DKVM Ch 13

Chapter 13

“Sir Brian!”

It was late in the afternoon.

The duke’s physician, Brian, was leisurely reading and relaxing when he heard his maid’s urgent voice.

“My lady…!”

Before the gasping maid could finish her sentence, he grabbed his medical bag and rushed to Rahel’s room.

But….

‘A girl?’

It was not Rahel lying on Rahel’s bed, but a strange girl.

He recognized her as Rahel’s playmate who had been coming in and out of the villa for some time.

And the next thing he noticed was…

“Miss?”

Rahel looked terrified.

“…Please.”

“…Huh?”

“Please, save this child….”

Rahel’s hands were clutching the hem of the quilt, and her blue eyes were trembling.

Brian was surprised to see this.

It was the first time Rahel had shown emotion since witnessing Isela’s deteriorating condition.

She hadn’t shown emotion since then.

She didn’t even cry at Isela’s funeral.

Like a doll, she was emotionless.

Brian, one of the few people who knew Rahel was a boy, was worried for him. [T.L. Note: I’m switching to male pronouns here for Brian’s perspective since Brian knows Rahel is a boy.]

Just as the young master hid his identity behind his long hair to protect himself, he feared he would hide his emotions.

That he would erase himself.

So he was glad Rahel was finally letting his feelings out…

‘I don’t like that it’s this sort of traumatizing situation.’

Brian first tried to calm Rahel’s frightened state.

“First of all, judging by her complexion, I don’t think it’s that serious. Let’s take a look.”

After asking Rahel a few questions about how long Vivian had been like this and how it happened, Brian got right to work.

Rahel stared blankly at Vivian lying on the bed.

He didn’t know how he had managed to carry Vivian all the way here.

The image of her collapsed body mirrored the image of his mother, who had died in front of him one day.

All he could think about was saving this child.

At the same time, his mind flashed back to what he had said and done to Vivian.

“I don’t need that, so get out of here.”

But…

‘I’m willing to say goodbye now, I just hope you’re okay.’

Having been introduced to the concept of death too early through his mother’s passing, Rahel was afraid of it.

Rather than lose Vivian forever with a single blow, it seemed better to believe that the child who had turned away from him was alive somewhere.

So he nervously waited for Brian to finish the exam.

There was a knock on the door and Margaret walked in.

“Miss, I just wanted to let you know that it’s time for your etiquette class soon….”

Entering the room, Margaret gasped when she saw Vivian on the bed.

“Oh, my. What’s wrong with this girl?”

“She said she collapsed suddenly. There’s no trauma or outward symptoms, but I’ll have to take a closer look to find out.”

“That….”

At Brian’s explanation, Margaret covered her mouth in pity.

But the corners of her lips twitched upward, unseen by anyone.

Margaret, noticing Rahel’s complexion pale with worry, suggested.

“Miss, you look quite shaken up, but perhaps you should rest for now. You’ve been practicing, so you might as well freshen up.”

“…No, I’ll just stay here until the examination is over.”

It was rare for Rahel, who was used to listening to Margaret, to assert his opinion.

‘And the only reason you have an opinion is because of that little girl.’

It actually bothered her, but she smiled and soothed Rahel.

“If that’s what makes you feel better, young lady, then I’ll postpone today’s etiquette lesson until tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Nanny.”

Margaret glanced at Vivian in bed before turning and leaving the room.

‘Well, that’s a good thing, since she was such a nuisance.’

Margaret had been slowly taming Rahel since the day Isela died, five years ago.

“If you go outside the mansion, the emperor and others will not think well of you.”

She did this to scare him away from forming other relationships and getting close to other people, so that he would only rely on Sally and herself.

“If the day comes that you are discovered to be a man…you, the duke, and everyone in this manor will be in danger. If that day comes, the duke may send you away to save the lives of his people….”

“But don’t worry too much, young lady. I will stand by your side until the day I die.”

Karlz only cared about Rahel’s survival because of Isela’s will, not about Rahel as a person.

It was easy to tame a child with no one to turn to.

She tamed Rahel for one purpose.

Rahel may be pretending to be a girl now, but when he grows up, there are only so many ways to disguise himself.

Karlz knew this, which is why he was secretly training Rahel in magic.

Soon, when Rahel is old enough to fend for himself, he will stop cross-dressing and become the next Duke Edelwein.

‘Then, if Rahel has nowhere else to turn but Sally and me, Sally can become the duchess.’

But then Vivian came along and shook up her years-long plan.

She didn’t know how that commoner had caught Karlz’s interest or won his favor.

She was even trying to take Rahel out of the mansion.

But then Vivian revealed her illness.

‘This is a golden opportunity to kick that girl out.’

Karlz had let Vivian in to hide the fact that Rahel was a boy, but if she was sick, he had no choice but to kick the girl out.

‘I’ll have to scare her away by telling her the emperor will punish her for being friendly with Rahel, just like I scared away the others…’

This would make her job easier.

With a wicked grin, Margaret left the room and went straight to Karlz’s office.

“Your Grace, this is Margaret. I have something to tell you, and I wonder if you have a moment?”

The door opened and Owen stepped out.

He looked at her questioningly.

“Isn’t this the time the young lady is in classes?”

“Yes, but that’s what I came to talk to you about.”

As she entered the office, she saw Karlz sitting at his desk.

Marguerite looked very concerned and opened her mouth.

“Well, I heard that the child who was brought in as the young lady’s playmate suddenly collapsed.”

One of Karlz’s eyebrows shot up at the unexpected news.

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes. Sir Brian is examining the child now, and the young lady said she wished to stay by her side, so I allowed her to do so. But…”

Margaret paused for a moment, watching Karlz’s eyes, then spoke cautiously.

“I hope not, of course, but if the child has contracted a serious illness… I’m afraid the young lady would be traumatized.”

Therefore, Vivian and Rahel need to be separated.

Karlz immediately grasped the implication of Margaret’s omission.

‘She has a point.’

Rahel is aware of the concept of death, so in the unlikely event that Vivian died…

‘It would be quite a shock.’

Karlz and Owen’s faces turned serious when they heard the news about Vivian.

Margaret smiled with satisfaction as she watched them.

Their attitude was just as she had hoped. [T.L. Note: I’m going back to female pronouns for Rahel after this section.]

* * *

“Ummm…”

I opened my eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

‘What the heck happened?’

As I rubbed my eyes and tried to make sense of the situation, I remembered my last memory.

My last memory was of a sudden chest pain that left me unconscious.

It couldn’t be…

‘Did I pass out?!’

I’ve often had chest pains before, but this was the first time I’d ever fainted.

I looked out the window in a panic and realized it was still daylight. It didn’t seem like much time had passed.

‘Th-Then what about Rahel?’

I remembered being with Rahel at the last moment and jumped up.

At the same time, I made eye contact with Rahel, who was looking at me.