At the heart of this stillness was Herwin Solgren.
Shrouded in heavy curtains, his chamber remained dim even though the sun had reached its zenith. The duke, accustomed to the shadows, shunned even the slightest glimmer of light.
To avoid disturbing the resting duke, the servants trod the corridors in hushed tones.
Thus, Herwin's world was murky, tranquil, and lonely, akin to the ocean's depths.
Only two things could disrupt his repose: documents requiring the duke's signature and visits from the resident physician.
However, neither of these had roused Herwin today.
"Ugh..."
Lying in bed, Herwin groaned softly.
'It's hot.'
The fever that had risen throughout the night still clung to his body like insects, tormenting him.
'I need to summon the physician...'
Herwin searched for the bell pull, moving his heavy arm. Then something cold fell onto his forehead.
"Cough, what...."
Surprised, he opened his eyes to see a blurry figure of pure white. Strangely petite for a doctor or a servant.
"Good morning, Dad!"
The smiling face before him closely resembled his daughter. No, not just resembled, it was indeed his daughter.
Herwin couldn't contain his astonishment.
'Is this a dream?'
He silently questioned himself and reluctantly affirmed.
"It must be a dream...."
Ever since Eve had left his room in tears yesterday, his mind had been preoccupied. It was undoubtedly the influence of that, that Everiel appeared in his dream.
As he was about to close his eyes again, Everiel at the edge of his gaze, giggled.
"Hmm, is this a dream?"
Realizing her cheerful voice was crystal clear, Herwin reflexively sat up.
"Eve...!"
Simultaneously, something dropped from his head. Herwin lifted it with his large hand.
It was a towel that hadn't been wrung properly and dripped with water.
"This is..."
"It seems like you have a fever!"
Herwin's mouth remained shut, unable to utter a word.
'When and how on earth did she get in?'
No matter how unwell his body felt, he should've sensed her presence. Herwin, looking around, noticed someone lingering outside the room.
"Is it Lily outside?"
After a brief silence, came the response.
"Yes."
"Make her come in for a moment."
"Good morning, Your Grace."
Lily, who entered as if she had been waiting, awkwardly smiled and greeted. Herwin immediately sensed that the nanny was an accomplice just by looking at her face.
"Did Eve open the door?"
"No! She couldn't even reach it...."
"Then?"
"...I held it open for Milady to enter."
Lily had no choice even if she was opposed to the idea. It was because Everiel was so desperate.
'I must go! Absolutely! You promised me, Lily!'
'But...'
'Ugh, if I don't see Dad today, I might lose my appetite and not want to eat....'
'W-What a scary thing to say!'
With repeated earnest requests (disguised threats), Lily took advantage of a moment when the maid guarding the bedroom was absent to help Everiel.
Herwin let out a faint sigh.
"Take her out now. And take this towel too."
At that, Everiel jumped.
"Aahhh, you have a fever! You shouldn't remove it!"
"Eve, I really appreciate your concern, but please leave Dad for a bit."
To anyone, Herwin looked like a soaked rat. His hair, his face, everything was damp with water.
Perhaps sensing her mistake, Everiel made a dismayed expression.
"Squeezing a wet towel was too difficult, wasn't it...?"
The gaze of the child held a certain earnestness.
"Eve, Dad just told you about this yesterday. Even if the door is open..."
"I shouldn't just come in...."
There was no need to further explain since the child already knew her mistake.
"Don't do it again. Understand?"
Herwin gently chided Everiel before signaling to Lily.
"Ugh."
Everiel pouted and sought solace in Lily's embrace.
'She wasn't the type to cling like that.'
The child's whimpering felt strangely awkward. Herwin coughed and waved his hand.
Despite the occasional unexpected behavior, Everiel, as Herwin knew her, was a well-behaved daughter who surprisingly followed his words, not behaving her age.
Having reiterated twice, he believed Everiel understood his intentions well.
Until the child returned that afternoon...
"Good afternoon, Dad!"
Herwin's short nap was interrupted by a melodious voice.
The child dragged a chair to the bedside and sat down deliberately, as if on a mission.
Whether she had completely forgotten about the morning's events or not, she swung her legs with a grin.
'She didn’t answer me earlier...'
When Herwin asked if she understood, Everiel remained silent.
'So this was her plan.'
With a brief sigh, Herwin struggled against the symptoms and heaved his heavy body upright.
"Eve, just this morning..."
His stern expression softened as he trailed off.
"What's this?"
"My doll!"
Herwin stared at the pure white rabbit doll nestled in his arms disbelievingly.
"It's named Snowberry. Lily made it for me, but Dad's room was too cold, so I brought it here. It's filled with prayers for your recovery, so you must keep it close while you sleep!"
Everiel chattered incessantly. Herwin calmly called for Lily.
“Lily.”
Lily, who had been waiting outside, hurriedly entered.
"Ahem, you called, Your Grace."
Despite his slim build due to illness, the duke was around 6 feet tall.
'A small doll in a tall adult's embrace.'
Lily had to make a concerted effort not to smile when facing the duke.
Although her expression remained composed, Herwin, with his keen eyes, quickly noticed the hint of laughter.
He brushed his forehead with an unknown sense of embarrassment.
"Would you like both star candies and snow strawberries?"
"Oh, wait a moment! There's something I want to talk to Dad about!"
"If it's about the governess, let's discuss it next time. And remember not to barge in like this again, okay?"
"But-but if I don't do it like this, I won't have another chance to meet with Dad...!"
With a grip on the bedpost, Everiel tried to resist but eventually relented with a whimper, producing a crying sound like ‘hiiing’, as she was dragged away.
* * *
"He’s fwine, buwt…"
Her pronunciation muffled, Everiel Solgren lifted her head from the sofa cushion, her expression contorted in frustration.
"Dad is so strict!"
"Please don't be upset, Milady.”
Lily comforted, standing nearby.
"I was just worried about Dad!" Everiel exclaimed.
Initially, she had intended to broach the subject of their family tutor. However, when Everiel returned to the past, she could observe Herwin's condition with keener eyes. She could see the aspects she couldn't before, being too young in her previous life to grasp them fully.
When she sneaked into the duke's chambers early in the morning, Everiel found herself momentarily frozen in place.
'I was so scared.'
Herwin, lying on the bed, seemed precariously close to disappearing from Everiel's eyes in a matter of seconds.
‘He must’ve been staying alone like that in his dim, desolate room for a long time.'
Everiel felt the lingering loneliness in her father's chamber. She placed a wet towel on his forehead clumsily, hoping it would somehow help, even though she had never nursed anyone before.
'It's sad when no one is by your side when you're in pain.'
She thought, recalling her own experiences in the palace.
'So I tried to stick around to keep him from feeling lonely!'
Herwin was more formidable than Everiel had anticipated.
'It won't work. I need a different plan.'
She realized she couldn't just blindly enter the room; she needed to move with a better strategy.
'If I'm going to take care of Dad properly, I need to learn more about his illness, right?'
Everiel's eyes sparkled.
"Lily! I have to go somewhere! Right now!"
"Pardon? Where to?"
Everiel grabbed Lily's sleeve and hurried along.
"To the apothecary!"
It was where she could find the person in this mansion who understood Herwin's illness best.