“Show me the result of Chapter 128.” (2)
Everyone was at a loss at the chilling warning.
But Ghislaine shrugged off her warning and strode into the room.
It was a shabby space for a high-ranking noble lady to live in.
“She lives in a place like this?”
Feeling embarrassed about showing a bad side to Ghislaine’s party, the butler slightly stiffened his expression.
“Young Lady, it’s the Marquis’ order. For half a month, Baron Penris will treat your skin.”
“……”
“He is well-versed in medicine and herbalism. He personally creates the cosmetics that are trendy in the capital.”
“……”
Even as the butler continued his explanation, Rosalyn just inhaled sharply without saying a word.
Though her expression was hidden behind a mask, the atmosphere she radiated was enough to sense what her expression was like.
Ghislaine clicked her tongue at that sight.
“There were no records of her living like this… But then again, it’s not the kind of story that’d be widely known. They must have kept it tightly under wraps.”
In the records she had seen in her previous life, there was little information about how Rosalyn lived. Mostly it was just said that she quietly lived in hiding after marriage.
The only remaining record was about her good past reputation that the butler mentioned.
“Well, it’s none of my business. If she gets treated, I won’t have to see her again anyway.”
Ghislaine cleared her throat and spoke gently.
“I’m Ghislaine. I’m here to treat your illness…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Rosalyn interrupted her with an ominous voice.
“I don’t need it, so please leave.”
Her tone was as cold as ice. She was at least polite enough to use honorifics since Ghislaine was a noble.
Ghislaine quietly looked into her eyes.
Rosalyn’s eyes were filled with resentment and hatred.
“Not good.”
A mix of self-loathing and an unsolvable problem was burning her heart black.
Ghislaine had often seen people with such gazes.
When these kinds of people hold it in and eventually explode, they take many down with them.
“Still, it seems she is somehow managing to suppress it.”
In her past life, there were no records of Rosalyn going mad and killing someone recklessly.
Perhaps isolating herself like this was a way to prevent such incidents from happening.
“No matter how you look at it, isn’t the rejection too excessive?”
A person suffering from illness would normally cling to any help offered with the desperation of grasping at straws.
It didn’t make sense to reject treatment to this extent.
“That makes no sense.”
The butler, sensing the look of confusion, spoke with a bitter tone.
“The Young Lady has suffered a lot from her treatment. That’s why she’s acting this way.”
“Ugh…”
Ghislaine clicked her tongue, understanding the unspoken words of the butler.
“Those guys don’t even trust me, someone they’ve just met, because of this.”
Rosalyn’s feelings were understandable as well. If something went wrong due to side effects and she had to live like that forever, it would be scarier than death.
“There’s no helping it. For now, earning her trust is the priority. Anyway, it’s those riff-raffs that are the problem.”
Ghislaine forced a smile and said, “You’ve really had a tough time, Young Lady. But I am different from those doctors.”
Rosalyn tilted her head skeptically and asked, “How are you different?”
“I have staked my life on this treatment.”
“Pfft.”
Ghislaine said it with complete seriousness, but all she got in return was laughter.
Not even trying to hide her amusement, Rosalyn burst into laughter, shaking her shoulders, and said with a sharp voice, “Listen, Baron. Do you think none of the other doctors treating me risked their lives?”
“…”
“The words of those who came seeking wealth and fame are always the same. ‘I’ll risk my life to absolutely cure the Young Lady’s illness!'”
“…”
“Should I tell you how all those people met their end?”
Rosalyn, unable to contain her boiling anger, finally raised her voice.
She poked Ghislaine’s chest with her finger and continued, “You think you’re something special just because your cosmetics business is doing well? You seem to be under some delusion; your life is no different from the food scraps I throw away. Just a walk isn’t worth much.”
“Oh, Young Lady! You shouldn’t say that!”
Even the butler was breaking out in a sweat, trying to intervene amid her rude remarks.
But she ignored him and continued to mock.
“Oh, there is one difference. There were no noble doctors. It seems the Baron here will be the first noble to lose his head. That should be fun.”
“……”
“Well, being a noble just means you’re a pathetic human selling cosmetics. Dying wouldn’t be much of a problem, would it? What do you think?”
It seemed she couldn’t see her status, her situation, or the people around her.
With a barrage of biting insults, Ghislaine couldn’t find a moment to squeeze in a word and was left with a dazed expression.
‘Is she venting her frustrations on me?’
Everyone had probably been avoiding her, so it made sense she would have pent-up irritation with no outlet.
However, standing beside Ghislaine was Belinda, who couldn’t stand her being insulted.
“Young Lady! That’s too harsh! What did our Young Master do to deserve such words on a first meeting?”
She stepped forward and shouted loudly.
Rosalyn turned her gaze towards Belinda and fell silent for a moment.
Then her breathing started to quicken.
Seeing the spiteful look in Rosalyn’s eyes, Belinda, feeling flustered, took a step back.
‘Oh no, did I make a mistake? I should have just stayed quiet.’
Ghislaine also belatedly realized the gravity of the situation and carefully observed Rosalyn’s expression.
Right now, Belinda had applied cosmetics so diligently that her skin was glistening.
Rosalyn, who was already on edge due to her skin issues, couldn’t possibly feel at ease seeing Belinda’s notably flawless complexion.
There was no way to feel at ease after the report.
Ghislaine stood awkwardly between the two, forcing a smile.
“Haha, Young Lady. Please just listen to me for a moment…”
“Get out.”
“No, please don’t! I need to provide treatment…”
“Get out! Get out now!”
Rosalyn screamed and started throwing things around the room again.
The butler urgently grabbed Ghislaine’s arm and said, “L-Let’s get out for now. It would be better to come back when the Young Lady has calmed down a bit.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
Ghislaine swatted away the incoming objects and left the space for now.
Thud.
Even after the door closed, the sound of things shattering inside continued for quite a while.
Ghislaine scratched her chin, looking troubled.
“Well, I need to calm her down a bit first before I can start treatment.”
“Let’s just go back. With her in that state, what kind of treatment can we do? I can’t even get close. The Marquis Branford won’t say anything if the person who needs treatment doesn’t want it.”
Claude nodded in agreement with what the others said.
But Ghislaine shook her head.
“That’s not possible. There’s no guarantee she’ll just be left alone.”
They came here risking danger with a purpose. They couldn’t simply turn back after being rejected just once.
Claude clicked his tongue in frustration. “How on earth are you planning to persuade someone like that? She’s already gone through too much and is only left with distrust. Communication is impossible, you know?”
“Umm, so I need to calm her down first…”
“Do you really think that’s possible? She seems to be rotting inside because of her illness.”
“…We have to at least try to talk.”
“We’ve tried, and it didn’t work.”
Ghislaine frowned and glared at Claude. He flinched, turning his gaze away and pretending to look elsewhere.
After pondering for a moment, Ghislaine had a good idea and nodded earnestly.
“Let’s just force the treatment.”
The people present momentarily doubted their ears, tilting their heads in confusion.
Belinda asked for confirmation. “W-What did you just say?”
“I said we should forcibly treat her.”
“…Is that even okay?”
“We got permission anyway, so what’s the difference? We just need to show the result. Right?”
Ghislaine looked back at the butler for agreement. He stammered a response.
“W-Well, forcibly doing it is a bit… How about trying to persuade her over time instead?”
“With the poison already rising, how can we even talk? We only have fifteen days!”
“Uh, um… well…”
“We can’t just sit and wait for death over the next fifteen days. I’ll handle it, so just cooperate. You’re not responsible for our lives, are you?”
“Ah, understood.”
Now that the butler had agreed, there was nothing stopping them. Ghislaine immediately issued her orders.
“Alright, tell me what herbs we need to prepare. Get the highest grade Mandragora roots in sufficient quantity to take twice a day.”
“Mandragora roots?”
Not only the butler but everyone else was baffled.
Mandragora roots are known as a tonic, but they’re primarily used by men.
It’s commonly believed that the strong heat can actually be bad for women.
Ghislaine anticipated the doubts in the others’ minds but didn’t bother to explain and just stated her demand.
“Right, we need it to treat the Young Lady. And also gather a few more herbs.”
“Well, we absolutely need that to treat the young lady. And bring back a few herbs as well.”
The butler nodded with an anxious expression. After all, once the Marquis Branford had permitted it, there was no point in opposing.
*
Most of the medicinal herbs requested by Ghislaine were rare and expensive.
However, the House of Marquis had the herbs procured and prepared in less than half a day.
Ghislaine marveled again at the wealth and power of the House of Branford as she carefully checked the state of the herbal concoction.
“Alright, let’s go see the young lady.”
Belinda asked cautiously, “But how are you going to get into the room? If she doesn’t open the door, there’s no way to get in.”
“If we have to, we’ll just break it down. Still, that would look bad, so let the butler give it a shot first, okay?”
“Me?” The butler looked perplexed as he stared at Ghislaine.
“Then who else? Should we ask the Marquis to just forget about it? Can you take responsibility for that?”
The butler sighed and nodded.
The group surged back towards Rosalyn’s room.
Knock, knock.
As soon as the butler tapped on the door, Rosalyn shouted irritably from inside.
“What now? Didn’t I tell you not to come in?!”
The butler replied with a trembling voice, “Um, we brought new servants to attend to the young lady.”
“What? Why are you doing something I didn’t ask for!”
“But… haven’t the servants been a bit short lately? So, we brought some new ones. I thought since these will be attending you, I should at least ask for your approval.”
Rosalyn went silent for a moment.
No matter how much she avoided people while staying in her room, she couldn’t escape the maids.
Someone had to prepare her meals, draw her baths, arrange her clothes, and clean her room.
The maids tried their best to finish their tasks quickly, but Rosalyn couldn’t stand even that short time.
She often threw fits whenever something displeased her.
It was common for the servants who endured her wrath to become frightened or, unable to withstand their frustration, quit.
“Let them in.”
After a while, Rosalyn spat out bluntly.
The tightly shut door slowly creaked open, and two women entered the room.
They were dressed in the elegant yet refined livery of the House of Marquis Branford.
They slightly bowed their heads toward Rosalyn.
“Hello. I’m Belinda.”
“I’m Wendy. Nice to meet you.”
As Rosalyn slowly scrutinized their faces, she frowned.
“What is the meaning of this?”
They were definitely the women who had been with that ‘doctor’ earlier.
And suddenly, they appear as new servants? It was beyond shamelessness.
“Are you messing with me? Do you both want to die?”
Rosalyn gritted her teeth and stood up, yet Belinda did not wipe the smile from her face.
“We’ll serve you with utmost devotion starting today. I have plenty of experience in such matters.”
“What do you mean ‘serve’?”
“I’ll start the treatment now. Please prepare your mind.”
“What? Who decided that…?”
Before Rosalyn could finish her sentence, Belinda and Wendy moved like lightning.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
