Saving My Childhood Friend Through... Questionable Means... - Chapter 55
The next day, as Seria was having a meal with Marie, a servant approached her.
“Lady Seria, a letter has arrived from the Duke’s estate.”
“Oh? What could it be about?”
As Marie’s eyes lit up with curiosity, Seria shook her head and used a paper knife to carefully open the letter. Her face was filled with concern. Yesterday’s events had left her shaken, and her hands trembled as she unfolded the paper.
Slowly reading through its contents, her eyes widened in shock. The letter stated that the Duke had fallen ill and urged her to return immediately. Considering he had stood in the rain for hours, it wasn’t surprising.
‘I was worried this might happen, and now it’s come to this.’
Seria decided to cancel her plan to stay for a week and return to the duchy. As Marie saw her off, she smiled mischievously, a knowing look on her face. Seria sighed and shook her head.
“Don’t smile like that. I’m only going back because something bad happened at the estate.”
“Is that so? Well, regardless, I hope to hear some good news soon.”
“It’s not the time for that…”
Wearing a worried expression, Seria boarded the carriage that the Viscounty had prepared for her. The carriage sped toward the Duke’s estate, and as soon as she arrived, she headed straight to Lucas’s room in the main building.
Standing hesitantly outside the door, she saw the butler exit the room and spotted her.
“Lady Seria, you’ve returned.”
“How is the Duke? Is he alright?”
“Why don’t you go in and see for yourself?”
The butler smiled kindly, stepping aside to let her in.
Gathering her courage, Seria opened the door to Lucas’s bedroom. The room was dim, the curtains drawn tightly despite it being daytime.
As she cautiously approached the bed, she saw Lucas lying there, looking weak. The soft glow of a bedside lamp highlighted his haggard features.
Sensing her presence, Lucas barely opened his eyes, his voice faint.
“…Seria, thank you for coming.”
“Lucas… Is this because you stood in the rain yesterday? Why did you keep waiting like that? I didn’t even know…”
Seria trailed off, biting her lip. Lucas propped himself up against the headboard, shaking his head.
“That’s not it. I did faint momentarily because of the rain, but it was mainly because I hadn’t eaten in days. Once I had some food, I felt much better.”
Hadn’t eaten in days? This was news to her. Seria’s eyes widened, and Lucas continued.
“It’s just… while you were away, I was too miserable to eat. And then standing in the rain on top of that—it all just caught up to me. But don’t worry, I’m fine now. I am a knight, after all. I recovered quickly thanks to my aura.”
“Is that so? Then why did the letter say you were sick and asked me to return quickly…?”
When she asked, Lucas gestured for her to come closer. As she leaned in, his large hand gently rested on her small shoulder. Lucas brought his lips close to her ear, his face noticeably flushed.
“It wasn’t because of the rain.”
“Then why?”
Urged on by her questioning look, Lucas’s face turned even redder, his blush spreading down to his neck. Closing his eyes tightly, he stammered.
“L-Lovesickness… It’s lovesickness.”
“What?”
Seria stared at him, her expression dumbfounded, wondering if she had heard wrong. Lucas let out a long sigh, then opened his eyes slightly.
“…I said it’s lovesickness.”
“Lovesickness? Are you talking about the illness I think you are?”
As Seria stood there in disbelief, the terrace doors suddenly burst open, and a breeze carrying flower petals swirled into the room. The fragrant wind, laced with the scent of red roses, spun around the room, scattering petals over Seria and Lucas.
At first, the romantic atmosphere was pleasant. But soon, the petals began to overwhelm the wind, creating a near blizzard of flowers. It was hard to tell if it was a flower storm or storming flowers. The petals slapped against her face repeatedly, and when some got into her mouth, Seria spat them out in disgust.
“Ugh! Why is there so much wind all of a sudden? And where are all these petals coming from?”
It was unseasonal weather, making her suspicious. Could this be an assassination attempt? Seria narrowed her eyes at the terrace, but thankfully, the storm of petals began to subside after her irritated outburst.
“Finally, it’s stopped.”
Just as Seria turned her head back from watching the terrace, Lucas suddenly leapt out of bed and tumbled dramatically onto the floor, rolling toward her.
The commotion was so loud that Seria jumped. Judging by his pained groan, it seemed the rolling wasn’t part of his plan. Holding his head, he winced in pain before sitting up on one knee.
‘What in the world is this? Is lovesickness just another word for madness?’
Seria tilted her head slightly, about to ask what was going on, when Lucas pulled out a box hidden in his robe pocket. The small box clicked open, revealing a dazzling gemstone ring.
