[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 61
Edwin's gaze darkened when I added that explanation as if he was already glaring at someone who dared to make such a mistake.
"Let’s begin with the greetings then," he said, his attitude changing instantly. The baroness blinked at me, clearly bewildered.
"Please take care of me. I don’t know much about etiquette, so I’d appreciate it if you could start with the basics," I quickly approached the baroness, trying to ease the tension. Her expression softened a little.
However, it didn’t take long before the baroness’s face turned pale again.
"Can’t you see my bride’s hands trembling? I told you she’s fragile," Edwin said, stopping the lesson after only two repetitions of a posture that normally requires practice.
The baroness looked utterly drained when the hour-long lesson ended, and I was equally exhausted.
"Tsk, I told you to be careful," Edwin muttered as he scooped me up from the sofa, his gaze cold as he looked at the baroness.
Her body trembled under the weight of his intimidating glare. When I glanced back as we left the drawing room, I saw the baroness collapse into a chair, looking completely defeated.
‘Stop tormenting the poor teacher! This is all your fault!’
Unable to voice my frustration, I shot Edwin a quick glare instead.
***
I sat leisurely under the white-roofed gazebo, sipping from a teacup. The cup's warmth reached my fingertips, and the subtle fragrance of the tea filled the air.
After taking a sip, I lifted my gaze to see clusters of crimson and orange zinnias blooming under the warm sunlight. The rich scents of marigolds and roses filled the air, but I didn’t have time to lose myself in their fragrance.
Setting the teacup down, I drifted into thought.
‘Evelyn must be struggling with the aftereffects of the fever by now.’
Due to her sensitivity to light, she was confined indoors, making the trip to the capital practically impossible.
Nevertheless, Evelyn stubbornly insisted on travelling there because rumours had begun circulating, accusing the Peyton family of wrongdoing following her illness and a series of mining accidents.
Despite finally reaching the capital, her first outing—to the garden exhibition—would end with her having to return without even stepping out of the carriage.
After several more failed attempts, Evelyn would eventually be forced to return to her estate without attending any events.
Though her condition gradually improved, she never fully recovered enough to manage her family’s affairs, leading to her painful decision to give up her dreams of becoming the head of the family.
In reality, Evelyn hadn’t contracted a fever at all.
It was a rare illness called Arkaide, which had symptoms similar to a fever but with severe aftereffects. The disease was caused by ingesting a poisonous plant called Arka, but very few people knew about it.
While the plant’s toxicity wasn’t fatal if only a small amount of its leaves were consumed, it mimicked fever-like symptoms without causing full-blown poisoning.
Standard fever treatments could alleviate the high fever, rashes, and body aches, but they couldn’t prevent the lasting aftereffects, which varied from person to person and were impossible to cure once they appeared.
According to the original story, Evelyn’s illness wasn’t accidental.
It wasn’t until the latter part of the novel that Duke Peyton discovered the name of her illness and identified the person responsible for causing it. It had been part of a carefully orchestrated plot.
While I knew the true culprit from reading the story, I had no intention of getting involved in their power struggles. I was already struggling just to survive.
However, I did plan to cure Evelyn’s illness.
‘The Sword of Sephiro is in the Peyton estate.’
To obtain the sword, I would need Duke Peyton’s cooperation.
‘How can I treat Evelyn without revealing my gem magic?’
A good idea suddenly came to mind, and I asked Jenny to fetch Seth for me.
"Madam, you called for me?"
Seth arrived shortly after.
"Sorry to bother you when you’re busy."
"Not at all. What do you need?" Seth asked politely.
Though he was rigid and distant when we first met, I began to sense some warmth in his brown eyes over time.
"There’s a favour I’d like to ask."
"Please, feel free to ask."
I was more comfortable speaking casually with Jenny since she was younger, and we spent more time together. But with Seth, it still felt awkward.
I had planned to speak more freely since Edwin wasn’t around, but I couldn’t bring myself to be informal with Seth's formality.
"Alright."
"What is it you need help with?"
"I want to give a gift tot Edwin, but I can’t prepare it alone."
Seth’s eyes seemed to widen briefly at the mention of a gift, though I couldn’t be sure—it was so quick.
"What kind of gift do you have in mind?"
"I want to make something like this," I said, handing over the design I had sketched while waiting for him.
The design detailed two items, specifying the types of gems used as decorations.
In truth, calling it a gift was a bit of a stretch—it was essentially using Edwin’s money to make something for his use.