“Aah… My precious daughter-in-law…”
Thud.
“S-Son!”
After hearing the whole story, Neslan clutched his head and collapsed. Fortunately, the startled Garno grabbed his shoulder, and Yuliana quickly supported him from the side, but his face was already pale as a sheet. And then…
Vientin, his expression viciously contorted, asked, “You’re saying Giselle is terminally ill?”
“No one has actually said she’s terminally ill yet…”
“She coughed up… blood. My in-law cried. What else would that mean but terminal illness!”
Excessive affection had turned into excessive worry and wild leaps of logic. Neslan’s shoulders trembled weakly as he screamed out. Yuliana, who had wrapped her arms firmly around his shoulders, murmured quietly,
“We still don’t know how things will turn out.”
“Wife…”
“Make sure no one tells Giselle that we know she’s sick. She’s soft-hearted… Well, not exactly soft-hearted… Anyway, she’s that kind of child. If something she hasn’t even revealed herself comes to light, she’ll be terribly upset… Well, maybe not terribly upset… but anyway, just don’t.”
Up until then, Vientin had been standing silently. Now, he muttered quietly through clenched teeth. “Giselle…” As he continued breathing heavily in what looked like suppressed rage. Pop. Another button burst from his chest.
Just as Garno reached for the button that had rolled across the table, Yuliana spoke in a chilling tone. “Are you satisfied now?”
“W-Whaat?”
“Are you satisfied now that the child you always called weak has ended up like this?”
“No, I-I just… I-I never thought it would be this serious…” Garno’s shoulders slumped as well. Worry filled his eyes.
* * *
…What is this creepy feeling? All I did was take a nap after drinking a sleeping potion, but it felt like a lot had happened while I was out.
When I opened my eyes, the Count, his eyes red, gripped my hand tightly and said, “Count Sehera, he was perfectly fine too, but then he just died out of nowhere.”
“Okayyy…”
“You have to take care of your health, both body and mind, Giselle.”
“Yup.”
“And never, ever go back to the Kalinos Mansion.”
“Ye—wait, but I’m the duchess, you know?” Of course, Yuliana still handles everything, and I just laze around all day, but still.
At that, Count Florette let out a sigh and shook his head. “My sweet child, how can you be so kindhearted? Even when you’re sick, you’re still so responsible…”
“I mean, anyone can see I’m just loafing around, though.”
When would that rose-colored parental bias ever come off? I sighed inwardly and had a feeling Count Florette’s bias would never fade. Well, it couldn’t be helped.
“I need to look into the treasures on the treasure ship I’m supposed to receive, so I really have to get going.”
“Huh, the treasure ship? Ah, you mean the reward for saving Her Majesty earlier…”
I thought Count Florette didn’t know much about the treasure ship either, so I turned my head. But then he stroked his chin thoughtfully, then suddenly blurted out.
“Oh, come to think of it, there might be a keepsake of your father on that treasure ship.”
“What? My father’s keepsake?”
“Yes. That guy used to hide his things away in places like ships all the time. If my dear friend’s keepsake is there, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
“Ah…”
At that moment, something flashed through my mind. A keepsake from my father, who was so capable that he could even change appearances and organize report formats for me. Maybe Duke Reshaniel was after the treasure ship because he wanted my father’s keepsake.
I eyed Count Florette with a greedy glint. “Alright. I guess I’ll have to go inside the treasure ship to find out more.” And with that, I headed straight back to the Kalinos Mansion. But…
Why does the whole mansion feel like a funeral parlor?
It was already late at night, but I saw people huddled together in the parlor, heads together in conversation. From Garno to Riwes, it looked like the entire family had gathered.
“Sister.”
“You’re back, Giselle!”
“…It’s cold out, why aren’t you wearing a shawl? Come sit closer to the fireplace.”
It wasn’t anything new for these people to dote on me, but even Garno was looking at me with such tenderness.
What is this? Seriously, what’s going on? I wasn’t exactly oblivious, but the atmosphere in the room was definitely… strange. Without thinking much of it, I was about to walk toward the warm fireplace when I saw Duke Kalinos, his face expressionless, already striding up to me.
“Giselle.”
“Your Grace?”
But then I noticed his shirt… Wait, why is he suddenly wearing such a tight shirt? My eyes went wide in shock. He was… seriously built.
“How is your body feeling?”
“My body? All of a sudden?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to me, and I couldn’t help but feel a little flustered. Now that I thought about it, I really had slept a lot back at the Florette Mansion. Rubbing my eyes, I mumbled vaguely, “Hmm… I’m fine. Maybe just a little stiff?”
At that, everyone’s eyes grew comically wide. If this were a comic, there’d be a huge ‘thud’ sound effect written next to their heads. Riwes’s eyes were even brimming with tears. Just saying I felt a bit stiff shocked them all so much that I ended up feeling even more bewildered.
“Why is everyone suddenly—”
“This won’t do.”
“Huh? What do you—kyaa!”
In a flash, Duke Kalinos stepped forward, supported my waist, and scooped me up in his arms.
W-Wait, this is a princess carry! And his white shirt, stretched to the limit, kept rippling right in front of my eyes. He looked like he was furious about something, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths, his ribcage swelling and deflating over and over… Amazingly, through that gap, his perfectly sculpted chest muscles were on full display.
Why on earth is he wearing such a dangerous shirt…?!
I desperately wanted to look away, but it was like my eyes were nailed in place. And whenever I tried to turn my head, I’d hear people around me sighing and groaning, so I couldn’t even move recklessly. So, half against my will, I just stared blankly at his chest. Then, as he breathed a little too hard, there was a sudden pop, and a button at his chest burst off his shirt. The shirt flapped open…
C-Crazy.
Drip. Drip. I felt something trickle from my nose. Thinking it was just a runny nose, I casually wiped under it.
“Uh, Si-Sister, y-your nose is bleeding!”
The red stains on my fingertips told me exactly what it was.
A nosebleed. As I watched the blood drip down, I squeezed my eyes shut. I really am a pervert. Forgive me, God. But honestly, if even God saw a chest like that, He’d probably understand how I feel.
I looked around, trying to come up with a proper excuse. It wasn’t because I was a pervert. It was the sudden attack of the white shirt, that’s all. But then—
“Sister!” Riwes, who always acted so mature, came running at me, bawling his eyes out.
“Uh, huh? Riwes, why are you crying?”
“…H-Hic. O-Our…”
“Stop crying.”
Neslan was sobbing, burying his face in Yuliana’s broad embrace. Even Garno’s legs were shaking so hard, I wondered if he’d been possessed by a chihuahua. To make matters worse, I could feel Duke Kalinos’s arms grow tense around me.
“Everyone.” He spat out each syllable as if he were grinding them between his teeth. “Please leave.”
I looked around with a flustered expression. Wait, all I did was get a nosebleed from staring at Duke Kalinos’s exposed chest like some kind of pervert… Why is everyone acting like this all of a sudden?
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