“Sorry. Father looked so unwell that I completely forgot about Felix.”

“… Well, there’s no need to put on a face like you’re about to cry.”
Felix pursed his lips with a blunt sound. Evelia’s expression, as if she might cry at any moment, weighed heavily on his heart. She was the one who had been confined all along, yet she wore a more suffocating expression.

Felix quickly dissipated his energy, anticipating that Evelia might cry. Transforming from a hamster to a human, he promptly approached Edwick. He then closely examined Edwick’s complexion with narrowed eyes.

After thoroughly inspecting Edwick’s condition, Felix turned toward Evelia and spoke.

“It’s just a temporary loss of strength. You don’t have to worry too much.”

“Are you really okay?”

“Just like your brother said earlier. The fever has started to subside now. It’s just a mild fever.”

“But… He has never suffered this much until now.”

Evelia exhaled heavily, feeling the weight on her chest. Despite this, Felix merely nodded lightly.

“He might have been under a lot of stress lately. Besides, the current Lord of the Manor is not the same as the one you knew before. No matter how well he is managed, he is becoming an old man.”

Evelia, momentarily at a loss for words, bit her lip firmly. The words about her father’s hair gradually turning gray and wrinkles covering his once taut skin were bone-chilling enough to make her forget the words at the tip of her tongue.

Come to think of it, he was right. Her father’s hair, which she always took for granted, had started to turn white, and his skin, which used to be firm, was now covered in wrinkles.

For a few days, he had been unwell, and now his cheeks were sunken, lacking the vitality she used to see.

Why did it start to show only now?

Evelia couldn’t find a way to hold her crumbling heart. Tears uncontrollably streamed down her face. Without making a sound, she cried for a long time.

“Hey, I didn’t mean that it’s such a serious condition that you should cry like this.”

Felix belatedly tried to comfort Evelia, but he fell short of consoling her. He had only spoken the truth, but seeing her cry like this, he didn’t know what to do.

Letting out a long sigh, he turned his attention back to Edwick. All he could do was take measures to help him recover as quickly as possible.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon, a blue light began to emanate around his hands. When the appropriate energy was filled, he unhesitatingly placed his palm on Edwick’s forehead. The blue light spread quickly over Edwick’s silhouette.

As the dazzlingly bright light suddenly poured down, Evelia squinted her eyes but tried to see through the radiance. The light that had been present for a while soon faded as if to say, “When did this happen?” Afterward, Evelia asked Felix.

“What… did you do?”
“I told you. I said bringing me would be helpful. Since I’ve infused energy, he’ll regain strength and wake up soon. So, how about stopping the tears now?”

Felix replied with a distinctly weary voice. Evelia quickly approached Edwick’s side. As he mentioned, her sleeping father’s expression looked much more relaxed compared to before, as if he had received some vitality.

Although she had heard about such a process, it was still astonishing to witness it with her own eyes. Nevertheless, Evelia first tried to compose her expression. While it was remarkable, gratitude for Felix’s care had to be expressed.

“Thank you. Really, thank you, Felix.”

“At most, he’ll sleep deeply for about today. So, let go of your worries and let’s return to the mansion.”

“But…”

Evelia’s words trailed off. Even if it wasn’t Felix’s words, it was right to return to the mansion as soon as possible. However, her steps didn’t easily follow.

“Coming here without a word, not only your maid but also the caliph, they’ll be extremely worried if they find out about this. You can keep hearing about the Lord’s condition through your brother.”

“…”

“And I told you. I also have something to discuss with you.”

Only now did Evelia recall Felix’s words about having something to discuss with her. Seeing his unusually serious expression, it seemed he had come to talk about something rather important.

Even so, she didn’t want to hear any more today…

“…Is it something very important?”

Evelia’s voice, questioning, was filled with an unwilling tone. If possible, she wanted to anticipate their conversation for another time.

However, Felix’s subsequent answer did little to ease her mind.

“Yeah, it’s something important. More than what you might think.”

Finally exhaling a sigh, Evelia could only nod her head.