Chapter 76

Sensing Liv’s gaze, Coryda put down the fork she was holding and wobbled to her feet.

“Oh, I’ll go with you.”

It wouldn’t be a good idea to bring Coryda to face the Marquis directly. The Marquis had a reputation for being aloof and unsociable. For such a man to do her the favor of introducing her to a doctor out of the blue would have been strange, even to Coryda, who hadn’t yet known about the world.

Besides, from the Marquis’ perspective, there would be no reason for him to meet Coryda. Liv shook her head without delay.

“No, you don’t have to. Erm… Will you be okay on your own while I’m gone?”

“Are you sure I don’t need to thank him?”

“It is okay, Miss Coryda.”

Philip, who was next to them, gently dissuaded Coryda. Adolf also waved his hand dismissively, telling her to not feel pressured. Coryda said cautiously.

“I can do well on my own…”

“It won’t take long. If you’re worried about Miss Coryda, I can stay by her side.”

Adolf spoke as if trying to soothe Liv.

Liv paused for a moment. Neither Philip nor Adolf seemed like they would do Coryda any harm. She had been examined by Thierry just moments ago, so what would be dangerous? Moreover, all of this was done under the Marquis’ orders.

Thus, if they were to harm Coryda, they would also be breaking the Marquis’ orders.

“I’ll be right back, Coryda.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry and go!”

All right, let’s hurry up.

Having made up her mind, Liv pushed herself to her feet. Thankfully, Adolf had assigned her a servant, which allowed her to find the Marquis without getting lost. The Marquis was in his private lounge on the top floor of the mansion.

Leaning against the window, he was smoking a cigar, a stray puff of smoke wafting out through the open window.

“Did she get examined?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to your generosity, my Lord.”

“Dr. Gertrude is a little picky, but she’s good at what she does, so you can count on her. I heard she didn’t return your greeting properly.”

Given the speed of the news, someone must have passed the word along in real time. He introduced her to his doctor in the first place, so even if he wasn’t in the same room, he would have paid attention.

Liv nodded, not surprised, and replied in a low voice.

“That’s fine. As long as she takes good care of Coryda.”

As if to prove her assertion, Thierry was very serious during the whole examination. She didn’t jump to conclusions about Coryda’s illness and documented every detail of her symptoms.

Although she did draw some blood, it wasn’t like the bloodletting in the past. She simply pricked her fingertip with a needle and took only as much as needed. She also asked for Coryda’s consent when using the stethoscope and asked for permission beforehand whenever she touched her body.

Coryda seemed quite relieved by her attitude. Coryda’s stiff demeanor at the beginning of the appointment softened considerably afterward.

“Did you not hear the results of the appointment?”

“Not for now. I was told that it would take some time to do some checking.”

“I see. I will tell her to forward the results to you as soon as she has them.”

After a moment of relief that the appointment was over, the Marquis’ words sent her into another turmoil.

What if the results come out bad? If the medications she’s been taking are not working, if she’s gotten worse over the years, if there are problems with her caregiving…

Liv fought back the frightening swell of bad thoughts. She didn’t have to worry about it, at least not here, because she wasn’t alone now.

Liv clasped her hands together and belatedly uttered the thank you she’d meant to say.

“Thank you. You’ve helped me so much—”

“Have a seat.”

Before Liv could finish, the Marquis gestured to the couch.

As soon as she sat down, her legs seemed to loosen up, and the sound of the sofa cushions crunching down echoed a bit loudly.

“One would think you were the patient.”

Liv retorted with a slightly reddened face.

“That was a mistake.”

“I can show you a mirror if you haven’t noticed how pale your face is.”

Liv, who had been sitting neatly, looked up at that. The Marquis, who had been leaning against the window the whole time, walked slowly.

Dropping his half-burnt cigar into the ashtray with a flick, he picked up the cigar case next to it. With a casual touch, he pulled out a cigar, snipped off the cap, and approached Liv’s side.

He offered it to Liv with the same indifferent, nonchalant touch he had given her when he had handed her his handkerchief.

“Smelling the scent surprisingly makes me feel better.”

Liv, who accepted the cigar before she knew it, looked up at the Marquis with bewildered eyes. The moment she met his impassive eyes, Liv flinched and averted her gaze as if on fire. She fiddled with the thick cigar, then carefully brought it to her lips.

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