“Better to ready a balm before an injury happens than have it happen without one prepared.” - Old folk saying.

“A toast to you, Miss deVreys! Please! Enjoy the meal!” said the Duke in good humor that evening as the servants brought in a feast for dinner. The Duke seemed to have transformed from his previous dour self into a cheerful man in high spirits, and was all smiles and he invited the small group to feast with him.

It was only the five of them at the dinner table, namely the Duke and the Duchess, Clarissa, Joshua, and Aideen. The Duke’s eldest son was out of town for work and had not returned yet. The Duchess also lost her previous tired and haggard look, and looked positively lively and spirited, even if she was still confined to a wheelchair for the time being.

After all, over a decade of complete inactivity had badly athropied her leg muscles, which meant she could not stand and walk unassisted for the time being. She would require quite a bit of physical therapy to be able to walk again, but the Duchess seemed eager to do it as Aideen explained to her.

Aideen had learned from her talk with the Duchess that the middle-aged woman was an active person at heart, who loved to ride and go about when the fancy struck. The past decade of confinement to her bed - even with the occasional trips outside on a wheelchair - had chafed away at her spirit, as was being unable to do much on her own.

Now that she recovered, she had regained that spirit and will to live that had been chafed, and looked forward to regaining what she had lost before. Needless to say, the Duke was beyond himself with happiness and had cried as he hugged his wife, heedless of the spectators present.

He had immediately called for a feast to celebrate the occasion, which led to the present moment.

“Think nothing of it, Your Grace,” replied Aideen humbly with a nod. She could tell that the Duke was highly elated at the moment, and highly emotional over his wife’s recovery. They would likely wait until the next day before they discussed more official matters and just enjoy the celebration for the time being.

The Duke’s chefs were clearly highly skilled, and paid special heed to the Duchess. Much of the food served was light enough that she could partake in them despite her poor physical condition, many of them even especially cooked to aid in recovery. Despite that, the food served was still especially tasty and fulfilling for the others as well.

Everyone ate with a cheerful mood as they chatted like old friends with each other, regardless of the generational differences, with the Ducal couple especially doting on Clarissa. Aideen had learned from their talks that Clarissa and Joshua had been betrothed to be married since they were children, so the Ducal couple had viewed her almost like a daughter of their own as well since young.

“He’s a pretty fine bloke too, honestly. Much better than the pompous useless brats you mostly see in the capital and around,” said Clarissa when Aideen asked her what she thought about such an engagement. “Honestly? I don’t mind it at all, even if I might have been a bit… rebellious about it a few years ago. That was just me being foolish about it I guess.”

“It’s just all those cheap romance novels you like to read so much, dear,” said Duchess Melisandra Tovmund with a fond smile. The Duchess kept placing more and more food on Clarissa’s plate even while they ate, which garnered complaints from the girl that she’s “fattening her up” that just led to chuckled from the rest. “Now eat some more. Youngsters like you have to eat well!”

The cheerful atmosphere continued unabated until dessert was served. Aideen took a bite of the confection, which was some sort of chewy cookies sandwiching a layer of flavored cream, and after she chewed for a while, her face turned slightly strange. The others had not missed the change of expression either.

“What’s wrong, Miss deVreys? Is the dessert not to your liking?” asked the Duke with some consternation.

“No… it’s something different,” said Aideen as she tasted the dessert a bit more carefully. Then she looked at the Duke and something seemed to click in her mind. “This might be a presumptuous request, but may I check your health condition, Your Grace?”

“Miss deVreys, for the boon you had given me today, you could have asked me to lick your shoes and I would have happily agreed,” said the Duke good-naturedly as he smiled and extended his right arm towards her. “Feel free.”

Aideen took the Duke’s rather skinny hand and held it with her thumb on the lower side of his wrist as she probed his health condition with her mana. It had not taken her long to confirm her suspicions, even while she cleaned up the minor health issues most people had along the way.

“Your Grace, do you have desserts like this one often?” she asked.

“No? These are usually reserved for celebratory feasts, so maybe every few months or so,” said the Duke, who by now had noticed the seriousness of her tone and quickly put things together in his mind. He was not a noble for nothing after all, and the clues were too obvious to miss. “Why?”

“Have you been more easily angered and irritated lately? With a particular increase in the desire to inflict violence in specific?” Aideen asked again. “Frequent nightmares at night, and occasional hallucinations when you were tired?”

“You could tell all those just from a checkup?” asked the Duke with a raised eyebrow in surprise. He had experienced all of the symptoms Aideen had just listed but had never told anyone, having attributed them to his stress and frustration over his wife’s condition. “Impressive.”

“I really hate to say this after such a fine, wonderful meal, but you might need to find some new chefs or kitchen staff,” Aideen continued with a serious tone. “Because I found an accumulation of poison in your body, one that must have been slowly administered in low quantities over a long period of time.”

“Poison that affects the mind.”