“...!”
I was startled by the unexpected words and stood up again.
My face flushed again, and I felt a sudden flush.
“How do you... !”
“This is information I got from the maid who served you when you went to the palace.”
As the palace is where the royal family lives, security was tight.
But the fact that he was able to get through that tight security and get this information from the maid means that he definitely has skills.
...But I was concerned that the information I found out was so embarrassing that it made me feel embarrassed.
I sighed and sat back down.
“Why did you know that?”
“Well, when you ask me to prove my skills, I need to have an answer.”
I get that, but why did you have to know that?
A sigh welled up from deep within me.
“Now that it’s been proven, can you tell me the details of your request?”
Leo looked at his pocket watch and urged me on.
“For people like us, time is money. I want to finish quickly and go back.”
It was the same for me, so I handed Leo a note with the details of the request that I had written down in advance.
“This is the request.”
Leo immediately checked what was written on the note and tilted his head.
“Is what is written here true?”
“I don’t know that, so I’m asking you to do it.”
“But I guess you’re asking because there are suspicious circumstances.”
That's right.
“If you could tell me that part, it would be a great help in finding it. It might even shorten the search time.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”
How can I put it into words?
In fact, I regressed, and it seems like the Emperor killed me in my previous life for this reason.
“Just understand what’s written there.”
“You do realize that it takes a long time and costs a lot of money, right?”
“I wish you could find it as quickly as possible.”
So that when my assumption turns out to be true, I can react quickly.
“Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t matter how much money it costs.”
Leo whistled softly.
“You don’t care how much it costs. As expected, you are the daughter of the Duke Leopold.”
“Enough rambling, how long do you think it’ll take?”
“Well, I can’t give you a definite answer since I’ll have to try it myself to know... but it’ll take at least a month.”
A month?
“Of course, I will come back after a month to give an interim report even if I haven’t found out anything.”
Leo stood up as I nodded.
“Then shall we meet here in a month, Miss?”
"No."
At that time I...
“The Royal Knights Academy. See you there.”
Since I left the dukedom and entered the academy, I couldn't see him here.
***
6 o'clock in the morning.
Waking up at this hour had become a habit, so his eyes opened naturally, but Perdes couldn't move an inch.
“Ugh.”
Because his whole body ached as if he had been hit by a huge club.
Even moving a single finger was so painful that a groan would erupt.
'Is it muscle pain?'
Recently, he's been feeling a bit shaky, as if he has a cold.
It was clear that his muscles were sore from Aldor's harsh swordsmanship training these days.
He didn't want to go to morning training because his body was so sore that he could hardly move a finger, but he had to go.
It had been less than a month since Perdes had learned swordsmanship from Aldor, and he couldn't leave under the pretense of being sick.
It's nothing more than muscle pain.
So, even when he tried to stand up, he couldn't do it.
Maybe taking some painkillers will help him feel better.
Perdes barely managed to stretch out his still hand and pull on the rope.
Knock-
“I’ll go in for a moment, Mr. Perdes.”
After a while, Jack came in with wash water as if he had been waiting.
But Jack, who found Perdes lying on the bed unlike usual, tilted his head and approached the bedside.
“Why are you still lying down... Lord Perdes!”
Jack was surprised to find Perdes sweating so much that his pajamas and blankets were soaking wet, and he called out to him.
“Are you okay? Where does it hurt!? Where does it hurt! Speak...!”
"....Noisy."
The voice was so loud that it rang in his eardrums.
“Be quiet... and bring me some cold water and some painkillers.”
The voice was so loud that it rang in his eardrums.
“Be quiet... and bring me some cold water and some painkillers.”
“Okay! I’ll bring you some warm water and some painkillers!”
I told you to bring something cold, not something warm.
Perdes wanted to say that, but Jack had already left.
Even if Jack was there, he wouldn't have been able to speak because his throat was locked and words wouldn't come out properly.
“Here’s some warm water and some painkillers!”
Jack returned and brought warm water.
Anyway, in times like this, he really doesn't listen.
Perdes drank the water, sighing inwardly over and over again.
It was moderately warm so it wasn't burdensome at all to drink.
In fact, it seemed to improve his throat condition more than drinking cold water.
After taking some painkillers and waiting for some more time, he was able to move his body as he wanted.
Although the pain still remains, it is much better than it was at first.
“Should I call the doctor?”
"it's okay."
What can a doctor do for just muscle pain?
“I have to go to morning training, so bring some clothes.”
“No, you’re going to go train in this condition?”
Jack objected, startled.
“No! Absolutely not! Don’t go to training or anything today. Just lie down in bed and get some rest.”
“I told you it’s okay. It’s just muscle pain. If you exercise and relieve it, it’ll go away quickly.”
“No, no!”
"Noisy."
Despite Jack's objections, Perdes changed his clothes and headed to the knight training grounds where Aldor was waiting.
***
Even without Perdes and with a mountain of work to do, I went to the secret training ground every morning and swung my sword.
Because I need to move !? My body enough to sweat for just 30 minutes to start my day refreshed.
I guess I like moving my body more than sitting at my desk.
Today, after finishing my refreshing morning exercise and returning to my room, I heard some unexpected news from Sarah.
“You say that Lord Perdes lost consciousness and collapsed while receiving swordsmanship training?”
"Yes!"
Sarah said with a deep sigh, her face filled with worry.
“Jack said he had been feeling sick since he woke up this morning, but he insisted on going to training and eventually collapsed.”
Oh, that happened.
It was absurd, but I sighed because it was the kind of personality that would easily do something like that to Perdes.
“So what did the doctor say? Is it just a cold?”
“That is true given the circumstances, but we are examining you to find out more for sure.”
"Yes?"
I thought it would be better to wait until the examination was over rather than going and bothering them for no reason, so I washed up while I waited.
But even after I washed up and dried my wet hair, Perdes' examination didn't seem to end.
Why does it take so long to diagnose a cold?
Do you have any other illness?
I was worried. I couldn't wait for the examination to be over, so I headed to Perdes' bedroom.
In the room were the doctor, Jack, and Lord Aldor.
Perdes was still lying listlessly on the bed, apparently unconscious.
The attending physician, who had been sitting at the bedside checking on Perdes' condition, stood up to greet me, but I waved him off.
“Okay. How is Perdes’ condition?”
"That is..."
The attending physician couldn't answer right away and looked at Jack and Sir Aldor.
It meant that it was something that couldn't be said in front of other people.
That means it's definitely not a simple cold.
“...Both of you, please step aside for a moment.”
"Miss..."
“...”
Jack, of course, and even Lord Aldor hesitated and could not leave easily.
Jack was looking at me with eyes that looked like they might burst into tears at any moment.
"Get out."
After I sent them out, I looked back at Perdes.
It may be my imagination, but Perdes' face looked worse than when I first saw him.
“What is the condition of Perdes?”
“...”
The attending physician's face became pale.
The longer he delayed answering, the more anxious I became.
I held back the urge to grab the attending physician by the collar and demand that he tell me immediately, and asked again.
“I asked how Mr. Perdes was doing.”
“...Sir Perdes is now addicted.”
My heart sank at the answer that came with a heavy sigh.
I expected it to be more than just a cold, but it's poisoning.
“Really?”
"Yes."
The doctor's eyes became even darker.
“Mr. Perdes’s pale complexion, his fingernails and toenails turning black, and even his tongue turning yellow... are all symptoms of addiction.”
“...”
“It seems that he gradually became addicted as he ingested the poison little by little.”
The more I listened, the more amazed I became.
And on top of that, he ingested the poison little by little.
When, where, and how on earth did Perdes ingest the poison?
...Could it be the medicine the Emperor gave him?
'That can't be true.'
I have already confirmed with Lord Aldor that the medicine is non-toxic.
Yeah, I checked.
... I’m not saying that the current medicine is poisonous, but that the previous medicine was not poisonous.
In order to find the Emperor's Watchtower, I deliberately broke the medicine he had and received a new medicine.
And Perdes was taking the medicine regularly to deceive the Emperor.
No way... is there poison in there?
As my thoughts reached that point, I searched through every drawer I could see.
“Oh, Miss?”
My doctor was embarrassed by my behavior and called me, but I didn't look back.
It must be somewhere here...
"There is."
After I found what I wanted, I took it and went outside.
"This."
And he placed it in the hands of Lord Aldor.
Lord Aldor, who had seen the same thing before, immediately noticed what I wanted and quickly disappeared.
I hope I'm wrong.
I hope there's no poison in there.
I desperately wanted it though.
“...They say there was poison in that medicine.”
What we desperately wish for never comes true.
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