−Why, it was perfectly fine just a moment ago?

Aeli, who had been sitting close to the bed headboard, quickly got up and hurriedly examined the child. As if to confirm she hadn’t seen wrong, the child’s back was drenched in sweat as they tossed and turned.

Though she didn’t touch them since she couldn’t feel temperature anyway, she could tell at a glance that they had a fever.

‘……What should I do in this situation……?!’

Of course, she needed to call someone. Whether it was Mari or other servants, or calling a doctor, to bring water to wipe the child’s body and change their sweat-soaked clothes.

She hadn’t lived her years completely in vain, so she at least had that much common sense.

The problem was that none of those things were possible for a ghost to do.

After fidgeting restlessly, Aeli finally opened her mouth to try and wake the child. The idea was that if the child made a sound themselves, someone would surely respond to the noise.

‘……Given the time and that this attic is practically deserted, I wonder how many people would even react to a sound from here.’

But she had no choice.

−Adi. Adi! Wake up a bit, can you hear me?

“Ungh……”

−Adi!

“Hot…… it’s hot……”

−…….

……Of course it’s hot when you have a fever!

She was wrong. Whether they were too tired even while sick, or too unwell to get up.

No matter how much she shouted in their ear, the child only groaned and tossed a little, muttering in their sleep, showing no signs of opening their eyes.

They even kicked off half the blanket while whining about being hot.

−Ugh……!

The sweat would cool and make their clothes cold, surely making them feel worse.

After calling several more times to no avail, it was enough to drive her mad.

With no progress, time just kept passing.

‘Why isn’t there even someone standing guard outside the door?!’

It was standard to have knights stationed in front of the quarters of noble family members, including visitors.

But there was no one to be found in front of the child’s room. She thought she had come to terms with it after being disappointed and angered so many times over the past month, but that fact made her blood boil again.

−At the very least, let me change their clothes……!

It was frustratingly unfortunate that she couldn’t even touch them, being a ghost.

Aeli could only pace anxiously, watching the sweat trickle down the child’s temple.

She quickly thought of the people who might still be awake at this hour.

‘People. I need to call people…… The head butler and the knight commander, I’ve seen them with my own eyes so they’re the most likely. Or Mari who was awake with me earlier?’

Maybe she was still cleaning up in the dining hall. And also…….

‘……No, not that.’

Aeli shook her head vigorously to consciously erase the last person who came to mind. This was truly a card she wouldn’t play unless it was the absolute last resort.

……For now, let’s go to Mari first since she’s the closest.

Aeli hurriedly turned away after looking at the small flushed face.

Even knowing there was nothing she could do by going, parents will cling to even a 0.1% chance for the sake of their child.

It didn’t feel like a meaningless act. She just hoped that someone, anyone, would be awake.

‘……But why is everyone gone?!’

Aeli, who had just finished circling the ducal estate for the fifth time, collapsed onto the ground and tore at her hair.

She didn’t even need to worry about how to lure the head butler, knight commander, or Mari to the child’s room.

Because she couldn’t find anyone!

‘To be precise, I just forgot the knight commander was in confinement while the head butler and Mari were nowhere to be seen.’

But it made little difference since there was nothing she could do about any of them.

She did spot a few knights standing guard in shifts, but no matter how much she gestured in front of them, there was no response.

Honestly, she had expected as much so she wasn’t too discouraged. She just felt a little, well a lot more urgent.

‘I finally found Lord Montero on the third round but had no way to call him, let alone get him out of his room.’

In fact, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and his gaunt face over the past few days, she felt bad about blaming him.

He didn’t look too terribly unwell, perhaps used to missing sleep and meals during wartime, but he clearly wasn’t in good shape overall.

Even if he didn’t make much of it himself, it was obvious to a third party. Especially considering his remaining confinement period and the circumstances that led to this punishment.

And as for the head butler and Mari…….

−These two aren’t in the dining hall or their rooms. Where on earth did they go?!

Even for servants, is it really okay for resident staff to roam about so easily like this? Aeli wondered.

Judging by the absence of Mari’s frequently used coat and shoes in her quarters, it seemed she had gone out of the estate altogether.

And at this hour of the night, no less.

‘Well, Mari often went out for long periods before, so that’s one thing, but what about the head butler?’

Surely they didn’t go out together. But the position of head butler wasn’t light enough to allow for such sudden outings.

Unlike Mari who only seemed to look after the child, he must have many duties to attend to.

Moreover, as someone who needed to move quickly at Lutis’ call, he couldn’t be away from his post for long.

−……But why are they not here? I really can’t understand it.

Aeli got up with a deep sigh. Though she had searched the estate at a speed that even she found dizzying in her haste, it had been nearly an hour since she first left the attic.

Normally she would have clapped her hands at circling this large estate five times in just an hour.

But the situation didn’t allow for that now.

‘Leaving a sick child alone for an hour is too long even if it took a while.’

Even without much progress, it was time to go back now. Forcing her reluctant steps, Aeli made her way back to the attic.

It would take less than ten seconds since she only needed to float her body.

−……Adi?

As she glided through the attic window like that.

Aeli, who nearly collapsed in shock, forced her legs to stand as she called out to the child.

“Ungh……”

−Adi. Baby!

Her earlier worries had come true exactly. The child was whimpering, clearly in worse condition than when she had last seen them.

As their sweat cooled, chills set in causing cold sweats, which cooled again leading to more chills.

How long had this been going on for red spots to appear dotted across their now pale skin?

−The fever…… Is it because the fever is too high? What should I do…….

Aeli clasped her trembling hands together, trying hard to stay calm.

Seeing the child’s tears even as they slept, clearly in great pain, helped her keep her wits about her.

The child needed help from a living person right now. With that single thought, Aeli racked her brain.

‘Who else could I find now that might be able to help?’

Someone who could take immediate action upon discovering the child or give appropriate orders, someone who might still be awake at this hour.

‘Lutis…..’

How ironic that after cursing and vowing not to trust him, his name was the only one that came to mind in this urgent situation just days later.

But her panic-stricken mind simply couldn’t come up with a better option.

Aeli, her eyes suddenly bloodshot, clenched her fists and spoke to the child.

−Baby. I’ll be back…… I’ll be right back. Don’t worry too much, it’ll be alright. Don’t be scared…… please hang on just a little longer.

Though the distressed child couldn’t hear her, Aeli spoke pleadingly to the small child not even half her size.

It was more like words directed at herself rather than the child.

Just as she was about to turn away.

“Mom……”

She thought she heard a faint voice behind her. For a moment, her heart sank.

But when she turned back with trembling eyes, the child’s eyes were still closed.

Thinking she must have misheard, Aeli left the attic.

If she had known that the child’s eyelids, which had been ever so slightly open, had been fixated on her back until the very end, she would never have left like that.

−Lutis…… Lutis!

Aeli, who had hurriedly left the annex, entered Lutis’ office in the main building and looked around.

Since it was later than last time, she had first checked his bedroom only to find it empty.

But contrary to her expectation of seeing a familiar face among the high stacks of documents, there was no sign of life in the darkened office.

‘……He’s not here?’

Confirming Lutis’ absence, Aeli blinked blankly in the pitch-dark office without a single light.

If even Lutis wasn’t to be found, what more could she do here?

Other than pacing anxiously beside the suffering child, waiting for someone else to come.

‘……’

What can I do?

Unlike you who doesn’t show even a single strand of hair, I at least stayed by the child’s side in this form. Besides that paltry sense of superiority, do I really have anything left?

It was a fundamental question.

If I haven’t done anything either, then do I have any right to resent Lutis?

‘I died first.’

Unlike Lutis who was at least still alive, she couldn’t even do that. No matter how the child treated them, parents would have been an absolute existence to one so young.

There was no comparison between someone who was completely gone and someone who was indifferent but still alive.

As such thoughts made her feel as if the blood was slowly draining from her head.

Rustle.

−……?

Hearing a small noise from a corner of the office, Aeli quickly moved towards it.

And then, upon discovering Lutis sleeping in an uncomfortable position on the couch.

For some reason, before she could even process her thoughts, her mouth opened on its own.

−Lutis.

“……”

−Lutis, wake up.

Please.

−……Adi is sick.

Our child is sick, Lutis.

Aeli, drawn towards where Lutis lay on his side with his face visible, crouched down in front of him and bowed her head deeply. Her cascading black hair reminded her of someone.

A small, fragile breath that was still so young, the spitting image of her and Lutis.

−I…….

When she first opened her eyes and sensed something was amiss, Aeli had actually worried about Lutis first.

It was clear that considerable time had passed, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She worried that she might have caused him pain again, after he had already broken down once before.

Then she was relieved to remember that he still had family left besides her.

Even without her, he had the child, and Aeli’s parents and siblings who had been with him since childhood would be by his side, so he could quickly move on.

−……I had hoped you two were living happily.

Although she could no longer be there with them, if the two of them were smiling, it wouldn’t be so bad.

That’s what she thought.

−I didn’t know Adi would suffer too…….

The reality she faced was overwhelming. Even if she had somehow managed to patch things up once, she wasn’t sure it would be possible this time.

Moreover, now that she couldn’t even directly intervene, how on earth could she do anything?

She felt angry, then sorrowful, and then utterly lost.

And then to see you return and neglect the child while spouting harsh words…….

−Please, Lutis.

She was angry at herself for being unable to do anything.

That’s why she did it.

In the end, even though the cause lay with her, she chose to place all the blame on Lutis.

……She shouldn’t have done that.

−I’m sorry. I was wrong…….

She had no words other than the excuse that she never thought he would be driven to this extent.

If only he could hear her voice just once.

Just this one time, it would be nice if he could hear her.

−Please save Adi…….

This child is your family too, you know. Aeli muttered with her face buried in her knees.

It was at that moment.

“Huh…!”

Lutis, who had been frowning for some time, took a sharp breath and opened his eyes.