Volume 1 Chapter 32 The Girard Brothers
While being held by Sir Roxas, the Girard family's carriage took me to the noble street of the Holy City.
The noble street is literally a place where noble mansions line the road, and it is also home to wealthy merchants──so, it's a rich people's area.
The entrance is surrounded by iron fences, and there is a tall gate that closes at night for safety.
There are nobles who live here as their main residence and others who use it as a second home when they come to the Holy City. The town is messy, but the noble street feels quiet and empty.
Even with the servants included, there are very few people living here.
Every house has a beautifully maintained garden, and not a single dry leaf is on the road.
Each mansion is so grand that you have to look up to see them.
"Rest's priest family doesn't have a second home, right?"
Sir Roxas says while looking out the window.
Because he is holding me, my wet clothes are making his fancy outfit damp too.
I feel really sorry about that.
Also, now that we've come this far, I wish he would stop holding me and let me jump out of the carriage and run away.
I've fidgeted a few times and tried to say something, but Sir Roxas just said, "I don't trust you," and wouldn't let go.
"Um, yes. The Rest priest family is located behind the Grand Cathedral in the Holy City... The castle is also nearby..."
If the body is close, the voice is close too.
But because the body is warm, my cold body warmed up a little.
"The Duke Girard territory is located to the north, adjacent to the Holy Capital. It takes 2 days by carriage. With the floating magic stone device, it only takes a few hours."
I haven't been very familiar with the outside world, but thanks to studying for 3 years at the academy, I've gained some knowledge.
So, I know where Duke Girard's territory is.
I thought I would be taken to Duke Girard's territory for sure.
I was feeling like crying, thinking I would have to travel a long way without anything, all wet, salty, and a bit smelly.
So, when the carriage headed toward the noble town, I felt a little relieved.
"There are better doctors in the Holy Capital than in Duke Girard's territory. ...Also, there's the Rest priest family. That's why my brother has been recovering at a mansion in the noble town for a long time."
"...What kind of illness does Sir Roxas's brother have?"
I can't believe I could do anything about an illness that even the doctors in the Holy Capital can't treat.
But──Sir Roxas is in trouble, right?
Earlier, I thought Sir Roxas resented me, and we weren't even close; we were just acquaintances.
(When he was Francois's fiancé... Sir Roxas didn't even greet me.)
I did greet him, you know. It's polite.
Sir Roxas glanced at me with his cold eyes behind his glasses and had nothing to say.
At that time, I was still Mr. Stefan's fiancée, but Mr. Stefan was completely infatuated with Francois──so I thought, "It can't be helped."
I felt like a failure. I had no worth. It was so──damp and gloomy.
It was as damp as a tree frog's back. But tree frogs are cute. I'm not cute.
I thought, "Let it perish, let it be burned in the fires of hell"──but that seemed too sad, so I wished that Sir Roxas, the target of my frustration, would suddenly break his glasses instead.
Even though I hadn't seen his face in a while, he glared at me fiercely, and I really didn't want to get involved with Sir Roxas.
(He came all the way to me, even though I was in trouble and didn't want to see anyone...)
I didn't feel any hostility from Sir Roxas now. His embrace was gentle and not painful at all.
"──The disease of the white moon. It's called white moon disease."
"...white moon disease..."
"Yeah. White moon disease suddenly appears. My older brother, Rail and I... Until we were 15, he was very healthy. He was smart, skilled in martial arts, and excellent in magic."
"How old is Sir Rail now?"
"He got sick at 15, and it's been 5 years. Now he's 20."
"Sir Roxas is the same age...?"
"He's my twin brother. You probably haven't seen him at the academy."
I nodded.
Sir Roxas was 2 years above me, but I had never seen Sir Rail.
I had never heard the name Rail Girard either──of course, that was probably because I had no friends and no one to talk to.
I knew that Sir Roxas was the second son of the Duke family. But honestly, I hadn't thought much about his older brother.
Sir Roxas wasn't my fiancé.
I ran away because I didn't want to be forced to marry Sir Roxas after my engagement was broken and I returned to the priest family.
"The White Moon Disease is not contagious. So, there's no need to worry."
"I know a little. It suddenly appears, and your skin and hair turn completely white... Gradually, your body stops moving, you can't eat, and eventually, you die. It's called White Moon Disease because it's like being captivated by a white moon."
"Yeah. The cause is unknown. There's no medicine or treatment... My parents, the Duke Girard have given up on Rail. They told me to take over the family. They had already said that 5 years ago."
Sir Roxas frowned and said it like he was spitting it out.
"But if there's a way to cure it... I want to save him. Rail is my brother. My twin brother... like my other half."
"...Sir Roxas."
"Rest priest family's Francois must have inherited the power. She probably has the holy power that can heal any illness or injury. So, I went to ask Francois for help."
"Y-Yes... If it's Francois, she should be able to cure him...!"
Francois has that kind of power, and since he's Sir Roxas's older brother, he must have already started treatment.
"──But Francois's mysterious power can't be used so easily. If she uses her power just because someone asks, the church will be filled with selfish people wanting their illnesses cured, their injuries healed, or even wanting to bring back the dying. That's what the Head Priest told me."
"But...! That may be true, but... Sir Roxas, she is your fiance, so if you're in trouble..."
"At that time, she was not yet my fiancée. ... She said she would try to cure the illness if we were to marry and become a family. So, I became the fiancée of that wicked woman."
"I see... But since you are engaged, couldn't your brother have received treatment...?"
I had no idea about this story.
At that time, I was still living in a corner of the Rest priest's house, curled up.
I rarely showed my face at the Grand church, and I hardly ever went outside, so it was natural I didn't know.
"I was told that unless we officially married, my broher couldn't receive treatment. I was told to wait until I graduated from the academy, even though my brother's condition was getting worse... I had no choice but to bow to that woman, and soon, she started flirting with His Highness Stefan. ...As expected, even now."
"I see..."
"Lydia. ...I think that woman doesn't have any miraculous power. ...That power, Lydia, is it not within you?"
"I-I don't think that's true..."
I weakly shook my head.
I had seen Francois use her power when I was young.
"...I wish I really had such power."
If I had done that, I could have proudly said that I could save Sir Roxas, who is suffering.
"...Even if it's just a faint hope, I want to cling to it. I took you away forcefully, but really, I just want you to cook for me. Until my brother's illness is cured, I want you to work as our family's cook."
"...Huh?"
I blinked in surprise at his soothing words.
Does that mean I will have to keep cooking for Sir Roxas forever until I can make food that heals?
"I want to be helpful, but I also want to go home..."
"I'll let you go home eventually. Someday."
"That's cruel..."
"Who's being cruel? If you hadn't run away, I would have married you. You belong to me, right?"
"Ugh, I felt sorry for you..."
I still feel sorry for him.
I feel sympathy for Sir Roxas's tragic feelings and for the sickly Lady Rail.
I want to be helpful.
But──what if I can never go home again?
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