As the living room door opened for me, I made my way to the table where breakfast was plentifully served and several people were already seated.

"Good morning, Grandfather", "good morning Grandmother", "good morning Mother." I greeted each of them respectively upon reaching the table.

"Good morning, Elliel," two of them greeted back.

Taking place at my usual seat, I asked, upon noticing the two missing seats, "Father is?"

"He went early this morning to the Edouard Castle to see your Grandfather Emilien." mother explained.

"Is there a problem with Grandfather?!"

"No, not really, it is just that we have received no visit from him since his return. And you know how he is, especially with how diligent he is. It has been four days already. Besides, there was this strange rumour that he gave everyone in his castle, guards and attendant alike, days off and that he and his castle were for some time not accepting visitors, which is something that your grandfather never did before, so your father took it upon him to bid him a visit in his castle directly. Now that I think of Elliel, you did mention having went to see him the day after his arrival, right Elliel? "

At the mention of my visit to the Edouard Castle, I couldn’t help but remember how that day I had left the castle abruptly under my grandfather's own request.

"Yes, the afternoon after the day of his arrival, I met him. Grandfather even told me he would pay the castle a visit the next day, which should’ve been two days ago."

"I see. Did you notice anything abnormal about him? Did he tell you anything? "

"No, I didn't; he appeared normal to me. "

At least until I brought up that subject, I couldn’t help but remember.

I, too heard that rumour concerning the Edoard castle being closed, yesterday night. In normal circumstances, I would’ve liked to, just like my father, go pay him a visit, but with how I left and the announcement issued that the castle was not receiving guests, I told myself to leave it a few days.

"Is that so?" Mom wondered, apparently still not reassured.

"He is fine." A voice said,

The voice belonged to the person who in the castle most likely spoke the least, so each word coming from her was something rare to our ears.

"He is the way he is. If there was a problem, or at least something that would have inconvenienced him, he would’ve kept coming to the castle for the sake of appearance." "You two are worrying too much." grandmother stated calmly but firmly.

The assurance in her voice was palpable. After all, among everyone at this table, she was the one that knew Grandfather Emilien the most.

"It is as Emilia said, he must be fine. Especially if he didn’t send words that would reassure us. "

"I hope so." Mom said, finally agreeing that maybe we did overworried.

Having discovered the reason for the absence of the person normally seated in the vacant seat, I asked, "And her?" glancing at the second vacant seat.

Having heard my question, Mother, who was about to answer, stuttered, apparently conflicted about revealing something. "She..."

"What is it?"

"Nothing... Diane this morning came to notify us that she isn’t feeling well and won’t be able to join us for the breakfast. "

"She’s not feeling well?"

"Yes," Mom said, without elaborating beyond that.

"Why wouldn’t you bid her personally a visit?" grandfather commented

"Father?!"

Completely ignoring what the mother said, Grandmother too took speech, "Maybe you could be of help for the poor girl." I saw a smile drawing on her face.

The mention of her reminded me of the discussion I had with An the other day and his advice. I now realize that this could be the best opportunity.

I announced as I rose from my seat, "I think you two are right."

"Really?"

"Yes," leaving the table.

"But you haven’t touched your breakfast yet."

"I will eat later, Mother." I said.

I went to kiss the three of them and bid them, good day.

***

It didn’t take me long, after a quick visit in my room to retrieve some of my tools, to reach the aisle of the castle she was residing in.

To be honest, at this point, it felt weird to walk through this aisle given that, for a couple of months now, I’ve been actively avoiding this corner of the castle.

Soon, I arrived at the door leading to her room. Waiting at the entrance was her butler, who was visibly surprised to see me given that for several seconds he looked with clear confusion in his eyes.

"Lord Elliel, what might I be of assistance?"

"I would like to have an audience with your mistress." I declared.

I saw him throw me a gaze that was saying, "You’re sure?" but still he announced to me. A few moments later, a woman in her fifties emerged from the room.

Dressed as a governess, she was, along with the butler, the girl I was fiancéed to closest herlper.

"Lord Elliel, good morning."

"Good morning, Diane. I have heard from the mother that your mistress was, today, in good health, so I came to wonder if I could provide some medical assistance."

She exchanged glances with the buttler and mumbled, "Medical... assistance?"

From their obvious reaction, i started to feel that something was off.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked.

"No, Lord Elliel, it’s just that..." Shaking her head as if choosing to not say the words she was about to say, she rectified, "My sincere apologies, Lord Elliel, If you could wait a little bit, I will immediately inform my Lady of Lord Elliel's presence. " Before heading back inside,

Several minutes passed. My confidence about this being the best opportunity to talk to her started to crumble apart.

But since the room’s door finally opened for me, it was too late for me to back off.

Upon entering the room, I saw a girl with porcelain skin and hip-length strawberry brown hair, topped with the usual Royal and Ducal red eyes, standing facing the second door leading to her room terrasse.

Upon getting there and laying eyes on her, I realized what exactly took them so long.

She was wearing a fancy and beautiful light green dress, which, well, despite its beauty, was by no means what I, as something of a doctor myself, would want someone in ill health to be dressed in.

"Lord Elliel, good morning." She greeted

"Good morning, Lady Amelia."

"I apologize for showing up without prior announcement like this."

"Please. It’s nothing. " She said, proposing that I take a seat on the nearby sofa.

After we had both sat down, we started to exchange the usual polite words. It was then that I caught sight of the table installed on the terrasse on which food was neatly displayed. If I had to guess, I had with this abrupt visit interrupting her breakfast.

"So Lord Elliel, ...what brought you here?" she asked.

"Ah, sorry,... I am here because I have heard from your mother that you were ill, which is why you couldn’t join us for breakfast, so I thought that I could be of help. "

Once again, that reaction.

I saw her displaying a reaction similar to the one of the butler and the governess earlier, and just like them, "Of help?" she mumbled in visible confusion.

"Yes, I might not look like it, but just as those of the Edouard family are capable of using healing magic, I’m confident that I can at least be of use... for whatever you are sick with."

A strange expression shift took place on her face. It was the first time I had seen her with that expression, given that most of the time I see her with her dead serious expression. As such, I wasn’t sure how to interpret what it was.

Was it a smile? I wasn’t sure.

"What is it? Did I say something weird? " I asked.

Throwing a glance at Diane, who was standing next to her, she said, "Could it be that Lord Elliel doesn't know have what I really Ill for?"

"No, but my mother said... that..."

As the words came out of my mouth, a realization slowly and progressively descended upon me.

Wait, wait, wait.

Throwing a glance at Diane, she immediately averted her eyes, and it was that that put the nail on the coffin for me.

"Good Lord!" I exclaimed, hiding my face in shame and realizing what her sickness and all these strange reactions thrown at me were all about.

"Could it be that Lord Elliel didn’t know that it was that?" She said, with something on her face that I knew was clearly an amused, almost mocking smile.

That’s it. For choosing my timing, I did well.

All I had managed to do was to make myself a clown in front of her.

Shaking my head negatively, I confessed, "No. I didn't, I thought it was something else."

This time, unable to refrain herself, she let out chuckles, if not laughter, which caused her to almost instantaneously hug her stomach and whithered in pain.

"My Lady," "You’re okay?" Both Diane and I reacted upon seeing her.

"It’s okay, I’m fine. That would teach me..." Looking at me, she once again smiled, which once again triggered the same reaction as earlier.

"My Lady." Diane said that this time it felt more like a scolding than anything of concern.

"I’m sorry."

Remembering how my healing magic operates and how I was taught by my grandfather that cycle functions, I knew that I was completely useless here.

Despite my earlier decision to have a long talk with her, I knew that since it was neither the time nor that magic would be of help, today was the worst time I could ever choose to discuss what I wanted to discuss with her. Besides, I was really embarrassed by all of this, so retreat was the best strategy right now.

"I... I’m really sorry for having wasted your time, Lady Stephanie. I think I should take my leave. " I said, already standing up and on my way to the door.

"Lord Elliel, please!"

"Hum?"

Looking at the table, food was disposed of, she asked, "You didn’t have breakfast yet, didn’t you?"

"No, not yet," I admitted. "I was about to do so when I came here with the idea of-" I didn't even bothered to finish my sentence.

Standing up, she said, "Then..." I know we didn’t have much occasion to get to know each other, but would Lord Elliel mind sharing the breakfast with me? " She asked.

Her words made me realize something. Once again, I was finding an excuse to run away. I was really fast and good at it, that’s for sure.

But this time, remembering the resolve I came up with earlier and the advice I received the other day from An, I answered, "Yes, I don't, but in exchange, can I ask something of you?"

"What is it?"

"Would you mind if we drop the "Lord" and "Lady" and just calls you Stephania?" I requested while first trying it myself.

Though she seemed surprised by it at first, she didn’t seem to take it negatively.

"Of course, Elliel.

I knew there was still a lot to go through, but this wasn’t bad as a first step.