Chapter 10

"Do you remember what I did for Therese's birthday?"

"You arranged to rent a hotel and hold a birthday party."

It was something he had no recollection of.

He must have just stamped and approved the paperwork around this time without much thought.

He neither wanted to be involved nor was curious.

"Just now, Therese asked me if I didn't know her birthday. She wasn't asking; she was certain."

Raul put down his cigar in the ashtray and slowly rubbed the corners of his eyes.

"But, I remember Libby's birthday clearly. Every year, I've celebrated the birthday of the daughter I lost at just two years old with my wife."

This fact felt strangely odd for the first time today.

Raul muttered in a voice so low it was almost metallic.

"I don't know where it all went wrong."

"Children are like that. Don't blame yourself, Lord."

Knock knock.

At that moment, the butler knocked on the door of the study.

"Sir, Miss has fainted, and I've called the doctor."

Bolt upright!

"What? Why did Libby faint!"

How could he have been told such urgent news so calmly!

The butler, slightly flustered, quickly corrected himself.

"I apologize. I didn't explain clearly. The one I mentioned was Miss Therese."

"Oh."

Raul felt a moment of relief, followed by a chill.

Why did he feel relieved that Therese had fainted?

Because it wasn't Libby?

It felt like being trapped in a bad dream.

Raul clenched his teeth and headed straight for Therese's room.

"Open it."

Bam!

When the door opened, what he saw was Giuseppe and Libby drinking tea.

Libby stood up.

"Father? What brings you here?"

Raul was taken aback.

'Why is Libby in this room?'

At that moment, Donovano, who had followed him breathlessly, reported apologetically.

"Lord, this is not Miss Therese's room."

"What? This is definitely..."

Raul belatedly recalled that Therese had given her successor's room to Libby.

"I will take you to Miss Therese's room."

Raul, unable to explain to the puzzled Libby and Giuseppe, followed Donovano.

The duke's mansion was a very large estate.

That's why it took quite a while to reach the room at the end of the corridor.

Moreover, Therese's room was in a corner that was rarely used and had been vacant for a long time.

It was a place that had been out of everyone's attention.

Therese using such a place?

Click.

When the door opened, the room appeared small, with existing furniture crammed in a cluttered manner.

Raul was even more bewildered.

"Why would a squire's daughter use such a room? There are better rooms available. Why didn't you give her one of those?"

"Miss insisted on this room... I apologize."

Why did she insist on this room?

That vain Therese.

As his mind became as tangled as a ball of yarn, he met the doctor who had just finished his examination.

"Ah, you're here. I was just about to come and tell you the results."

"Therese fainted. How is she now?"

"She didn't lose consciousness; she just sat down due to dizziness. I've prescribed some medicine, so she should be fine soon."

Thinking back, Therese hadn't eaten much in the dining room.

She had left the meat untouched and barely managed to eat the soup before losing her appetite.

Her complexion had been pale.

"What about Therese?"

"She just fell asleep. Should I inform her?"

Raul shook his head with a stern face.

"No. It's fine."

He needed to clear his head, which was still in a state of confusion.

The servants reacted as if they had expected this from Raul.

"Hold on."

Raul raised his hand as the servants opened the door to the corridor.

"The existing furniture in this room looks complicated but is not dignified. Replace it all with better ones."

Furniture was very expensive.

And he wasn't just talking about replacing a table or a chair, but everything.

The servants were puzzled, but Donovano stepped forward and answered.

"I will follow your orders."

Raul nodded and stepped into the corridor.

"By the way."

He suddenly remembered an incident from early last year.

Therese had suddenly wanted a personal carriage, but he had flatly refused.

'Maybe she wanted it as a birthday gift.'

Raul glanced at the door, which was slowly closing, and spoke as if in a trance.

"Buy Therese a personal carriage as a birthday gift."

"Should we cancel the blank check?"

"No. Give that to her as well."

Even in a wealthy family, they wouldn't spend so much money on a regular birthday, let alone for a troublemaker like Therese.

Donovano almost asked why but managed to regain his composure.

"Understood. I will prepare the appropriate carriage and submit the documents."

"Ask her what she wants."

After a series of shocks, Donovano couldn't hold back.

"I know the carriage Miss wanted. It was an elegant olive-colored carriage with gold leaf on all the carved parts, with beautiful curves like a tulip, a dream carriage for any young lady."

A carriage of that level was for a duchess or a princess.

"Then, get that one."

"Lord, it will cause a stir in society."

Therese's extravagance might go too far.

"Is our financial situation so bad that we can't afford this for my daughter's birthday?"

No, it wasn't.

If he had said to get it for Libby, Donovano would have brought the best without any objections.

"...I apologize, Lord. I spoke out of turn."

"It's fine. Your point is valid."

Raul walked toward his study with heavier steps.

The distance was far.

Here, the successor's room, the duke's study, everything was far.

Who created this distance?

Raul's expression darkened.

* * *

The next day.

I had just woken up after taking the prescribed medicine and sleeping deeply, but as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a bizarre notification.

[Throne 'SodaPass' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[The timing of the illness is amazing! This broadcast is supported by the entire universe!]

"...What is this?"

[Throne 'ConspiracyTheorist' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[This is the plan the BJ designed lol Raul is playing in the palm of the BJ's hand lol]

The notification disappeared after a certain time, even if I didn't check it.

So, the number of donation notifications that were still floating was limited.

'Did the thrones just chat and play with donations? ...For no reason?'

The comment section was filled with excited gibberish, making it hard to understand the situation.

While I was tilting my head in confusion, the maids came to my room.

"Miss, are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

'I've been feeling unwell since I was in the dining room yesterday.'

After Oswald disappeared from the library, I couldn't bring myself to read and returned to my room.

Due to the extreme stress, I suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the floor before I even reached my bedroom, unable to get up for a while.

"Lord visited yesterday."

I frowned slightly while getting dressed.

"Father?"

No wonder there were mentions of Raul in the donation notifications.

"Yes. He came all the way to the parlor and asked the doctor about your condition, showing concern."

It was natural for a parent to worry when their child fainted.

But the maids reported it as if it were a highly unusual event.

It was indeed unusual.

"There was no need for him to come."

I sighed and pressed my eyes tightly.

From experience, I knew what happened when a child who was already disliked became a nuisance.

This was problematic.

To leave the duke's mansion safely, I needed to be more careful.

I slowly removed my hand from my eyes and said to the maids.

"From now on, handle such minor illnesses quietly to avoid unnecessary trips by Father."

Therese's specialty was to stir up the entire household with feigned illness.

But now, she was being told not to mention her illness even if she was really sick?

The maids looked bewildered, unsure if I was serious.

"But, Miss, you really did faint yesterday..."

"It was just a moment of dizziness. The doctor said it was nothing serious."

The maids were enveloped in an awkward silence, unsure of my true intentions.

If I didn't do something, the maids would keep looking at me, trying to understand the difficult order.

I went to the vanity and sat down, giving a silent command to start my grooming.

The maids, relieved to have something to do, began helping me with my grooming.

On the vanity was a luxurious envelope.

Inside was a blank check.

'With this, the birthday is well taken care of.'

I had achieved what I wanted.

Now, I could have a quiet day until I needed to use the check.