The Duke alternated between looking at the remaining soup and Olivia.

Would he tell her to eat more?

But for Olivia, who usually ate little, she was genuinely full. As she pondered what to add, the Duke pushed the soup bowl aside.

“It seems like you’re done with your meal. Shall we take the medicine?”

The Duke said, smiling as he brought a plate of pills toward Olivia. The medicine that Esella used to take when she was sick had a bitter smell, but the pills on the plate were round.

“You can take it without water.”

At the Duke’s words, Olivia cautiously took the pill and swallowed. She expected it to be bitter, but a sweetness followed the bitterness.

“How is it? Does it suit your taste?”

“Yes. It’s sweet.”

“I asked them to mix some honey. Fortunately.”

The Duke smiled slightly.

Honey. Come to think of it, it had been a long time since she had something sweet. Since Leopold said she was gaining weight.

Suddenly reminded of that, Olivia murmured slowly.

“… Sweet things make you gain weight.”

The Duke’s face stiffened. Olivia, who had been blinking slowly, gave a faint smile. That was then.

“… But I’m glad it’s not bitter. Really.”

“… That’s a relief.”

“But I feel a bit sleepy.”

Olivia blinked her eyes. As Olivia blinked, her thick eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. Watching her face gradually become drowsy, the Duke rearranged Olivia’s blanket.

“It must be because of the medicine. Take a nap.”

She felt more comfortable. Beyond her dimming vision, the Duke was visible. A strange peace settled over her. Having someone by her side when she was sick felt like this. She didn’t know since she had never been in pain before.

It was strong, warm, and a tenderness that almost brought tears to her eyes.

Sleep quickly overtook her. Just before closing her eyes completely, Olivia muttered about a fact that had just occurred to her.

Ah, come to think of it, I was sick just once.

Was it because she thought about it before falling asleep? She dreamed of that day. A winter more than ten years ago, when she was eight.

Looking back, she seemed to have felt unwell from the morning that day. But since Jade had just started hating her, the atmosphere at home was fragile and frightening.

All Olivia could do in that situation was study. She had studied with a groan until she finally fell sick at night.

In a room without even firewood, she had turned the blanket upside down, blowing warm breath. The breath trapped inside the blanket hit her face and felt hot. When she was feverish, she thought she heard the sound of a door opening.

Someone seemed to have come in. Was it a dream or was it real?

She probably had the same thought when she woke up then.

Olivia slowly opened her eyes. Someone was vaguely in front of her. It was the Duke. He seemed to be talking in a gentle voice, telling her to sleep more.

Certainly, here’s the translation of the passage:

Of course.

Olivia smiled a little. Olivia thought I had worried unnecessarily.

After all, back then, no one would have come in.

As it always was with the family.

No, they.

They weren’t interested in me at all.

.

.

.

After Olivia had fallen into a deep sleep, the Duke left the room, careful not to make any noise. Physician Brandon bowed his head in the hall.

“Miss’s current condition?”

“Lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, generally all lacking. Ah, she seems to be dehydrated too.”

Brandon imagined Olivia’s face and clicked his tongue. Even wellcleaned, her reddened eyes were unmistakably a face in tears. The notoriously stern Olivia Madelaine, with such a soft and gentle face.

Lost in thought, Brandon was taken aback. A dark aura rose around the Duke.

Oops. He recalled the warning from his close knight, Winster.

“If it’s not too bad, sugarcoat it a bit when you tell him. Otherwise, you’ll see the end of darkness.”

He didn’t know what that meant at the time, but now he was sure. How much the Duke cared for the young lady in that room.

Speak clearly, not vaguely!

Brandon, sweating from his back, hastily added,

“Still, as the Miss said, she’s fundamentally healthy, so with enough rest and proper meals, she should recover without any issue.”

“She was fine when she came to the mansion, so what caused her to get sick all of a sudden?”

“Her body seemed a bit stiff. If there’s no special reason, it seems like the pain has accumulated. Or perhaps she relaxed.”

At Brandon’s reply, the Duke spat out a low sound. Then he stared at the bedroom door with darkened eyes.

Whether she relaxed or endured, both were equally distressing.

With such a small body, what had she endured?

And then she bravely worried about me with ‘Lib Green’. With that thought, a part of his chest tightened.

If housekeeper Bethany from Vicander County were here, she could quickly fatten up Olivia.

The Duke’s mind raced. To go to the dukedom without noise, he had to clarify the marriage relationship immediately.

“…I must see the Emperor soon.”