Chapter 106: Get Well Soon Gift

From various parts of the mansion, the sounds of clattering, hurried footsteps, and something boiling began to reach my room.

I wondered if I really had a fever, so I touched my face here and there with my palm, feeling a slight warmth.

Just then, Maya, the physician, and Albert came rushing to my bedroom, panting. The neat 7:3 parting of Albert’s hair, the epitome of a dignified old gentleman, was disheveled.

“I’m just tired, that’s all. And since I’m a Saintess, I’ll recover quickly.”

“Even a Saintess is human and can get sick just like anyone else. And with the master absent, this is the most critical issue, madam.”

Albert wore a solemn expression, as if he were a general going to war.

“Of course! You need to get examined quickly.”

Maya added her voice to the chorus. Resigned, I decided to let them do as they wished.

“Doctor, hurry and examine her. Where is our madam unwell?”

“Yes!”

Having previously seen Xavier’s beast form, the physician had signed a pledge to keep silent or face losing his head, and was then sent abroad.

‘Reporting your residence periodically must be tough.’

Anyway, the new physician began to examine me thoroughly.

“Hmm, you have a bit of a fever. How’s your throat?”

“It feels scratchy.”

“It seems you have both a fever and a sore throat. Since you’re a Saintess with self-healing abilities, you’ll likely be up and about by tomorrow morning.”

As soon as the physician finished speaking, my blood began to warm, and a golden light started to emanate faintly from my back.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, my cheeks grew warm. However, Albert and Maya clasped their hands together in relief, as if they couldn’t see the light.

“That’s such a relief. Truly, madam!”

“Thank goodness!”

“Is that all? Can I rest now?”

After the physician’s diagnosis, my body, which I thought was fine, began to ache and feel drowsy all over.

“What about dinner, madam?”

“No, I can’t eat.”

When Maya hesitated, the physician spoke up for me at the right moment.

“Right now, the madam needs to rest. Everyone, please leave. She’ll be better by tomorrow.”

“Oh, then I’ll go tell the chef to change the menu to something good for a cold starting tomorrow!”

With the physician’s words, Maya went to the kitchen with a lighter expression. The physician also left the room, and as Albert was about to leave last, I made a request in a splitting voice.

“……Albert, the light.”

Albert bowed respectfully and turned off the lights before leaving the room.

Though I had a fever, my body felt chilly. The gentle light emanating from my body was gradually filling the room. Feeling the heat inside me grow, I tried to sleep.

Is Xavier on his way back with macarons by now?

‘I need to eat what Xavier brings… but I keep getting sleepy…’

Knock, knock.

Who could it be?

If they’re knocking, it’s not Maya. And it’s not Xavier, so who is it?

“Are, are you alright?”

“Dr. Daniel?”

My half-closed eyes snapped open.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes. It’s me. I heard you were sick.”

A small space opened as the door creaked ajar. Daniel’s long shadow stretched into the room under the hallway lights.

“I’ll just leave this here and go.”

“No, you can’t come in… You might catch the cold.”

“I’ll have the maid show it to you. Then, sleep… Oh, no!”

With Daniel’s lament, something fell with a clatter.

“What happened?”

“I’m, I’m sorry. I dropped the bag…”

“Oh.”

It’s not the first or second time; he’s always dropping things. Daniel was too faithful to his character.

At that moment, something peeked through the gap in the door. A plush brown cat wearing red boots walked into the room with a soft patter.

A cat doll?

It was the size of a regular cat. The difference was that it walked on two legs.

It wore a blouse with a cravat and a black vest with four transparent buttons. On its back was a leather bag as big as its body.

A red magic stone the size of an acorn was embedded in the forehead of the cat dressed like a noble, contrasting with its light green eyes.

“It’s an automatic temperature checker.”

“A thermometer, you mean?”

“Oh! Yes, you could call it that! I’m truly impressed by the Duchess’s brilliance.”

He’s always like that. Daniel never held back on compliments whenever I spoke.

The way he said it made me feel like I was really smart. If I did a forward roll on the bed, he might even give me a standing ovation.

Hiding my embarrassment, I answered calmly.

“I just gave it a name. But why is the thermometer shaped like a cat? It just walks around like a doll.”

It made sense, as the brown cat doll was waddling around and kept bumping its head against the bed.

“A few days ago, while researching a holy power storage device, I got bored and made a temperature checker. When Mr. Rexton visited the lab, I asked him what kind of animal you liked. He said a cat that looks like this.”

“Oh.”

Rexton must have gone to the lab on Xavier’s orders. It seems he was wary of the doctor for his master, Xavier.

“So you made a cat-shaped thermometer?”

“Yes? Yes. I thought seeing something cute might cheer you up.”

“Ah.”

Surprisingly, I started to take an interest in the cat doll that matched my taste. Perhaps taking my reaction as positive, Daniel excitedly began to explain rapidly.

“If you kiss it for three seconds, the transparent buttons on the vest light up one by one from the bottom. You can clearly tell the temperature that way. From the bottom: normal, mild fever, high fever, danger. Like that.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“Hehe, you’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

It’s the first time I’ve had a conversation with someone standing outside the door. Surely the doctor was beyond the door, constantly adjusting his glasses.

“And… it looks a lot like me.”

His voice trailed off beyond the door.

“Doctor? What did you say?”

“No, nothing, Duchess! I’ll head back to the lab now. Please make sure to open the bag.”

“Yes, I will.”

“I’ve put the manual under the door! Goodbye.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

The sound of him running away quickly was followed by the noisy descent of the stairs, which then abruptly stopped.

“By the way, Doctor!”

How do you turn this off?

The doctor seemed not to hear my call and left.

‘It’ll be like that until Maya comes.’

As the unintended long conversation ended, my fever rose further, and my vision blurred and twisted. I looked down at the cute cat doll that was repeatedly bumping its head against the bed leg with blurry eyes.

The conversations with the Crown Prince and Rosetta began to resurface.

‘I was the real saintess, wasn’t I? Isn’t it true?’

‘How did Your Eminence happen to be there the day Rosetta was chased by the beastmen?’

It was definitely Crown Prince Arthur who informed Rosetta that she was the ‘real Saintess.’

Then how did he know that fact?

As a reader of romance novels, I began to consider possible scenarios.

‘There’s someone like me who transmigrated… It’s entirely possible.’

Could it be that he’s a transmigrator like me? Or a regressor? A resurrected person?

Whatever it may be, there’s a high possibility that Arthur could ruin my rosy YOLO life in the future. He might even try to eliminate Xavier again.

That can’t happen.

Unable to fight off the cold, I clenched my fist and fell asleep.

＊

Just as Yuria was falling asleep, the carriage carrying Rexton and Xavier was parked at the Macaron Café. Rexton, who had just bathed and was about to retire for the night, was abruptly dragged to the café due to his master’s urgent command.

However, the master, who held a macaron box in his arms, was once again creating a serious atmosphere, as if something of great importance might happen at any moment.

“Wasn’t it because of the macarons that you called me?”

“It seems my aide thinks of me as a harsh employer.”

“…….”

“Why can’t you answer, Rexton?”

“I did.”

“I didn’t hear it.”

“I answered in my heart.”

Xavier frowned as he held the two boxes of macarons he personally bought from the café.

“Yes, it’s better not to speak. If you want to work by my side for a long time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Xavier, who chuckled, stiffened his lips and spoke.

“Do we still have our person in the Imperial Palace?”

Noticing the subdued tone of his master, Rexton lowered his voice as well.

“Yes, they haven’t been discovered.”

“Good. Send a message now. Have them report every movement within the Imperial Palace.”

“Who is the target?”

In response to Rexton’s question, Xavier’s eyes gleamed with teal light.

＊

“None of them are to my liking.”

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

The bedroom of the Crown Princess in the Butterfly Palace.

Despite the hour being late for bed, Rosetta was being attended to by her maids.

All sorts of jewels and ornaments lay scattered on the large dressing table. Rosetta’s face was scrunched with displeasure as she couldn’t find any jewels she liked for the next day’s adornment.

“Is this all the jewels the Crown Princess has?”

“It’s the law of the palace… Once you become the Empress, you will have access to more ornaments. There are bigger and better ones in the treasury.”

The one who answered was one of the five maids, assigned as Rosetta’s personal maid. She was the youngest maid, entrusted with Rosetta’s bracelet.

“This is ridiculous. Can the Crown Princess only have such small things? What about the ladies outside the palace? The Duchess of Auguste had a very large jewel ring!”

Rosetta’s voice grew increasingly irritable…