Chapter 5

Patrice rushed up to the second floor but was at a loss as to what to do next.

Suddenly entering his own bedroom and opening a door that had never been used to enter Clarice's bedroom would be highly inappropriate.

Therefore, he stood in front of the main door leading to Clarice's private room, composed his breathing, and gently knocked.

The one who answered was Amira, the maid who had accompanied Clarice, who seemed to be momentarily surprised upon seeing Patrice but quickly led him into the room.

The fact that she did not ask for her master's—Clarice's—permission was because the situation did not call for it.

Patrice, who had been waiting in the living room with a troubled expression, saw an older maid and another person—a healer—emerge from the bedroom.

"How is—how is Clarice's condition?"

"…Madam has five wounds. The wounds themselves are not particularly severe, but the arrow wound on her left arm is the deepest and is quite inflamed, sapping her strength."

In response to the healer's calm explanation, Patrice could only nod.

However, the maid who had been silent beside him glared sharply at Patrice.

Patrice was surprised by the maid's attitude, which had previously been to avoid him and bow her head when they passed each other.

"Milady Clarice… Milady Clarice has endured the Earl's mistreatment since she was a child. She was so worried about offending the Duke that she agonized over this marriage. Despite that, she always lived positively. She stood up for us, the female servants, against the men in this castle—starting with Samond—who were rebellious towards Milady. Thanks to Serge, Milady could finally ride her beloved horse and was so happy. Yet, those bandits… Milady might have been able to escape alone. I don't know the exact situation, but Milady supported the unconscious Serge and fled. The arrow wound is probably from that time. If, if… if you mistreat Milady any further, I…"

The maid, unable to bear Clarice's condition—Ene—spoke passionately but hesitated, realizing that her words were insulting Patrice.

Even now, she could be punished for her disrespect.

But what she really wanted to say would make Clarice sad, so Ene held back.

Looking at Ene, Patrice spoke quietly.

"I… I have no intention of causing her any more pain. I can now see how narrow-minded and prejudiced I was. I was wrong. It was foolish of me not to realize this sooner, but I want to make amends. So, please, can I see my wife—Clarice?"

Normally, there would be no need to ask Ene and the others for permission to see Clarice.

However, Patrice wanted to show his sincerity by doing so.

Ene's tension broke, and tears overflowed.

The healer made Ene sit on a long chair and then led Patrice into Clarice's bedroom.

Amira, who had been taking turns with Ene, hurried to stand up.

Patrice stopped her with a hand and quietly approached the bedside.

Patrice's face naturally turned stern.

Clarice's right cheek was not bandaged but had green ointment applied, and there was a knife wound on her left upper arm, likely from treatment.

There were also three other wounds.

This reality deeply shook Patrice.

What had he done to Clarice?

He had forced her into a marriage for the sake of honor, despite her reluctance, and confined her in this remote place where no one knew her. He had also left her to deal with the rebellious servants, starting with Samond.

Moreover, despite her efforts to improve the castle's situation and her vigilance against bandits, Patrice had dismissed everything.

(If only I had set aside my prejudices and listened to her seriously back then…)

It was too late to regret now.

Patrice, fully aware of this, decided to focus on what he could do now.

"I am going to hunt down the bandits. After that, I will address the issues in this castle. Please take care of my wife until then."

To avoid troubling Clarice, Patrice left the room, telling the healer and Amira, and went to join Gordon to pursue the bandits—determined not to let any more harm come to anyone.

He then organized the knights, the castle guards, and the town guards to search the nearby forest for traces of the bandits.

The bandits, who had previously been elusive, had only been successful by carefully avoiding the military. However, they did not have enough time to escape from the elite knights.

After successfully capturing the bandits, he left the rest to the town leader and turned his attention to the castle's internal issues.

But Clarice remained unconscious, and Patrice visited her several times at night from his own bedroom.

Ene or Amira was always by her side, even at night, but both seemed exhausted, dozing off in their chairs.

To avoid waking them, Patrice approached Clarice silently and touched her feverish forehead, praying for her to wake up soon.

On the third night, Patrice noticed a thin scar on Clarice's right arm, visible under the blanket, and gasped.

It was a fine scar running from her wrist to her elbow.

The thought that it might be something else confused Patrice.

At that moment, Ene, who had been by her side, woke up.

"…Duke?"

Ene seemed surprised to be woken up again, as she had been the night before, but this time she was concerned about Patrice's unusual demeanor.

Clarice was breathing more steadily than a few days ago, though she still looked uncomfortable.

Worried about Clarice, Patrice quietly moved away and approached Ene, speaking in a low voice.

"The wound on her right arm seems old…"

"That… it's from three years ago. When Milady was in the Carriere territory, she used to ride her horse every day. We asked her not to go out alone, but she was quite a tomboy… So, when she returned injured, we were really worried. It's hard to imagine from the ladylike Clarice now…"

"…No, if she can ride a dead horse… I can imagine."

Patrice managed to respond to Ene's nostalgic words and then left the room, wanting to be alone to process the new information.

That scar must have been from Chris, who had died, and her twin sister, Clarice, had taken her place.

The late Earl Bonafe's famous declaration that he needed no more daughters was well-known, even to Patrice.

Connecting all the dots, the answer was clear.

However, the shock of this revelation made Patrice feel as if everything was crumbling beneath him.

The pain was so intense that he felt dizzy.

Patrice leaned against the wall, closing his eyes tightly, but he could not stop the tears from flowing.