What should I do? What should I do?

Mari felt like her head was about to explode from the complexity of her thoughts.

She wanted to immediately confide to someone about the scene she had witnessed, but on the other hand, she wondered if that would be okay.

“…Fortunately, there’s no one around.”

Thinking about how the madam had muttered self-deprecatingly, it seemed she wanted to hide her condition.

It was then that Mari was deliberating, unable to even wipe away the tears that were flowing.

“Oh? Mari? What are you doing here?”

The one who approached cheerfully was none other than Siena.

She seemed to be on her way back after filling a watering can, walking unsteadily with the full watering can in hand.

“…Siena.”

“What’s this? Are you crying?”

Siena ran over in shock at Mari’s tear-stained face.

The watering can in her hand toppled over onto the ground.

And at the same time…

“Huu, huuuung.”

Mari began to cry out loud.

The tears she had been holding back and suppressing burst forth upon seeing Siena.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Hm?”

“It’s, it’s…”

Among the fellow maids, Mari was known to be the most rational and cool-headed, almost to the point of being a strict principlist.

For such a Mari to be crying.

Something serious must have happened. That’s what Siena surmised.

And when Mari, who had been panting heavily for quite some time, finally managed to speak…

“…Is that true?”

Siena asked back, turning pale.

The madam is ill? She coughed up blood?

Right now, there was no one in this mansion who disliked the madam.

Even those who had secretly found the madam’s pathological aversion in the early days of her marriage irksome now loved and adored the current madam.

How could they not?

She was not just kind to everyone, but treated them with friendly intimacy, and although the taste was terrible, she always prepared cookies or cakes for the servants without fail.

Her gentleness could be felt in the smallest gestures.

She was truly a woman who couldn’t help but be loved.

The duke likely felt similarly.

After the madam changed, the duke’s demeanor had also been gradually changing.

The evidence was that his face, which had always been walled off, stiff, and cold, occasionally showed a smile now.

Naturally, everyone in the Richter mansion hoped that the current madam would keep her place for a long time.

In the bleak north, her presence was a ray of sunlight.

And now, to hear that such a madam was ill.

Moreover, it wasn’t just any illness.

She had coughed up blood.

That was no ordinary matter. Unless it was a serious illness, there would be no reason to cough up blood.

“What should we do? What should we do, Siena?”

As Mari struggled to calm down, Siena swallowed dryly.

Seeing the usually calm Mari so agitated made her feel oddly composed in contrast.

Siena helped Mari up, patting her consolingly as she spoke.

“It’s okay. It’ll be alright. For now, let’s consult with the head butler.”

“Is that okay? The madam… the madam seemed like she didn’t want anyone to find out.”

“But if she’s really in a bad condition, we need to call a doctor for treatment, don’t we? It’s not certain yet, so let’s talk to the head butler first.”

“…Yes, you’re right. That’s the right thing to do.”

Mari wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and nodded resolutely.

The two immediately went to find Barhan and conveyed this news.

Barhan’s face also turned pale in an instant.

He too was someone who wished more than anyone for Serpina to remain by the duke’s side, and in this Richter mansion, for a long time.

“I see. I understand for now. Both of you, make sure this doesn’t leak out. First, we’ll call a doctor… No, before that, we should ask the madam first.”

Even the flustered Barhan stumbled over his words several times.

Finally, pressing his lips tightly, he continued with a sigh-like tone.

“If her condition is truly bad, I will inform the duke myself.”

His deeply furrowed brow was filled with concern.

[This is the timeline separator]

“What? A doctor again?”

“Yes, madam.”

Why?

Why do they keep calling for a doctor?

Barhan, who had suddenly come to visit, began to check on my health condition.

“Is there anywhere you feel unwell?”

There isn’t.

“Perhaps… do you feel like you’re suddenly losing weight?”

I’m not losing weight.

“You don’t have a loss of appetite, do you?”

My appetite is perfectly fine. I eat all three meals every day. I even have dessert. I just ate, in fact.

Thanks to regaining my past life memories, I even have separate stomachs for meals and desserts?

But despite my assurances, the wrinkles on Barhan’s brow showed no signs of smoothing out.

“No, why are you suddenly like this again? I’m telling you I’m fine, healthy, and great?”

“…Ha ha, it’s just an old man’s worry. As one ages, unnecessary concerns seem to increase. Among them, your health is my top concern these days, madam.”

“I’m really fine, though…”

I was at a loss for words when he spoke like that.

Tsk, as I clicked my tongue, Barhan showed an even more wistful smile.

“Even if you dismiss it as an old man’s groundless fears, please allow me to call a doctor again to check your health condition. I beg you, madam.”

My goodness. He looks like he’s about to cry.

“Alright. I’ll do it. I’ll get checked if that’s what it takes…”

In the end, I nodded.

No matter how I thought about it, this seemed like excessive health anxiety, but I wasn’t heartless enough to refuse the tearful request of an elderly man.

Well, fine.

I guess to the robust northerners, I must look like a bag of bones about to collapse.

Even Barhan, who is much older than me, looks healthier to anyone who sees him.

…Tch.

Although I felt a bit hurt, I decided to let it go since he was worried about me in his own way.

When I agreed to be examined, a smile finally appeared on Barhan’s face.

…He really must see me as a bag of bones.

An odd expression mixing betrayal, emotion, and bitterness formed on my face involuntarily.

“Ahem. By the way, I’d like to request more herb seedlings. Is that alright?”

“More seedlings?”

“Yes. I’ve been seriously studying herbs lately, and there are many interesting ones.”

I gestured subtly towards the book I had been reading.

‘You’re Sick. Want to Try Getting Better with Herbs?’

No matter how you look at it, the title is quite aggressive.

“…Ah.”

For a moment, it seemed like a sigh of realization escaped Barhan’s lips.

It seems the book title struck him as quite aggressive too.

I gave a slight smile of sympathy and shrugged my shoulders.

“…You really are studying seriously.”

“Since I’m doing it, I want to do it properly. We only live once, so we should live life to the fullest.”

This time there was no response.

Instead of answering, Barhan looked at me with a strange expression, then bowed his head and left the room.

“Please rest well, madam.”

Somehow, even his retreating back looked wistful.

“What’s with him? Why is he acting like that?”

In my opinion, it’s not me who needs a doctor, but Barhan.

His blood wistfulness levels are too high.

Ah, maybe…

“Male menopause?”

Given Barhan’s age, it was entirely possible.

Barging in suddenly to worry about me, making wistful expressions at every opportunity.

Severe mood swings are one of the typical characteristics of menopause.

I quickly picked up the book to look for herbs that are effective for ‘menopause’.

I can’t just stand by and watch our butler go through menopause.

Wait, Barhan!

I’ll take care of your menopause!

I started searching through the book with fire in my eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

Meanwhile, Barhan, who had left the room, couldn’t stop his heart from pounding.

“Huu…”

Only a sigh escaped his dry lips.

The madam looked particularly thin today.

Moreover, Mari’s words about her coughing up blood seemed to be true.

The faint red stain on the edge of her sleeve was evidence of that.

How did this happen…

Barhan pondered for a moment.

The madam must have known that her condition was not good.

Someone who has coughed up blood couldn’t possibly not gauge that much.

And yet, why.

Why on earth.

“No, why are you suddenly like this again? I’m telling you I’m fine, healthy, and great?”

Why is she deliberately pretending to be okay and avoiding medical examination?

And those words.

“Since I’m doing it, I want to do it properly. We only live once, so we should live life to the fullest.”

There was something familiar about those words.

When there were brief rumors that the madam might be ill before.

It resembled the meaningful words the madam had let slip then.

He thought that perhaps, from that time until now, the madam has known something but has been hiding it.

The most decisive evidence was this.

‘You’re Sick. Want to Try Getting Better with Herbs?’

His heart sank when he saw the title written on the thick book.

Could it be that the reason she started obsessing over growing herbs was also because of that?

Unfortunately, it made sense.

It’s not normal for a person to change overnight and suddenly become obsessed with growing herbs, is it?

If she really started growing herbs because she noticed her own illness…

“Everything makes sense.”

Huh, huh huh.

A dejected laugh followed the dry muttering.

However, there was still one thing that bothered him.

The doctor’s examination results when they called a doctor before.

At that time, didn’t the doctor say that the madam’s constitution was weak, but there were no major problems?

Was that simply a misdiagnosis?

Or perhaps at that time, the illness was still mild and couldn’t be detected by the doctor’s examination.

If not that, then…

“Did the madam deliberately hide her illness?”

Ah. His head was so complicated.

There were no clear answers or definitions.

Only the assumptions in his head kept flowing towards worse scenarios.

He clenched his fist at the rising feelings of pity, bitterness, and resentment.

If only it was this old man who was sick instead.

He could only hope and pray that all of this would turn out to be unfounded fears.

His wrinkled fingertips were trembling slightly.