Princess Shu

“Did the attendance rate for the grand meeting not seem low today?”

Marquess Logan drank tea next to Marquess Joan, he replied.

“I heard that colds and the flu are prevalent in the capital these days. And as the season changes to autumn, it becomes even more prevalent. I’m glad none of the people here are sick.”

“So what if we catch the flu? This draft plan is very important, so we should still come out even if we need to be loaded on a stretcher.”

The nobles burst into laughter after hearing Marquess Joan’s joking remarks.

“Be careful what you wish for. This flu is so bad that ten of my employees have gotten sick in the manor. We won’t catch it anymore once we get it, but it’s really awful.”

“Ten of your employees? Hmm, come to think of it, I think the lady seems to have a cough in the morning…”

Concern was reflected in Marquess Joan’s face, but Marquess Logan reassured him that it would not be a big deal. Then, one of the attendants outside the meeting room walked in. The eyes of the nine high-ranking nobles turned to the attendant who suddenly came in.

“What’s going on?”

The attendant politely bowed his head and said to Schuden.

“Marquess Garth, someone just came from your manor. He’s outside right now, should I let him in?”

“Let him in.”

The attendant went straight outside and brought someone in. He was a servant of Garth’s manor. Perhaps he ran the horse in a hurry in the cold wind, but his cheeks, adorned with a short beard, were frozen red. Schuden had turned anxious since hearing of someone coming from the manor, he frowned.

“What brought you here?”

“Y, Your Grace! This is bad!”

The servant shouted in a voice as if the world was about to collapse.

“I think Madam has caught the flu! The doctor told me to report it to you immediately…”

The high-ranking nobles were secretly nervous amidst the urgent atmosphere. However, they had a strange expression on their faces once they heard the servant’s statement. A flu? Of course, Marchioness Garth catching the flu was not light news, but the servant’s attitude was a bit exaggerated. How could he come running into a nobles’ private meeting just because of a flu? The loyalty of the servants to Marchioness Garth was no less than that of other knights.

‘People would think Marchioness Garth was seriously ill.’

The nobles in the meeting room all thought so and tried to tell Schuden, ‘It’s just a flu, it will be okay.’ or ‘The Marchioness will get better soon.’

Yes, that was what they wanted to say.

“Your Grace!”

Once the nobles heard the sound of a chair being kicked, Schuden moved quick and hurried toward the door. As he strode along with his long legs, the servant with average height had to run to follow his master.

“…”

Schuden had completely disappeared in less than a minute. In his vacancy, silence lingered for a long time in the noble’s private meeting room.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

It had been about an hour since the manor was turned upside down. 

Valia opened her eyes. The restless maids ran to the doctor who was away. 

“Madam has opened her eyes!”

Amidst the noise, Sarah was the first person to come into Valia’s eyes. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“Madam, Madam, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Despite her answer, Valia’s voice came out rough. Her throat was dry and her eyes stung, her whole body was like a fireball. It was a fact that could be known without even feeling her forehead.

“I didn’t know you would be sick this soon. I called the doctor immediately after seeing your fever rise.”

Sarah said with tears in her eyes. 

Aside from the doctor, Valia had also given instructions to Sarah too. She told Sarah to let the doctor know right away should her temperature rise. The reason why the doctor was able to respond quickly was that Valia had told him in advance.

“Madam!”

The doctor rushed while decocting the medicines. After running urgently, he immediately examined Valia’s pulse. Seeing that the doctor’s hand touching her wrist felt cold, she could guess that she had quite a high fever.

“Doctor, I want to ask you something.”

Valia opened her mouth with a voice that did not come out well.

“Yes, Madam. Please speak.”

“Am I suffering from that disease right now?”

Valia was talking about the disease that she explained the symptoms to before. The doctor understood Valia upon hearing her question. He shook his head hurriedly.

“Madam, what you have now is not a fever, but the flu.”

Valia doubted her ears for a moment.

“…Flu?”

“Yes. It’s the flu that’s going around in the capital these days. It’s definitely not a fever so rest assured. You will get better if you rest well for two to three weeks.”

“Is that so? Is there any possibility I will get a fever after this flu gets better?”

“No. From what I have looked at in the medical book, the fever and the flu spreading around this time are the same kinds of high-temperature diseases. You have already caught this flu, so you will never get the fever.”

“…Do you mean I won’t get the fever?”

“Yes, I can guarantee you with my honor as a doctor. So don’t worry about anything and just focus on getting better.”

The doctor reassured Valia again and delicately informed the maids of the temperature of the wet towel before leaving the bedroom to decoct the medicines. The maids carefully put the wet towel on Valia’s forehead. She closed her eyes, feeling the cool temperature.

‘This is strange…’

Even in the midst of the high fever, Valia could not sleep comfortably.

‘…I won’t get the fever?’

Valia could not easily believe what the doctor said, not because of distrust in the doctor, but because it was not easy to understand. One of the memories from her past was of that illness. It was a memory that she could not forget, but on the other hand, it was a memory that was the most blurry for her.

It was not easy to conclude that it was simply because the situation had changed, the environment had changed, or that she just got lucky catching the flu instead of the fever. If Valia had heard nothing from Schuden last night, she would have thought positively and moved on. But there was something she heard clearly.

‘…He’ll become a Duke?’

Garth would acquire a Dukedom. Schuden’s words stayed inside Valia’s mind all day.

‘But House of Garth was a Marquess house until the end?’

That was certainly the case in Valia’s memory. While she served as an escort lady-in-waiting in Yeri’s palace, she had never heard of a new Duke in the Empire.

If Schuden was promoted and became Duke Garth, it made sense if it happened at least after Valia’s death. In other words, it should be after Yeri appeared in the Gel Empire. Because Yeri and Valia died together.

‘This is weird. A lot of things have changed.’

Valia’s choice was limited to her fate. Many things had changed following her volunteering as the temple princess, but in the end, it was within or related to the boundary. However, Garth getting the Dukedom was a different story. She could not guess anything and was worried about Schuden right away.

‘…What if he gets hurt?’

In the hegemony war in the past, Schuden returned in triumph without being seriously injured. Even with Leo Canute’s head, he only had a few cuts on his chest and shoulders. This was the past that Valia knew, so she was not worried about her husband participating in the war. However, with the past and the present having changed like this, Valia’s concern had also changed.

‘Nothing will happen in the war, right…?’

Her concern toward Schuden was rising. 

What if he comes back in a bad condition?

Valia could not sleep, she kept having thoughts about Schuden and could not wipe them off her mind for a long time. Only after taking the medicine that the doctor had made could she finally faint and fall asleep.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

There seemed to be white steam rising from the horse’s back. Schuden haphazardly handed the reins to his horse to the servant and went straight into the hall on the first floor. Paul and the other employees, who had already been waiting in anticipation of his return, quickly bowed their heads as soon as they saw him.

“Your Grace.”

“Greetings to Lord Garth.”

“What about the lady?”

Schuden’s voice was as cold as usual, but there was a little impatience that was difficult to pinpoint. Paul, who perfectly understood his master’s mood, quickly replied.

“Madam had just fallen asleep after taking her medicine.”

“…Call the doctor.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Schuden went straight up to the second floor. In front of the bedroom, the maids, including Sarah, were constantly carrying wet towels. He took a look at the bedroom where Valia was sleeping and entered the room next to it. It was not long before the doctor came in.

“Your Grace.”

Schuden immediately asked about Valia first. He frowned when he heard that Valia had the flu that was prevalent in the capital these days.

“Is it not related to sleeping?”

“Oh, it can also happen if the bedroom is cold. Change the blanket to a thick one…”

“No.”

Schuden stopped talking.

“Not that kind of sleeping.”

“…Oh, no. It is not because madam is tired.”

The doctor quickly understood what Schuden meant and cleared his throat. Rather than from fatigue, Schuden heard that it was probably because of getting infected from tea parties or banquets. Then, he got up from his seat to see Valia, sleeping as she may be.

“Hmm, Your Grace. With all due respect, I have something to tell you.”

“About what?”

“There’s something that the Madam said to me a few days ago. It has been weighing on my mind ever since, so I think I should tell you about it.”

Schuden paused his steps. He looked back at the doctor.

“Say it.”

The doctor hesitated for a while before opening his mouth.

“The Madam asked me about some symptoms a few days ago.”

“Symptoms?”

“Yes, it has the same stem as the flu now but it’s a much more dangerous fever. When I assumed the name of the disease, she told me to prepare the medicine needed for the disease in advance.”

“The medicine?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Is that fever a common disease?”

“No. It’s a disease that passes by for ordinary people without them even knowing the name.”

“The risk?”

“If the patients aren’t given the medicine on time, there are a lot of cases where they get sick and even lose their lives.”

“…”

Schuden’s eyes subsided. Valia told the doctor to prepare the medicine for an uncommon disease–a disease that was life-threatening, even. It was not something that someone who was vaguely worried about their health would do. What the doctor wanted to convey to Schuden was one thing.

Valia knew in advance that she would be sick.

That was the reason she told the doctor in advance. Schuden found out a little later that Valia had also told Sarah about it. He also found out that Valia had woken up.

As Schuden entered her bedroom, he was engulfed with strange displeasure.

‘Why didn’t she tell me?’

Even the doctor and the housekeeper knew. Why did she not tell him, the man who was with her every night? Being this sick was no small matter. Even though it was just a guess of hers, shouldn’t she at least drop a word in his ears?