Since today is a rare day off, Shioana decided to take the money she saved and go to the hospital in Zone 5.
It was to get a proper medical examination to check on Harriet's health condition.
Since the Duke and Cedric were out since morning, Shioana was able to go out comfortably.
It was quite enjoyable to get a cart and travel with Martha.
"Martha, are you feeling okay?"
"Of course. I'm perfectly fine."
However, contrary to her words, Martha's face turned pale due to the rattling vibrations of the cart.
Shioana calculated the money she had and thought that she should call at least a cheap carriage for the return journey.
"I wonder if getting only one day off a month isn't too much."
"That's my choice. Thompson and Murphy said they take four days off a month."
When Shioana said she would take one day off a month, Raul said he would pay her overtime if she worked. Murphy and Thompson looked quite surprised standing nearby, though. Thanks to that, they were able to save up the money for the hospital so quickly.
The sunlight came and shattered on the fair face of the blonde baby held in her arms.
"Our Harriet, he's so lovely..."
Her nose stung when she thought of a woman named Elizabeth who had given birth but never even held her baby in her arms.
"Harriet, let's live with Auntie for a long, long time, okay?"
Harriet smiled shyly as Shioana quietly met his gaze. She held her nephew tightly and inhaled the distinctive scent of a baby when the cart shook violently and came to a stop.
“Thanks for the ride.”
After the cart left, Shioana immediately went to the hospital and made an appointment. The waiting room was mostly filled with well-dressed nobles, and there was not a single person dressed as shabbily as they were.
"Next patient, please come in."
As she visited the examination room holding Harriet, she was impressed by the interior, which was incomparably cleaner and more hygienic than the District 8 animal hospital she had visited before. The doctor, wearing a white coat, frowned as soon as he saw them.
"This isn't a hospital for commoners..."
"I have prepared the money. I would like to request that I only be allowed to see the patient."
Shioana pleaded with the doctor who was about to refuse treatment, explaining their situation.
"Don't cause trouble for others, just leave. The hospital has a reputation."
Although Martha could barely understand what Urcheka was saying, perhaps sensing something ominous, she clasped her hands together and begged the doctor.
"Young master, I would like to request your medical examination. Doctor."
"So you were a foreigner."
The doctor turned his head sharply away from them, appearing even more offended.
It was then.
Someone spoke from a small room right behind the examination room, hidden by a curtain.
"Doesn't a doctor have a duty to treat every patient?"
Shioana's eyes widened at the familiar voice.
A short while later, the person who appeared after the curtain was drawn back was Duke Bernhard. Dressed in hunting attire, he had a white bandage wrapped around one arm.
"Your Excellency, you would do well to rest a little more."
Come to think of it, the Duke's hair and clothes were very disheveled, and there was a little dirt and grass on them. She had heard that he went hunting with Viscount Conrad at dawn; she wondered if the hunting grounds were around here.
"I greet Your Excellency."
Shioana, gripping Harriet tightly, bowed. Ignoring her greeting, the Duke sat on the doctor's desk and gestured with his chin.
"What are you doing? Please examine him."
“But Your Excellency.”
When the elderly doctor stubbornly refused to listen to him, the Duke added a remark.
"She is the woman I cherish."
At the Duke's words, the doctor's eyes widened, and after laying Harriet on the examination table, he began to examine him properly. The Duke sat up, took Shioana's arm, and whispered softly.
"Leave the child with the nanny, and you come with me."
"...Because we have to go back together."
"I will send a carriage to take them safely."
It was not a situation where she could ignore what he said.
If Duke Bernhard hadn't helped, the old doctor would never have spared Harriet.
"Martha. You need to look after Harriet. I have business to attend to regarding His Excellency."
"Don't worry and have a good trip."
Martha's face was very bright, as if she was very happy that she was able to receive medical treatment safely.
As she walked down the hallway, she heard an explanation about what she had to do today.
"I'll deduct ten gold coins if you just go to the hunting grounds with me."
"...The hunting grounds?"
Shioana couldn't understand why he had to go back, especially since he had just received treatment.
'Hunting is terrible, but wouldn't it still be better than a banquet?'
Shioana decided to take it positively, thinking only of the gold coins.
"Anyway, I didn't know it was a day off."
Shioana turned her head at the somewhat sarcastic tone. Although she was indebted to the Duke, she had no obligation to say anything.
"If I had known in advance, I would have taken you with me from the beginning."
"...That is."
She couldn't understand why she felt like she had deceived him for no reason, even though there was nothing to apologize for. As Shioana stepped out of the hospital, she wore a very troubled expression.
"Um, Your Excellency, so..."
“What’s the problem?”
The Duke, mounted on the horse tied at the entrance, wore a bewildered expression.
Holding the reins with only one arm due to an injury, he looked like a scene from a portrait hanging in the hallway of Duke Bernhard's mansion.
From his naturally flowing blonde hair and ruby-red eyes to his broad shoulders and toned thighs, there was not a single part of him that did not draw attention.
"Are you standing there looking at Phil?"
Shioana shook her head, snapping out of her sentimentality at the Duke's urging.
Just because he was handsome like a portrait, she had absolutely no intention of taking him for a talk. Observing her expression, he added.
"I could take a carriage, but if that happens—"
As the Duke trailed off, Shioana let out a low sigh.
"...Ah."
Martha and Harriet had to take the carriage when returning. Having no choice, Shioana took the hand he offered and mounted the horse.
Seated before the Duke, she awkwardly reached out and grabbed the horse's reins.
"Have you ever ridden a horse? You have quite good balance."
He whispered as he watched her lean forward as much as possible to avoid touching the Duke's chest.
***
The hunting ground located on the outskirts of Zone 5 was quite large. Perhaps because there were many nobles accompanying them, flags bearing the coats of arms of various families fluttered in all directions.
Shioana's head throbbed as she thought of something like Regbell's hunting ground.
'This is no different from a banquet!'
Her neck was already stiffening at the thought of having to play the Duke's lover again in front of so many nobles. Noticing her tension, the Duke lowered his head and whispered in Shioana's ear.
"Since I'm just showing my face, it's not that difficult."
However, that was merely the Duke's opinion. Everything was unfamiliar to her, dressed more shabbily than the employees here.
As she ran her hand through the dress, he sneered lightly.
"Why are you dressing up nicely, intending to seduce a new man?"
"..."
"It won't be easy. There's no way anyone would dare covet what's mine."
She hadn't even thought of that, but the Duke spoke as he pleased again. Besides, she is not Duke Bernhard's property.
"Your Excellency, I belong to no one."
Shioana was simply living by her own will.
She did not agonize over seeking recognition from others, nor did she view the world solely through rose-tinted glasses.
The many things she has gone through have shaken Shioana countless times and made her who she is today.
However, the Duke made her his own in an instant.
"I still have seventy gold coins."
As he tightened his grip on Shioana's waist, she lost the will to reply to the Duke's whisper.
What is the point of playing against an opponent who thinks of her as nothing more than a chess piece to be used a few more times?
As soon as Duke Bernhard returned, Cedric rushed over. He helped Shioana dismount from her horse and gave the Duke a strange look.
"So, your urgent business was meeting Miss Shioana, Your Excellency."
"Was there anything unusual?"
Shioana looked around as she walked toward where the Bernhard family's entrance exam tent was set up.
This was the first time she had come to a hunting ground like this. She had watched Eli and his friend hunt from a distance, but she had never been invited before.
"Duke. I was worried."
As she lifted the curtain and entered, she saw many unwelcome faces. There was Godmaid Bernhard and Diana Vale, dressed in splendid attire reminiscent of a ball. They, too, frowned as if they were displeased with Shioana's arrival.
"Were you going to meet that woman?"
"I suddenly miss her so much that I can't even go hunting."
The Duke wrapped one arm around Shioana's waist, who was standing beside him, and acted slyly. At the sight, Diana grinned and blushed deeply.
"Even so, how can you bring such a lowly woman to a hunting competition hosted by Marquis Calix?"
"I will ask for the Marquis's understanding."
The Duke, holding Shioana in his arms, came out and strolled leisurely across the grass. Many nobles who had returned from hunting or were resting could see the two of them.
'I just intended to live quietly...'
Somehow she ended up getting entangled with Duke Bernhard and found herself in the middle of a huge commotion.
"Where did the person who claims to do it properly go?"
"...Ah."
She frowned at his low voice as he tightly gripped her waist. She knew exactly what the Duke wanted, but it was not easy to do so in front of so many people.
"Hurry."
At his urging, Shioana leaned her head against one of the Duke's arms while hanging onto it. Anyone could see she looked like a woman deeply infatuated with the Duke.
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