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Chapter 27
As soon as George turned his back, Joseph turned quickly toward me.
“Are you alright?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m asking if you’re hurt anywhere.”
It wasn’t me who rolled down the stairs, but Sabrina. I was a little embarrassed by Joseph’s concerned eyes which were quite burdensome to me.
“Yes. I’m alright.”
“The area around your neck is red.”
As if he couldn’t believe what I said, Joseph’s finger pointed at my collarbone. Only then did I discover that the collar on my neck was open, so I adjusted my clothes in a hurry.
“I guess it got a little worn out.”
“I’ll call Dr. Nicola right away.”
Joseph didn’t even listen to my explanation and took me in his arms. He carried me to get my wounds tended by his family doctor.
“Dr. Nicola is probably examining Sabrina right now.”
Suddenly floating in the air, I hurriedly hugged his neck out of shock.
“He’s the Grand Duke’s doctor. It’s only right to see my wife first.”
In the end, due to Joseph’s persistence, I had no choice but to get examined before Sabrina, who screamed and complained in pain.
“I applied the medicine so that the wound doesn’t get worse, so you don’t have to worry about a scar.”
It was such a small wound that I was ashamed to even apply medicine.
‘I said I’m really fine.’
I struggled to press my burning cheeks with the back of my hands due to the embarrassment.
“Thank you, Nicola. You can go check Sabrina now.”
I couldn’t overcome the embarrassment and tried to send Nicola to Sabrina. But Joseph blocked Nicola as he was about to get up from his seat.
“No, it would be better to examine my wife’s health status.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Nicola was the Grand Duke’s doctor and couldn’t possibly disobey the Lord.
“Aaaak! Argh! I’m dying! I’m dying!”
Eventually, he ignored Sabrina’s screaming from the room next door and began to examine my body.
“Overall, you seem to lack physical strength and you are quite fatigued. It’s a much colder climate than the South’s, so you should pay special attention to each drop in your body temperature.”
Like a master, like a servant.
Nicola did not seem to care about Sabrina’s scream. He examined my complexion and pulse with a very serious face then sighed deeply and looked back at Joseph.
“Madam doesn’t seem to eat and sleep well recently.”
“Is that true?”
Joseph urged me to answer with wide open eyes as if Nicola’s words were shocking.
‘I couldn’t take care of my health because I’m the busiest these days…’
I wasn’t a terminally-ill patient or anything, and just because I didn’t eat or sleep properly, I won’t collapse right away.
“Your Highness, were you not aware of this?”
Nicola looked like he was blaming Joseph and clicked his tongue.
“I can’t believe that Your Highness, as her husband, doesn’t know about Madam’s insomnia. Katan is a place where the night is particularly cold, so it’d be more difficult for Madam to sleep properly.”
“Then what should I do?”
Joseph furrowed his forehead at Nicola’s words. I also became nervous watching him listen to the doctor’s words so seriously.
‘You don’t even listen to me when I say I’m fine.’
“I know you use separate bedrooms, but it would be helpful if Your Highness sleeps with Madam. Your Highness’ energy will protect Madam from Katan’s cold.”
What kind of solution is that!!!!
With the doctor’s calm advice, my already red cheeks heated as if they were about to burst.
We were not married for love, and noble couples sharing bedrooms was uncommon.
“I see.”
I thought he was quite a conservative guy, but Joseph nodded with conviction at Nicola’s prescription.
“I’ll inform Dante.”
At Joseph’s low murmur, I shook my head in a hurry. Because Joseph and I never shared a bedroom in the past.
“I have a bad sleeping habit, I don’t want to inconvenience you. I’m really fine.”
I tried to dissuade him because I didn’t want to inconvenience someone who wasn’t comfortable being in one room with me, but Joseph cut me off firmly.
“Wife, you’re also the Lord of Katan. Nothing is as important as the Lord’s health.”
I couldn’t refute him as he even mentioned the duties and responsibilities of the Lord, so I could only nod at his stubbornness.
There was no evidence that Sabrina was pregnant, but she claimed that she had a miscarriage because of the accident.
“The child she was pregnant with is the Imperial descendant. I’m going to ask Katan for compensation, so you’d better prepare yourselves.”
I wasn’t sure whether George truly believed her, or he simply wanted to threaten Joseph, but George’s anger didn’t subside until the day he left for Notte, the place where the black market was held.
‘If you get the Goddess’ Crown in my hands, do you think the likes of Carlo can threaten my position?’
I was really lucky that the angry George spoke about the Holy Grail and confirmed my theory.
If I could steal the Holy Grail from George, I wouldn’t need to be anxious about not having him within my sight.
I already knew most of his remaining petty tricks.
After confirming that Notte’s auction would feature a Holy Grail, the first thing I did was call Oscar to the Grand Duchy.
“Do you need my help now?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded as I looked at Oscar, who wrinkled his face as if sneering at my attitude.
“Help me, Oscar.”
“…Aren’t you being too shameless?”
Showing his teeth like a growling beast, Oscar approached me menacingly, but I stared at him calmly.
I already knew Oscar’s preference.
Oscar liked a woman who wasn’t interested in him, and a woman who was bold enough to play with his heart cruelly.
“You’re going to help me, aren’t you?”
Oscar stared at my smiling face and suddenly burst out laughing.
“Well, I guess I’m going to listen first.”
He bit the unlit cigar I had passed to him and slumped on the parlor sofa.
“There is an item that I want you to obtain from the auction in Notte.”
“If you’re simply participating in an auction, you can ask your servant to run an errand, right?”
There were two reasons why I sent Oscar instead of Rona.
I watched Oscar tap at the sofa’s armrest as if he was bored while waiting for me to speak.
“First of all, I’m a little short of money to participate in the auction.”
Creating artificial red soil was more expensive than I had expected. I had already spent quite a bit of Katan’s wealth buying the Sirtha mine, so I couldn’t ask Joseph for help.
“…Is the wife of the Grand Duke borrowing money from me, a lowly assassin?”
I approached Oscar, who was busy moving his lips as if he was dumbfounded, and leaned toward him.
“I don’t beg you, Oscar.”
I pulled Oscar’s black cravat and narrowed my eyes.
“It’s an Order.”
Oscar only shrugged his shoulders leisurely despite my overbearing words.
“Yeah, well, I can give you money.”
He wasn’t just an employee who dealt with Cardinale’s dirty laundry. Assassination Guild Spina was one of the very few secret groups in the Empire, and his customers were mostly high-ranking aristocrats or royal families.
‘I know that the amount I need would be just the tip of the iceberg of Oscar’s wealth. ’
Satisfied with Oscar’s answer, I smiled, and when I started to turn away, he grabbed my arm and pulled me down.
“But besides money, I think there’s a reason why I should go to Notte.”
“…What?”
“Don’t you want me to pretend to be the Count?”
At Oscar’s question, I frowned slightly.
‘Phew, talk about being quick-witted.’
“Yes. I want you to look like you’re moving under my father’s orders.”
If George failed to obtain the Goddess’ Crown at the auction, he would surely track down the current holder of that Holy Grail.
If it was revealed that my father had acquired the prize, George would be hostile toward my father.
“Why? Do you want to hit the Count in the back now?”
Oscar’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Bring me the item from Notte first, then I’ll tell you.”
He was a human being who moved only because of his interest and curiosity, so it was an advantageous situation for me.
“Okay.”
Oscar muttered slowly, stroking my shoulder gently.
“I didn’t know that ordering people around would fit you so well.”
I was a little leery of his obsession toward me, but I tried to calm myself.
‘If I show him that I’m still hanging on George, he’ll quickly get turned off by me.’
Oh, what a great illusion that was.
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