Chapter 4
“From this moment on, you will become my subordinate.”
“…Pardon?”
Alice smiled deeply as she watched Helkin’s face turn momentarily stupid.
“Helkin. If you want to live, you must become completely loyal to me from this very instant.”
* * *
“Young Madam. I heard that from today, you will be managing the Duke’s medication.”
After finishing her business with Helkin, Alice was escorted to the Duchess’s room.
As she pondered over future plans there, time flew by and night fell.
And so, she found herself back in her husband’s bedroom.
Alice looked at the butler who had arrived in the bedroom ahead of her.
He was the only one of Kylus’s vassals left in the mansion.
All of the capable vassals of Duke Dearrut were driven out of the ducal house after the Duke collapsed.
Although they would later gather around the female protagonist, they never returned to the Dearrut household.
After all, the Dearrut duchy disappeared after Kylus’s death.
“Young Madam?”
Alice, momentarily lost in thought, snapped back to attention at the butler’s call.
“Ah, yes. From now on, I’ll be in charge of the Duke’s medicine. The Grand Madam ordered it so.”
Kylus took medicine once a day.
Of course, it was medicine without any real effect, but it was one of Lady Quillian’s tactics to show that they were doing their best to treat the Duke for appearances’ sake.
Naturally, the butler, as Kylus’s vassal, had been administering the medicine.
But now that his wife had entered the picture, she could naturally take over this role from the butler.
The reason Lady Quillian had brought Alice in was precisely to separate the butler from Kylus.
After all, it would be difficult to kill Kylus quickly with the butler by his side.
“Then, I’ll bring the medicine…”
“No need. Doctor Helkin already sent the medicine to me earlier.”
As Alice showed the crystal bottle she had brought, the butler’s eyes flickered slightly.
He must be suspicious.
After all, the person who had brought her in was none other than Lady Quillian.
But having lost his authority, the butler could do nothing to stop her.
“So, you can leave now.”
“…Yes, then I shall take my leave.”
After the butler left the room with a darkened expression, Alice approached the bed with the crystal bottle.
Swish, Alice drew back the curtain and reached out to her beautiful sleeping husband, Kylus.
“There’s something on your face.”
Alice removed a small thread stuck to Kylus’s cheek.
“Hmm…”
Then she looked down at Kylus for a moment.
Kylus’s face, deep in sleep, looked peaceful at a glance.
But he must be wandering in an unwanted abyss.
A sleep from which he could never wake up.
“I’m sorry… but I have to survive too.”
Just as Alice whispered softly, suddenly the door opened.
Alice, startled, turned her head towards the door.
She thought it might be the butler, but the person who entered was Maris.
“Maris, what is it?”
“The Grand Madam ordered me to check if the Young Madam is performing her duties properly.”
Maris said, looking down at her with a triumphant expression.
As if she was Alice’s superior.
But to Alice’s eyes, it looked like nothing more than clumsy bullying.
“Hurry up and do your job.”
Maris urged. Alice found it ridiculous, but on the other hand, she thought it was fortunate.
If Maris saw it directly, Lady Quillian wouldn’t harbor unnecessary suspicions towards her.
“Alright.”
Alice opened the lid of the crystal bottle.
Then she sat on the edge of the bed. Without a moment’s hesitation, Alice reached out to Kylus.
She slipped her hand behind his neck and slightly lifted his head.
Then she brought the crystal bottle to his pale lips.
The clear liquid from the bottle flowed between his slightly parted lips.
Only after the crystal bottle was completely emptied did Alice release Kylus.
After laying his head back on the pillow, Alice waved the empty bottle at Maris.
“There, satisfied?”
“…”
Maris pouted with a sour expression.
It seemed she had hoped Alice would tremble and cry out that she couldn’t do it.
How could everything show so plainly on her face?
Alice, suppressing the urge to shake her head, said:
“Maris, if there’s nothing else left to do, I’d like to rest.”
“…I’ll take my leave.”
Maris left the room, almost snatching the empty crystal bottle.
After Maris left, Alice looked down at Kylus again.
“…Don’t worry. I didn’t give you poison.”
Indeed, what Alice had given Kylus was not poison.
‘So, you’re saying the Duke can never wake up?’
‘Yes. Never. It’s a poison that neither antidotes nor holy power can counter. In fact, even if left as is, he’ll die within a year.’
‘He’ll die in the end…’
‘Yes. If he takes this poison, he’ll pass away faster.’
‘Helkin.’
‘Yes?’
‘I have no intention of giving the Duke poison.’
‘What? Then…’
Seeing Helkin’s confusion, Alice calmly said:
‘From today, pretend to give the Duke poison with me and deceive Mother.’
That’s how Alice had received nutritional supplements instead of poison from Helkin.
In fact, at first, she had thought of making Helkin create an antidote by exploiting his weakness.
It wasn’t because she had tremendous affection for Kylus, but because it seemed a pity for him to die.
He’s so handsome, it would be a waste for him to die.
Anyway, Alice had tried to make an antidote to save the Duke, but Helkin said it was impossible.
Suspecting he might be lying, she threatened Helkin, but there was no sign of deceit in his pale, shaking head.
So in the end, she brought useless nutritional supplements.
“I really tried to save you. So please don’t resent me too much for escaping death alone.”
Perhaps because they were originally destined to die together,
Alice whispered softly to him, feeling apologetic.
Even though she knew he couldn’t hear her.
“…It’s bitter.”
No matter how she thought about it, Kylus was really too handsome to die.
A face like this should live long and spread its handsomeness for generations.
To die so young. To die without even opening his eyes.
Even if she escaped from the ducal house, he would eventually die, either by Lady Quillian’s hand or by a new duchess.
Feeling her mood plummet rapidly, Alice stood up from her seat.
There’s nothing I can do.
Knowing there was no way for him to live, it was better to keep her distance to avoid getting unnecessarily attached.
Just as she was about to return to her room, perhaps due to the sudden movement, Kylus’s arm fell off the bed with a thud.
“Ah.”
Alice lifted his hand and placed it back on the bed. But then, she noticed a wound on his arm that had been hidden by his sleeve.
The wound, which looked like it had been cut somewhere, was red and swollen, festering as if no one had taken care of it.
“No, even if he can’t feel pain…”
They should at least treat the wound.
Did the butler not see this wound?
Alice furrowed her brow as she looked at the festering wound, as if she herself was in pain.
Although she had decided not to get attached, it seemed she had already grown a bit fond of him, as her heart felt uneasy.
“Who on earth did this…”
To cut such porcelain-like skin, whoever it was, may they trip on a stone and break their nose while walking.
Even if he can’t feel pain, could it really not hurt at all…
Although she couldn’t save his life, she wanted to at least heal this wound.
The moment she thought this while touching the festering wound, suddenly a white light emanated from Alice’s hand.
“Oh my god! What is this!”
Alice, startled, pulled her hand away from him. As she did, the white light that had burst from her palm gradually disappeared.
As if it was being absorbed back into her palm.
Alice examined her hand with wide eyes.
“What was that just now…?”
No matter how she looked, there was nothing strange about her snow-white hand.
I’m not some red-suited hero from a movie, why is light coming from my hand?
As Alice was looking down at her hand with a puzzled expression, she turned her gaze and discovered something truly surprising.
Kylus’s long, cut wound had healed halfway.
Cleanly, without a trace.
Alice’s golden eyes trembled slightly as she looked at the part where new skin had grown.
“Could this be… holy power?”
Thanks to the countless fantasy novels she had read in her previous life and the original Alice’s memories, she knew about magic and holy power.
And this ability to heal wounds without any special incantation was not magic, but holy power.
“But the original Alice didn’t have holy power…?”
The original Alice was an ordinary noble lady.
No, she was closer to being timid and intimidated than ordinary.
Anyway, she didn’t have any special abilities.
But suddenly, holy power?
“…A possession buff? Something like that?”
There was no other way to explain it.
In a situation where an impossible possession had already occurred, suddenly gaining holy power? Well, it’s a blessing to be given one ability.
She thought God had dropped her here to suffer, but it seems He had the conscience to give her at least one ability.
Nodding in agreement, Alice calmed her surprised heart and approached Kylus.
Alice looked at Kylus’s sleeping face once and then placed her hand over his wound.
I hope the wound heals.
As soon as she thought this, just like before, white light burst from her hand. And new skin grew over the remaining wound.
Seeing the wound heal cleanly, Alice felt much more at ease.
“So I can at least heal wounds with holy power…”
Helkin had said that even holy power wouldn’t work on the sleeping poison Kylus had taken, but it seemed this much was possible.
“…Thank goodness. At least there’s something I can do.”
Alice, staring at Kylus’s skin where the wound had disappeared, carefully placed his hand back on the bed.
Then, as she tidied his blanket, she said goodbye.
“See you tomorrow, Kylus.”
She gently patted his chest and left the bedroom without lingering.
And so, Alice didn’t see it.
Kylus’s fingers, which had been motionless, twitching slightly.
