Chapter 15
I was only able to get up after four days had passed.
“Lady… You’re okay now, right?”
The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Emily’s teary ones looking at me with worry.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“That’s really fortunate! Do you know how worried I was? His Grace and the Young Masters were also really worried about you, Lady.”
“Is that so?”
I replied half heartedly. Emily probably didn’t mean any of what she said. Then, Emily nodded her head in a big motion and continued.
“Of course! The First Young Master was so pale when he hurried into the mansion with you in his arms!”
“…My elder brother did?”
“Yes! His Grace ordered for all the talented doctors in the Capital, and the butler was barely able to stop the Second Young Master from storming to the Royal Palace.”
I was quite surprised. She might have been exaggerating a little, but setting that aside, them caring about Penelope at all was rather unexpected.
“I thought something might happen to you, Lady…”
“You must’ve had a hard time, Emily.”
“A hard time, my foot! Don’t say that. I’m your personal maid.”
It seemed like quite a lot of things had happened while I was unconscious. My mind was a little blank while staring at Emily. She was in tears, mentioning being my ‘personal maid’ when she was also the one who’d pricked me with a needle before.
“Ah, right! Now isn’t the time for idle chats. I have to let everyone know you’re awake! I’ll be right back!”
Emily sprang up on the spot. I nodded my head as she hurried away.
“Bring some melon sherbet on your way back.”
I got up from the bed and immediately checked myself in the mirror. My face looked thin and gaunt from four whole days of being unconscious. My neck, which was injured by the Crown Prince’s sword, was wrapped thickly and securely with bandages.
“Why’d they have to wrap it so thickly?”
If someone were to see this, they’d think I broke my neck instead. The tightly wound bandages felt suffocating, like they had me trapped. I wanted to rip them off of me, but I decided it would be a better idea to act like an obedient patient for now.
Later, when I was resting after finishing the clam soup and the melon sherbet that Emily had brought to me, I heard a knock at my door.
Knock knock-
“Lady, it’s Pennel.”
The visitor was Pennel, the butler. He didn’t make the mistake of entering without knocking after that incident the other day. However, that didn’t stop my frown.
I thought I told him to send others if he had business with me.
I sent Emily to see what he wanted. I didn’t want to deal with him personally, since I had yet to forgive him fully.
“Go and see why he came here.”
Emily did as she was told without further question. What she said after she came back was quite unexpected.
“Lady, the butler said that His Grace is calling for you.”
“Father?”
It was forbidden to relay the orders from the owner, the main power of the mansion, to other servants to deliver. That explained why the butler had to come in person this time. Sighing, I stood up from the bed.
“Emily, bring me some outerwear.”
“Are you not going to change clothes, Lady?”
Emily asked, as if it was rare for me not to do so. Currently, I was in the white one-piece that I’d woken up in. It wasn’t exactly formal to wear it when seeing an adult.
“Have you ever seen a recovering patient get all dressed up?”
I replied, taking the outerwear Emily had brought me.
Did he really have to call for me when I only just regained consciousness today?
It wasn’t my intention, but it was true that I’d caused an incident at the ceremony in the Royal Palace.
I was punished with timeout last time. I wonder how much I’ll be scolded today?
If I wanted to avoid taking full blame for that incident, I had to act as if I’m in pain. Thanks to being unconscious for a while, my face already gave a weak and frail impression without me having to act.
Whew, my life…
I let out another deep sigh as I left the room. The butler, who had been standing outside for a while now, readjusted his posture the moment I arrived.
“Shall we go now, Lady?”
He set one had on his stomach and reached his other hand out in the direction we had to go.
What the…?
It wasn’t like I didn’t know the way. He’d also never done any of that stuff for me up till now. At my suspicious stare, the butler bowed and explained.
“I cannot walk before the master I am serving, as a mere servant.”
I searched his face to see if he was trying to mess with me, but there was no trace of insincerity. He appeared like a prepared knight who’d waited for this moment.
“Please take the lead, Lady.”
His well-mannered words were very different to his attitude before.
“I’ve been waiting for you. I’ll be serving you well today.”
Just like an owner of a store treating a regular who hadn’t visited for a long time. The aura of the mansion was noticeably different today.
Why is everyone acting like this?
All the servants who used to be busy staring at me were bowing politely whenever their eyes met with mine. At that time, I didn’t know that it was because of the butler walking behind me, glaring at them in warning.
“Lady, please wait a moment.”
When I arrived at the door to the Duke’s office, the butler, who’d been silently walking behind me, moved passed me to the door.
Knock knock knock-
“Your Grace. Lady Penelope has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
The butler well-manneredly opened the door for me after the Duke had spoken.
“Please head inside, Lady.”
Please let me know if there’s anything inconsistent, or that needs further editing/corrections!!
-emrld
Scarlett Shoujo 