“Refusing treatment?”

“Yes. Apparently, she refused treatment from Hansako and didn’t open the door.”

Duke Valige, who had been waiting for Lina’s medical report, unwittingly let out a hollow laugh.

Hoakin was the second son of the Baron’s family, without any title, but a bona fide noble. Entrusting him with a maid’s examination itself could have been a controversial issue.

And the Duke took that risk and sent Hoakin for the maid. But all that came back was a mere refusal of treatment. Valige’s mouth soured.

“What shall we do, Your Grace?”

Cullen carefully asked, looking at the stiff Duke.

“I’ll go myself. Tell Hoakin to go back to Lina’s room.”

The once composed man’s forehead wrinkled. Valige’s footsteps, as he left the room, were tinged with irritation.

The defensive attitude of Lina, who rejected all the favor he bestowed, sharpened his nerves.

Eventually, when he reached Lina’s room, the sight of Hoakin, who didn’t know what to do at the door, caught his eye.

“Your, Your Grace…!”

Hoakin, who had arrived earlier than the Duke, watched his cues, fearing the spark would fall on him.

“I’m sorry. She just wouldn’t open the door, and I…”

Hoakin trailed off. The Duke glanced at him with an indifferent eye and stood in front of the door.

“Lina. The Duke has come himself. Open the door now.”

Cullen informed Lina that the Duke had arrived, but there was no response from inside.

The seemingly blatant disregard of the maid’s attitude made Cullen and Hoakin swallow dryly.

As the butler was about to knock on the door again to scold Lina, the previously quiet Duke spoke.

“If you don’t open this door now, I will force my way in.”

But the response was no different from before.

“Lina! What are you doing! Open the door now…!”

Just as Cullen was about to scold her again, the Duke, feeling the limits of his patience, grabbed and twisted the doorknob.

Then the door, which seemed not to open, did so all too easily.

Thump.

Startled by the Duke’s unexpected action, even for a moment, Cullen gasped as he looked at the room, lit by the candlelight.

“No…!”

“What has happened…!”

In the room, where someone should have been, only the chill air greeted them.

Only then did Hoakin and Cullen, realizing that Lina had vanished, stare at the Duke without a word.

“I swear, Your Grace, she was in the room just before you arrived!”

Hoakin was frantic. As soon as he heard that the Duke was heading to the maid’s room, he had rushed faster than anyone, informing her that the Duke was coming and persuading her to open the door before getting into bigger trouble.

But the room was empty. Who had he been talking to?

Moreover, this was the second floor. It wasn’t very high, but if she had jumped, something would surely have broken.

And he couldn’t understand why the maid so desperately refused treatment.

It wasn’t like she was going to die; it was just a checkup?

Hoakin examined the Duke’s face. His face was rigid, and his eyes looked calm, but those who had served him for a long time knew.

He was more shaken now than ever before.

“Cullen.”

The Duke’s voice, so very calm, made their necks tingle.

“Find her, now.”

With the end of the long war, and the men who had participated returning home, the once quiet village noticeably regained its vitality.

The lively atmosphere of the streets naturally lifted one’s shoulders.

“I managed to escape the mansion in a hurry, but…”

Last night. She had been surprised when the doctor she had sent away came back, but the Duke coming himself? Her heart nearly sank.

Certainly! Here’s the translated text, keeping the character names and genders consistent:

Her body had already changed, and there was no excuse to retreat, so she was confused at that time. The voice of Duke Valige was heard.

“[If you do not open this door right now, I will force my way in.]”

Terrified by the Duke’s threatening demeanor, Lina hurriedly grabbed her robe and a small amount of money, and using magic, escaped the mansion.

“Whew. It’s overwhelming to think about what excuse I’ll have to make when I return to the mansion tomorrow.”

The immediate fire was out, but the aftermath was more problematic. Since she had disappeared without a word, the mansion was probably turned upside down by now.

“Young lady! Come over here and try an apple before you go.”

Wearing her hood down, Lina slowly walked past the fruit stand and stopped at the sound of her name being called.

The person who had stopped her was the fruit shop’s kindly old lady, who had always treated her well whenever she occasionally visited the village.

“Oh, you’re so pretty. I’ve never seen your face before. You’re not from this village?”

The fact that the person who had always welcomed her to the village now treated her as a stranger was a strangely refreshing feeling.

“Yes. I’m just stopping by while traveling.”

“No wonder, such a pretty young lady like you, I couldn’t have forgotten! Try the taste of this apple. It’s very sweet!”