BEW 13

 This is strange.

Isn’t esophagitis a disease of modern people in the 21st century?

I’m not a 21st-century modern person, so is it okay for me to get something like this?

Lately, I feel like I’ve been living quite regularly.

Eating breakfast! Having dessert.

Eating lunch! Having dessert.

Eating dinner! Having dessert……

……I see.

“Overeating regularly……”

Honestly, I don’t want to admit it, but my body is inevitably a bit. Just a little bit weaker than others.

During my time at Count Jau’s place, I couldn’t eat properly due to being so big, and after marriage, in seclusion, I’d either eat and bury myself under the blanket or not eat and bury myself under the blanket repeatedly.

“Yes, I suppose the stomach would have been a bit confused.”

Ha. It’s all my karma!

I decided to humbly accept my body’s condition.

That evening.

While having dinner with Dante, I discreetly checked the timing and looked for the right moment to ask him to call the doctor.

And as the meal was coming to an end.

“Um……”

“How is your health……”

Just when I thought it was time to speak, Dante seemed to feel the same way.

We both spoke at the same time, then simultaneously closed our mouths.

An awkward silence flowed from the exchanged glances.

I broke the silence.

“Please go ahead, Your Grace.”

“No, you go first, Madam.”

“No, you first. I just need a bit more time to prepare myself.”

“……Prepare yourself?”

Yes, to prepare myself to endure the embarrassment.

I shrugged my shoulders at his softly murmured words.

He looked at me silently.

Hmm? Why is he staring at me like that?

For some reason, the emotion in his blue eyes seemed complicated and delicate.

As I tilted my head and looked at him, his tightly closed lips parted.

“I know you don’t like saying things like this.”

“……?”

What is he talking about?

That’s quite an insufficient explanation.

“But, now it must be done.”

His way of speaking was rather ambiguous. No wonder he always misunderstands with the female lead.

“Whatever it is, feel free to say it.”

“I need to call a doctor.”

“Huh?”

A doctor? Could it be……

“Are you unwell, Your Grace?”

Bang.

I jumped up from the table and went straight to Dante, holding his handsome face with both hands…… Oh, it’s so soft.

Anyway, I turned his face this way and that to check his condition.

Oh my. Goodness.

He’s so handsome. Even today, he’s extremely handsome. He truly has the appearance of a male lead.

“It’s strange. His face is perfectly fine, even amazing……? What’s wrong? Could it be……”

Has the curse worsened?

I couldn’t bring myself to say those words, so I kept my mouth shut.

The curse is as close to life and death for Dante.

More accurately, it’s closer to death. It’s a sensitive topic to bring up casually.

As I examined his face with worry, I noticed his cheeks seemed a bit redder than usual.

Ah, I see.

“It’s a fever, isn’t it? You have a fever!”

It was a confident exclamation, but he shook his head.

Huh. Strange. His face seemed a bit redder and hotter than usual.

“……Then what is it?”

“I’m not the one who is unwell. I’m calling the doctor because of you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. I think your health hasn’t been good lately. But I heard you don’t like calling doctors.”

Then the situation became clear.

Ah, it’s because of me?

Indeed. Recently, I’ve been noticeably sick.

I’ve been constantly gagging and losing weight because I can’t eat well, so it must have been hard not to notice.

And, it seems he’s been hesitant to call a doctor every time I complain……

I pressed Dante’s face gently and then removed my hands. I then returned to my seat and sat down with a thud.

“Ha, haha.”

I laughed strangely.

It just happened.

The reason I refused to call a doctor was that I was genuinely healthy.

I didn’t want to trouble the doctor unnecessarily when I was fine.

It’s annoying for me, for the doctor, and for everyone else.

Why would I spend money and time to have a perfectly healthy body examined?

No. To be more honest, it was a bit frustrating to be treated as a patient despite being healthy…… tsk.

But.

When my condition truly isn’t good, and someone notices and cares even without me saying anything……

“Alright. Please call the doctor.”

It’s quite a pleasant thing.

When I said this with a smile, Dante looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Whether he understood or not, I couldn’t stop smiling.

How long has it been since someone has paid attention and worried about me?

……When I lived at Count Jau’s place, it was something I couldn’t even dream of.

There, pain had to be endured alone.

If I showed any sign of pain, I would be scolded by the Countess.

I was a sinner who wasn’t even permitted to be in pain.

However, there were times when I couldn’t hide my suffering.

When my fever was burning, and I wasn’t sure if I was walking, dancing, or crawling.

Whether I was alive or dead, all consciousness was unclear.

I would collapse and be moved to my room.

A dusty, dark, and narrow attic.

There, I endured the fever alone.

It was extremely painful, but I barely survived. Even I think it was a miracle.

After surviving on the brink of life and death.

The words of the Countess who found me are still vivid in my memory.

“A tough one. I wish you had just died.”

Her expression was a mix of disgust, anger, and irritation.

How could I forget that tremendous hatred?

That was my life.

I read “life” as “survival.”

In a place where I survived day by day, someone’s concern and attention were luxuries.

No, what I wanted was indifference.

To focus on living quietly without a knife coming to my throat at any moment.

The result was eventually marriage to the monster Duke.

Yes, it was.

Yet, the people in this place, who I haven’t been with for long, are desperate to worry about me.

Hehe.

I leaned back against the chair and laughed lightly.

When I tilted my head back, it felt like my breath was freed.

“Madam?”

Haha.

At Dante’s call, my laughter escaped again.

It’s really funny.

I thought it was hell, but it turned out to be heaven.

I thought he was a monster, but he was a pitiful man with a sweet exterior. And handsome too.

So.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll take good care of you.”

I have no choice but to make another resolution.

While staying here, I must live diligently.

So that I can live the future with the happy memories of this place.

So that Dante can live well too.

“Just trust me.”

I was confident.

---

“……See you again, Madam.”

Two days later, the doctor arrived with a puzzled expression and greeted me.

It seemed he was confused by the frequent visits and didn’t quite understand the reason.

“Yes. Seems so. We might even become friends soon.”

“Excuse me? Even so, being friends with the Duke’s wife is a bit……”

“It was a joke, so please don’t take it seriously. It hurts my feelings.”

Does this person take jokes seriously?

I didn’t think so, but they’re quite frightening.

I pouted and extended my arm as usual.

Once again, the examination was repeated. But this time, I had something to say.

It’s esophagitis. It feels like stomach acid is slowly melting down my throat.

“Ha, huff.”

The doctor began the examination with a deep breath.

He seemed much more nervous than before. I noticed him glancing around anxiously.

……Now that I think about it.

“Why are all of you staring so intently……”

As usual, everyone had gathered, staring at us with sharp eyes, as if there was something to watch.

They might even shoot rays from their eyes.

Especially Dante…… it was so frightening. Even I, who knew he was soft on the inside, was momentarily taken aback.

“W-well…… It seems your stomach is slightly damaged. It’s not a big issue, but avoid new foods for a while and take digestive medicine…….”

The doctor’s trembling voice gradually quieted.

Receiving the harsh stares all at once, he trembled pitifully.

Although he had responded to my joke with seriousness and hurt my feelings……

……Wait a minute. Isn’t this a bit of poetic justice?

As I was contemplating this, the doctor suddenly said.

“There’s something strange.”

The doctor stopped speaking and looked around with wide eyes, tilting his head.

“What’s strange?”

“Yes. It seems like you are unwell, but this is a bit odd……”

“Odd in a bad way?”

Dante, who had been silent, suddenly asked.

Gulp.

The startled doctor shook his head vigorously.

“No! Not at all! It’s not like that……”

The doctor swallowed hard and cautiously asked me.

“Are you really unwell?”

“Goodness! How dare you accuse our Madam of feigning illness!”

This time, it was Siena who intervened.

She yelled in disbelief and quickly covered her mouth in shock.

But she couldn’t stop her gasping breath.

Maria patted her back to comfort her.

“Sienna, calm down. Let’s just stay quiet and listen. No matter how angry, dumbfounded, or angry you are, let’s just listen quietly first.”

Why did his words seem to have a lot of substance attached to them? Could it be because I was feeling dizzy?

Just when I was about to lose my mind, Dante opened his mouth again.

“I don’t know what it is.”

He quickly approached, placed a hand the size of a pot lid on the doctor’s shoulder, and muttered.

“It would be better to examine you properly.”

Mom. The dog must be scary.

As expected, the doctor looked like he was about to cry.

Ugh. I can’t live like this.

I shook my head and jumped up from my seat.

The fierce eyes that had been directed at the doctor all followed me.

I smiled at them and said,

“Everyone, get out.”