Or was it a determination to succeed this time?

“I don’t know.”

Frustrated by the unanswered question, Kallos’s head ached.

It felt like the thorn that had been stuck in his throat was finally removed, and his chest area felt prickly.

Unaccustomed emotions were unpleasant and awkward, so Kallos frowned and turned away.

Staying here was an inexplicable act.

“Report back when she wakes up.”

He vowed not to come to see her again until Irene wakes up.

With that determination, Kallos left the bedroom.

As Kallos left, a quiet stillness settled in Irene’s bedroom.

Jesse, who had been silently staring at the tightly closed door, murmured to himself.

“Master’s words… Don’t they seem a bit strange?”

Dewey, also staring at the firmly closed door, agreed in understanding.
“Yeah. In the past, the master wouldn’t have cared whether the other person was hurt or not… Could it be because there’s not much time left, after all?”

Jesse asked with a sharp tone, squinting his eyes.

“Do you really think the master is worried about the lady because of that?”

Dewey looked puzzled as he stared at Jesse.

“Then it’s not?”

“Of course not…!”

Jesse, on the verge of shouting in frustration, held back realizing Irene was present.

Taking a deep breath to calm the agitated emotions, Jesse spoke quietly, only audible to Dewey.

“The master definitely sees the lady as someone special.”

Dewey nodded in agreement.

“Of course. The lady is an essential existence for the master.”

“No, not in that sense… Ugh, frustrating!”

As Jesse hit her chest with a clenched fist, Dewey looked at her strangely.

“If it’s not in that sense, then what is it? If you have something to say, say it straight.”

Staring intently at Dewey’s foolish face, Jesse, after a moment, withdrew her hand and sighed.

“Fine. Even if you figure it out, it will only be confusing, and it won’t be of any help. So I won’t say anything.”

“What about that woman? I asked the doctor, and he said she’s fine now. Is it true?”

With raised eyebrows, Kallos looked at Jérémie.

“Did you go to the doctor and ask during that time?”

Seeing that Kallos was uncomfortable, Jérémie, who quickly sensed it, smiled awkwardly and took a step back.

“That woman is now like a cousin, so I was worried… Cousin?”

“No, maybe a second cousin? Eighth cousin?”

Jérémie quickly calculated Irene’s and his relationship but failed to find the answer and mumbled vaguely.

“Anyway, I was worried because she’s family now. Moreover, if something is wrong with her, it will be a big problem for the master.”

“…”

Without answering, Kallos turned away.

Following him into the office, Jérémie asked, trailing behind, “So, is that woman okay now?”

“Yeah.”

Though Kallos didn’t want to answer, he couldn’t help it because Jérémie would persistently keep asking.

“Is that all you want to know?”

There were things he wanted to confirm.

Jérémie blinked his eyes and asked again, “Is there something else?”

“No.”

Kallos replied reluctantly, but he had more questions.

Jérémie, with wide-open eyes, asked, “Really nothing else?”

“It’s nothing.”

He knew nothing about the blooming of the flower in the vine tattoo.

Well, he explicitly told the doctor not to reveal Irene’s back, so that was expected.

Jérémie squinted his eyes, looking at Kallos.

“No, there’s something. I can feel it.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Kallos took out a sealed letter from the desk drawer and handed it to Jérémie.

“Deliver this to the Emperor.”

“…So, you’re telling me to return to the palace now.”

Kallos expressed agreement with silence.

Jérémie chuckled and received the letter.

“I can’t help it. In this situation, me staying here would be a burden, so I’ll return now. I’ll deliver the letter to Empress Buhwang as the master requested.”

“No need to ask.”

“Before I go, I have one question.”

Kallos nodded, indicating permission.

With a serious expression devoid of a trace of a smile, Jérémie asked, “Is the current incident related to the Amama?”

With Irene’s awakening uncertain and the possibility of her condition worsening, Jesse continued to stay close to her, sometimes dozing off on the sofa in the bedroom.

“Oh, I need to go to the bathroom.”

However, unavoidable circumstances, such as physiological needs, forced her to leave Irene’s side.

“Come back quickly.”

Deciding that it was better to go quickly than to waste time, Jesse hurriedly left the bedroom.

Clack! The closed door soon opened again.

The dimly lit room had its light obscured by a large shadow.

The culprit, concealing footsteps on the soft carpet, approached the bed silently.

Even in the dim room, violet eyes that retained their brilliance stared motionlessly at Irene, who lay quietly.

Kallos reached out and touched her nose.

Faint, but he could feel her breathing.

“…”

Kallos finally sighed with relief but couldn’t help but laugh at himself for finding comfort in such things.

He had promised not to come see her until she woke up, yet he couldn’t even last a day without breaking that promise.

He had come secretly to avoid being discovered by Jesse or others, as he didn’t want anyone to see him in this inconsistent state.

Despite his chuckles, the composed violet eyes stared straight at Irene.

“Get up quickly.”

So that he could see the fireworks she so eagerly wanted to watch.

“Ugh…”

As if hearing Kallos’ words, Irene, who seemed to have listened to the story, moved slightly and tossed her body.

Hm, the long finger placed under her nose jerked.

The slightly trembling violet eyes stared intently at Irene’s face.

“…”

Fortunately, she didn’t wake up.

No, would it be fortunate if she did wake up?

In the midst of the confused thoughts that couldn’t seem to find an answer, Kallos looked at Irene without saying a word, then withdrew his finger.

The skin touched by his fingertips was warm.