IYWHM Chapter 175

“Medicine for muscle pain?”

At Kisa’s sharp question, the doctor hurriedly nodded his head.

“Yes, yes. That’s right. Is there some problem…?”

“Why would you add a different muscle pain medication when there’s already existing medicine? I never complained that my muscle pain had gotten worse, did I?”

More importantly, these medicines had been prepared even before the consultation with Kisa.

“Is there a particular reason to add it?”

Under her barrage of questions, he stammered and made excuses.

“No, I just… I heard from those attending to you that you were complaining of muscle pain again today… Rather, I simplified it by calling it muscle pain medicine to make it easier to understand, but they’re not all the same medicine. Um, they have different effects. To explain simply, the existing one was…”

The expert’s explanation made Kisa wonder if she had become unnecessarily sensitive due to the continuous physical pain she’d been experiencing lately.

If she approached it as objectively as possible, removing personal feelings, the doctor adding muscle pain medication wasn’t necessarily that suspicious.

Isn’t it common practice to observe a patient’s condition and adjust prescriptions here and there?

The bewilderment he had shown earlier might have been hasty judgment to conclude it was a reaction to being caught off guard.

No matter how veteran a doctor he was, a patient of considerable importance like the future Duchess of Hillan would be quite significant.

‘Besides, Seyard’s attitude must have been pressuring as well.’

Given that, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to be flustered by Kisa’s unexpected question.

However…

Despite being fully aware of all these facts, Kisa was feeling some kind of intense intuition at this moment.

If she took this medicine now, she would regret it.

Kisa’s cautious gaze turned toward the man positioned behind the doctor.

A thin crease was etched between Seyard’s brows as he quietly watched this way.

Which was it, indeed? Was it irritation toward his fiancée who was delaying taking medicine due to unnecessary suspicion?

‘…Or was it concern about a plan that was about to go awry?’

Though she couldn’t explain logical reasons, somehow that appearance of Seyard gave her a certain conviction.

Kisa could bet what little fortune she had left that this wasn’t muscle pain medicine but a cure.

She decided to rely on instinctive intuition rather than rational judgment.

It might be a foolish decision beyond measure, but she put down the pills she had been holding onto the tray.

“I won’t take them. Please change it back to the previous prescription.”

“What? Uh, why…?”

The doctor’s somewhat drooping eyes widened in surprise.

“Is there some special reason? I, this really isn’t a strange prescription.”

“Let’s just say I’m not in the mood for it. I just somehow don’t want to take it.”

At this absurd reason even to Kisa’s own perception, he just let out a “huh” sound.

However, she had not the slightest intention of bending her will.

“The prescription hasn’t changed that much, has it? Then there should be no reason you can’t change it back?”

“No, that is…”

“By the way, it would be better if you didn’t think of deceiving me. I may have been out of my mind with illness, but I clearly remember what medicines went down my throat.”

Though formally addressed to the doctor, it was essentially a warning aimed at Seyard.

“If I judge that it’s even slightly different from the previous prescription, I won’t take any medicine at all. I’ll fight the illness without relying on medicine’s power.”

Kisa’s gaze had been fixed on Seyard from earlier and showed no signs of moving away.

Naturally, the others weren’t unaware of this fact either. They alternately looked at the two people who were silently engaged in a staring contest with uncomfortable and troubled faces.

Among them, the person most at a loss was definitely the doctor. He openly turned his body to look back at Seyard, as if seeking advice on how to respond to Kisa’s bombshell declaration.

At that dependent attitude, Kisa became even more convinced of her intuition. If the prescription really was just adding one muscle pain medicine as the doctor explained, there seemed to be no particular reason for him to read the mood of Seyard, who was a non-professional, like that.

‘There was definitely something.’

Before entering this place, there was a high probability that Seyard had given the doctor some kind of instruction.

And that was probably right after the time when he had come alone to try to persuade Kisa once more.

‘Since I showed no signs of budging on my opinion, he must have planned to use other means.’

Come to think of it, giving up without any particular countermeasure just because Kisa refused wasn’t behavior typical of him.

However, the attitude Seyard had shown then was so raw and unfiltered that she hadn’t expected him to act this quickly.

No, in a way, not giving Kisa time to think was also typical of him.

“…….”

“…….”

Between the two, it was Seyard who first broke the suffocating silence.

“It can’t be helped.”

He sighed quietly and gestured toward the doctor.

“Since she’s taking such a firm stance, it would be better to do as she wishes. Above all, isn’t the patient’s stability most important?”

The doctor answered hurriedly as if he had been waiting for those words.

“Understood. Then I’ll change the prescription.”

Then he hastily gathered the medicines on the tray and headed out of the bedroom.

“Please wait just a moment. In case they might be contaminated, I’ll bring entirely new medicine.”

Whether the doctor escaped from this uncomfortable situation or not, Seyard only looked at his fiancée.

“Kisa, how regrettable. That you would suspect me so much.”

“If you’re innocent, I’m sorry. But I believe Seyard will understand me. I’ve been deceived so many times that I’ve come to suspect everything first. Is that strange?”

He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t retort to Kisa’s pointed words. Instead, he changed the subject while looking out at the darkened window.

“It’s already gotten quite late. Please take your medicine quickly and rest comfortably before the fever returns.”

“Thank you for your concern. You should hurry back and rest too. You must be tired from paying attention here and there all day because of your sick fiancée.”

“…I have other business to attend to, so I’ll be going now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With those final words, Seyard left Kisa’s bedroom.

Afterward, Kisa received medicine from the doctor who entered as if taking turns with Seyard.

It was the same composition as the previous prescription in her memory. Probably.

To be honest, no matter how much attention Kisa paid, there was no way she could accurately remember the appearance of not just one or two but several medicines.

Earlier, she had just been somewhat lucky to realize that the composition had subtly changed.

Kisa was grateful that her bluff had somehow worked and put the medicine in her mouth along with water.

Eventually, leaving only one servant behind, the others left the bedroom so Kisa could rest comfortably.

“I’ll stay up all night watching over you, so you can sleep peacefully.”

Listening to the servant’s gentle voice, Kisa closed her eyes.

However, perhaps because she had slept too much recently, despite the medicine taking effect, sleep didn’t come easily.

Kisa quietly lifted her eyelids and spoke to the servant sitting in the chair.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, please speak.”

“How long have you worked for the Hillan family?”

Even to this seemingly random question, she dutifully searched her memory.

“About 5 years, I think.”

As expected. It seemed they had assigned people who had been working for Hillan for quite a long time to be by Kisa’s side.

‘Five years.’

It was much earlier than when she had reunited with Seyard at the library.

“Then in your opinion…”

Instead of continuing her words, Kisa closed her mouth.

What use would it be to ask this person what kind of person Seyard was?

“It’s nothing. I should try to get some sleep.”

She gently lowered her head and tried to sleep again.

Then, above the pitch-black darkness that came, the face of one man appeared. He was the one who tormented her night after night, whether he was beside her or not.

The person who had knelt on one knee and begged Kisa to please use the treatment.

And the person who had tried to make her take it secretly when Kisa refused.

He loved but didn’t respect. He cherished while deceiving.

Could there be words more fitting to describe Seyard Hillan than those?

What should she do about that man?

Kisa thought about him even in her dreams.

So when she suddenly opened her eyes and dimly saw Seyard’s face, she wondered if it was a dream.

“Kisa, why on earth…”

However, wasn’t this too realistic?

“Why do you refuse so much?”

The next moment, Kisa realized that what was before her eyes now wasn’t a dream. How could it be a dream when the hot breath, the touching sensation was so vivid?

The real Seyard whispered while glaring directly at Kisa.

“Do you hate living together with me?”