When I opened my eyes again, it wasn’t my own bed.

“Laches’ bedroom…”

I knew where I was. It was the very same bedroom I had entered to treat Laches’ injuries last time.

“I’m not dead, it seems.”

I had briefly wondered if I had bled too much from the wound and died, causing time to turn back… Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“But why am I lying here?”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I looked out the window. It was already dark outside.

“…I should have brought Cream and Cheese their food. I should have taken them for a walk. Did they wait for me?”

Strangely, as soon as I woke up, I thought of Cream and Cheese. Being responsible for lives felt like this.

It was a new feeling.

I turned my gaze, and there was Laches reading a book next to the bed.

The book he was reading was the one from the guardian family that had fallen from the desk last time. It seemed like he was reading it intermittently, judging by how many pages he had turned.

“…It’s strange to have someone by my side like this.”

Whenever I was ill, it was always the doctor who attended to my bedside.

My father, Dettor, and Delia were not here. Since the nurse who raised me had changed several times, I had no attachment to her.

It was strange that this man was my first experience with this.

Laches’ gaze, who was reading the book at that time, turned towards me from behind the book. Without showing any sign of surprise, he closed the book as if he already knew I had awakened.

“Speak when you wake up.”

“…I just woke up. But why am I lying on the Duke’s bed?”

“I was ignorant. I thought it would be nice to make that small room warm. I didn’t know it would become so dry.”

“I didn’t think of it either. …But why am I lying here?”

“There was no suitable place. If I sent you back to that room, you might bleed again and faint, or if I didn’t light the fire, you might get cold. So, I brought you to my bedroom.”

But wasn’t it a bit too much to bring a maidservant to his bedroom just for something like this?

When I tried to get up slightly, Laches hurriedly approached and stopped me.

“Lie down more.”

“No matter what, I don’t think lying down here is the right place.”

“If you’re ill…!”

Laches started to say something but stopped and let out a heavy sigh instead.

If he was talking about me being sick, was he referring to me?

“…Just in case, let me tell you, I’m healthy.”

“You’re the weakest person I’ve ever seen.”

“Who else have you seen?”

“People who, even while bleeding, don’t casually call a doctor.”

“That’s…”

It wasn’t a big deal.

But now that I thought about it from Laches’ perspective, who didn’t know who I was, this incident could have been shocking.

“…I’m sorry for surprising you.”

Laches’ stern face softened a little as I apologized.

“Do you have any other symptoms? Are you in pain anywhere?”

“No.”

After sleeping in a warm place and waking up, my throat didn’t feel as dry, and I had fewer sneezes.

“Okay… I thought you wouldn’t say anything.”

Laches muttered softly and ran his hand through his hair. I didn’t understand why he thought I wouldn’t say anything.
Laches’ eyes seemed momentarily tinged with madness. It felt like a sudden chill ran down my spine, causing my shoulders to tense. However, Laches stopped speaking and neatly concealed the emerging madness.

“…I will save you. No matter what happens, I will save you. That’s my choice.”

It was a response he repeated several times, as if to reassure me.

Yet, despite that, how reassuring your brief words of wanting to save me were. Do you even realize it?

“…Anyway, it was just a casual conversation at home. You didn’t have to answer so seriously.”

I chuckled.

If this man had originally been the one to kill me… if that was really the case, and he had changed his mind, could it mean that I might not die in this life?

“So, lie down.”

He ordered sternly.

“Since you treated me last time, let me treat you this time.”

“I only applied ointment without even properly bandaging it last time.”

“I appreciate your loyalty. Consider it a reward.”

Laches briskly tucked the blanket up to my chin, meaning that I should stay still.

“What happened to Cream and Cheese?”

“I informed Tom. He said they ate well and had a good walk. Tom was amazed at how quickly he managed to tame both of them within such a short time.”

“It’s not like I tamed them… Cream and Cheese are smart. Thank you for taking care of them. I was worried they might skip dinner if I wasn’t around.”

Laches, with his chin resting on his hand, silently observed me lying on the bed.

“You seem to talk more when it comes to those dogs than usual.”

“Sorry…”

“I’m not blaming you. I said it because it’s nice to hear. I’m thinking it was a good idea to bring them with me.”

“Dogs… I feel like I have to take care of them.”

“I feel something similar while looking at you right now.”

“What?”

He looked at me with an incredulous expression, but Laches was very serious.