Chapter 9
It was almost the peak of summer.
Vivian seemed to have come down with an early summer fever. During the sudden heat waves of midsummer, it was not uncommon for people to fall ill, and she was no exception.
As she placed a hand on her cheek, Vivian felt the warm temperature rising beneath her cool palm. Her flushed skin felt uncomfortably hot.
It was clear now. She, who had always roamed around Faubert full of energy and strength, had fallen ill with a summer fever.
She quickly turned her head and sank deep into the seat of the carriage.
If her parents or the staff found out she was sick, they would all worry about her endlessly. But Vivian assumed, without much concern, that since she had never been seriously ill before, this was probably just a mild cold that would soon pass.
The carriage soon entered the estate and came to a gentle stop. As the door opened, Vivian stepped out and headed inside.
Betty, who had been waiting for her as usual, quickly approached.
“Oh, my lady. Your face is very red.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Betty looked at her curiously. Vivian kept her head low and quickly walked up the stairs.
Was something wrong?
Normally, her lady would excitedly talk about where she had been, whom she had met, and everything that had happened, even without being asked. But today, she was unusually quiet.
Especially today, when she had returned from the summer villa at Lochberg, a place she had been so eager to visit. Betty had been curious to hear all about it.
“Wait, my lady. Let me come with you!”
The sound of hurried footsteps going up the stairs told Betty something was definitely different today.
She scratched her cheek, then quickly followed after Vivian.
Something must have happened.
There was no time to hesitate. A servant’s duty was to assist her lady. Betty walked ahead and gently blocked Vivian’s path.
“My lady, are you feeling unwell?”
At those words, Vivian’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Betty was quick to notice things, and if Vivian hesitated even a little more, it would only be a matter of time before she found out about the fever.
Vivian calmed her voice and smiled as naturally as she could. Then she nodded just like she always did.
“No, really. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
Betty narrowed her eyes suspiciously and looked at her closely. Other than her flushed cheeks, there didn’t seem to be anything obviously wrong.
“Yes, truly.”
Vivian smiled brightly and turned her face away so Betty wouldn’t notice anything. Then, as someone’s face came to mind, she suddenly said, without hesitation,
“Betty.”
“Yes, my lady? Do you need something?”
“Could you ask Madam Pourin to come tomorrow?”
Betty blinked in surprise.
“Did you just say Madam Pourin?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, my goodness!”
Betty’s eyes lit up as she moved closer to Vivian, nodding firmly.
The very same young lady who always tried to escape etiquette lessons was now asking for Madam Pourin herself. It was truly unexpected.
She had finally found the desire to learn how to become a proper lady. If the Madam heard about this, she would be absolutely delighted.
With a bright smile, Betty nodded again, her face full of joy.
Not long after, Vivian’s fears became reality.
The blazing sunlight of midsummer filled the sky. It was the beginning of the month when the days were longest. For the first time in her life, Vivian came down with a full-blown summer fever.
Lying in bed in thin clothes, her face was as red as a ripe apple. Warm breaths escaped through her slightly parted lips.
“Her fever is really high. What should we do?”
Betty’s worried voice echoed in Vivian’s ears.
The world was spinning around her.
She had been so sure the fever would pass quickly. But now, she was shaken by how weak her body had become. Just yesterday, she hadn’t felt this helpless. Her body had only felt a little warm then.
But now…
“Call Robert.”
Why did she feel so dizzy?
Vivian let out a shallow breath and closed her eyes. Her entire body felt hot, weighed down by the thick, humid air. The blanket covering her chest felt stiflingly heavy.
“Be…tty…”
“My lady!”
It was too much.
“So hot…”
Those words were the signal.
The lady was sick. Vivian had truly come down with a severe fever.
Until now, she had never suffered from even the smallest illness, so her sudden fever came as a shock to everyone in the mansion.
At the very least, the Vivian they knew was the type to hide her pain, not show it.
In the end, the people of the estate had no choice but to accept the truth: their young lady was ill.
News of Vivian’s condition spread beyond the estate and into the town of Faubert.
The rumor began when Betty, in tears, ran to fetch Robert, the family physician of the Mavel household. Someone saw her and word quickly spread. Soon enough, concern for the ailing young lady was heard all across Faubert.
Vivian found herself facing the one outcome she had tried so hard to avoid.
Bitter medicine, Betty’s overwhelming worry, and her mother’s scolding.
She couldn’t understand how she had fallen ill in the first place. Summers in the Argent Empire were always hot. Faubert, sitting between Argent and the Principality of Lehmann and facing the Tannic Sea, was even hotter.
In this kind of summer, people avoided going out and stayed in cool shade. Vivian had done the same.
If anyone asked whether she had been out long enough to catch a fever, she would have firmly said no.
Vivian buried her face in the blanket. It was too hot.
If someone asked what summer fever felt like, she would say it felt like being burned alive.
The worst summer ever.
Her twelfth summer had begun with a terrible omen.
Oppressive heat, sticky air, suffocating humidity. And worst of all, her own condition.
Vivian made up her mind to visit Grandpa Len as soon as she recovered from this unbearable heat. He was wise and clever. He would surely know why she had gotten sick.
Surrendering to the rising heat, Vivian slowly closed her eyes.
＊ ＊ ＊
Edmund frowned at the noise outside and stepped toward the window.
The sound was coming from merchants unloading goods at the mansion’s entrance.
“You’re awake, sir.”
“It sounds a bit noisy outside.”
“Ah, food supplies are arriving. Being near the coast, ingredients spoil quickly, it seems.”
The steady clatter and movement of the workers felt familiar, as if they had been coming here for a long time.
Watching the same repetitive routine play out again, Edmund lost interest and sank back deeply into his chair.
“Lady Norma has requested that you join her for breakfast.”
“Please tell her I understand.”
“I will make the preparations.”
Edmund gave a slight nod, then turned his gaze away from Varner, who respectfully stepped back.
The peaceful estate and relaxed atmosphere seemed to serve their purpose well. At the very least, this summer villa gave him a valid reason to visit under the pretense of mourning the loss of his mother.
There could be no better place to reflect on the grief of a mother who had spent her entire life denying her son’s existence.
Edmund buttoned his shirt neatly and fastened his cufflinks, then made his way to the garden where his grandmother was waiting.
The breakfast Lady Norma had invited him to was set in the glass conservatory at the back of the estate.
It was probably the same place that girl had tried to go the other day.
Edmund recalled that ridiculous moment. A strange little girl, her head stuck between the iron bars, on the verge of tears. She had looked just like a rabbit caught in a cage. He let out another laugh at the memory. Her manners were completely out of order, but at least she had given him something worth watching in this quiet and uneventful villa. In that sense, she had been quite the entertaining young lady.
“Oh dear, how unfortunate.”
“Of all things, it had to be that terrible summer fever.”
Edmund came to a stop at the sound of the merchants’ casual conversation. They were unloading supplies near the entrance to the estate.
“Faubert will be quiet for a while now.”
“She’ll probably be down for three days at least.”
Their sympathetic murmurs vanished the moment they realized Edmund was nearby.
As soon as they saw him, the merchants put down their loads and bowed deeply. Edmund nodded in return, his expression calm and emotionless, and walked past them.
But after only a few steps, he slowed.
She was an interesting child. Vivian Mabel. That girl who seemed to be loved by everything and everyone in Faubert.
There was something about her that drew people in.
Perhaps it was the very thing he lacked. The warmth and kindness that only a child raised with love could have.
Edmund brushed away the thought and narrowed his eyes slightly.
The feeling was unpleasant, and he had no idea why.
