“Your Highness, the Grand Duke!”

The Count’s assistant, who had hurriedly paid his respects, ran out to call a doctor as the Count had suddenly collapsed, but since they were on a train, he couldn’t find a separate doctor and made an expression as if he was about to cry.

“Since when has the Count been in this state?”

“Not long. It seems to have been about 10 minutes.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“That’s what I’m… He was fine, but suddenly he was gasping for breath and collapsed just like that.”

He was fine but suddenly gasped for breath and collapsed? Deep wrinkles formed between Carl’s eyebrows.

“Did the Count originally have any chronic illnesses?”

“No, he doesn’t. Your Highness.”

“Your Highness!”

While asking the assistant this and that, Clovis appeared leading people.

“Doctor, over here!”

At Clovis’ direction, a medical officer in a white outfit, whether it was a gown or a uniform, ran over to Celeste’s side with a face as pale as his clothes.

Putting down the emergency medical bag he brought, he took out a stethoscope to check her pulse, lifted her eyelids to check her pupil reflexes… The few minutes he spent examining Celeste felt long.

Fortunately, Celeste quickly regained consciousness.

After regaining consciousness, there were heart-stopping moments where it was unclear whether she had fainted again or fallen asleep several times, but as time passed, her overall complexion and pulse returned to normal.

According to the report of the medical officer who examined Celeste’s condition, there were no notable external injuries on her body. All that could be grasped was that it was presumed that something had caused internal repercussions in her body, rather than direct wounds.

The words that it had caused internal repercussions meant that the reason she had become unconscious was due to internal injuries caused by magical power.

Carl immediately investigated everyone on the train. Since the only passengers were members of his knight order, the investigation was limited to the crew members. However, no significant suspicious points could be found from them either.

Where and what had harmed Celeste’s body? Carl moved her cabin next to his own and tore apart the original cabin as if he was going to completely dismantle it.

And as expected, the only suspicious thing was the food Celeste had bought.

Even then, Celeste said that she had only eaten a bite of the pie out of all this food because she was busy taking care of the child. Recalling what Celeste, who had regained consciousness, had left behind, Carl immediately put the leftover pie in an evidence container and sealed it.

Putting magical power into food to harm someone as if poisoning them was something that happened from time to time. However, it had become almost impossible to find since the Empire had completely banned black magic.

If one wanted to secretly do it, the very thing that could somehow be done was black magic to harm someone. Originally, something being illegal doesn’t mean it completely disappears. It just hides in the shadows.

Carl recalled the explosion incident in Wrentum.

“The cabin in Wrentum. You said there were magic stones there too.”

“Yes. Two unexploded magic stones were discovered.”

Since time was of the essence, they had left Wrentum right away, but an investigation into the explosion incident also had to be done, so they had left a few knights behind. Clovis communicated in real-time with the members left in Wrentum through the Louisette transceiver.

It’s not a coincidence. Someone is trying to harm Celeste. Carl organized his thoughts up to this point.

“Contact the Capital Security Office. Have them deploy double the originally assigned number of troops to the train station.”

Once your thoughts are organized, the next step is to take action.

“Yes, I understand, Your Highness.”

“Also contact the Magic Department and have them call the Black Magic Crackdown Unit.”

“Yes. Your Highness.”

“And…”

He had Celeste and the child taken to a cabin where the inside could be clearly seen through a single window. Carl continued, looking at Celeste through the window.

The order was to also contact the Count’s residence and have the Louisette County’s private soldiers called to be stationed there.

Everything was in total chaos.

I had just taken a delicious bite of the pie, but my stomach churned as if I was going to vomit, and with dizziness, my vision was dyed in darkness. When I opened my eyes again, the faces of the worried knights were all in front of me.

Carl said that I had been unconscious for over half a day. He asked me what I had done right before collapsing, but since I had done nothing other than eat the pie, I had nothing else to answer.

The tall, brown-haired knight. The knight called Clovis brought a medical officer who clung to me, asking about my condition.

Until then, I didn’t know why they had examined me with such frightened faces.

Later, long after arriving in the capital, I nearly fainted upon hearing the terrifying story that the pie seemed to have been cursed with black magic. But at that time, I knew nothing, so I only thought I had gotten indigestion and collapsed from just a bite of pie.

“How are you feeling?”

“Thanks to you, I’m much better.”

I shrugged my shoulders at the medical officer’s question. It felt like I was receiving too much of an overwhelming treatment. I had only gotten indigestion, but there were five medical officers clinging to me.

“My body feels a bit heavy, and my stomach churns from time to time. But it’s bearable to this extent.”

Whether she knew my condition or had noticed the situation becoming serious, Valerie was quietly nestled in my arms without making a fuss.

A few crew members approached, saying they would take care of the child instead, but Valerie didn’t want to leave me and Hannah.

Her house had collapsed from the explosion, and on top of that, her mother had collapsed on the way out, so she must have been very anxious emotionally. I was just grateful that she wasn’t being more fussy.

It’s besides the point that my arms felt like they were going to fall off from holding the child. Is this the fate of a mother… I spent a full two days holding the child with my trembling arms.

Later on, I got goosebumps at my own adaptability, somehow accepting my life as a mother.

Clovis came to the cabin once every few hours. He said that Carl had ordered special surveillance, as leaving me alone could lead to an even bigger incident.

I wondered if it was something to be grateful for or not. If he was that worried, I thought he could have come to see me in person, but through the transparent glass, he was ceaselessly wrestling with documents in the cabin next door. I couldn’t help but think that sitting in a high position wasn’t an easy task either.

Before I knew it, the train had already arrived in Rahat. It had been half a year since I had returned, but I didn’t feel any particular emotion. It was probably because my memories of staying here were at most about a week. Or maybe it was because I was completely absorbed in the sudden child-rearing.

A different scenery from before unfolded outside the train window. I began to realize that I had entered the capital. Large mansions and clean streets. Sophisticated carriages and steam locomotives.

Come to think of it, they said someone from the Count’s residence would come out. I wonder who it would be. I recalled when I had left the capital half a year ago.

At that time, I had just possessed Celeste, so I had no presence of mind at all. Not only did I not know who was who, but just figuring out who I was and where I was was too overwhelming.

I vaguely remember a middle-aged woman who seemed particularly worried about Celeste, even showing tears. Would that person come out? With various thoughts, I gazed at the receding scenery.

The capital train station was bustling with untimely processions.

The Imperial Knights, clad in golden armor and holding golden banners, and even a procession holding red banners symbolizing the Louisette family. Although their affiliations were different, the train they were waiting for was the same.

The people who had been waiting for the train’s arrival since the crack of dawn finally stirred all at once as if they had promised. The long-awaited train had finally entered the station.

The Imperial Second Knight Order approached the front of the platform first. It was only natural, as His Highness the Grand Duke, who shone as the second in line to the throne, had arrived.

“The train is arriving!”

The stationmaster waved the flag and blew the bugle. In time with his shout, the sound of the locomotive’s steam exhaust, chik, chik, began to be heard from far away.

The train, which had been running on the rails at a fast speed, halved its speed as it entered the platform. And then halved again, and halved yet again, the slowed train finally stopped in its place, matching the line of the Knight Order.

Chik. The train door slowly opened.

“Wait a moment. The Countess should get off a little later.”

Clovis blocked me as I was moving while holding the child. I had no intention of bothering to ask why it had to be that way. It was because ever since I had collapsed from indigestion, not only Hannah but even Carl’s knights had all been overprotecting me.

People took care of me and kept watch on my surroundings to the point where I wondered if I deserved such an overwhelming treatment.

Half of the knights who had boarded the train got off first, followed by Clovis, and only after Carl got off next was I able to get off the train with the remaining half of the knights.

“Wow, there are so many people…”

The platform was packed with people, leaving no room to set foot. From the armored knights, to the people who had come to greet us, and even the imperial citizens who had come to watch the untimely processions. It was completely different from when I had secretly left the capital.

They said someone from the Count’s residence would come out too… Leaving Carl behind, who was talking to the Imperial Knights, I looked around to find a familiar face.