Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find my room.
I collapsed onto the bed, letting my exhausted body sink into the mattress. Not long after, a soft knock sounded at the door.
“The Grand Duke is looking for you, sir. He asked me to inform you that the preparations are complete,” said the head butler.
“…Already?”
“It seems he has high hopes for you, Young Lord Louis.”
“…A little more hope, and he might just conquer the world on my behalf.”
I rose from the bed and followed the butler to the Grand Duke’s office.
“Young Master Louis Berg has arrived, Your Grace.”
“Let him in.”
“Please enter,” the butler said, holding the door open.
The Grand Duke greeted me with a weary look. “Welcome.”
“I heard the preparations are complete.”
“They are. This should suffice, shouldn’t it?”
He opened a drawer and handed over several Quoria petals and their stems. The petals were a deep violet—top grade.
Top grade, huh? Must’ve cost a fortune. Just these alone are worth a mansion.
In the future, Quoria petals were prized as potent medicinal ingredients. At present, they were mostly used in poisons. But their extreme toxicity made them valuable to assassins’ guilds, and their rarity meant sellers could name any price.
And these… these were flawless. I clicked my tongue in admiration as I tucked them away.
“This will do. But given their potency, I’ll also need detoxifying agents. The ingredients I mentioned earlier should work, but just in case, I’ll need poison glands from a Mirror Frog and some Mandragora root as well.”
Truthfully, the Mirror Frog glands and the Mandragora were for me—to be taken alongside the leftover Quoria petals after curing Lea.
Needless to say, each ingredient was a deadly poison. But if used correctly, they’d become an excellent elixir that dramatically increased poison resistance.
Knowledge paid for in bruises by my master.
And if I didn’t use them on Lea? Who would question it? I had already framed them as contingencies.
I deserve that much, at least.
I lifted my chin, unabashed in my self-rationalization.
The Grand Duke nodded in understanding.
“Very well. Such ingredients are plentiful in the House’s treasury. If they’re needed for treatment, why would I refuse?”
“Thank you,” I said, bowing slightly.
“But how do you intend to treat her? Should I prepare a separate room?”
“No. I ask that you gather everyone in the House. If I’m to join the Ducal family, they must understand my worth. Better they witness the medicine being made and see it cure my lady.”
“…You mean to make Lea a spectacle?”
“She won’t be a spectacle. I won’t allow it,” I said, my voice firm.
No one would mock Lea. I would bear that weight myself.
No one will insult her when there’s a lunatic playing with poison standing right there.
I shrugged. “After today, no one will point fingers at Lady Lea again. They’ll spread a different rumor instead.”
“What kind of rumor?”
“That a goddess, once mired in filth, has revealed her true form.”
I finished with another shrug.
It was time to cure Lea Praha.
* * *
For the first time in years, the Praha Duchy stirred with activity.
In the House’s annex, the retainers, direct bloodline, and even the Elders of the Council had assembled. Usually impossible to gather in one place, they’d come for one reason only.
To witness the healing of the family’s disgrace and its open wound: Lea Praha.
“The Patriarch must have gone mad. Entrusting her care to that wastrel?”
“My words exactly. The youngest son of Count Berg, a womanizing drunkard—everyone from here to the slums knows his name. What could he possibly know about medicine?”
“He probably thinks curing illness is easy. Or maybe the Patriarch means to abandon his daughter.”
The Elder Council whispered among themselves, joined by the power-hungry nobles who took the opportunity to malign the Patriarch.
“Wouldn’t it be better to replace him?” one Elder murmured to a member of the main line.
The Council was composed of men who had lost the race to become Patriarch—either brothers passed over or collateral relatives blocked by birth. All of them hungered for power.
Now, with this scandal, they smelled blood.
“The Patriarch’s stubbornness is hurting the House. It’s time to act.”
But before an Elder could say more, the Grand Duke’s eldest daughter—silent until now—interjected in a calm, steely voice. “I hope you can say that to my father’s face. Elsewise, you may challenge me to a duel.”
“A-ahem!” The Elder cleared his throat, flustered. He looked away, as if finding something very interesting on a distant wall.
The Grand Duke wasn’t just a duke by birth—he was also one of the few Grand Masters on the continent. As the Empire’s strongest knight, he held the northern line against the Demonic Realm, unmatched in power.
Naturally, his daughters had inherited his prowess, and among them, his eldest had already reached Master level by age thirty. Truly a monstrous talent.
No wonder the Elders fell silent.
“…I misspoke.”
“Careful, sir. Too many slip-ups might shorten your life.”
“O-of course.” The Elder nodded with a reddened face.
The High Elder let out a hearty laugh and stepped in to smooth things over.
“Let’s not be too harsh. They speak out of concern for the House. But deposing the Patriarch? That’s a bit much.”
“M-my apologies.”
“Be careful next time. Now hurry inside.”
“Yes, yes!” The chastened Elder bowed deeply and hurried back to his seat.
The Grand Duke’s eldest clicked her tongue.
That old fox of a High Elder always knew how to defuse tension and erase blame with a word. He had once again made it seem like nothing had happened, all while shielding the troublemaker.
…Tch.
She clicked her tongue again, then turned away.
Behind her, the High Elder muttered, “I am merely grateful for your mercy, milady.”
“…I get it, so just get lost.”
“Heh heh, very well.” With a smile, he bowed and stepped aside.
Just then, the annex doors opened, and Lea Praha entered.
Whispers broke out.
“…She’s horrifying.”
“What can we do? That illness is beyond curing.”
“I understand the Patriarch’s choice. I wouldn’t want to see her either.”
“Hm! Watch your mouth. Want to lose your head?”
The whispers weren’t as loud as the knights’ jeers, but they were there.
Even with her hood up, Lea’s appearance made people recoil. She pulled the hood tighter around her face. She was used to it—but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
Let this end quickly, she prayed.
The doors opened again. The Patriarch entered, followed by a black-haired man. A man who looked like a wolf.
Louis Berg.
He swept his gaze across the annex and remarked, “How noisy.”
* * *
“How noisy.”
I uttered the words quietly, though rage boiled inside me. The sight of those Council bastards chatting made my blood simmer.
Before my regression, the ones who betrayed the Duchy had aligned with the Artezia family.
The fall of the Praha Duchy had two causes: the Grand Duke’s refusal to take a son-in-law—and these treacherous parasites.
Hated them even back then.
Power-hungry insects. Once I secured my place in House Praha, the first thing I’d do was root them out.
I forced down the surge of irritation and steadied my breath. Right now, what I needed to focus on wasn’t purging those worms—it was treating Lea Praha.
Tuning out the murmurs around me, I made my way toward the table set at the center of the annex.
“Let us begin the treatment.”
“I’m counting on you, lad,” the Grand Duke said. Then he stepped away, joining his daughters and the High Elder.
I turned to Lea. “Please come here.”
“…Yes.” Lea approached slowly.
“Take off your robe.”
“…Must I?”
“I need to see how the medicine works.”
She clutched the robe tightly, before nodding and pulling it off.
The whispers flared up again. Her face was fully exposed now and the reactions were immediate, even with the Grand Duke present.
Before he could show his displeasure, I stepped forward.
“You must have suffered greatly. Look me in the eye, please. Hmm… It looks like it’s progressed quite a bit. Let’s start with your hand—may I see it?”
“…Sorry?” she asked with a dazed look.
I tilted my head, puzzled by her reaction.
“Is something wrong? I asked for your hand.”
“Oh… Ah, yes!”
* * *
Flustered, Lea hastily extended her hand, her eyes darting to Louis, who was watching her closely.
How long had it been since someone looked her in the eye?
Not to mention, this was the first time someone had done so without even a flicker of disgust.
“Hm… I’ll need to increase the dosage.”
“…Is it treatable?” Lea blushed as she asked, glancing at Louis, whose hand still held hers.
Truthfully, she’d harbored some resentment toward him for calling her here. She’d assumed he’d summoned the entire family just to mock her—dragging her out for the spectacle of an untreatable illness.
But the man standing before her now defied every expectation.
There was no revulsion in his eyes. No discomfort. He was simply looking at her. Not the disease or the shame. Just her.
And for the briefest moment, something stirred in her chest.
Startled, she lowered her head, afraid he might somehow notice.
But as if to sweep away her worry, Louis gave a slow, easy smile.
“If you’re willing to trust me,” he said, “then yes, it’s treatable of course. Leave it to me.”