Chapter 26
“Haa.”
Even Rambaud did not try to treat her in the carriage. The excessive movement could’ve made her condition worse.
He had no choice but to quickly move her to the mansion and let her rest.
“Haa.”
Every time the carriage swayed, her soft, voluptuous body slammed against his chest.
“Haa.”
Lionel seemed to be getting more dizzy.
When he saw Riv Katana’s reddish face, a strange image came to mind.
Lionel swallowed his moans again and again. He turned his gaze away from her to avoid looking at her, but the parts of his body that came in contact with her became hotter.
The sheet that was barely covering Riv’s body fell to the floor.
A thin chemise stuck to her sweating body, stimulating his gaze.
As he was about to pick up the sheet, he saw her body.
“Haa…”
If Madame Katana hadn’t been sick, he would’ve ravaged her body and never let go.
The carriage sped up to return to the mansion as quickly as possible.
Lionel endured, hugging Madame Katana in the swaying carriage. The ride back to the mansion felt like it dragged on for an eternity.
It was difficult to persist through the lust.
The carriage stopped in front of the Duke’s mansion 20 minutes later.
Lionel stepped out of the carriage, carrying Madame Katana gently.
“Duke, you’re back?”
The servants had gathered eagerly waiting for the Duke, unsure of his fate.
They were relieved to see that Lionel, who had overcome death, looked fine, and were even more surprised to see an unidentified woman in his arms.
“Duke?”
“Who…?”
Rambaud arrived first and told the story of the lady accompanying the Duke, but everyone was against it.
They were even more puzzled by the fact that she was ill.
Because Lionel had completely covered her with a sheet, all the servants could see were the pale, rough hands of a woman and part of her thick, dark hair.
The old butler, Carl, on behalf of the servants, asked Lionel.
“Is that lady Madame Katana?”
Lionel nodded his head and added.
“Yes. And she is my new fiancée.”
“….Pardon?”
At Lionel’s words, all the servants stood pale and frozen.
At this reaction, Lionel became furious.
“Why are you standing still? Rambaud, is the bedroom and the doctor ready?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Rambaud appeared from the front door. Claudel, the maid, was also with him.
“Master, we have prepared the cleanest bedroom in the mansion.”
“The doctor will arrive soon.”
Lionel nodded his head.
“Where is Madame Katana’s room?”
“This way.”
Claudel took the lead and disappeared up the stairs. Rambaud, Lionel, and the escort Michelle followed her.
The remaining servants welcomed them as they returned, but they could not believe their eyes and ears.
Many people were interested in the rumors that spread about the bizarre love triangle between the Duke of Sentoren, Princess Marianne and maid Madame Katana.
Even the servants of the Duke’s family thought it would be a momentary thing.
The Duke of Sentoren, who had been loyal to the royal family, could not easily break his engagement with Princess Marianne.
It was going to be the wedding of the century as claimed by the current king, Philip II.
So the servants of the Duke family could not grasp the situation.
“Madame Katana, the Duke’s new fiancee?”
“Did he say that the king approved of his breakup with Princess Marianne?”
“Why would he do that?”
Several questions were raised. The butler, Carl, gave a warning to the servants who were chatting.
“Everyone, shut up. The Duke of Sentoren doesn’t like blabbermouths.”
“Yes, sir.”
But as they shut their mouths, they realized something was wrong.
“By the way, was that lady Madame Katana?”
Madame Katana’s body was half the size from what they remember. Even the proud Carl, who was a competent butler, wasn’t sure if she was really Madame Katana.
Claudel opened the door to the room on the second floor.
The guest room prepared for the Duke’s guest was clean without a single speck of dust.
Sunlight poured in through the large window.
The large bed was lined with clean white sheets. Lionel carefully laid Madame Katana down on the bed.
Rambaud sighed as he saw Madame Katana in worse condition than when she left the palace.
“It seems that moving around in a sick state was an unwise decision. First of all, I prepared antipyretics.”
[E/N: antipyretics are fever reducers. Common fever reducers are ibuprofen and acetaminophen.]
Rambaud looked at Madame Katana’s forehead with a serious expression.
“Her fever is higher than before. We need to lower her temperature as soon as possible.”
“What if the high fever continues?”
“Her life will be in danger.”
“And the female doctor?”
“Her prescription won’t be much different from mine. If the lady’s fever doesn’t go down, it will be a problem.”
Lionel looked at Madame Katana’s condition and his expression became stark.
Her forehead and body felt like a fireball, but her hands and feet were terribly cold. He couldn’t afford to wait for a female doctor whose arrival was uncertain.
Rambaud quickly instructed the maids.
“Go fill the bathtub with cold water.”
As the maids moved quickly, Rambaud said.
“I told them to prepare ice, so they will bring it up soon. We have to cool her down by mixing ice with the water in the bathtub.”
“Okay.”
The maids filled the bathtub in the bathroom with cold water and ice. Claudel prepared clean towels and pajamas.
Lionel couldn’t wait for the bathtub to fill with water, so he grabbed Katana and headed for the bathroom.
“Oh, Duke?”
The maids panicked, but Lionel insisted.
“I can wash her faster.”
“Y-Yes.”
Lionel immediately submersed Madame Katana in the bathtub.
Her limp body drooped in the bathtub.
“Everyone, get out. I’ll call you when I’m done washing her.”
“Yes.”
All the maids who were watching him disappeared. Lionel checked the temperature of the water and rolled up his sleeves.
He poured cold water over her hot body. He realized he had forgotten to take off her thin chemise.
It was not easy for him to peel off the thin cloth that had become saturated in the water. After the wet cloth was removed, her curves were exposed.
“Haa.”
Lionel struggled to avert his eyes and managed to remove her clothes fully.
As he turned his head after taking it off, he felt embarrassed. He couldn’t take his eyes off her naked body.
On Madame Katana’s body, the marks he had engraved on her that night were still clear.
Desperately trying not to look at her naked body, Lionel poured cold water over her body repeatedly, making sure to wash her thoroughly.
Long after the maids brought ice and cold water into the bathtub, Riv’s body cooled down with the water that seemed like it could freeze someone to the depths of their bones.
Lionel then pulled Madame Katana out of the bathtub.
She was still limp and unconscious.
Lionel grabbed a towel to wipe the water off her body and wrapped her up.
He lifted her up to support her body as she was about to fall over. That alone made him exhausted.
Soon he was relieved.
“The fever has gone down.”
Riv’s temperature went down thanks to the ice water bath, but it took a long time.
This time, the maids, who were concerned that the cold could get worse, thoroughly wiped Riv’s body to dry it. When they changed her into the pajamas they had prepared, everything was settled.
“Hmm.”
The maids were surprised at the marks on Riv’s body, but they did not say anything.
The marks left on her skin meant that Riv Katana had, indeed, had an affair with Lionel.
“Whatever you see, do not say a word.”
Claudel, who was also a maid, silenced the others.
The old female doctor arrived an hour later.
The old woman had treated noblewomen and worked as a midwife. She was very knowledgeable about women’s diseases and treatments. She looked at Riv and made an uncomfortable expression.
Riv had a lower fever than at the beginning, and her breathing was quite stable.
“Does this mean the fever has gone down?”
Lionel nodded his head, standing next to her. The female doctor sighed. “I don’t know what would have happened if the high fever had continued for a long time.”
“What about now?”
“The fever has gone down and her breathing is stable, so it seems that the biggest crisis has passed. I think you’ll just have to wait until she wakes up, Duke.”
Her life was no longer in danger. She’d wake up in just a matter of time. Lionel was relieved to hear this.
“But she can’t get any hotter. You have to bring any fever down quickly.”
After the female doctor gave the maids some precautions, she recommended antipyretics and special meals for the patient, then left.
She said she would return at the same time tomorrow.
The doctor’s visit was kept secret, and even after she left, the maids continued to massage Madame Katana’s hands and feet and regularly replaced the cold towel on her forehead.
Riv’s fever went down, but she didn’t wake up.
Lionel continued to watch over Riv.
“Duke, it’s time to rest. Dinner is ready.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then, shall we bring your dinner here?”
Lionel’s condition didn’t look good, so everyone was worried about him.
They could tell that the Duke barely survived death just by looking at his face.
Claudel eventually brought Lionel’s dinner to Madame Katana’s bedroom. Lionel only ate enough so that he wouldn’t starve.
Just then, when the red sunset to the west could be seen from the window. Claudel spoke.
“Duke, it’s time to rest. We’ll watch over Miss Katana.”
“Claudel, can you do that for me?”
“Please trust me, Duke.”
Lionel nodded his head. But his gaze was still fixed on her.