He didn’t care whether the bed got stained with blood or not.

“Doctor! Call a doctor right now!”

He shouted like a desperate man. Laches, who was always composed and relaxed in everything, caused the butler to be flustered, and he quickly moved.

Laches’ large hand, tainted with blood, trembled unattractively.

It should have been as simple as checking whether she was breathing by putting a hand on her nose and mouth, or confirming if her heart was beating.

But Laches found it too difficult. As he hesitated at the bedside, he collapsed.

“If you… if you die again…”

This despair. This urgency that couldn’t be escaped no matter how hard he struggled.

When had he felt this emotion again?

“…Ah, it was back then. When Marquis Deberti called for Mazu.”

How desperate he had been when he saw that Leperentia was not in the room.

Since then, he had made constant efforts not to feel such emotions again and followed her everywhere.

But in the end, again…

“I should have just killed you.”

Laches’ gaze turned to Leperentia’s slender neck. If he squeezed it with a strong grip just once, she would disappear without even being able to scream.

Perhaps, was that what fate wanted?

So that he could escape from these endlessly repetitive days…

“Duke.”

As Laches sank deeper into his profound melancholy, the doctor quickly arrived.

Laches looked at the doctor with a fierce gaze. The doctor, overwhelmed by his gaze, acted as if he knew exactly what he needed to do.

The doctor approached Leperentia, who was lying on the bed, and quickly checked her condition.

It felt like only a few seconds had passed, but Laches felt like he was suffocating.

Her slender hand was gripping his throat. Her delicate body, which seemed like it could fly away in the wind, was pressing him down.

Surprisingly, Laches felt dominated by that woman.

Without her even realizing it.

“She’s alive.”

The doctor quickly reported without hesitation. Only then did Laches release the breath he had been holding. Laches covered his face with his large hand.

“Duke!”
The butler hurriedly approached and supported Laches, who had knelt on the floor. Despite the butler’s bewildered expression at the sight of his unfamiliar master’s condition, Laches paid no attention.

She’s alive. She must be saved.

I don’t need to feel these emotions again.

Somehow.

“Save her.”

Laches’s dark, bloodshot eyes turned towards Leperentia lying on the bed. Leperentia seemed to be swallowed by those dark, shadow-like eyes.

“If we can’t save her, we can’t survive here.”

Anyway, if we can’t save her, we can’t move forward.

Under the cruel threat from Laches, the doctor lowered his head with trembling hands and said, “My lord, Kofi is in a weakened state.”

“Why did she bleed? Is it a severe illness?”

“It seems her mucous membranes were originally weak and swollen. Perhaps she’s not originally from the North?”

“…Is that important?”

“It appears she’s not accustomed to the cold in the North. There’s also a possibility the sudden temperature change caused the bleeding. Since it’s cold outside, don’t you stoke the indoor fireplace vigorously? This can make the indoor air dry…”

“Hold on.”

Laches touched his forehead. What are you saying?

“So, are you saying that her bleeding was caused by the temperature difference between outside and inside?”

“…Yes.”

“Does that make sense?”

“While there may be other factors…”

“Check it properly. She’s very important to me right now.”

Laches pressed the doctor, and his eyes filled with restlessness and anxiety.

In response to Laches’s reaction, the doctor took a deep breath and nodded.

“I’ve confirmed it.”

“Then why did she faint?”

“It seems she has symptoms of anemia. Although I don’t know what her previous condition was like, if she hasn’t been in the North for long, her diet might have changed.”

“…Diet?”

“People with severe anemia are recommended to consume leafy greens or meat. Aren’t leafy greens scarce in the North?”

“…Right.”

“Her lack of essential nutrients might have weakened her immune system and caused her to lose consciousness.”

Laches had expected vague statements or uncertainty, but there was a more concrete cause.

“Is it a terminal illness, or does she have only a few months to live?”

“…”

The doctor’s pupils shook in response to Laches’s question. He looked back and forth between the bedridden Leperentia and Laches with a bewildered expression.

“Well… Based on the symptoms you mentioned, is there anything else?”

It seemed like he was asking if a terminal illness was necessary. Since it had come to this, Laches decided to ask one more question.

“She’s unusually thin, almost inhumanly so.”

“What was her role until recently?”

“She was in charge of laundry until recently.”

“Then… Instead of physical activity, if you increase her food intake, she’ll naturally gain weight, my lord. Collecting laundry around the castle involves a lot of calorie consumption, and it’s one of the jobs that doesn’t naturally lead to weight gain.”

The doctor provided a clear cause and solution once again.

“So, it’s not a terminal illness?”

“As of now, there are no suspicions.”

“Is there a deadline?”
“Then it’s not a terminal illness?”

“As of now, there are no suspicions.”

“What about the time limit?”

“If there were no other symptoms, that wouldn’t be a significant concern either. However, my lord, there are countless diseases I don’t know about. It’s possible that there are conditions yet to be discovered. I can’t confirm it. The human body can change from being healthy today to getting injured or sick tomorrow.”

Laches touched his forehead. If there were no other symptoms, it meant there was no specific diagnosis that could be made.

“Step back. Don’t mention what you saw today.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The woman was utterly unknowable.

“Butler.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Write a letter to Persor, the chief physician of the Niriel family, requesting a visit to the North.”

“Is there anything else you would like to add?”

“Nothing else. Just telling him to come to the North will be enough for him to understand.”

If he had sent an invitation, there was no doubt the person would know who he was.

“We must save this woman.”

The doctor understands, whether it’s a terminal condition or not.

“But first, I need to find out how far my own life extends.”

With a cold determination, Laches carefully covered Leperentia with a blanket to allow her to sleep comfortably.

With the question of whether this was for his sake or hers still lingering in his heart.