I Don’t Need the Grand Duke’s Regret - Chapter 118

Ricardo paced the hallway, unable to sit still. Ever since he met Charles a few days ago, he couldn’t sleep.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the weight of the child in his arms and the warmth of his little body.

Ricardo desperately wanted to see Charles just once more. But Mirabel kept the child well hidden, not even bringing him to the dining hall where she occasionally appeared before.

“Huu…”

Ricardo pulled at his cravat and let out a long sigh.

Mirabel was currently out with her maid and Luce to check on the lily bulbs. It was her routine to ensure the lilies from Segolinde were well taken care of.

She used to take Charles with her a few times, but after he had a bad fall in the garden, she decided to leave him in the room.

This was valuable information Ricardo had obtained from Luce.

Whenever Ricardo asked about Mirabel, Luce would innocently provide details without suspicion, except when he asked if she knew Mirabel was actually Armilla.

Luce insisted they were two different people and seemed oblivious to occasionally referring to Mirabel as ‘Lady Armilla’.

Despite this, Luce’s information about Mirabel’s routine was always accurate.

So, Ricardo decided to put into action the plan he had been agonizing over for several nights. Today, the repairs on the Ragnar Bridge had finally started.

If he delayed any longer, he might lose both Mirabel and Charles. He had no time to waste.

With a trembling heart, Ricardo knocked on the door of the green room. He knocked unnecessarily hard due to his nerves, but no sound came from within.

“Charles.”

For the first time, Ricardo said the name he had rolled around in his mind countless times. His voice was awkward and came out terribly distorted.

Listening intently for any sound from within, Ricardo flexed his fingers open and closed.

Despite the passage of several nerve-wracking moments, there was no response from the child. Ricardo gathered his courage and spoke again.

“Charles, are you in there?”

He adjusted his tone to sound gentle, despite feeling strangely self-conscious as if his face were flushing even though no one was watching.

That must be why he failed to notice the oddity of the silence.

“Charles?”

After standing in front of the door for a while, Ricardo, unsettled by the eerie silence, grasped the doorknob. Opening the door, he found the child and went pale.

“Waaah!”

Charles was sprawled on the carpet, crying. From his position, it seemed he had fallen off the bed. It was perplexing that Ricardo hadn’t heard any sound from the hallway despite the child’s loud cries. The thick door, meant to protect against monsters, had ironically become a barrier.

“Waaah!”

Ricardo didn’t bother closing the door as he rushed to the child. He gently picked up Charles and immediately checked his face.

“Are you hurt? Be a good boy, let me see your face.”

“Mommy…”

Charles whimpered, looking up at Ricardo with teary eyes. Ricardo’s heart raced as he touched the soft, tear-streaked cheeks of the child.

He was burning with fever.

Falling off the bed was not the issue. The child was suffering from a high fever.

Ricardo carefully brushed aside Charles’ damp black hair that clung to his forehead.

“Where’s your mother…?”

Ricardo stopped mid-sentence, remembering that he had planned to see the child while Mirabel was away.

According to the schedule, Mirabel wasn’t supposed to be here now.

But something was wrong. Leaving a feverish child alone was out of character for Mirabel, who doted on him.

However, there was a more pressing matter at hand. Holding Charles, Ricardo raised his voice.

“Walter!”

“Yes, Master.”

As if he had been waiting nearby, the new butler, Walter, appeared immediately. Replacing the dismissed Paolo, Walter quickly assessed the situation and spoke.

“I’ll fetch the doctor right away. In the meantime, we need to bring down the fever. Can you handle it, Master?”

“Yes.”

Ricardo, realizing what needed to be done, placed his hand on Charles’ forehead. He should have done it earlier, but he was too shocked to think straight.

Calming himself, Ricardo silently recited a spell. A purple light emanated from his hand, enveloping Charles, and gradually, the child’s body returned to a normal temperature.

Ricardo didn’t stop there, he infused a bit more magic into the child. Soon, the whimpering child had a peaceful face and drifted off to sleep.

Having used magic to lull the child to sleep, Ricardo carefully examined the little one resting against his chest. Charles was now sound asleep, as if he had never been crying.

Once Ricardo confirmed that the child was calm, he finally exhaled a sigh of relief.

His heart had felt like it might burst.

The moment he heard Charles crying, and then seeing the child alone and weeping in the large room, his mind had gone blank. Only Charles had filled his vision.

Even though he had confirmed the child’s safety, his heart still pounded.

‘Why did Mirabel leave Charles alone?’

Having calmed down somewhat, Ricardo frowned. He cast a sharp gaze at the bed.

The bedding was bunched up, suggesting that the child had been tossing and turning in his sleep. It seemed likely that this had caused him to fall off the bed.

Ricardo slowly stood up, making sure not to wake Charles. Then he straightened the bedding and gently laid the child back on the bed.

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