“What?”

Karina was taken aback by Jeremiah’s unexpected response.

“Go in.”

Jeremiah dismounted from his horse, handed the reins to the knight commander, and brushed past Karina.

“Ah… What about dinner?”

Karina quickly followed after him, asking.

“I already ate.”

“Ah…”

She couldn’t hide her disappointment at his words that he had already eaten.

“I prepared dinner, not knowing you would eat before coming…”

“Not necessary.”

Jeremiah replied without even looking back at Karina as he walked ahead.

“But today is your birthday. I prepared beef stew and apple pie…”

“Do you not understand when I say it once? I said I don’t want it.”

“…”

She was cut off before she could even finish speaking.

Embarrassed, Karina couldn’t even mention that she had prepared the food herself for him, and the conversation was abruptly cut short.

Still, thinking it would be a shame to end the birthday so dismally, she trailed after Jeremiah as he headed towards his room.

“How far do you intend to follow?”

Jeremiah asked as they neared his room.

“But you’ve just returned after a few days, so having a warm cup of tea together would be…”

“I’m tired. I want to go in and rest quickly.”

Jeremiah remained cold to the end, without a hint of warmth.

And as if telling her not to come in, he slammed the door shut right in front of her.

Dejected, Karina lingered in front of his room door for a while before turning away.

Her heart felt colder than her frozen body.

The next day, Karina was bedridden with a severe cold.

“The current chief physician of the grand duke’s household is on leave for a few days due to personal reasons.”

This was the answer the maid brought when told to bring the physician.

“Haa, haa… Then… please call… a village… doctor.”

She barely moved her parched throat to stammer to the maid.

“The village doctor is currently out of town, so it will take a while to bring him. We’ll send someone to fetch him, but you’ll still have to wait.”

“…I see.”

Her body was feverish and her mind hazy.

Even in such a sick state, there was something she was curious about.

“By the way… the food… I made yesterday…”

The maid, somehow understanding what Karina was curious about, answered.

“His Grace the Grand Duke ordered yesterday that those foods be thrown away.”

Though her ears were buzzing with fever, the words “throw away” rang clearly.

“Huh?… Why… why?”

“He said it wasn’t edible food.”

“Ah…”

She hadn’t expected praise for how delicious it was, but she didn’t think he’d order it to be thrown away.

‘It’s not like I particularly wanted Jeremiah to appreciate my effort.’

Perhaps because she was sick, she felt terribly hurt.

To the point where she could cry without even realizing it.

Karina lost consciousness as if fainting while waiting for the doctor.

After seemingly waking up and fainting repeatedly several times, at some point she felt her physical condition had improved somewhat.

Though her body was still heavy and her head ached, she could at least sit up.

As she raised her upper body from the bed, her clothes and the bed were damp with sweat.

Her throat was parched. She pulled the bell rope next to the bed, but no matter how long she waited, no maid came.

Eventually, Karina dragged her heavy body downstairs.

The way to the kitchen felt like a thousand-mile journey.

Her body, which felt like a wet cotton ball, took quite some time.

Fortunately or unfortunately, thanks to that, her body, which had cooled down after leaving the room, warmed up as if she had exercised.

After barely making it to the kitchen and finding water to drink, Karina looked around.

Judging by how dark it was, it seemed to be the middle of the night.

‘Is that why no one is around?’

Karina, who was about to head back to her bedroom, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

For some reason, she suddenly changed direction and headed towards Jeremiah’s office.

‘Even if I go now, he probably won’t be there.’

Contrary to her expectations, light was leaking out from Jeremiah’s office.

‘Is he still working?’

Karina summoned her courage and knocked on the office door.

“Who is it?”

“Ah, …it’s me.”

“…”

Despite Karina’s answer, there was no permission to enter from inside.

As Karina was hesitating, about to grab the doorknob to open the door.

“What business do you have at this hour?”

Karina was flustered by the situation of being asked her business while standing in front of the door.

“…”

“If you have no business, go back.”

When Karina didn’t answer immediately, Jeremiah issued an order to leave.

Karina felt a surge of resentment at Jeremiah’s cold attitude.

‘What did I do so wrong? I’m not asking for much.’

She felt hurt by his attitude of not even opening the door or showing his face.

Overwhelmed by emotion, Karina unknowingly called Jeremiah by his name.

“Jeremiah. Can’t you stay by my side just for tonight? Even if it’s just until I fall asleep.”

Karina pleaded desperately.

It felt like if Jeremiah did that for her, all the hurt feelings towards him would be resolved.

‘Please. Just this once.’

Karina waited anxiously for Jeremiah’s answer.

But.

“I’m busy, I don’t have time for that.”

Jeremiah ultimately did not grant her request.

Her anxious heart sank instantly, as if cold water had been poured over it.

Karina’s head drooped along with the tears welling up in her eyes.

A terrible loneliness and desolation washed over her.

Her vision turned pitch black again.

Her consciousness was once again swallowed by the fathomless darkness.

‘No. Stop.’

Karina exhaled a labored breath.

‘Stop it. I don’t want to see this.’

Karina struggled, trapped in memories of the past she didn’t want to recall.

She wanted to escape, but she couldn’t move an inch, as if her whole body was tightly bound by something invisible.

‘Stop it. Get me out.’

Karina struggled desperately with all her might, feeling miserable.

‘Get me out!’

At that moment, a warm energy enveloped Karina.

She felt comfortable and cozy, as if embraced in warm arms.

The touch of a hand holding hers felt welcome.

Karina clung to it desperately as if it were a lifeline.

‘Don’t go! Please.’

At first, it seemed like it would disappear soon, but then, as if sensing her desperation, it stayed still.

For some reason, she felt like crying.

Jeremiah carefully carried the injured Karina back to the grand duke’s mansion.

The servants of the grand duke’s household were shocked to see the unconscious and bloodstained appearance of the grand duchess upon her return.

But that was only for a moment; they were even more surprised by Jeremiah’s actions.

“Bring a doctor to the grand duchess’s room. Right now.”

Jeremiah urgently called for a doctor while personally carrying Karina to her room.

Jeremiah was struggling to suppress his rising anger.

‘Why was the grand duchess captured there? Why? What was that guard doing?’

He was unbearably angry at the fact that Karina had been in a life-threatening crisis.

Moreover, the fact that the person Karina desperately called out to in that critical moment wasn’t him made his blood boil and his heart ache.

Rationally, he understood.

‘Of course she wouldn’t think of someone she doesn’t even like when she’s about to die.’

In a way, it was natural.

Karina did not love him.

‘For Karina, it was just a marriage of necessity, and she was only trying to use me.’

To her, he was just an obstacle threatening the emperor, a hindrance to achieving their goals.

‘That’s why she married me. Pretending to love me when she didn’t, deceiving and betraying me.’

But why!

Seeing such an expected behavior from Karina made him feel suffocatingly frustrated.

It felt like a raging flame was burning everything inside him.

Jeremiah coldly suppressed the swirling emotions within him.

‘But even so.’

“I never once wished for your death.”

Jeremiah whispered in a desperate voice.

“Please hold on, Karina.”

Jeremiah carefully embraced Karina’s body.

Unconsciously, Karina burrowed into Jeremiah’s arms as if searching for warmth.

Jeremiah tried to change his holding position, afraid that any wrong movement might reopen the wound on Karina’s neck.

But Karina clung to him desperately.

He could see moisture gathering between her closed eyelashes as she trembled pitifully.

Seeing this, Jeremiah held her even more deeply in his arms than before.

And as he slowly comforted her, Karina’s trembling in his arms gradually ceased.

Upon reaching the room, Jeremiah carefully laid Karina on the bed.

Moments later, the doctor came running in, out of breath.

“Treat her. Right now.”

The doctor had to examine Karina’s condition before he could even catch his breath.

“The wound is deep. And she’s in a critical state from losing too much blood.”

“That’s why I called for a doctor. Treat her. If anything happens to the grand duchess, you won’t be safe either.”

Despite being intimidated by Jeremiah’s threat, the doctor bowed his head to the ground and spoke the truth.

“I apologize, Your Grace. There’s nothing I can do besides stopping the bleeding at the wound site. In this state, we need to call a priest from the Great Temple in the capital to treat her with holy power.”

“A priest from the Great Temple?”

Jeremiah furrowed his brow at the doctor’s words.

The priests of the Great Temple weren’t the kind to come unconditionally just because they received a request for healing, and the distance from the northern grand duke’s mansion to the Great Temple itself was quite far.

Even if they made a request right now, it would take at least 4-5 days.

“Can the grand duchess hold out until then?”

“…”

The doctor couldn’t answer.

Karina was in a situation where every minute and second was critical.

They couldn’t wait until the priest from the Great Temple arrived.

Jeremiah gritted his teeth.

Bang!

At that moment, the door burst open violently and Mikhail entered the room.

As soon as he saw him, Jeremiah’s expression turned ominous.

“How dare you come here? Get out immediately.”

Jeremiah’s voice was menacing as he said this.

Despite Jeremiah’s threat, Mikhail replied without so much as blinking.

“I can heal her.”

Mikhail had just arrived at the grand duke’s mansion and come looking for Karina.

The moment he realized Karina had been hurt because of the escaped prisoners, he flew into a rage and wiped them out.

And as soon as he came to his senses, he went to the tower located at the western end and brought the highest grade healing potion.

“How could you possibly? Stop spouting nonsense and get out of my sight right now.”

Jeremiah spoke through gritted teeth.

“I just heard what the doctor said outside. That we need to call a healing priest from the Great Temple for holy power treatment, but there’s no time to wait until then. There’s no need for that if I’m here. I’m a mage. It’s not holy power, but I have a potion that can quickly heal wounds and I can use healing magic. Karina needs me right now.”

Jeremiah’s fists clenched.

He wanted nothing more than to kill him right there for failing to protect Karina.

But if what he just said was true, Karina desperately needed his treatment right now.

Jeremiah had no choice but to take a step back.

“If anything happens to the grand duchess, you die on the spot. Don’t think your wrongdoing will be taken lightly even if she lives. I’ll deal with your crimes separately later.”

“Do as you please.”

Mikhail approached Karina immediately without sparing a glance at Jeremiah.

Then he took out a small vial from his pocket.

It was an elixir, the highest grade healing potion.