Translator and Editor: Lea and Aki

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Chapter 18

A few days later, Ian was asked to meet Count Liszt. He stared at the invitation letter with a disapproving look.

“I didn’t really want to continue my relationship with them.”

It made him think of April. She had said that one of the noble families who drove her into the abyss was a Lang-originated family, but as far as he knew, this Liszt family was the only one in Carleva.

But he wasn’t really well-equipped with the information.

“What should we do?”“Well, I’ll have to accept it because it’s my duty. Oh, and ask Yuri to come to the capital about ten days early.”“Yes, Master.”“Here is the reply.”

Ian wrote his reply in a sullen manner and kept the Count’s letter away. After a hectic morning, he had finally found some time to catch his breath.

After moistening his burning stomach with a sip of water, he pressed his temple with a tired look on his face.

“Klaus? How long has it been since the last time I fell sick?”“It’s been 3 weeks, Master.”“Only that much?”“Yes. Is there anything I can do for you, Master?”

When Ian asked back in surprise, Klaus’s eyes narrowed into thin slits, seemingly anxious. Ian couldn’t believe it was only 3 weeks later.

“I think it’s beginning again.”“I beg your pardon? But you still have ten days left to make it a month.”“I know. That’s why it’s weird.”

Ian washed his face dry. He thought that for some reason, his temperature had risen since yesterday, but when he woke up this morning, he felt it for sure. His senses had also begun to become keen. His sense of smell and touch had become especially sensitive.

Perhaps that was the reason why the scent from April’s body was so hard to bear yesterday. It didn’t mean anything bad, of course.

“There was never an irregularity in the cycle before, Master. Is it a side effect of the drug?”“It can’t be. That drug can’t have such effects.”“But if there’s any change in emotion…….”

As Ian, with his arms crossed, immediately shifted his piercing eyes from his desk to Klaus, he zipped up his lips.

“There could be other reasons. You know what I’m like, right?”“Yes. Master gets very dull and clumsy during this sort of course.”“You’re very sharp.”

With Klaus in front of him with a piercing but blunt remark, Ian had no choice but to laugh dejectedly.

‘It can’t be.’

He glossed over it as a joke, but in fact, it felt like his feet were shaking. What did it mean when the cycle was shortened? He knew it well enough.

To find a solution, he had to rummage through the books in the library. But it was empty. Rather, there was only a single phrase that described it vaguely.

“Master, if you’re not feeling very well, should I postpone Miss Fiora Rose’s visit to another day? She’ll be visiting soon on a gunpowder shipment.”“That’s fine. It’ll only take a moment.”“I see.”“Then, I’ll check my temperature.”

After dressing himself up, he headed for the detached house across the patronage. It was a place he visited quite frequently these days. He had been checking his temperature there since something similar to the doctor’s office was established.

‘Is she nearby?’

Entering the place, which was now April’s space, he had the illusion of smelling a scent of lavender. His mind naturally associated it with April whenever he thought of her.

Things like cold hands, a sweet voice, and sometimes, a thickening aroma.

“Marquis?”

When Ian was silently staring at the second floor’s corridor, April called him from behind. After taking a deep breath, Ian turned around.

She was holding a wide basket full of dried white petals in her hands.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

She greeted him, her red lips crept up to form a beautiful smile. The mixed scent of the petals and her body tickled the tip of his nose. He took a short breath.

“To check your temperature?”“Yes.”

The two climbed up the stairs side by side and sat face to face in the doctor’s office. While April skillfully took his temperature, he looked down at her hand that was holding a pen. She seemed to be using the fountain pen that he had recently given her.

“Uh, Marquis….? Are you having any symptoms?”“What do you mean?”“Your temperature is slightly higher than the last time I checked. If so, I have to give you the next medicine a bit earlier.”“Alright, go ahead.”“But it seems strange. You said it usually takes a month, but why all of a sudden, it—”“Did I not mention that it’s not always accurate?”

Cutting off her words, Ian answered her stiffly. Curious of his behavior, her gaze dropped down at her notebook for a moment and soon grumbled as if she had accepted his words.

“Ah, perhaps I was thinking about it too theoretically.”“It’s my fault.”

As he rose from his seat, she followed him to the front door to see him off. None of them uttered a single word during the walk. Unlike usual, Ian did not start any conversation.

‘What’s going on with him?’

In a somewhat hardened atmosphere today, April glanced at Ian’s profile. She wondered if she should say anything, but the silence remained unbroken until they eventually reached the front door.

“Oh, April. Miss Fiora Rose will be here today.”“The daughter of Count Rose?”

It was out of the blue. Count Rose was the one who put him in crisis. Therefore, she was curious as to why Fiora was coming and how she did not antagonize the Count.

‘The last time I saw you two together……’

She recalled that she had seen them on the evening of the banquet. Unlike herself, Fiora Rose had greeted Ian without any hesitation and tried to talk to him.

She wondered if the potion might have created a point of contact between them, but she found herself not qualified enough to intervene in that matter.

“I guess you’re keeping a good relationship with Miss Fiora Rose, aren’t you, Marquis?”“Oh, no. She’ll only be here to make a deal. I’m just reporting this in advance as you don’t feel much comfortable to show up in front of other people.”

As her violet eyes glanced at him, Ian bit his lower lip. She shook her head as calmly as she could. She was glad to see his strong denial, but she thought she wasn’t in a position to question him.

“Thank you for letting me know. I’ll just stay at the detached house today.”“She’ll be visiting for a short time. I’ll inform you when she has left.”

He walked back to his office in busy steps, leaving only this remark. Then he leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes nervously. A light blush crept up on his cheeks as the thought of himself behaving awkwardly in front of April came into his mind.

“What else did you expect?”

He did not even know the answer. What was certain, however, was that April was the center of the chaos in him. Every time he faced her, he felt like he was crossing a wide deep trench in a single rope.

“Ha.”

He felt like he had thrown it far away. Ian knew too well to deceive himself into a moment’s confusion or just consideration for his employees.

The illness would increase uncomfortably from the moment you start to lean on someone.

***

Even after Fiora left the mansion, April did not meet with Ian. She thought he’d call her for tea, but he didn’t even show up during lunch and dinner.

She had to sit alone at a large table and have a small bite.

‘Is it something serious or…..?’

The scene of the two people together was not properly portrayed in her mind. Uncertain speculations rose and died down in her head like smoke. Eventually, she found Klaus instead of heading for the detached villa.

“Klaus, is the Marquis still in his office?”“Yes, he said he had something to think about.”“I thought he fell sick again because he skipped dinner.”“He looked fine until Miss Fiora Rose visited, but I can’t say how he feels at the moment.”“Can I see him before I return to the detached house?”“Yes, of course. I’ll show you the way.”

She followed Klaus to Ian’s office. She seemed quite worried about getting rejected since she wasn’t called by Ian himself.

“Is Miss April going to meet him alone again?”“Yes.”

She carefully entered and closed the door behind her. Ian sat still in front of his desk and looked really lost in thought. She was worried about him collapsing because of his rising temperature, but there was nothing odd about him except for his expression that was dark.

“Marquis.”“Ah, April, it’s you.”

Slightly surprised by her voice, he gazed at her with his chin resting on his hand. His voice cracked a little, perhaps because he kept his mouth shut for a long time.

‘It’s impossible for me to check on him from such a distance.’

As she approached him a little closer, she could feel the heat emanating from him. His cheeks were red, and his body scent became deeper and darker, making it easy to notice. The more she tried to ignore the scent, the more she felt herself getting attracted to it.

“I didn’t see you at dinner, Marquis. I thought of giving you a visit because I was worried.”

When she deliberately spoke in a more business-like tone, Ian smiled bitterly and nodded. In front of April, who knew his condition so well even when he tried to hide it, he was forced to struggle with helplessness.

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