Chapter 48

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Chapter 48

“So, at first, I thought we would all have tea together…”

Iellie looked into her eyes as she opened her mouth. She was just thinking, they wouldn’t bother… It was just a cushion for a natural conversation, so don’t feel burdened!

At that moment, Mary’s face brightened.

“Really?”

“I was just thinking about it! I thought it would be burdensome, so I just gave incentives… Huh?”

Surprised, she tilted her head at the unexpected reaction. The eyes were filled with anticipation.

“Are you sure you want to have tea time with us?”

“No, wouldn’t everyone be tired then?”

“We are not tired at all!”

Mary clenched her fists and exclaimed joyfully.

Isn’t she tired of drinking tea with her boss? Iellie was perplexed. Of course, she would like it if she could get to know the people who did the ceremony like this. However…

‘Won’t the people of Duke’s castle be bothered by that?’

Think of the labor it went into doing one tea break. First, they need to prepare tea food and tea, and there must be a place for people to gather together. Besides, they had to clean it later as well…

“Is it really okay? I feel like I’m making useless things for the people of the Duke’s castle…”

“No, when are we ever going to be invited to the Master’s tea party?”

Mary answered with a face full of anticipation. Then, she suddenly turns pale and looks at her.

“Ah, if the Miss is uncomfortable…”

“No, not that!”

Iellie shook her hands violently.

As she listened to Mary, she realized something.

‘I see. This is not the modern Korea I used to live in, but the Lippenberg Empire.’

There, everyone was of equal status, though the Empire was different. Nobles did not consider treating their servants as equals. So, they had never been invited to a tea party like this before…

“Then, that’s good.”

Mary answered with her cheeks tinged with blush. Perhaps, that means ‘I am proud of you for respecting us as a person.’

With a new feeling, she nodded her head and replied to Mary.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Yes! If you have anything to do, please let me know!”

Answering so, Mary smiled brightly. Iellie, with a shy face, shrugged her shoulders at Mary.

“I’m just saying thank you, but I’m sorry that it feels like I’m starting a new job.”

“What do you say? We do it because we are happy.”

“Thank you for telling me that.”

Iellie smiled. Looking back, it seems that she was holding on to Mary, who was busy with work, for too long with this conversation.

“Then, you can leave now.”

“Yes, Miss!”

Eventually, she left the room with a bow.

As she stared quietly at Mary’s back, being so excited, she didn’t feel bad either… No, it was rather good.

‘…Well, then, shall we plan a new tea time?’

She was worried about how to have tea time. Since the employees had already been exposed to excessive labor during their coming-of-age ceremony, she did not want to create a new job for them. She narrowed her brow.

‘Let’s talk to the butler first.’

It would be good to ask about how much budget could be lent over.

Raising her body, she went straight to the butler. As she crossed the long hallway, she saw the white-silver hair glistening in the distance.

“Zachary…?”

She tilted her head. It was Zachary. He walked slowly towards her with a serious expression on his face.

‘What is he thinking?’

He was so deeply engrossed in his troubles that he didn’t even seem to hear the voice calling to him.

“Zachary!”

Iellie, who had moved her steps, poked her head out to him before asking a question in a puzzled tone.

“Why do you look like that? What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Len?”

Zachary, who raised his eyes slightly at her sudden appearance, shook his head.

“Nothing.”

“…It doesn’t look like it’s nothing?”

She stared at him with a suspicious look. Then, he changed the direction of the conversation.

“More than that, where are you going?”

“Oh, that’s. I have something to ask the butler.”

“Really? I will take you.”

After answering that, Zachary stood next to Iellie as if it was natural. She became a little pale.

“Hey, I know where the butler is. I can go there alone.”

Zachary smiled softly as she pouted her lips in response. Although that smile looked strangely powerless.

“I just want to walk with you.”

“Really? Are you worried about something or something happened?”

“Hmm, no.”

Even though he answered firmly, his appearance like that was rather like saying to himself,

‘Nothing is happening?’

Iellie held Zachary’s hand with a questionable face.

“If anything happens, please tell me. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

After a brief silence, Zachary nodded his head slightly. However, as his smiling face looked strangely difficult, Iellie couldn’t hide her worried feelings.

“You can go.”

After a while, Zachary, who arrived at the employee’s annex, released her hand. She gazed back at him.

“Zachary.”

“Huh?”

“If anything is difficult, you tell me, okay?”

Seeing the worried look in her pale green eyes, Zachary nodded his head slightly.

It was then that Iellie was able to knock on the butler’s door. The butler, who stuck out his head, looked at the Little Master and the Lady with a surprised face.

“Miss? And what is the Little Master doing here?”

“I just escort Len here. Don’t worry about it.”

Zachary replied as he shrugged his shoulders. Meanwhile, she finally gave one last gaze to him and walked into the butler’s room.

Iellie’s voice, leaving a greeting to Zachary, was as sweet as always.

“You can go, Zachary.”

“Okay.”

By the time she entered the room, Zachary barely tried not to break his smile. Eventually, the door was closed. He stared at the fluttering pink hair and lowered his head heavily.

“…Len.”

‘What should I do…?’

The dark blue eyes trembled softly. It felt like swallowing a stone.

‘Father.’

In fact, Zachary had gone to see the doctor earlier. After seeing the Duke vomit blood, he had been thinking about going to the doctor the whole time.

So far, the Duke’s reaction has been very stubborn, and the situation has not been good. When the imperial family stayed in the castle, there was no need to disclose the duke’s poor condition.

‘So, that’s why I went there now.’

Zachary bit his lip softly.

Despite Zachary’s sudden visit, the doctor was not surprised. When he asked the doctor, the Duke’s condition was much worse than expected.

The doctor just opened his mouth in a low voice.

“His Excellency told me to keep the secret, but if the Little Master comes to visit me like this…”

“I saw him bleed. Don’t hide it, tell me.”

Hearing that answer, the doctor nodded his head heavily then spoke in a cautious voice.

“His Excellency has been ill for a long time.”

“Since when?”

At the sharp question, the doctor took a short breath. The brown eyes behind his glasses deepened.

“He developed the disease shortly after the death of the former Duchess, and since then, the condition has continued.”

“….”

Right after his mother died? Zachary was just confused.

After his mother, who hated him and gave her life, the Duke was more of a heartless god to Zachary. A father who wanted to kill his son who killed his wife, but was reluctant to give up his son to protect the Duchy…

‘Nevertheless… So, although he valued the Duchy so much, he did not cure himself.’

Thinking so, he clenched his teeth. When he lifted his head, his blue eyes gleamed in a dazzling light.

“Then, what kind of disease is that? Why didn’t you treat him?”

“The disease has no name. Moreover, it is also an incurable disease.”

“Damn, what in the world is an incurable disease!”

Zachary raised his voice without realizing it.

The doctor, who had taken off his glasses, answered softly.

“At least, in the Duchy of Hessenweitz.”

“What the hell does that mean…”

“It is very rare that the Duchy’s ‘winter magic’ does not manifest, and the body runs wild.”

He paused.

Winter magic… Is this the power of that damn silver dragon again?

Zachary bit his lips.

“In that case, an unknown disease like His Excellency’s will develop.”

The doctor’s voice was calm, but he immediately recognized the truth of the doctor’s voice.

“It is a very rare disease that only occurs once in a few hundred years for a member of the Duke’s family.”

It was a disease that only affected members of the Duke’s family. There was nothing in this family that was done right…

“Of course, there is no cure. Because it is very rare to get the disease in the first place, and no one has survived long. To be precise, it’s more of a magical disaster than a disease.”

“Then, my father…”

“Actually, he has endured this disease for quite a long time.”

Saying so, the doctor let out a long sigh.

The doctor, who dropped his head, explained in a subdued tone.

“We are using medicinal herbs to slow the symptoms as much as possible, but that has its limits.”

“…How long will he be able to survive?”

“At least, it is certain that there is not much time left.”

To the irritable question, the doctor answered with a sinful voice. Zachary suddenly remembered the conversation he had had with the Duke before. The day he found the Duke vomited, he asked him fiercely.

‘Father is the one in charge of the Duchy. So, as a successor, I should be concerned.’

‘You don’t have to worry about that.’

At that time, when the Duke heard what he had said, what kind of expression did the Duke make.

He thought the Duke smiled a little.

‘I mean that I will not cause any problems for you to take over the title of Duke.’

Recalling that conversation, Zachary felt resentful towards himself. At the time, he interpreted it as ‘the Duke’s body is fine and he will succeed to the title stably. When in reality, the actual condition of the Duke was not very good.

“I’m sorry, Little Master.”

The doctor nodded his head and apologized. Zachary shook his head reflexively.

“…No. It’s not the doctor’s fault.”

He was confused. What should he do? He has always hated his father, and he tried to take his hatred to the end… However, his father might die.

That fact weighed heavily on his heart.

Zachary, thinking of meeting with the doctor, suddenly came to his senses. Biting his lip, he got up.

‘One thing is certain.’

He couldn’t put off the conversation forever. Especially now that he knew that the Duke was in a state that is not strange even if he died…

Taking a deep breath. It seemed like it was time for him to talk to the Duke, which he had put off.

Meanwhile, Iellie was sitting opposite the butler.

The butler looked at her and opened his mouth.

“What are you doing here, Miss?”

“That’s right, I want to drink tea together with everyone.”

“Everyone? Should we prepare a tea party? How large are the guests?”

As The butler questioned her in a professional manner, Iellie smiled slightly and shook her head.

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