Chapter 30

Briseyes continued to look at her books and notes, feeling pressured about not being able to study while unable to attend the Academy.

The notes Callisten had left were better organized than she expected, and he had left all the books from yesterday’s classes in her hospital room, as if he didn’t need to look at them.

In reality, he was someone who could remember books like photographs after reading them, so he didn’t need to carry around books he had even skimmed through.

It was obvious why he had brought her his notes.

Even though he wasn’t the type to look at notes, he had written them down because he thought Briseyes would need them.

She was filling her mind with knowledge while looking at the characters that were neat and printed like they had been stamped with a slate, unlike Callisten’s personality. The handwriting was so neat and pretty that she could sometimes forget that Callisten had written it.

「 Doesn’t this look like Bri? 」

She suddenly smiled at the rabbit drawing in the corner of the note.

Then she came to her senses, put on a serious face, and turned to another page.

「 Flowers Bri likes. 」

He had circled a flower drawing in the book and written that.

“He still remembers this.”

She unconsciously smiled again as she looked at the writing he had left.

— Knock knock.

‘Bri!’

‘Bri, we’re here.’

‘Bri, we’ve arrived.’

Briseyes quickly closed her books and notes.

“Come in.”

As soon as she gave permission, the hospital room door slid open, and Saturn, Evusi, and Casius entered.

“Mother?”

“Ahem.”

Callisten entered behind former Grand Duchess Abenr Di Mays and glared at her. Matriarch Abenr seemed tense from Callisten’s glare and hurriedly looked forward.

“A-are you alright?”

“Do I look alright?”

“It was my mistake!”

“What?”

Callisten unconsciously lowered his voice at Abenr Di Mays’s words, and Matriarch Abenr, now coming to her senses, went to Briseyes’s bedside and knelt on the floor.

“My child! I’m sorry! I’ve committed a sin worthy of death!”

“Mother?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Who would believe that.”

Callisten unconsciously said this in response to Matriarch Abenr’s words. The perceptive Briseyes immediately understood the situation and looked at Callisten.

“If you’re doing this because you’re afraid of Cal, please don’t. I don’t want your apology, Mother.”

“My child! I really did wrong! I must have lost my mind!”

“Leave.”

“I was ignorant! I didn’t know such an illness existed in the world!”

When Briseyes firmly rejected her, Matriarch Abenr seemed cornered and grabbed Briseyes’s arm while speaking. Briseyes had an IV in her left hand today, so it wasn’t easy to shake her off because of the fluid entering and the needle stuck in the back of her hand.

Even now, Matriarch Abenr was gripping her hand tightly, making it tingle.

“I won’t do it to you again! Forgive my ignorance! It’s because I’m uneducated! I wasn’t raised as a noble from childhood!”

Briseyes was bewildered by Matriarch Abenr’s flood of apologies, and even more confused by Callisten who was looking at her with a cold expression, as if warning her.

“Are you trying to humiliate me in front of my friends?”

Meanwhile, Saturn, Evusi, and Casius were frozen, not understanding the situation as they watched them.

“No! I just really wanted to apologize!”

“Did you have to do it in front of my friends?”

“No, I…! You’re so picky no matter what kind of apology I make!”

Matriarch Abenr shouted, but when her eyes met Callisten’s, who was staring at her like a madman, she lowered her head and pleaded with Briseyes.

“I’m sorry! I misspoke! Please forgive this old woman!”

Briseyes sighed and pulled her hand away.

“Leave. I don’t want to see your face, Mother.”

“Then I’ll wait outside! I’ll wait on my knees!”

“Don’t do that, just go!”

“I’ll wait until you forgive me!”

Matriarch Abenr cried out as she went outside. She really did kneel down, hiding her expression burning with anger as she lowered her head and trembled.

— Slide.

Callisten looked at her, smirked, and closed the hospital room door.

“Cal, what did you do?”

“What did I do?”

Callisten shrugged as if he didn’t know what Briseyes was talking about. Briseyes looked at him as if she didn’t believe him.

“Bri, may I ask what that was about?”

“I don’t know either, that’s why I asked Cal.”

“I don’t know either.”

Callisten smiled as he looked back and forth between Casius and Briseyes.

“Bri, we brought this today.”

“Our mother told us to give this to you.”

Saturn and Evusi brought a small box and handed it to her.

“What is this?”

“It’s a precious medicine that can only be made by our family.”

“Our mother is very worried about you.”

The medicine they brought was a black spherical pill.

“Ask the doctor before taking it.”

“Ah, yes.”

“That would be right.”

Saturn and Evusi were now speaking casually with Callisten. Briseyes felt strange that Saturn and Evusi seemed to have become closer to Callisten while she was away.

It was odd that the gentle and bright twins got along well with someone as rough as Callisten.

“Then I’ll ask…”

“Give it to me, I’ll go. You all stay with Bri for a while.”

“Ah, okay.”

“We brought fruit too. I’ll go wash them with Kaz.”

So Saturn stayed, and Evusi and Kaz went to wash the fruit they had brought. Callisten put the pill back in the small box and went outside.

They all pretended not to see former Grand Duchess Abenr Di Mays still kneeling with her head lowered outside the hospital room and went to do their respective tasks.

Callisten went straight to find Viscount Melvia.

He had already memorized the entire map of the Imperial Central Hospital, so he knew where the doctors’ personal offices were.

That’s how he could head to Viscount Melvia’s office.

— Knock knock.

‘Yes, come in.’

When Viscount Melvia’s voice was heard, Callisten casually opened the door.

“Your Highness!”

Viscount Melvia quickly stood up when he realized the person opening the door was Callisten.

“I behold the Small Sun of the Empire!”

He felt like he couldn’t breathe in the situation where Callisten’s red eyes looked even more frightening because his office was a bit dark.

The door closed with a click, and Viscount Melvia stood stiffly in front of Callisten, seemingly tense.

“This. Check if Bri can eat it.”

“Yes!”

Viscount Melvia quickly found Briseyes’s chart and took the box containing the pill that Callisten handed him. Then he checked the pill and said:

“Is this «Rozetica» that only the Count Feril’s family can make?”

“Yes.”

“She can take this.”

“What effect does it have when eaten?”

“It would be good for Her Grace the Grand Duchess to take it. It’s good for energy recovery. It also boosts immunity.”

Callisten took the pill back from Viscount Melvia and said:

“Good work.”

“Yes, Your Highness! Take care!”

Callisten casually returned to Briseyes’s hospital room.

By the time he returned, Casius and Evusi were sitting and eating strawberries and pineapple they had washed and cut on a plate.

“You look like a rabbit eating strawberries.”

When Callisten said this, Briseyes frowned.

“Doesn’t Bri look more like a cat?”

“She does look like a rabbit too. Bri opens her eyes like this when she’s surprised.”

When Saturn imitated Briseyes’s surprised expression, Briseyes smiled.

“What’s this? Why don’t you smile at me like that but you smile at Saturn like that?”

“Saturn and I are old friends.”

“I’ve known you longer. We’ve been friends since we were five.”

“If you’re going to pick a fight, leave.”

“I take it back. As the older friend, I’ll be magnanimous.”

Callisten said this and sat down next to Briseyes.

“Since we’re all here today, I thought we could study together before leaving.”

“Really? Wouldn’t that be inconvenient for you all?”

“It’s not inconvenient. We like studying with Bri.”

Everyone took out the books and notes they had brought.

They spent time reviewing the classes Briseyes had missed together.

“You all go back first. I’ll study with Bri a bit more before I leave.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Your Highness.”

“See you tomorrow, Cal, Bri.”

“Goodbye.”

So naturally, only Briseyes and Callisten remained.

Briseyes didn’t chase him away, perhaps because she knew he stayed to tutor her studies.

Today, he didn’t do anything mischievous to Briseyes.

At 7 PM when Callisten left the hospital room.

Until then, Briseyes was concerned about Matriarch Abenr who was still kneeling in front of her hospital room door.

“Bri.”

“Yes.”

“I should go now.”

“Okay, goodbye.”

“See you tomorrow, Bri.”

Briseyes was a bit confused that he didn’t do anything mischievous.

She tried to push that thought away and started looking at her books again.

Callisten left with a smile.

⁕⁕⁕

As soon as Callisten went out, he gestured to Matriarch Abenr.

She thought Callisten was acknowledging her efforts, so she tried to follow him quickly. However, because she had been kneeling for so long, her legs wouldn’t move properly. She had to limp to barely keep up. Her legs were cramping and painful, but that wasn’t the issue right now.

She desperately walked to the front of the carriage Callisten had boarded.

“Give me the antidote!”

When Matriarch Abenr shouted, Callisten smirked and said:

“Antidote? What antidote?”

“T-the antidote for the poison you fed me yesterday!”

“Poison? What are you talking about?”

Callisten had never actually poisoned her. He had only lied to see her reaction.

“The former Grand Duchess has quite an imagination. I heard you even got examined here, but to fall for such words.”

He said this and got into the carriage, mocking former Grand Duchess Abenr.

He shook his head at former Grand Duchess Abenr, who was looking at him in bewilderment, as if mocking her for being foolish.

“It was an entertaining spectacle, former Grand Duchess.”