Chapter 56

Chapter 56

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“…A doctor came?”

“Yes.”

Not a single lie was seen on the handmaid’s face, who bowed her head. Her greedy gaze towards the jewelry box was revealing the truth. According to the handmaid, yesterday, without anyone knowing, Sylvia called the doctor… even Daniel didn’t know.

‘Is she sick…?’

Azela frowned and stroked her chin.

…She called the doctor even without Daniel knowing, why? She wasn’t a woman who normally hid the fact when she was ill. Azela frowned at the thought and raised her head to look at the handmaid.

“You don’t know what’s wrong with her?”

“I didn’t hear that.”

“Did she call the Todd’s mansion’s doctor?”

“No. It was a doctor called by Miss Sylvia.”

To even call a private doctor who wasn’t the mansion’s doctor…

Azela pressed her forefinger against the frown on her forehead. She could tell at a glance that Sylvia was not in good shape — probably because she was getting thinner day by day. She wasn’t just skinny, she looked really thin.

‘Is she afflicted with a fatal disease?’

Azela looked down and thought, then reached out and opened her jewelry box. She then took out a brooch she had promised and placed it on the handmaid’s palm. As the brooch, which received a dazzling light, shone brightly, the handmaid’s eyes also shone.

“Anything else?”

The handmaid, who was staring at the shiny brooch, raised her gaze into the air and traced her memory. The anticipation that she might receive an additional reward was etched on her face if she ever shared more information.

Eventually, as she had been searching for her memories for a long time, the handmaid tilted her head and said.

“I’ve been told that she can’t eat these days. She doesn’t even go into the kitchen or near the dining room, and she brings food to the bedroom… They said that it even came out almost as is.”

Hearing that she couldn’t even eat properly, there must really have been a problem with Sylvia. What mattered was what happened and why she was hiding it. Seeing that she was hiding it, it was clear that it was not good.

As Azela nodded her head and closed her jewelry box, the maid licked her lips with regret.

“If you bring more information, I will hand you another jewel.”

“Re, really?”

“Yes. So, bring good information like today.”

“Y-yes. I will.”

“And, find out who the doctor who came to Sylvia is and bring him to me.”

“…The doctor?”

“Yes.”

Azela nodded her head firmly.

Before she did anything, she needed to know and be prepared for anything that was going to hit her in the back of the head.

“Without anyone knowing, even in the middle of the night is fine. So, you have to bring him secretly.”

As she glared at her with fierce eyes, the handmaid nodded with a grim expression and left the bedroom. When the maid went outside, Lina, who was waiting, entered the bedroom with scented candles and tea to help her sleep.

“I’ve never seen this scented candle. What is it?”

“I prepared this because it is a popular scented candle among the young girls these days. It was said to relieve tension in the body and calm the mood.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, there are some medicinal herbs that are also used for medicinal purposes. They say it smells very good.”

Azela closed her eyes and took a deep breath in her. Because it contained medicinal herbs, the scent spread faster than other scented candles. She then nodded her head as she drank the tea from Lina.

“Not bad.”

Lina’s cheeks were dyed red at the brief praise.

Azela smiled at the sight she would normally ignore, perhaps because of the scented candle that was said to relieve tension. The relaxed atmosphere was warm.

After Lina saw that Azela had drunk all the tea, she put the scented candles all over the room and closed the window before drawing the curtains. Then, she turned off all the lights, put a blanket on her Madam, and then she left the bedroom.

As Lina went outside, Azela was left alone and slowly closed her eyes.

‘It’s warm.’

Because of the scented candles, the room was warm.

Azela’s head hurt at the scent she smelled that spread throughout the bedroom, but strangely, she didn’t seem to want to ventilate it that much. Her body, lying on the bed, seemed to sink to the floor.

She must have had thoughts about Sylvia a little while ago, though she couldn’t remember what she was thinking. As her body became drowsy, it was difficult to open her closed eyes. She felt like she could sleep sweetly like honey if she fell asleep like this.

‘This is really good…’

Azela was smiling without realizing it.

Yes, she has been too on edge lately. Business problems, Todd’s problems, Sylvia’s problems, Lina’s problems, and Zagnac and Princess Livia’s problems. It was all sharp issues with sharp edges… It had been a long time since she had such a relaxed feeling.

Creak.

In Azela’s ears, the sound of something opening was heard in the distance. She wanted to open her eyes, but she couldn’t.

‘…What is this sound of something opening?’

No, it felt like it didn’t matter what was opened. Her body was warm, and she didn’t want to be disturbed in this situation. However, someone shook Azela’s shoulder hard. She vaguely opened her eyes to see Zagnac’s purple eyes.

“…Another dream? Why do you always come in my dreams like this?”

Azela whispered softly and closed her eyes again, but her shoulders were shaking violently again. Even though she was going to sleep, someone kept bothering her like this.

She frowned.

“Who the hell did this?!”

Zagnac’s angry voice could be heard in her ears. The next moment, cold water poured down her face. Azela, startled by the sudden rain of cold water on her face, flashed her eyes opened and lifted her body.

“Wh, what!”

Looking around her, she saw Zagnac standing with a bucket. As she reached out and touched him, she could feel a vivid touch. The man standing in front of her was neither a dream nor a delusion but reality.

Azela, startled, clasped her shoulders and pulled her hands away.

“Are you waking up?”

A cool breeze blew in the bedroom with Zagnac’s voice. She glanced around and saw that all the windows were wide open. However, he just came…?

Tilting her head and asked, she touched her drenched face with her palm.

“…Um, when did you come?”

“I think it’s been over an hour since I came here and talked to you.”

“An, an hour…?”

Seemingly, he had been here not less than a minute but actually an hour. Astonished, Azela lifted her body up from the bed with a lost look. Though she soon had no choice but to grab her dizzy head and lay back on the bed again.

“Since you’re not feeling well, sit down.”

Zagnac’s voice was stiff in anger.

Come to think of it, it was the first time she had met him since that day. Azela did not visit him, and he did not visit her either. Nevertheless, Zagnac was calm, as if nothing had ever happened. He stood in front of her with a candle in his hand.

“Why do you have this?”

“…It’s the scented candle that the maid lit. Why?”

“Scented candle…?”

He stared at the scented candle in his hand with a smirk.

Seeing the absurd gaze, Azela ruffled her wet hair and recited the explanations that Lina had given her to him. The efficacy of the scented candle, the ingredients that contain medicinal herbs, and even the good feeling she felt.

Nonetheless, the more he heard those words, the more hardened Zagnac’s face became. Towards the end of her words, he looked as though he was about to smash the scented candle.

“…I don’t know where the misunderstanding came from though this is poison.”

“What?”

“It is not a medicinal herb, but a poison that paralyzes people and gives them hallucinations. Not only that, but it also contains drugs that you can get cheaply from the market.”

“…Dr, drug?”

“It is a drug that common people can easily obtain and use. The side effects are not that severe, but the effect is excellent.”

With a frozen gaze, Zagnac threw the candle in his hand to the floor.

…A drug and poison? Upon hearing his explanation, Azela was stunned and covered her mouth. Her trembling gaze turned to the scented candle that had fallen on the floor.

“Do you remember what happened an hour after I came?”

When Zagnac asked, Azela raised her head with a blank look. Even though s tried to remember, she didn’t see anything. All she remembered was the sound of something opening, and soon her shoulders shook.

As she shook her head, Zagnac raised his finger and pointed at Azela.

She followed his fingers and lowered her gaze to see the slip that almost came off. Azela looked in astonishment and quickly covered her body with the wet blanket over her face. She couldn’t remember anything. She obviously had never done anything like this before.

“How, how did this happen…”