Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The two people, startled, quickly approached the Duke.

What’s wrong with him all of a sudden…? The pale green eyes had a look of concern.

However, the Duke just waved his hand. He doesn’t like unnecessary worry.

“It’s okay. It must be a cold at best.”

He answered in a gasp. Nonetheless, the Duke’s face had lost all the blood and turned white.

“A cold? But, Duke, you’re coughing too much…”

“It’s just that I’m a little tired. Nevermind.”

Still, he answered with a firm voice. Looking at the Duke, Zachary wrinkled his brow slightly. “…Father, are you really okay?”

“It’s all right.”

He replied as though spitting out. The Duke, with his back straight, nodded once more. The expression on his face was so determined that Iellie couldn’t help but not ask him anymore.

The Duke then opened his mouth again in a calm tone.

“Now, go back.”

“….”

Hearing those words, Zachary stared at the Duke as if searching. The Duke met his eyes without a word. However, it was the Duke, not Zachary, who turned his attention first this time. Zachary’s gaze sank deeply.

That evening. The Duke skipped dinner. And, he went to bed early because he was tired.

Leaning back on the bed, he blinked slowly. His head was fuzzy and dizzy.

‘Of all places, I coughed there…’

He frowned. The symptoms were somehow managed with pills, though now, it seems to have reached its limit. It is a disease he has been suffering from for a very long time.

There were two reasons why he was not eager to treat the disease that had developed since the death of his beloved wife. The first was to not reveal the state of his body to the outside.

‘If rumors spread that the Duke of Hessenweitz is ill, it will only give the imperial family a chance to bite.’

The Duke laughed briefly. Even so, it was the Imperial Family that aimed for a Duchy.

With the power of winter, he has only an unstable heir, so if the Duke’s illness is revealed now, things will get even more troublesome.

‘And, the second…’

The deep blue eyes that looked exactly like Zachary suddenly traced the past. His dry lips twitched.

“…Adele.”

Closing his eyes reminded him of her. Dark brown hair that was waving, and dark green eyes that shone brilliantly. It’s okay to be selfish, he loved her. That is why he was able to bear even the hatred he saw.

‘Maybe this disease is my fault.’

The Duke has been thinking that way for a long time. Although it was a disease for which there was no proper treatment, in fact, he was very passive in the treatment itself.

The biggest reason he didn’t receive treatment was guilt for Adelaide. As she died, she seemed to have left him with this disease.

‘If I die like this…”

He stammered his thoughts blankly. Her eyes that stared at him were vivid. His voice, as beautiful as a bird’s chirping, filled him with hatred.

Still, if only he could hear that voice again…

‘Death wouldn’t be bad either.’

A faint smile appeared on the Duke’s lips.

Though, suddenly.

Knock, knock.

A knock was heard. The Duke turned to his door with a puzzled look. He said in advance that he would sleep early, but who is visiting the room at this time?

“I’m going in, Father.”

It was a notice, nor a request for permission. Zachary, who opened the door and entered, looked at the Duke with a cool face.

The Duke flinched for a moment. It was as if Adelaide had returned alive, and she despised him.

“You’re not even asking for permission now?”

Saying so, he snorted.

But, Zachary doesn’t raise an eyebrow. He asked the Duke a question. “Father. Have you asked your doctor about your illness?”

“Don’t meddle around useless things.”

The Duke replied coldly. Hearing that, he wrinkled his brow. Zachary tilts his head and responds coldly.

“It’s not a pointless meddle. At least, I have the right to worry about my father’s health.”

“Since when have you been so concerned about my health?”

“Well, even though my father hates me, he is still the master of this Duchy.”

The tip of Zachary’s lips rose at an angle. He continued, with his dark blue eyes lowered coldly. “He is the one in charge of the Duchy, so as a successor, I should be concerned.”

The Duke looked at him silently. Looking back, his relationship with Zachary seemed to have gone as far as it could go.

Zachary no longer expects the Duke to show any affection for him.

He knows that he has ruined the relationship, though what is the reason why his heart is pounding? The Duke laughed bitterly.

“No worries.”

“Father.”

“Stop, go away.”

Zachary bit his lip and swallowed his breath. Looking at that back, the Duke felt a complicated feeling.

What should he do here? Every corner of his heart is tangled in a mess.

‘It’s ridiculous to try and be a father at this point…’

They’ve come too far, anyway, so he couldn’t do it.

The Duke rested his head on his pillow and closed his eyes.

After that, he lay ill for several days. His illness, which started with a mild fever, was not severe enough to threaten his life but was at least enough to bother people’s movements. So, the time lying in his sickbed was gradually getting longer.

“Len, what is that?”

As she was walking down the hallway holding the Zachary jar, he shook his head.

Iellie smiled and replied.

“Ah, this? Lemon honey pickles.”

“Lemon honey pickles?”

“Hmm. The Duke has been skipping meals all the time.”

Iellie narrowed her brow. The Duke said he had no appetite and continued to say no to meals. She was quite worried about him. So, what she came up with was food that would make the Duke’s taste buds turn.

“So, I made this to give it to the Duke.”

“Did you make it yourself?”

“Yes. You can drink it as a tea, or you can pick it up and eat it as a snack. They said it was good for a cold.”

Saying so, she lightly shrugged her shoulders. In the meantime, Iellie asked with a worried look on her face.

“But, what if the Duke refuses?”

Because the Duke refused to eat food all the time, saying he had no appetite.

The chef used to turn down even the food that she put all of her strength into, like the lemon honey pickles she clumsily made. There is no way that food can fit in the Duke’s mouth…

“Don’t worry.”

However, Zachary spoke in a voice full of conviction. Still, she asked back with a slight tear in her eyes.

“But, how can I not worry?”

“Obviously, he will take it.”

Iellie glanced back at him with a squint. Then, with a slightly anticipatory look, she asked him.

“…How do you know that?”

“I just know.”

‘My father adores you,’ Zachary smiled as he folded back those words. Iellie was bewildered, but he didn’t explain further. He hated to let her knew that.

‘I want you to think that I’m the only one who loves you.’

He knows that it is frankly a ridiculous obsession, but still, he keeps getting greedy. He is nothing without her. He didn’t want to see her caring for others. She should have looked only at himself and only smiled at him.

‘…Childish.’

Zachary laughed at himself. He’s not a kid, what was he thinking? Meanwhile, the two arrived in front of the Duke’s room.

Iellie raised her hand with a nervous expression.

Knock, knock. A knock sounded.

“Duke, this is Iellie. May I come in?”

“…Come in.”

A low, subdued voice was heard. She asked him if he would like to go in with her, though Zachary shook his head. Even though they hadn’t been arguing for a while, he still had a hard time seeing the Duke.

“I’ll come to pick you up later.”

“Huh? You don’t need to come pick me up though?”

“I want to come.”

Zachary, who muttered lowly, smiled brightly. Iellie had a bewildered face, but she chose to enter the room first. He patted her on the shoulder and gazed at her small back.

“Excuse me, Duke.”

As she entered the room, she called the Duke a little.

The Duke, lying buried in the bed, glanced up at her.

“What brings you here?”

“Ah, that.”

After hesitating, she put the Zachary jar down. A faint curiosity flashed in the Duke’s eyes.

“What about this?”

“That… Lemon honey pickles. Because it’s good for a cold…”

Iellie opened her mouth with a stutter.

Seeing so, he got up and looked inside the jar. Lemon slices that look like they were cut by the chef himself. Layer by layer was filled with sugar and honey and glowed yellow.

“Did you make it yourself?”

“That is… Yes.”

Hesitating, she blushed and shook her head. Oh, she shouldn’t have made it herself. If the Duke refuses, she will be embarrassed. He looked at her with sharp eyes.

After a while, the Duke eventually opened his mouth.

“Thank you.”

“If, if you don’t like it, you can throw it away… yes?”

Iellie, who was about to give more excuses, lifted her head in surprise. When she looked at the Duke with her eyes wide open, he glanced away with a rather embarrassed face. His ear was slightly reddened.

“Leave the jar there and bring me a cup of lemon honey tea.”

“Ah, yes!”

She blinked her eyes a couple of times before smiling brightly.

It seems that Zachary and the Duke are the same. Their ears turn red when they’re shy, and they speak while avoiding the gaze.

‘You two look so alike.’

Iellie turned her body, swallowing a laugh inside, and she made a cup of tea with plenty of lemon and honey.

“Here you go.”

“Yes.”

The Duke took a cup of hot tea. Iellie, who was looking at the Duke with her eyes twinkling, asked, “Is it a little sweet?”

“It’s okay.”

After taking a sip of tea, the Duke looked down at the teacup and pondered for a moment. After some silence, he said.

“It’s delicious.”

At that, her eyes widened. Today, she was very surprised. The Duke even gave her a faint smile. Why did the Duke become so deadly these days? She smiled with bewilderment.

It was time for the sun to set.

Mary, whom he had met earlier informed him that Iellie had yet returned to her room. Standing in front of the Duke’s room, Zachary took a deep breath and knocked.

“Father, this is Zachary.

“Come in.”

As the Duke answered, he entered the room.

The first thing that caught his eye was Iellie. The pink hair, as soft as Asha’s petals, was loosely scattered on the back of the chair. With her body crouching slightly on the chair and her head leaned, she lets out a colorful breath.

It looked like she was sleeping.

“…Len?”

“Shh.”

The Duke raised his index finger and placed it over his lips. Zachary narrowed his eyes and walked over to him.

“She hasn’t slept in a while.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing so, Zachary nodded his head lightly. Next to the bed, on the table, was an empty teacup.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not bad.”

The Duke answered calmly. The two men looked at the sleeping girl and each remained silent. Zachary opened his mouth again.

“You must recover.”

“Right…”

Perhaps it was to avoid waking up the girl who had been sleeping well, the father and son did put up with each other just now. A brief but deep silence passed between the two of them. It was the Duke who broke the silence first.

“Zachary.”

“Yes?”

“If someone is precious, you should do your best to protect them.”

‘…Even though I couldn’t.’

The Duke swallowed the words. Zachary gazed at the Duke with strange eyes and nodded slightly.

The girl’s regular breathing tickled their ears.

Thankfully, the Duke’s condition improved considerably. His complexion was also much better than before, and the two let out a sigh.

“I’m really happy. When he first coughed, I was surprised I thought that it might be a serious disease.”