Whether it was due to being caught in the rain, he fell seriously ill with a cold and was bedridden. Fortunately, as maids lined up to nurse him, Rosenblur was able to receive excellent care.

“How is Lord Rosenblur doing?”

“His fever is still burning today. The physician says it’s due to accumulated fatigue, but what can we do?”

Emily was extremely worried, as if her own father had fallen ill, but she wasn’t the only one. Every maid in the Abrams castle felt as if their own heart had been stabbed when Rosenblur was sick.

They thought he would recover quickly in a day or two, but Rosenblur’s fever hadn’t subsided even on the third day.

Meanwhile, the funeral was mostly concluded, and the flowers were gradually losing their original beauty and falling to the ground. People quickly forgot about Craig and were busy whispering among themselves about who would become the new master of the count’s family.

“When are you planning to leave? The funeral is over, isn’t it?”

“There’s still work to be done. And how can we just leave when Lord Rosenblur is lying there like that?”

Cordelia made various excuses in response to Beluce’s urging. In truth, it wasn’t because she was concerned about Rosenblur lying sick in bed. Rather, it was because she hadn’t yet received a reply to the letter she had sent to Atilei.

Though it might seem cowardly, Cordelia felt she could only leave for Yebo Delim with peace of mind once that letter arrived.

Cordelia headed towards Rosenblur’s room, avoiding Beluce who had been urging her since morning about when she would return to the capital.

Despite it being midday, he was lying in bed. Up close, his complexion looked much worse than when she first saw him.

“Ah, Lydia. Lydia…”

Poor thing, it seems he’s searching for his sister even in his dreams.

Cordelia sent the maids out and wiped his body with a wet towel. It was a familiar task she could do with her eyes closed, having nursed Craig before.

While unconsciously tending to him, her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Leonard.

‘Why hasn’t the letter come yet? Did it get lost somewhere? Should I send another one now? But wouldn’t that seem too desperate if I send one now? Should I just leave with my eyes shut tight?’

“Lydia.”

At that moment, Rosenblur gripped her arm tightly. He had woken up at some point and spoke to Cordelia with eyes fevered with heat.

“Why did you come only now? Where have you been?”

“Lord Rosenblur. It’s me, Cordelia.”

“I knew you’d come back. Are you safe? Are you hurt anywhere?”

It seems he’s seeing things due to the fever. Instead of shattering his illusion, Cordelia played along appropriately.

“I’m sorry, Blei. I was too late, wasn’t I? I’m not hurt anywhere and I’m very healthy.”

“It’s alright. As long as you’ve returned safely now, it’s alright. Father was very…”

Rosenblur’s face, which had been in pain all along, relaxed for the first time. Cordelia tried to free her hand from his grip, but he was holding on tighter than she thought, so she couldn’t leave the room.

So, unintentionally, the nursing she had started as an excuse to avoid Beluce continued until sunset.

Seeing the sunset through the window, Cordelia decided to wake Rosenblur up. She couldn’t spend the night here. Moreover, her wrist was getting numb, and she felt like she might lose feeling in her fingers.

“Lord Rosenblur. Please wake up.”

“…”

“Lord Rosenblur. Lord Rosenblur. …Blei.”

The man who hadn’t moved despite how much she shook his shoulders, suddenly opened his eyes at the nickname Blei. As soon as he woke up, he looked around urgently.

“Lydia?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s me. Cordelia.”

“Cordelia? Why is Cordelia here…”

“Why? This is Abrams Castle. Don’t you remember?”

“Abrams? Where is Abrams, ah. Cordelia.”

As his foggy mind gradually cleared, life returned to his unfocused eyes.

“You’ve been lying down with a raging fever for three days. The physician says it’s a severe cold, how do you feel?”

“My head feels like it’s about to split. And I feel nauseous.”

It seems he’s just realized how terrible his physical condition is. Rosenblur exhaled a hot breath. Cordelia spoke clearly.

“That’s a relief.”

“A relief?”

“That you’re aware enough of your condition to describe it. You couldn’t even do that for the past three days.”

“Has Cordelia been nursing me all this time?”

“No.”

She shook her head very firmly.

“The maids of Abrams Castle have been taking turns, even staying up all night to nurse you, Lord Rosenblur. I couldn’t possibly take credit for their efforts. I just watched over you for a moment.”

“…Thank you. I’m merely a guest here.”

“Taking care of an ill Lord Rosenblur must have been a great joy for them, so don’t worry too much about it.”

Half-certain, the maids would have lined up to nurse Rosenblur even if they had to pay for the privilege.

“Now that you’re awake, there’s one thing you need to do, Lord Rosenblur.”

“Eat and regain my strength?”

“No. Could you please let go of my hand? I’m starting to lose feeling in it.”

“Hand? Ah. Oh my.”

As if he really hadn’t noticed, Rosenblur released Cordelia’s wrist with a start. As feeling returned, her hand tingled. As expected, bruises appeared under the red marks.

“I’m so sorry, Cordelia. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“I did. Dozens of times.”

“…I, I’m sorry.”

He apologized, stumbling over his words in a manner unlike his usual self. Cordelia brushed it off casually and said,

“It’s alright. I’ll ask a maid to bring some soup. You must be hungry since you haven’t eaten anything all day.”

“What about Cordelia?”

“Pardon?”

“Have you eaten? I hope you didn’t miss a meal because of me.”

“Ah, I didn’t really think about it…”

Just then, there was a knock from outside. Though it was just the sound of someone knocking on the door, it felt urgent.

“Come in.”

“My lady, my lady!”

As expected, the servant who had been outside rushed in urgently and ran to Cordelia.

“What’s the matter?”

“A carriage has arrived, and a guest, that is, right now outside…”

“Calm down and speak. A guest has arrived? Who is it?”

“It’s, it’s the White Count. Someone bearing the Atilei crest has arrived, my lady.”

The servant finally caught his breath and reported what he had seen. Even as he spoke, disbelief was evident on his face.

“What did you say? The master, no. The Archduke of Atilei has come?”

Cordelia’s face brightened immeasurably. She stood up abruptly.

“Where is he? Has he passed through the castle gates? The reception room, no, the study? Where should we escort him?”

Until this morning, she had been needlessly depressed about the unreturned letter, but at the news of Leonard’s personal arrival, Cordelia felt like she could fly.

As Cordelia was about to rush out immediately, it was Rosenblur who stopped her.

“Has Leo come?”

“It seems so. Goodness, he should have sent word ahead. Coming without any notice.”

Though her tone was gruff, her lips twitched with joy. Rosenblur felt strangely empty seeing that face.

“Cordelia… No. You should hurry and go. Leo will be waiting.”

“Take good care of yourself and make sure to eat. That’s how you’ll regain your strength to leave again.”

“Thank you.”

Before Rosenblur could express his gratitude, Cordelia had already left the room with quick steps. He felt a greater chill in a corner of his heart than in his splitting headache or churning stomach.

* * *

He must be crazy.

From the night he decided to leave for Abrams until now, Leonard couldn’t understand himself.

Abandoning the mountain of work piled up to rush to Abrams was clearly not a rational or reasonable choice.

However, when such reports from Beluce kept coming in, Leonard couldn’t sit still and wait any longer.

Moreover, with Baron constantly saying nonsensical things like “Even I would run away” beside him, he became even more anxious.

‘Wouldn’t it be better if I weren’t your disciple, Master?’

He didn’t know why he had come all this way for a disciple who said such things.

There were so many people lining up to become his disciple if he went to the Mage Association right now, yet he couldn’t understand why he was so obsessed with Cordelia.

Obsession. That was the only word that could explain his behavior.

Leonard was confused by the waves of unfamiliar emotions he was experiencing for the first time. Emotions he couldn’t name or explain kept rushing at him and striking him.

Even about the reason he had rushed to Abrams without rest for almost four days, he explained to himself that he was just going to catch an impertinent disciple.

“Welcome, welcome. We welcome you to Abrams. Unfortunately, the Count is currently…”

“I know. Craig Abrams died recently and the funeral was held. I’ve come to see Cordelia Vasquez.”

As soon as he passed through the gates of Abrams Castle, a pale-faced butler rushed over and bowed deeply. He seemed too scared to even make eye contact with the unexpectedly arrived Atilei.

“We’ve notified the lady, so she should be here soon. For now, let me guide you inside.”

Leonard dismounted and handed the reins to a servant. Then he strode past the butler.

He hadn’t expected to come here again.

Leonard entered the castle, passing through the corridor. Everything was the same, from the shabby garden that was no better than a vegetable patch to the gloomy gray castle walls.

“Sh-shall I escort you to the reception room? Or…”

“That’s enough.”

He waved off the pleading butler. The butler, at a loss for what to do, could only fidget anxiously. He could only fervently pray that the servant sent to fetch Cordelia would return quickly.

Leonard looked around the interior of the castle with his arms crossed. Just then, light footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs. He pretended not to notice while focusing all his attention in that direction.

What should I say when we meet?

First, I should scold her for being so lazy as to make her master come all the way here. And I shouldn’t forget to demand why she hadn’t sent even one letter. No matter how busy, it’s unacceptable not to even inquire about her master’s well-being.