Translator and Editor: Lea and Aki
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Chapter 19
“I wanted to see you…..You look more worried than sick now, Marquis.”“Yes. I was thinking about the mine of Carleva.”
Ian turned the newspaper on his desk towards April so that she could read it. There was an article similar to what she saw a few days ago.
“He asked me if I wanted to buy it. The Count doesn’t handle his own resources, so he wants me to come forward as his client…….”
He said this with his eyes closed and while leaning deeply on the back of his chair. A weak sigh escaped his lips that matched well with his tired-looking face.
“…..It could be profitable to you, Marquis.”“Well, we already have a gold mine in the east.”“It wouldn’t be a loss. The mining area has a lot of production compared to the labor, and transportation will be easier if the road is cleared.”
Ian opened his eyes and gazed at April. His eyes seemed to ask how she could speak so fluently about the situation of the place.
“It would be best if the mine comes under the family of Marquis.”
April had been troubled for several days by the news that someone else might buy a part of the Witzer family’s mining district. If it were to be sold anyway, it would be best if it were the Marquis.
“Is that why you’re so confident?”“Yes, and I hope for the Marquis to live the best of his life.”
April laughed leisurely, but Ian felt somewhat remorseful as he looked at her expression. He put the newspaper away from April and got up to return to his bedroom.
“If you’re done, return to your place. I’ll tell Klaus to see you off…..ugh.”“Marquis?”
Ian, who was reeling from dizziness while getting up, avoided April. Every time he talked, his words were mixed with hard breathing sounds. He kept covering his nose.
“What’s wrong, Marquis?”“Don’t worry. It’s just……”
‘If you’ve been holding on to something that’s been like this since you faced Fiora, you’ve probably reached your limit by now.’
Nevertheless, Ian showed no signs of collapsing in front of April.
“Are you all right?”“April!”
As April tried to rush to him, Ian exclaimed in astonishment. He glared at her and held her wrist tightly with one hand. Just like the defensive instincts of an animal.
“Ha…..forgive me. It was unintentional.”
April, who stiffened at his touch, stared at him in silence. His cheeks were slightly red.
“Then, can I assume that you skipped your meal just because you weren’t well, Marquis?”
She kept pushing him, who was trying to avoid talking with her.
But Ian couldn’t be honest. It was getting late and he was afraid of getting intoxicated on April’s scent.
“I’ll be back after preparing a few things.”
April left the office in the least self-interested manners possible. Ian, who was left alone, could finally catch his breath.
***
“You can’t tell me if you feel sick or uncomfortable, can you? I am the one who is supposed to look after you!”
She muttered, her face lying down on her desk in the lab. She thought they had gotten pretty close, but today, Ian seemed to have been keeping something hidden from her and tried to distance himself.
“Let’s not be sad. I’m here for work.”
This was the only complaint she could make as a physician.
‘Let’s focus on the treatment.’
As night fell, April left the lab with the medicine bottles and writing materials neatly arranged in a wooden box.
Nights in between the seasons were colder than the day. Thus, she walked with a warm cardigan wrapped around her. Darkness greeted her as she entered through the back door of the mansion.
“Huh? They’ve turned off the lights already? There are also no servants in here.”
Whether it was Ian’s orders or not, the mansion was as still as a graveyard. Very few lights glowed through the dark hallway. The servants seemed to have returned to their homes early tonight.
Klaus also did not call her since she had told him that she’d come back at night with the medicine.
“Stay calm, April. Just give it to him and come out.”
After taking deep breaths, she knocked twice on the door of Ian’s bedroom, but no answer was heard after. It was still very early for him to fall asleep, so she knocked again.
‘Why isn’t he answering?’
The silence aroused her concern. Eventually, she called him.
“Marquis, I’ve brought you the medicine. You’ll feel much better if you take it.”
It was a drug she made after reading several books of reagents and repeated extraction and detoxification all day and night. She wanted to give this to Ian as soon as possible, but he didn’t come out when she called him. A tired sigh escaped her lips.
‘Is he going to open the door or not? Should I just go in and leave it inside?’
She was active when she signed the contract, but she didn’t like to sneak in when things came up to be like this.
She clung herself close to the door and brought her ear to the small crack.
“Marquis?”“No….”
The moment she heard him breathing hard, she gulped down her saliva. His voice seemed very weak.
She wondered if his condition had already started a few days ahead of the schedule.
‘The door is open.’
The door opened a little when she lightly pushed it. It didn’t seem to have been locked so that Klaus could attend to him at any time. He was seen lying on the bed through the slightly opened door. The tangerine lights were vividly reflecting his brutal breaths.
Having been at odds between his desperate request and her sense of duty to do something about it, April finally pushed open the door and entered the room.
“I said no!”
As if he had no energy to stop her, Ian nervously spoke out, lying halfway down in his bed.
“But I’m your physician.”
As she gave strength to her trembling feet, she could feel the familiar heat.
His condition seemed worse than the last time he was ill. His bloodshot eyes and that strange intoxicating scent from his body.
‘It’s probably his emotions that’s making the cycle shorter……’
The thought crossed her mind. He should have contacted Fiora after taking the potion. Moreover, they maintained a positive relationship.
If he had never given his heart to a woman, she might not have noticed that he had been attracted to Fiora without his knowledge.
“Do you want me to bring a wet towel, Marquis?”
Ian shook his head. He crouched down, still afraid to face her.
“It’ll help if you go out.”“Are you saying that you don’t need me?”
She stopped moving busily and stared down at his blunt remark. Her stomach made a painful lurch and her lips trembled faintly.
“You’ve met Miss Fiora three times since the party. Besides, you were on that potion on the day of the banquet.”“What do you want to say?”“The reason for your condition, Marquis. There could have been a change of emotion in you when you didn’t realize—aah!”
She couldn’t speak anymore. Ian, who was listening quietly, finally caught her.
Her vision turned upside-down and she fell on the heated bed. The vials in her hand were scattered over the bed and on the floor.
“Stop it.”
As he swallowed a lump in his throat, his adam’s apple danced before her eyes. Ian’s grip on her wrists seemed as hot as fire. As if there would be traces of burns on her wrists once he released them.
“M-Marquis, why…….”
His blazing eyes like a wolf swept over her face. In his lustful golden eyes, April saw herself trembling like an aspen tree.
Ian hovered above her. The sweat from his face and hair was about to fall on her face. Her body flinched at his glaring gaze.
“April.”
A hoarse voice called out her name. His arm was also trembling slightly, but it wasn’t because he absolutely had no strength. The power of instinct was much stronger than I thought.
This man was dangerous now. That’s what the soft voice, hidden in the sense of her duty as a physician, told her. Fear wriggled through her.
“You don’t know…ha….anything about that……”“You don’t tell me anything, Marquis, so I just had to guess. One has to consider all the variables as much as possible.”
She flexed her wrist as she sensed the danger. A sensation was felt at her fingertips, similar to when she struggled to get away from Gridler almost 10 years ago.
“It’s unpleasant to hear the name of the wrong person coming out of your lips.”“What do you mean……?”“What you’re thinking is….ugh….wrong.”
Ian said, barely lifting himself up off her trembling body. Her beautiful violet orbs, thick red lips, her intoxicating aroma and electrifying touch were forcibly controlling him to engulf her.
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