The Lady With The Green Hand Admired By The Dhampir Prince's Of The Neighbouring Country - Chapter 29
Chapter 29: Lullaby
Around midnight, Eva was awakened by the sound of a servant on night duty knocking on her door.
“I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re resting, my lady. One of the children has a fever.”
“I understand. I’ll come right away. Have you informed Lady Lily?”
“Yes, someone else has already been sent to tell her.”
Eva quickly changed into a simple dress and headed towards the children’s room.
“I’m sorry to have woken you, my lady.”
“It’s fine. I told you to inform me if anything happened, and I’ve had some sleep, so I’m okay. How is the child with the fever doing?”
“It seems the boy developed a fever after going to bed.”
—
Earlier, when checking on the children after dinner, Eva noticed one boy with rabbit ears and a tail looking unwell.
“Nick, that boy doesn’t look good. Do you think he’s okay?”
“You’re right; maybe he’s just tired. I’ll inform the night staff to keep an eye on him.”
“Please do. Let me know if anything happens.”
They returned to their room after this conversation.
—
Just as they reached the door to the boys’ room, Lily arrived from down the hallway. When they entered the room together, they found the other three boys awake, watching with concern as the sick boy lay in bed.
“My lady,” Nick said softly as Eva approached the boy’s bed.
“How is he?” she asked gently.
“His fever keeps getting higher.”
“I’m going to touch you,” she said to the boy, who was dazed from the fever, before placing her hand on his forehead.
“He’s burning up. Lady Lily, has the doctor been called?”
“Yes, someone’s been sent to get him.”
“Nick, let’s move him to another room. Lady Lily, could you please prepare a room for him?”
“There’s a single room available on this floor. We’ll use that one,” Lily quickly instructed a servant to prepare the room.
“We’re going to move you to a different room now. It’s to help the others sleep better,” Eva whispered, noticing the boy’s sad eyes, clouded with fever.
She gently stroked his head.
His pleading gaze tugged at her heart.
She held his thin hand, wanting to comfort him.
He was about ten years old, with a frail body, likely from poor nutrition.
“My name is Eva. Can you tell me yours?”
“…Victor.”
Nick picked up Victor, who looked around anxiously.
“Victor, I’ll go with you. Is that okay?” Eva asked, smiling to reassure him as he nodded slightly.
“Lady Lily, I’ll stay with him, so please get some rest,” Eva said, knowing Lily as the host would need to entertain guests from the Dacian Empire tomorrow.
“When the doctor arrives, I’ll have Marcel bring him here. I’ll also inform our guests from Dacian about the situation.”
“Thank you.”
Nick carried Victor to the prepared room and gently laid him on the bed.
“You haven’t slept, have you, Nick? I got some rest, so I can stay with him. You should get some sleep,” Eva said, noticing Nick’s tired eyes. He agreed to rest until morning.
Eva soaked a cloth in cold water, wrung it out, and placed it on Victor’s forehead. He sighed in relief from the coolness.
After a while, Marcel brought the doctor to the room.
“Thank you for coming so late, Doctor.”
“It’s been a while, my lady. Now, let me see the boy,” the doctor said as he approached the bed.
Victor, sensing the presence of the doctor and Marcel waiting in the corner, looked frightened.
“Victor, this is the doctor who’s come to help you. I’m here with you, so don’t be scared,” Eva reassured him, gently stroking his hand.
“He just has a fever; nothing else seems to be wrong. It’s likely caused by fatigue or stress. I’ll give him some extra medication. Even if the fever goes down, it could come back if he’s still weak. Keep an eye on him and the other children, as they might have low immunity.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
After the doctor and Marcel left, Eva gave Victor the medicine prescribed.
The medicine seemed to work, and Victor began to doze off.
“It’s okay to sleep,” Eva whispered gently. Victor looked at her and, after hesitating, softly murmured.
“…Will you stay with me?”
“Yes, I’ll stay by your side. How about this—I’ll sing you a lullaby so you know I’m here, even if you close your eyes. It’s a lullaby my mother used to sing.”
Seeing Victor’s expression soften, Eva began softly singing the lullaby her mother had sung to her, gently patting his arm through the blanket.
Halfway through the third verse, she heard Victor’s steady breathing as he drifted off to sleep.
His rabbit ears, which had been upright, had completely drooped.
As she stood up to change the cloth on his forehead, she turned to find Lucas standing quietly at the doorway with a gentle expression.
“You startled me!… Were you listening?”
“Eva, you have a lovely singing voice. It brought back memories, as that lullaby is popular in the Dacian Empire.”
“You always seem to catch me in embarrassing moments, Lord Lucas. My mother used to sing this song a lot.”
“How is the boy doing?”
“The doctor said it’s likely a fever from stress.”
“I see… We were planning to leave tomorrow, but that might be difficult.”
“Yes, considering the rapid changes in their environment, I’m concerned about the other children’s health as well.”
“Tomorrow, my brother must leave no matter what. The government affairs have piled up. I’ll check if we can depart after the child’s fever subsides. Eva, thank you… I appreciate everything you’ve done. Thanks to you, the border lord couple and the servants have all been kind to us, even after learning who we are.”
“No, it’s not me; it’s my mother.”
Lucas listened with a softened expression as Eva spoke about her mother, a story she had heard from Lily.
“I’m heading to my brother’s place now, but will you be returning to your room, Eva?”
“No, I want to stay here so I can be by his side when he wakes up.”
“I see… in that case…”
Lucas stepped closer and draped his mantle over Eva’s shoulders.
“It’s still chilly at night. I don’t want you catching a cold.”
“Oh… thank you.”
Lucas smiled softly with gentle eyes, then lightly brushed his fingers against Eva’s cheek before leaving the room.
The faint scent of Lucas and roses from the mantle made Eva’s heart tighten.
—
“What’s the plan for tomorrow’s departure?”
“One of the children has a fever. The doctor thinks it’s due to stress. It seems the other children could use more rest as well. Depending on their condition, we might delay our departure until the day after tomorrow.”
“So, I can take it easy for another day then.”
“Huh? You’re still leaving tomorrow. We’ve received word that administrative work is piling up. Hurry back home.”
“Hey! Lucas, come back with me.”
“I’ll be escorting Eva and the children to the Duke of Rodon’s estate. You go on ahead.”
“If you’re not with us, I’ll have to do all sorts of tedious tasks.”
“You can handle a little bit of that, can’t you?”
“I’ll hold you to that. By the way, you two were alone when you came here, right? Did you have a good time?”
“…”
“Traveling together alone on horseback—what a cunning plan.”
“…”
“Are you planning to keep her on your horse all the way to the capital?”
“…”
“That’s pretty heavy, you know. Eva doesn’t realize it, right? That attachment. Be careful she doesn’t get scared off. So, what did you think after talking to the new border lord?”
“I informed him about the Nomad tribe. He has a good understanding of the lord’s responsibilities and the role of the border lord’s knights, influenced by Lord Klaus. I feel he has a strong desire to be a good lord. Based on this visit, I have high hopes he will grow into a broad-minded ruler.”
“That’s a surprisingly positive assessment coming from you.”
“He cares about Eva. And he’s treating the beastman children well too.”
“I see. In that case, we’ll refrain from attacking this country for a while.”
Raymond’s handsome face twisted into a sly grin.
“Have you learned anything more about the Nomad tribe’s assassins?”
“I’ve had my men investigating, but we’ve lost track of them since that night.”
“Stay vigilant. Tomorrow, I’ll head straight to the capital without any detours.”
“Please do. I’ll assign some guards to you, but if you’re one of their targets, it’s safer for you to be inside the palace.”
“Have you contacted the Duke of Rodon?”
“Yes, I’ve arranged for us to stay there on our way back to the capital. I haven’t mentioned the Nomad tribe, but I’ll bring it up, along with the necklace, when we meet.”
“Ah, Eva’s necklace.”
“When we return to the capital, inform me immediately if you notice any suspicious activity. I have my men investigating, but you should be on the lookout as well.”
“Yes, about the Nomad tribe’s movements. Do you have any strong leads?”
“…The Alopex family.”
“Ah… I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that name. If the Alopex family is involved, wouldn’t it be dangerous to bring Eva to the capital? You should create a situation where she can be summoned later.”
“…I understand.”
“They’re a cunning bunch. Be very careful.”
“…Yes.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the situation, especially anything related to the foxes.”
“I’m counting on you.”
“Counting on me, huh? It’s nice to feel needed by my adorable younger brother. I feel like our brotherly love has deepened, thanks to Eva. So I’ll support her too.”
“…”
“What will you report to the Emperor?”
“…He’ll find out anyway.”
“Well, both Father and I know how much we adore you, Lucas.”
“That’s a burden.”
“No, Lucas, your feelings for Eva are pretty serious too. When are you planning to tell her that she won’t be returning as a gardener? Everyone but her knows how you feel, but she’s still misunderstanding. It’s amusing to watch from the sidelines, though.”
“…”
“If you know you’ve failed to convey your feelings, correct it sooner rather than later, before it’s too late.”
“…I know. Your departure is early tomorrow, so prepare yourself and get some rest.”
Raymond watched with a chuckle as Lucas, uncharacteristically showing his emotions, walked out of the room.
