Chapter 32

Episode 32

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“Madam!!”

“Go outside and open your eyes! The fever needs to be lowered, now hurry!”

“I will not forgive you… . If anything happens to the child, I will not forgive you!!!”

Eliza’s wrinkled eyes filled with tears mixed with anxiety, anger and sadness. Chloe looked straight at her and muttered in a low but clear voice.

“You’ll get your resentment later, so if you don’t want your child to be crippled like me, do as I say for now.”

Eventually, the child vomited and drank three vials of medicine before he calmed down. After blocking the wind in the room, Chloe took off the child’s clothes and wiped him thoroughly from forehead to toe with a towel soaked in cold water.

Eliza burst into tears as she watched the little Duchess wipe the child’s soiled back.

“Madam, if there is anything I can do to help… .”

“It is even more dangerous if an older person has a fever. You go out.”

Chloe said it was dangerous and kicked Eliza out of the hut. When the doctor finally arrived at the duke’s residence in a wagon that was moving at a frenzied speed, the child’s body temperature had returned to normal. The attending physician, who was almost dragged in by the servant, saw the Duchess and bowed his head belatedly.

“Hello, let’s take a look at this child.”

The attending physician had not yet fully grasped the situation, but carefully looked at the child’s condition. It was the first time in his life that he personally visited the servant’s residence and made a house call. But he could not refuse, as it was the Duchess’s order. After careful examination of the child, the attending physician came to one conclusion.

“The Duchess did a good job.”

What Chloe gave the child was the same medicine that the doctor had. Moreover, it seemed to have prevented the heat from rising to the head as the fever was lowered with the right first aid.

“If it was a little late, something big could have happened. You should thank the Duchess.”

Eliza looked at Chloe with tears in her eyes. Chloe shook her head at Eliza, who whispered her thanks, and then looked back at the doctor.

“Let me watch the progress from here until dawn. ‘Cause I’ll be with you… .”

Creak.

“Y-Your Excellency the Duke.”

With the sound of the hut door opening, everyone except Chloe and the sleeping child bowed their heads. Eliza, who was banned from entering the castle after being ordered to fire, and Tisse’s doctor, who did not move without the duke’s order, all swallowed dry saliva.

“Please close the door, Duke. It is very windy.”

As Chloe broke the silence, the Duke glanced at the child lying on the bed. The child, who had fallen asleep quickly, looked like Eliza, who shrieked in her dying voice.

“Come out.”

The subject was not clear, but it was clear who he was ordering. The duke left a word and turned around.

“Oh, Your Excellency the Duke… I am… .”

“Don’t come out, stay here.”

Chloe quietly grabbed the doctor who was frightened and took a step forward. She spoke in a calm and firm voice.

“I will take the responsibility, so you take care of the patient until the end. It is Tisse’s family who have dedicated their lives to Tisse.”

Thick tears flowed from Eliza’s eyes. Chloe pretended not to see her tears and followed the Duke. Just before dawn, snow was still falling in the dark sky.

***

Birch Castle lived up to its name as a birch castle, with a long forest path running through the trees. Chloe was walking slowly through the thick forest of white, dry trees she had seen on the train.

“Eliza should have left two days ago as planned, but she said she couldn’t leave because the child was ill.”

Munch*.The sound of snow being stepped on under her feet could be heard quietly. Chloe continued, walking away from the unanswered Duke.

(* The sound when you step on snow)

“It is said that the money stolen from the castle was spent on gambling debts by the father of the boy who left for Swan, that is, her son.”

Munch. The duke’s clean leather shoes left footprints in the snow again. Chloe wanted to distance herself from him by walking as slowly as possible, but it was impossible. Because the duke stopped every two steps and waited for her.

“It is the adults who have sinned, not the children. Because I didn’t want to disturb the Duke’s sleep… I called the doctor at will. I’m sorry.”

“Chloe.”

“Yes?”

A white breath escaped from Chloe’s red-open lips. Damien let out a low sigh without taking his eyes off her lips.

“I never questioned you. So there is no need to make excuses or apologize.”

Chloe swallowed dry saliva. As he said, the duke didn’t question her, as she pricked herself and made excuses.

“No owner likes to see a corpse outside of his house. Especially if it’s a child’s corpse. In the end, it’s a good thing.”

Well, it would have been better not to listen to the duke’s next words, but that was the kind of remark it was. Chloe shut her mouth and walked towards the castle, thankful that no one was hurt anyway.

Munch. Munch.

It was especially quiet in the morning when it snowed. The amount of times it snowed in Verdier could be counted on Chloe’s hand. Chloe took a deep breath and left footprints in the white forest everywhere. The cold winter air flowed into her body, but she felt refreshed rather than cold, probably because she had done a great job.

“I heard you wrote Eliza’s letter of recommendation.”

It was Chloe who was speechless this time. Damien paused next to the silent Chloe.

“Why?”

“… Madam Tisse said she couldn’t use it at all.”

“My mother is the type of person who gets angry a little later.”

That didn’t mean Chloe had to write a letter of recommendation. Especially if it’s a servant who commits injustice and gets kicked out. Damien swallowed a smirk and raised an eyebrow towards her.

“What I want to know is if you had any reason to help her. Not only the job, but also her kin.”

Chloe clenched her cane and looked at him.

“… Why?”

“Yes. Reason.”

Looking at Damien’s expression, which was really curious as to the reason, Chloe gave the answer.

“She seemed to need help, so I helped.”

“Don’t go round and round, speak in a way that is easy to understand.”

Chloe eventually became furious and raised her voice.

“There’s no way someone who’s worked at Birch Castle all his life can get a letter of recommendation anywhere else. And there was no other reason for the urgent situation of the child being sick.”

“You don’t know that Eliza was the one who instigated the servants to harass you, didn’t you?”

“No.”

She knew that but that didn’t stop Chloe from helping her.

“Did you want to relieve the guilt of having Eliza fired?

Chloe would be lying if she said no. However, Eliza’s crime was so heavy that it would have to be brought to trial. Damien threw a barrage of questions on to Chloe who couldn’t answer.

“Pity for her son losing all of his money gambling?”

Chloe took a step back, but the distance narrowed again. Damien’s eyebrows went up crookedly.

“Or is your compassion for your servants that deep in the first place?”

As if not to give her a chance to escape, Chloe finally opened her mouth as if to sigh as she faced Damien who was pushing her into a corner.

“Can the Duke give a clear reason for all his actions?”

“For the most part.”

Flutter. Flutter. Snowflakes fluttered in the black winter sky without dawn. Damien stared intently at the sight of snowflakes flying across Chloe’s face with the coat’s hood on.

“I’m sorry, I don’t.”

White breath spurted out of Chloe’s tiny lips. She also did not know her own heart. It may be one of the reasons the Duke has listed, or maybe all of them. One thing is certain, every time she comes out like this, she wants to run away.

“Why do you keep… . I don’t understand why the Duke keeps asking me difficult questions.”

“Then what do you do when you want to know someone without asking?”

“Just… .”

Chloe looked at Damien and took a long breath.

“It comes naturally.”

If you quietly observe a person, there is always something you can see even without questioning them. Chloe’s assessment of the duke alone was enough to fill a notebook.

“That’s the stupidest answer I’ve ever heard.”

Damien laughed a little at Chloe. Whether he did or not, Chloe eagerly held out her cane, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more difficult questions. Damien, who had glanced at her like that, spat out in a calm tone.

“I’m thinking of hiring Gray Wilson for the vacant stables manager. It wouldn’t be a bad offer for him as he’s living like a mayfly at the train station as a casual laborer.”

Chloe’s steps stopped. It was Robinson’s vacancy since he was fired along with Eliza. Chloe looked at him with half-opened lips involuntarily. Gray is… Can you come to this castle?

“I’m curious about your opinion.”

The duke asked her with an expressionless face. Chloe swallowed a dry saliva, trying to understand his intentions, but couldn’t read his poker face aside from his soft smile that she could paint right now.

“Isn’t it the Duke’s authority to hire servants?”

“There may be an exchange of opinions between the couple. Moreover, he is a servant who has worked for Verdier for a long time.”

“Gray will do just fine.”

Chloe advocated for him, but Damien was prodding her out of habit.

“Do you want to keep him by your side?”