In broad daylight, walking around the castle in this state could start rumors among the servants that the young lady had gone mad.

It was a territory and a castle that she would be leaving anyway, so who cared about her reputation? But if they linked it with Raoul’s strange behavior, it would be troublesome.

If things escalated, they might confine Raoul in the underground prison to ensure safety, just like in her previous life.

‘That absolutely can’t happen.’

“Let’s have a meal as soon as I get back. You have to stay put, okay?”

Diana closed the door of the small room and left the annex.

Fortunately, it was early in the morning, so there were few servants walking around the castle. Her appearance was wretched.

The dress she had worn was stained with dirt, turned black with discoloration, and her hair was a mess with pollen stuck in it.

As she was restlessly pulling the bell rope, Angela entered Diana’s bedroom.

“Young lady…? Oh my… What in the world…?”

Angela was at a loss for words as she examined Diana’s body. When her rough but affectionate touch reached her, the tension naturally eased.

Diana buried her face in the warm nape of Angela’s neck and muttered weakly.

“…I’m sorry. Don’t ask anything and could you prepare some bathwater for me? I’m so tired.”

“…I, I understand for now. Should I bring some medicine too?”

“No, I’m not injured anywhere. I just want to wash…”

“I’ll prepare it right away. Don’t fall asleep and wait just a moment.”

Diana nodded, chasing away the morning drowsiness that had not yet dissipated.

Perhaps due to the accumulated fatigue from last night, her body felt languid. Diana sat leaning against the leather sofa, dozing off.

The sound of Angela filling the bathtub with cold water and the maids mixing in the hot water they had warmed could be heard.

Angela supported Diana’s head, which was swaying pitifully, and rounded her shoulders, gently caressing them.

“Please get into the bathtub quickly. I’ll attend to you.”

Her drowsy body moved powerlessly, following Angela’s hands.

As she immersed her body in the bathtub without a single piece of clothing, the moderately warm water enveloped her fatigued body.

Diana kept her arms out and closed her eyes. Angela gently rubbed Diana’s body with fragrant oil that had a soft wildflower scent.

“Young lady, you have to tell me about this. I thought you received assistance from another maid last night. Where did you go without changing your clothes?”

“…You said you wouldn’t ask anything…”

“What if you got involved in something dangerous…? I wish you would tell me even if you don’t have to. You’re no longer the baby in my arms, but still…”

“Are you perhaps upset…?”

“What? Of course not. It means you’ve grown up to have more secrets you keep to yourself, so I’m happy. But sometimes, I wish you would know how to lean on someone you can trust. I’m always on your side, so why would you hide anything?”

‘In the end, she’s telling me not to hide it.’ When Diana laughed in a good mood, bubbles formed around her mouth.

“You’re right. Angela is always on my side. And I’m always on Angela’s side too. I can’t imagine living without this love.”

“Why would my love disappear? I’m always here. Whenever you’re having a hard time, I’m here.”

“…I know. Today was really nothing special. I just went out for a morning walk and fell. That’s all.”

“…Next time, wake me up so we can go together. I’ll attend to you. Understand?”

“Okay. I won’t make you worry. I’m sorry.”

Diana, who had gently lowered her eyes, was grateful to Angela for believing her and rubbed her cheek against the back of her hand holding the soap.

She was also not unaware that Angela’s gaze was on her blue bruised arms and the area below her chest.

However, Raoul’s growing pains were his shameful parts that he didn’t want to reveal to others.

If Diana asked, Angela wouldn’t report it to her superiors, but she wanted to keep it a secret for Raoul’s sake.

Come to think of it, Angela’s heart and Diana’s heart were not much different.

Diana also wanted Raoul, whom she had raised with affection, to confide everything in her.

Even though she knew she would have to let him go someday, and even though she had talked about his independence until a few days ago, at this very moment, she wanted to be the most trustworthy hill for Raoul.

It wasn’t simple possessiveness or monopoly, but a personal wish for a precious person to lead a safe and happy life.

A large bathrobe was wrapped around Diana’s shoulders after the bath.

She thought about what she had to do today as she received Angela’s touch.

“I have lessons in the afternoon, right?”

“Yes. If you’re tired, should I tell the teacher today so you can rest for a day? If we send a letter now, you’ll receive it before departure.”

“No. I can’t skip lessons just because I fell.”

The awakening of the body could last up to a month at the longest. She couldn’t do nothing and stay by his side the whole time to take care of Raoul during that long period.

‘Raoul would feel uncomfortable too…’

What she had to do was fill his stomach so he wouldn’t feel the hunting instinct, and hide him so he wouldn’t harm people or engage in problematic behavior and end up imprisoned.

Food could be supplied abundantly once in the morning and once in the evening, and the annex was a place that couldn’t be freely approached or left, so she had played her part.

‘Fortunately, Raoul is enduring better than I thought.’

Diana summoned the maid who brought food to Raoul’s room after finishing her preparations.

“From now on, Raoul will have meals with me in my room, so don’t prepare separately. I’ll let you know again if needed later.”

“Yes…”

Diana told Angela that she was going to the library before the lesson and left the castle using the back passage that only nobles could use.

The path leading to Raoul was indescribably quiet.

As Diana opened the door and entered, wailing sounds could be heard from the main gate.

As soon as she opened the door to the small room, she saw Raoul writhing in agony, dripping with cold sweat.

“Oh my… Are you alright?”

His neck with protruding veins was tilted towards the sky. Diana was startled and threw the food she had brought on the floor haphazardly and sat down next to Raoul.

“It’s because your body is growing… It must be so painful to grow rapidly in just a month…”

Come to think of it, Raoul seemed to have swollen up even more compared to yesterday.

At this rate, he could become an adult body in a week, not a month.

Diana stroked the arm of Raoul, who was writhing in pain with a bit in his mouth. Even at this moment, Raoul’s body was undergoing rapid changes.

The veins felt on his arm circulated blood non-stop like an express train that had consumed too much coal.

Bones and flesh were growing, but he hadn’t ingested any food that could serve as nutrients for nearly a week, so she was extremely worried.

Even while twisting his limbs and suffering, Raoul glanced at Diana and tried to breathe evenly.

“You don’t need to be conscious of me. It’s okay. Breathe comfortably.”

It was painful that this was all the comforting words she could offer. Fortunately, Raoul soon caught his breath.

Diana tried to cool down his boiling body heat even a little with a cold wet towel.

When her hair touched him, he made a pleasant sound and brought his face to rest on her shoulder.

Her heart tingled as ragged breaths came out of his pointed mouth.

“Let’s eat first when you calm down. You’re on the verge of malnutrition right now. You should eat double the usual amount, but what will we do if you don’t eat anything like this?”

Diana waited for Raoul’s breathing to settle down and quickly brought the beef she had prepared.

The bucket full of bright red chunks of meat was closer to literal feed for a huge beast rather than food for humans to eat.

The beef was easily obtained with the help of Tina, a maid working in the kitchen.

She found it strange that Diana was looking for discarded beef instead of steak meat, but soon guided her to the chilly underground storage.

〈Why are you suddenly looking for meat?〉

〈…To feed the kids…〉

〈Use as much as you want. We don’t use those parts anyway. We only handle high-quality meat in the castle, but it’s not actually inedible.〉

〈Thank you.〉

“Grrrr…”

Diana picked up the meat dripping with blood using a metal skewer and brought it in front of Raoul’s mouth.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to eat…?”

Raoul stared at the chunk of meat for a moment, then turned his head away. Diana’s head tilted in confusion.

‘Why is he acting like that? The book said that during this period, they only eat raw food due to hunting instincts…? Could it be… because it’s not high-quality meat…?’

However, Diana soon realized that Raoul was suppressing his appetite.

His tightly closed eyes, rough breathing, and the Adam’s apple moving up and down since earlier proved his hunger.

“…I don’t know why you’re being stubborn once in a while… You’re hungry right now, aren’t you?”

“Grrrr…”

“No. I can’t compromise on this. Open your mouth.”

Diana pressed down on both of Raoul’s cheeks. Still, he didn’t budge.

“Please… Raoul… Can’t you eat?”

But when Diana pleaded in a decisive voice, he couldn’t resist any longer.

Not missing that opportunity, Diana pushed the meat into his mouth.

Raoul chewed the food with a sullen expression. But there was clearly a glimmer in his eyes.

‘See? He eats well when given food.’