior, even though he may have overreacted.
And at the same time, it would be odd if a woman didnāt express her displeasure at her fiance if she noticed the marks left by another woman on his body.
āThis is truly an unfortunate situation since he already has a wife, but because of his ambition towards the North, and to stop my houseās influence, he is trying to claim you as his mistress.ā
Since this was something that Ferzen himself said to her, she suspected that at least on the matter of feelings, Geralt was clearly more interested in her.
But then again, those feelings were built on the premise of a mutual benefit in the way of an arranged marriage.
And most importantlyā¦ā¦
āYou are wasting your time arguing with me Geralt, because even if we were to cultivate a relationshipā¦ā¦My grandfatherā¦ā¦ā
āSuch an excellent excuse! But allow me to ask you a question. A decade ago, I heard the engagement between Alfred and Brutein was canceled, and since then, both of you didnāt have any contact whatsoever. So professorā¦ā¦.Do you still have feelings for him?ā
Although Geralt tried to appear aloof, Yuriel noticed the way his fists were clenched, so with a sorrowful smile, she opened her mouth.
āWhen a child grows up shackledā¦ā¦.Even if they are removed, the marks will still linger on their body.ā
āWhat are you talking aboutā¦ā¦ā
āSo much so that if you poured molten iron on their skin, you could forge new shackles using it as a template.ā
As a last form of goodwill, Yuriel confessed her feelings to Geralt in a crypt manner and walked away leaving a puzzled young man behind.
When she reached her office, Yuriel threw herself on the sofa.
She was tired, so very tired.
The rainy season was finally coming to an end.
Ferzen slowly opened his eyes at the dim sunlight coming from the window.
After struggling to contain Laura for the whole night, and sleeping for most of the day before, his vigor was restored.
āItās a little cold.ā
Turning his head he was presented with the form of his wife curled like shrimp.
An habit from her times on Loeurg, and an effective way to keep one heated throughout the night.
But Ferzen was currently overwhelmed by the cuteness of this sight before him, so without hesitation, he hugged her back and buried his head in her lustrous hair.
āIs she having a feverā¦ā¦?ā
When he touched her forehead, Ferzen noticed that her temperature was higher than normal.
Although it wasnāt hot, it was still warmer than usualā¦ā¦
Since the doctors warned him that such a thing was fairly common during the early stages of pregnancy, Ferzen didnāt panic as he gently shook her.
And sure enough, his wife was awakened from her slumberā¦ā¦.with some complaints on her part, struggling to even raise her upper body, and barely managing to rest her head on his lap.
āā¦ā¦You should rest today. Thereās nothing important at the Academy today, so your absence wonāt mean much.ā
Although early, just shy of 7 A.M. if you had the means to, it wasnāt hard to find a doctor at this time. So after a couple of minutes, Ferzen managed to summon a female doctor to tend to his wife before heading to work.
āHmā¦ā¦Since her fever isnāt associated with abdominal pain, there shouldnāt be any problems. There are some fever-reducing painkillersā¦ā¦.But since sheās on her fifth week I wouldnāt advise taking those unless itās necessary.ā
āWill it affect the child?ā
āThe probability is low, but itās not unheard of. Although there are no cases of a miscarriage caused by it, the repetitive use of such medicines can weaken the blood vessels of the child.ā
Ferzen looked at his wife, as the doctor finished her explanation.
Since there wasnāt any risk of a miscarriage, he left the choice to her.
āI donāt need itā¦ā¦.Iāll be fine. I just need to rest for a bit.ā
āMaybe, but just in case you need somethingā¦ā¦ā
Ferzen ordered the doctor to stay by her side through the day.
Since the doctor was being paid a ridiculous sum, she naturally didnāt refuse and began to take care of Euphemia as if she was her personal maid.
Judging from the doctorās extensive experience, the chance of her making a mistake and hurting Euphemia was almost zero, but if such a thing happenedā¦ā¦.Then the chances of her head mysteriously being relieved from her neck were certain.
Of course, no one could simply dispose of a doctor for a medical mistake, unless it was proved to be made on purpose.
Wellā¦ā¦Officially that is.
Therefore if a mistake were to happen when a doctor was operating, or treating an aristocrat ā Or anyone in a position of authority ā The chance of such a doctor mysteriously dying by unknown causes was very high.
It was for that exact reason that becoming an Imperial Doctor was the dream of all those who walked the path of a healer.
Imperial Doctors were virtually untouchable.
After arriving at the Academy, Ferzen happened to run into Yuriel just as he was getting out of his carriage.
She was still walking towards the academy each day, to work.
But then, why would Yuriel be in the parking lot?
āI was just on my way to see the flower beds. Thereās no way I would be wasting my time waiting for youā¦ā¦.So wipe that look off your faceā¦.Pfff.ā
Yuriel heaved a joyous laugh at Ferzenās confused expression, which hurt his pride a little.
As she walked away, Yuriel couldnāt help but look back at him, noticing that a certain green-haired bimbo wasnāt accompanying him today.
TL NOTE: Lmao green haired bimboā¦ā¦