In the quiet dawn when everyone was asleep. Leah took out a key from the pouch she received from Rikel.

[You must succeed in the treatment. ‘That person’ will be watching you.]

Leah’s hand gripping the bedroom doorknob involuntarily tightened. Rikel’s chilling voice echoing in her ears was still unforgettable.

Even now, it felt as if someone was watching her from somewhere.

‘This is not the time.’

Leah shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now she had to focus only on the Duke.

– Click.

As she turned the doorknob, the pitch-black darkness inside the room enveloped Leah along with it.

Thinking of the man who would be suffering in the darkness without a single ray of light, Leah let out an involuntary sigh.

As Leah moved towards the bed, she felt more tense than ever before.

It was a place she had been frequenting like her own home for the past few days. Perhaps because she thought she had come secretly, she felt nervous without realizing it.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see a protruding shape on the bed.

‘Is he still unconscious?’

As expected. The pale Duke was lying with his eyes closed like a corpse. Leah placed the medicines she had brought on the bedside table.

Then she filled a spoon with fever reducer.

‘Lowering the fever is the priority.’

It was when Leah was leaning towards Akkia with the spoon filled with fever reducer. Suddenly, a force pulled her arm and Leah fell onto the bed.

Leah’s eyes widened as she found herself straddling the Duke’s body. As she lowered her gaze, she saw the hand gripping her wrist.

“…Duke?”

Akkia’s rough grip on her wrist was burning hot. And as she raised her gaze, she saw two eyes half-open.

The Duke’s red eyes revealed a chilling presence even in the darkness.

“Are you conscious?!”

As Leah raised her voice in surprise at the Duke regaining consciousness.

“So… noisy.”

Along with the low rumbling voice, the Duke’s hot breath touched Leah.

He seemed to have no intention of letting go of Leah, tightening his grip on her wrist.

‘Thank goodness…!’

The return of consciousness was a positive sign. Seeing the Duke more stable than expected, she let out a sigh of relief.

‘But is he really sick? What is this strength!’

Leah was flustered by the Duke’s strength slowly pulling her down. It seemed she would end up helplessly in the Duke’s embrace at this rate.

“W-wait a moment.”

A voice full of bewilderment flowed out. When she placed her hand on his chest to stop him, an irregular heartbeat was felt at her fingertips.

‘This is…’

As if trying to find the cause of it, Leah’s hand fumbled over the Duke’s body.

Through the disheveled shirt, the Duke’s bare condition came into view.

‘As I thought, it’s a side effect.’

Red spots covering his entire body, showing the beginning of blood vessel dilation. It was an allergic reaction to the wildcat herb.

Leah bit her lip at the man’s hot breath tinged with pain. She reached out and touched the Duke’s forehead, which felt like a blazing fireball.

This was not the time to be like this.

Just as Leah was about to reach for the bedside table, thinking she needed to lower his fever as soon as possible. The Duke’s large hand swiftly restrained both of Leah’s arms.

“You have… no fear.”

With each word he uttered, a boiling heat emanated from the Duke. Even with his expression distorted in pain, he continued speaking to Leah.

“I never gave permission for you to enter the room…”

Is that important right now? When treatment was urgently needed.

The Duke’s red eyes, flashing even in the heat, tightened around her heart.

“It sounds like… you were worried about me.”

‘You call that talking?’

Leah felt a surge of emotion thinking about how she had been anxious all day.

“Of course I was worried! What if something happened to you, Duke!”

The Duke, who had been dripping with cold sweat, let out a scornful laugh as if finding it absurd.

“Who are you to worry about me… ugh.”

“Duke!”

But that was only for a moment, soon the Duke let go of Leah with a groan. The startled Leah touched the Duke’s forehead.

‘His body is like a fireball.’

Not just his forehead, but his entire body was emitting scorching heat. As if unable to control the heat boiling in his body, the Duke exhaled heated breaths.

Seeing the Duke lying limp, Leah quickly gathered the fever reducer she had brought.

“Duke, please try to drink just a little of this.”

Leah tilted the spoon filled with medicine towards the Duke’s lips. But the Duke, who had lost consciousness again, could not swallow the medicine.

Even when trying to put the fever reducer in, the liquid just flowed out between the Duke’s lips.

“What should I do?”

Not only the fever reducer, but he also needed to take the treatment medicine. At this rate, it seemed all the medicine would be wasted before she could even treat him.

At that moment, Leah, who had been staring blankly at the Duke, began mixing the treatment medicine with the fever reducer she had brought. She thought she had to finish it all at once.

‘You must drink it, even if by force.’

Leah pressed down on his firm upper body with one arm and cradled the Duke’s face. Then she slowly poured the medicine between the Duke’s parted lips.

Leah’s hand trembled slightly but did not stop.

‘Please, you must drink it all.’

Was it because her desperate wish was heard? When all the medicine went down, Leah exhaled a sigh of relief, pressing her hand to her forehead.

“Whew, it’s done.”

Although the urgent situation was resolved for now, it was still too early to let her guard down. Since side effects could return at any time.

Leah, who decided to stay by the Duke’s side tonight to monitor his condition, buried her head next to the bed.

Hoping that this medicine would be effective.

[This is the timeline separator]

The thick curtains covering the windows couldn’t block out the birdsong announcing the morning, waking Akkia from his sleep.

‘Where is this…’

As he slowly opened his eyes and rolled them around to assess the situation. He turned his head at the wheezing breath coming from the head of the bed.

There was Leah, leaning against the bed with her eyes closed.

“…Why are you here.”

Was this woman sleeping? As he traced back his memories to find the reason why Leah was in this room, he recalled something.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Clearly, his whole body had felt like it was in a fire pit. Not only had the fever gone down, but the pain that felt like his entire body was being stabbed with an awl had also disappeared.

“How did this happen?”

The Duke, who had been muttering as if in disbelief, wrinkled his nose at the faint scent wafting over. A cool mint scent coming from his own body.

As if trying to confirm something, he got out of bed and pulled back the curtains blocking the light.

Along with the sound of the curtains opening, bright light entered the previously dark room. What came into view were medicine bottles scattered on the small table next to the bed.

It seemed to vividly show the urgent situation from last night. The Duke approached Leah’s side to get a closer look at them.

“Fever reducer, is it.”

A small medicine bottle emitting a familiar scent he had smelled somewhere before.

And an ointment giving off the same scent as what was applied to his body came into view.

It seemed to be the work of the woman who was now sleeping soundly, oblivious to the world.

“Ha.”

More than that, falling asleep in his room so casually. And with such an innocent face at that.

‘This is ridiculous.’

The Duke clicked his tongue briefly at her comfortable expression, as if sleeping in her own room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the Duke stared intently at Leah’s face.

“What on earth is she thinking.”

Something was different. This pharmacist was.

Whether it was her outstanding sense of duty as a pharmacist. Or her extraordinary sense of responsibility towards the patient she was in charge of.

It was difficult to grasp Leah’s intentions for acting to this extent.

But.

“She’s different.”

It was certain that she was different from the people who had been around him so far. Akkia recalled the image of the woman desperately trying to feed him medicine in his hazy vision.

[Of course I was worried! What if something happened to you, Duke!]

“Worried, huh.”

She wasn’t worried, she was probably worried about herself being harmed if something went wrong with him.

But it was strange.

Even knowing that the reason for that woman’s desperation was for her own safety, he didn’t feel bad about it.

No, rather, it sounded a bit good. That one word saying she was worried about him.

The look in Akkia’s eyes deepened as he looked down at Leah. Akkia brushed back his hair tangled with sweat.

Then he slowly reached out to Leah’s snow-white nape.

It’s annoying and irritating. Those lips chattering in front of him. Those two eyes that make him think she really cares for him.

“To the point where I want to get rid of her.”

No one who had learned his secret had survived.

Akkia kept matters related to his life strictly confidential, and if anyone happened to find out, he killed them without hesitation.

That was the only way for him to survive.

The man’s hand, which seemed about to snap her slender neck at any moment, brushed her swollen cheek.

The pharmacist who was desperate to treat him.

‘Well. I guess I’ll let her live a bit longer since her effort is commendable.’

At least because of that woman, he could sit here properly now.

As he withdrew his hand reaching towards Leah, the sound of rustling bedding was heard. Leah’s eyes, which had been frowning at the suddenly brightened room, slowly opened.

“You’re awake.”

And Leah’s gaze slowly met the Duke’s red eyes in mid-air. Her leaf-green eyes widened as if surprised.

A low voice flowed from Akkia’s lips as he looked down at her.

“Judging by your face, it seems you slept very well.”

“…Duke?”

“Just like your own room.”

At those words, Leah’s pupils shook incessantly and seemed to scan her surroundings. Realizing she had fallen asleep in the Duke’s bedroom, Leah abruptly sat up.

“I-I’m sorry! I must have fallen asleep. I thought I would leave once your fever went down.”

“…”

“Your fever was so high, Duke, I couldn’t just leave.”

Leah stood up and bowed to the Duke in apology. Then she chattered away, explaining the situation even though Akkia hadn’t asked.

To Akkia, it was amusing, like a little chick chirping and protesting.

“I understand, so you can leave now. It would be troublesome if someone saw you here.”

Leah blinked her eyes at Akkia’s words. Seeing her expressions change moment by moment, Akkia thought it was quite a sight to behold.

For a moment, as if she had finished grasping the situation, Leah’s face filled with dismay as she tidied up and bowed.

“T-then. I’ll be going now.”

The Duke’s lips curved lazily as he watched Leah’s retreating figure, hurriedly leaving in a fluster.