Organizing my thoughts while walking, I soon found myself on the first floor. I opened the main door and headed straight for the garden.

Where exactly is he in the garden?

Sweeping my lamp back and forth, a dim figure emerged from the darkness.

“Uncle?”

At my call, the dark figure slowly turned around. Dylan, upon spotting me, came closer while shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe it.

“…You’re increasingly resembling Liliana.”

Dylan mumbled. His expression was neither smiling nor grimacing; it was oddly in-between.

“Is that so?”

“Take this first. It’s good for pain.”

What Dylan handed me was a silver jar a little larger than a palm.

“Thank you.”

“It’ll take quite a while for the medicine to be ready. If your friend’s poison is still in your body, you need to detoxify it as soon as possible.”

“But I’m soon heading out for suppression…”

“Rosebelia, your friend can’t join the suppression. He mustn’t go.”

Dylan’s face involuntarily turned serious. I felt the corners of my cheeks stiffen in response.

“You’ve received treatment before, right?”

“Yes.”

After returning from suppression, those who had participated took some time to rest and reorganize. Those who had been poisoned by magical beasts were given supplementary treatment in the palace until they recovered.

Only the Ryle family could manufacture antidotes for magical beast poison, so it must have been their antidote that treated me then.

“Yet the detoxification hasn’t worked. We’re planning to modify the antidote formula bit by bit. Since we need to confirm its efficacy immediately, your friend has to stay in the capital.”

“That makes sense. If you’re aware of this situation, then the commander will also prevent him from going.”

“Indeed, was it the Holton family? You seem to care a lot for him, you must be close.”

“He’s a colleague who joined at the same time.”

“Then this colleague of yours…”

Just as Dylan was about to speak, footsteps sounded from behind us. I raised my index finger to my lips, and Dylan nodded, halting his speech.

I’ll just beat around the bush about receiving the medicine. There’s no need to tense up even if I run into anyone…

“Father?”

Illuminated by the light of the lantern, it turned out to be Herman.

“Rosebelia?”

“Herman, it was you.”

“Dylan, what brings you here at this hour?”

“I wasn’t feeling well, so I asked my uncle for some medicine. He hurriedly came by on his way back to the royal palace to deliver it to me.”

“Having delivered the medicine, I’ll be on my way.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Dylan’s receding figure soon disappeared into the darkness.

“If that’s the case, we could have talked in the parlor.”

“I didn’t want to openly announce that I was unwell.”

I responded briefly and turned towards the main building. Just as I was about to step forward, a sudden thought popped up.
“Is the engagement with the Diaz family approved by Father?”

No sooner had the words left my mouth than I realized it was the wrong question to begin with. Of course, the head of the family wouldn’t allow an engagement without consent.

Still, I was genuinely curious. I understood why Olivia wanted the engagement, but I couldn’t fathom why Herman had agreed.

“Yes, Olivia said that we’re in the same knight order, so we’d understand each other well. Considering the status of the Diaz family…”

So, he hadn’t thought deeply about it after all. Probably just agreed because Olivia said it would be a good match.

“Is our family facing financial difficulties?”

“What?”

“I clearly stated that I have no immediate plans for marriage, yet you keep rushing it. I wondered if the family was in financial trouble and that’s why we’re hurrying the engagement.”

“I simply thought, Olivia said that if you get married late, there won’t be a good match left…”

“Subjugation is just around the corner. Haven’t you considered the possibility that I might not come back?”

“…”

“What’s urgent for me now is not marriage. I have to focus on surviving and coming back first. So please, let me focus on the subjugation.”

Having said this much, I doubted Olivia would bring up another engagement proposal.

I bowed slightly and turned away.

“Is that really the only reason?”

“Pardon?”

“You’re not just cross because you don’t approve of what Olivia is doing?”

I felt a slight tremor at the corners of my mouth.

How much meddling had Olivia done that even her own daughter would be talked to in such a manner?

“It’s not just any issue; it’s my marriage. If I can’t choose the partner, I at least want to choose the timing. And now is not that time.”

“…”

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

I turned sharply, as if to say no more delays.

Herman, who had been standing quietly, listened to the fading footsteps. He took a few steps towards the main building, then suddenly froze.

“What’s this?”

Picking up an object off the floor, Herman’s eyes widened with intrigue. It was a handkerchief.

‘It must’ve been dropped by Rosebelia, considering it’s clean…’

Spotting the blood stain in the middle of the handkerchief, Herman’s eyes trembled violently.

‘I asked Uncle for medicine because I’m not feeling well.’

Lilliana had suffered from an inexplicable illness, one that led her to cough up blood.

It can’t be. Muttering lowly, Herman clenched the handkerchief tightly.