Leah stood dazed for a while, pondering the Duke’s words. As if to confirm his kill, he emphasized it three times.

‘At least it wasn’t me… What he just said means…’

Leah took a breath as if confirming a fact she had been trying to deny. The man’s words that he had not slept with her due to the drug’s side effects.

Those words meant that the Duke saw her as a woman. To the extent of having a physical relationship.

‘Hoo…’

Leah clenched her fist as she inwardly sighed. She felt like she was facing a troublesome problem.

‘Why me…? Could he be mistaken?’

Leah thought about various possibilities. The Duke had lost his Empress at a young age and had lived pretending to be sickly, keeping his mouth shut.

He must have spent a long and lonely time alone. Because no one had become his ally.

To such a Duke’s eyes, she might have seemed special somehow.

‘Mistaking kindness for affection…’

Leah glanced at Akkia. Still firmly guarding in front of her, he looked quite different from his hostile past self.

‘Or maybe he’s confused physical instinct with emotion.’

Perhaps even such an attitude was an extension of the new drug’s side effects.

‘It’s all because of the drug I made.’

Whatever it was, Leah felt a dull sense of responsibility for the side effects.

‘Then I should…’

Leah met Akkia’s gaze as if she had made up her mind.

“I understand.”

Cutting through a long silence, Leah’s answer was simply ‘I understand.’ Watching her, Akkia deeply furrowed his brow.

“What do you understand?”

Leah took a deep breath.

‘Yes, I can do this.’

“I will take responsibility for you, Your Grace.”

The Duke was struck speechless by Leah’s bombshell declaration. He wondered what she was going to say with such a resolute look in her eyes.

A brief silence fell between the two. And it was the Duke who first broke that stillness.

“…Take responsibility? You for me?”

At first, Akkia glanced at Leah, wondering if she was joking. But seeing her utterly serious expression and lips devoid of any playfulness, it seemed she was sincere.

‘Who’s taking responsibility for whom here.’

Akkia looked at Leah with a wry gaze at the ambiguous situation where the roles seemed reversed.

“Yes. I’ll take responsibility.”

But unlike her bold words, Akkia saw that Leah was busily pondering in her mind.

‘Take responsibility…’

And he didn’t dislike Leah’s answer. No. Rather, it was interesting.

Akkia’s narrowed eyes fell on Leah.

“So how do you plan to take responsibility for me?”

He was curious how Leah would fulfill the responsibility of one night. Before he knew it, Akkia’s lips were curved in an elegant arc.

“Um… I think I need to think about that a bit. I’ll tell you after I organize my thoughts by evening.”

Seeing her sincerely contemplating, a corner of Akkia’s heart tickled. The sight of her biting her lip inward even looked quite cute.

Until now, Leah habitually bit her lip when faced with a difficult problem to solve.

‘I thought those lips only knew how to choose spiteful words, but it seems they can say quite adorable things too.’

Then he almost unknowingly reached out his hand towards Leah’s mouth. Hastily withdrawing the hand that had instinctively stretched out, Akkia answered Leah.

“Then, come to my room once you’re done organizing your thoughts.”

Saying so, Akkia turned to go to his room. His face was full of joyful expression.

That night, Leah was heading to the Duke’s bedroom with small pieces of paper. Because the Duke had told her to come to him once she finished thinking by tonight.

Leah muttered as she walked down the desolately empty corridor.

“More importantly, when are they going to hire servants?”

Although several days had passed since she started living here, there was no one in the mansion who could be called a servant.

There were people who occasionally came to clean or prepare meals. But even those were hard to see, and it seemed the people kept changing.

‘Well, thanks to that, that night’s incident…’

“What am I thinking right now!”

As if she had thought something strange, she shook her head vigorously.

– Knock knock.

As if he knew she was coming, without even asking who it was, a voice of permission was heard.

– Come in.

Until just recently, when she knocked, she only heard the sound of objects falling.

As she entered the bedroom, Akkia, sitting in a chair at the table, looked at Leah with a slanted gaze.

His eyes rippled with interest, as if he was very much looking forward to the answer she had prepared. Leah approached and handed the documents she had prepared to the Duke.

“What’s this?”

“Please read it first.”

With a puzzled face, the Duke picked up the paper she had placed on the desk. And his eyes moved busily as if confirming the contents of the paper.

“Guidelines for the new drug’s side effects…?”

Leah nodded slightly towards the Duke. At first, she had pondered a lot on naming this document.

After all, it seemed most fitting to call it guidelines for when side effects manifest.

“I think side effects from the new drug will continue to appear in the future. In fact, I’ve already twice… Ahem.”

Suddenly, Leah cleared her throat, recalling what happened in the bathroom.

“In any case, until I make an antidote for the side effects, you should follow what’s written on that paper.”

1. Mild: In case of slight fever, visit an apothecary for antipyretic prescription. It’s important to lower body temperature, so take a cold bath or stay in a cool place.

2. Severe: If high fever starts…

The Duke threw down the paper as if there was no need to read further and snorted.

“What are you trying to do now? Didn’t you say you’d take responsibility for me? Didn’t you come to talk about that?”

“…”

“I clearly said that night’s incident wasn’t due to side effects. Moreover, this useless guideline only has methods for minor side effects.”

The Duke rose from the chair he was sitting in. With a face that had suddenly become solemn, he approached Leah and murmured.

“Taking a cold bath… You’re the only person who would suggest resolving sexual desire like this.”

Leah flinched at the explicit word ‘sexual desire.’ Watching her reaction, a twisted smirk appeared on Akkia’s lips.

“If that doesn’t resolve it…”

She placed her hand on her chest and looked at the Duke with unwavering eyes.

“I’ll help you.”

“You? How?”

“That… Let’s discuss it in more detail when the time comes.”

Leah hadn’t yet come up with a clear answer on what to do after high fever starts.

What was certain was that the fever wouldn’t easily subside no matter what method was used.

Of all things, for the side effect to be increased libido… Leah was about to sigh involuntarily. The Duke, who had been staring intently at Leah avoiding a clear answer, soon acquiesced.

“Alright. I understand.”

I didn’t think he’d accept it this easily. For a moment, Leah looked at the Duke with a slightly surprised face, then bowed her head towards him.

“Good. Then let’s end here for today. It’s late now, so please go to sleep. I’ll be taking my leave.”

As it was about time to go to bed, Leah stood up and left the room. Without even imagining that she would soon see the Duke again.

– Bang bang!

‘What is it?’

Just when Leah had fallen into a deep sleep, feeling relieved at having solved one problem, it happened.

Someone banging on the door woke her from her sweet slumber.

“What on earth…”

Finally, in a half-asleep state, Leah got up from bed and opened the door.

“What time do you think it is, what are you doing?”

The Duke was standing in front of the door, his appearance disheveled. With a flushed face.

“Leah. I think my body keeps getting hot.”

“What?!”

Good heavens. Suddenly talking about heat. Until just now, he seemed perfectly fine. Startled by the Duke’s words, Leah put her hand on his forehead.

‘Hm?’

As if something was strange, Leah tilted her head and trailed off.

“…Well. I don’t think you have a fever…”

It was warm, but the temperature coming through her palm was a bit embarrassing to call a fever.

“I’m telling you I have a fever.”

The Duke said what nonsense, and naturally entered Leah’s room.

‘No, you don’t.’

If anything, Leah’s body was hotter. The Duke was in no state to say he had a fever.

Why on earth was this man acting like this. Leah quietly sighed at the Duke’s attitude, which seemed like a child throwing a tantrum.

Then, as if trying to go along with him, Leah nodded.

“Yes, yes. Then I’ll prescribe you some antipyretic medicine.”

I should just give him some medicine and send him away quickly.

Leah was rummaging through the desk drawer where she had kept the antipyretic, pouting her lips.

“Where did I put that medicine…”

– Thud.

A presence was felt behind Leah’s back as she was searching through the drawer.

“…Your Grace?”

The Duke, who had approached closely without her noticing, placed his hands on the desk, trapping Leah within his arms.

Hot breath tickling the back of her neck and the now familiar heavy scent of flesh.

“No need to look.”

He drew closer to Leah, as if not tolerating even the small gap between them.

Didn’t she say he didn’t have a fever?

That statement is revoked. The man was now emanating heat intense enough to scorch her back.

Leah raised her stiff neck to look straight ahead. In the window that had only reflected dark scenery, two figures of a man and woman were reflected.

Herself, looking straight ahead with a hardened face, and red eyes gazing down at her intently.

Those hot crimson eyes were shining in the darkness. As if filled with a strange heat, like thirst had arisen.

At last, the Duke spoke in a resolute voice.

“Because it doesn’t seem to be that kind of fever.”