Rose looked at me with wavering eyes.
Beneath her irises, which were dyed in chaotic hues, various emotions repeatedly surged and subsided.
“…Your Excellency, I.”
Rose murmured something unintelligible and squeezed her eyes shut. A droplet that had gathered at the corner of her eye finally rolled down her cheek.
“I, I…….”
Rose looked exhausted, as if a dam inside her had burst. It seemed my words just now had touched a nerve.
“Rose.”
Feeling somewhat flustered, I wiped away Rose’s tear with my thumb. I racked my brain, wondering what exactly had been the problem with what I just said.
“…No, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
Rose wiped her eyes and smiled. Her faintly trembling hands caught my eye.
‘Why?’
She was clearly smiling, yet she looked sad. I couldn't understand that dissonance.
“-!”
Rose’s complexion suddenly changed upon seeing my arm.
“Your Excellency! Your arm!”
“Hmm?”
“Your arm has swelled to twice its size!”
“Ah.”
Perhaps due to overexerting myself, my left arm was severely swollen. No wonder it had been throbbing since earlier.
“It’s fine, this much is-”
Clunk.
The door rattled as if someone outside was trying to open it.
“-told you not to!”
“-must enter! If something happens to His Excellency!”
Matthias and the pharmacist’s shouting could be heard from outside the door.
“Your Excellency, this isn't the time to be dawdling.”
Rose carefully pushed my arm away and rose from her seat.
“You need to receive treatment right away. I’ve done all I can.”
“Wait-”
Click.
Slipping away from me, Rose opened the door.
“-His Excellency will definitely, wah!”
The pharmacist, who had been turning the doorknob, tumbled headfirst into the room. Beyond the door, Matthias appeared with a troubled look.
“Brother!”
Matthias hurriedly vaulted over the pharmacist and entered the room.
“You’re awake.”
“What?”
The pharmacist also scrambled to his feet and rushed to my side.
“Your Excellency! What happened? You were clearly unconscious!”
“…Hmm.”
I glanced briefly at Rose, who was standing demurely with her eyes lowered, before inevitably turning my gaze to the pharmacist.
“That’s just what happened.”
“What…?”
The pharmacist looked back and forth between Rose and me in bewilderment.
“In all my years of experience, I’ve never- Your Excellency!”
He then saw my face and recoiled in shock.
“Your complexion, your complexion is severely poor!”
“Mm.”
With Rose’s body, which had been clutching onto me like a painkiller, gone, the pain belatedly rushed in. My fractured left arm throbbed, and I had absolutely no energy, having consumed nothing for two days.
“You must get absolute rest! Do you understand?”
The pharmacist hastily laid me down on the bed and attempted to treat me. Then, as if giving earnest warnings to both Rose and me, he spoke.
“Absolute rest, I say!”
It looked like advancing to the next stage was out of the question here. Thinking that, I waved my hand half-heartedly.
“I got it, so hurry up.”
“Oh my, your arm… why is its condition worse than before? What on earth did you do?”
Unable to possibly answer that, I scowled and urged him to continue the treatment.
“Well, your pulse is normal for now, and your blood circulation seems to be fine, but….”
Watching us from a step back, Rose suddenly staggered.
“-Madam!”
She didn’t collapse to the floor only because Matthias happened to catch her. Rose grabbed Matthias’s arm with a fatigued face and stood up.
“…Thank you, Sir Matthias.”
Matthias carefully seated Rose on the sofa. Then, he looked at me and spoke.
“Since you were buried, she hasn’t slept a wink… no, she hasn't rested at all.”
“I see.”
I nodded before addressing the pharmacist.
“As soon as my treatment is done, I want you to check on my wife as well.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
The pharmacist replied with a serious face. He removed the splint I had temporarily applied and carefully began pressing various spots on my arm.
“But really, how did you manage it? Is there some treatment method I’m unaware of?”
“About that.”
I began to execute a plan I had been contemplating.
“Let’s say you’re the one who treated me.”
“Pardon?”
I needed to deceive the eyes of enemies and make good use of this incident.
**
Time flew by in a flash.
Dane received help from an experienced pharmacist to realign his arm bone and took command of reconstructing the collapsed Gallery 13.
It was an energetic movement, quite unlike someone who had been trapped in Gallery 13 for two days.
It was to alleviate the anxiety of the miners and knights.
All raised their hands and cheered at their master’s return. Everyone worked hard to get the mine operations back on track.
Meanwhile.
“Madam! A guest is here!”
Matthias visited Rose, who was in the Velvet Wisp cultivation room.
“Sir Matthias. What is the matter?”
Rose took off the gloves she had worn and greeted Matthias.
In front of such Rose,
“Madam.”
Matthias knelt on one knee.
“If you would permit it… I would like to apologize for my past rudeness.”
It was an unusually serious face. She had somewhat expected it, so Rose looked at him with a calm expression.
“An apology? For what?”
“I believe I have been misunderstanding you all this time. I sincerely… apologize.”
Though he stuttered slightly, Matthias finished what he had to say.
“No one can deny… that your contributions this time were great. The one who saved my brother wasn’t me… it was you, Madam.”
Rose, who had been listening silently, asked.
“Who wrote that for you?”
“…Pardon?”
“It doesn’t seem like you prepared it on your own.”
Perhaps hitting the nail on the head, Matthias’s earlobes turned red.
“…I received some help from Miss Lune.”
As expected. The apology Matthias prepared seemed far too neat and delicate to have come from him.
‘Forgive me, I’m someone who can only say sorry.’
Rose had Matthias quite figured out.
“Please don't misunderstand, Madam. This isn’t an apology I’m making because Miss Lune told me to. I’m doing it voluntarily.”
Matthias hurriedly waved both hands and mumbled.
“I was merely worrying over how to properly apologize to you and received some help.”
“You didn't use that as an excuse to strike up a conversation with Lune, did you?”
“No! I didn't approach her first! Miss Lune said she would help me… ugh.”
Matthias groaned.
If he had a tail, it would have been drooping and tucked tightly between his legs.
‘Pfft.’
Rose barely swallowed her laugh.
It was obvious how tightly Helena must have reined Matthias in. No wonder she had been slipping away briefly lately.
The sight of Matthias struggling to memorize exactly what Helena told him to say vividly came to mind.
‘He still worked hard, though.’
She had no intention of being overly harsh toward someone who was bowing his head first.
However, considering Matthias’s words and actions until now, she couldn’t easily accept his apology either.
“Anyone can offer an apology in words, Sir Matthias.”
Matthias’s expression darkened, and
“I’ll be watching from now on. To see if you do well.”
Following Rose’s pointed remark brightened.
He jumped to his feet and bowed his head again.
“Thank you, Madam!”
Seeing Matthias beam with a grin, Rose ended up laughing along.
Following one finicky cat, it felt like she had now acquired a loyal dog.
A few hours later.
Rose and Dane boarded the carriage heading back to Schmaichel Castle.
“The castle probably already knows of my situation by now.”
“Is that so?”
“Since my return was delayed, they must have tried to investigate what happened.”
Dane’s eyes, settled deep into the chair, gleamed with a cold light.
“It’ll be a great opportunity to test Joel.”
Upon arriving at Schmaichel Castle, a large number of the castle’s staff were indeed waiting with worried faces.
“Your Excellency, we were worried because your return was delayed.”
“We heard there was an accident at the mine. We hope nothing serious happened?”
The complexions of the whispering butler Bill and head maid Selma looked wretched.
“Your Excellency, we heard you didn’t eat for two days! How could that be! We couldn’t even let you skip a single meal!”
Chef Fabri looked like he was about to burst into loud wails.
“Everyone, stop fussing over nothing.”
Dane soothed the people and entered the castle. As he did, the chief physician Joel urgently approached him.
“Your Excellency.”
“Joel.”
Dane looked at him and motioned with his chin toward just below his shoulder.
Seeing the forearm hidden beneath his thick coat,
“-!”
Joel, realizing something, nodded with a grave expression.
He had all the other attendants leave the room, leaving only his confidants—Bill, Selma, Fabri, Joel—and Rose.
As everyone stood in a circle surrounding Rose and Dane,
Rustle.
Dane took off the thick coat he had draped over himself.
“Haa…….”
“Oh dear.”
The crowd swallowed their gasps upon seeing the splint on Dane’s arm. They hadn't anticipated that their master would be injured.
“What exactly happened?”
Butler Bill asked in a prudent tone.
“I heard there was a cave-in accident, but.”
“It seems my uncle no longer cares whether he plunges into water or fire.”
Dane gave a brief summary of how the accident was artificially triggered and that he had been trapped in Gallery 13 for two days.
“However,”
Dane leaned loosely against the sofa and spoke in a heavy voice.
“While trapped in Gallery 13, I felt strange symptoms.”
“Pardon?”
“Is that true?”
The people also adopted serious expressions and focused on Dane’s words.
“…….”
Rose carefully scrutinized Joel, who bore an expression just as surprised as everyone else's.
“My head was spinning and it was difficult to breathe. I eventually lost consciousness.”
Selma gasped and covered her mouth. She seemed shocked that Dane had deteriorated to such a state.
“I had only been trapped for about two days, but my symptoms were unusually severe.”
Dane gestured toward Joel with his chin.
“Thanks to the mine’s pharmacist treating me after my rescue, I was able to regain consciousness. However, his knowledge had its limits, so I hurried back to the castle.”
His deepened blue eyes held Joel.
“Joel, I need your help.”
The crowd’s attention converged on Joel. Joel bowed his head deeply with a grave face.
“I will do my best, Your Excellency.”