OHNIR – Chapter 65
Chapter 65: Misunderstanding
“…So, you’re fine now, is that right?”
Wend’s face was cold as he stared through the mirror at the timid Kelusta standing outside her dormitory. He let out a deep breath, suppressing his irritation at the wasted trip, and asked as calmly as he could, “Where is Gloria now?”
“Senior was taking care of me and was completely exhausted. I just convinced her to get some sleep,” Kelusta said cautiously. “I heard it was the Antipyretic Potion from your room that worked and brought my fever down… Thank you so much, Mr. Silentdis!”
She said this deliberately to remind Wend, as he was well aware of her drug-resistant constitution and knew that a few bottles of Antipyretic Potion wouldn’t have had much of an effect.
It seemed Gloria had used some other, more mysterious method to treat her.
But now was not the time for detailed questions. Wend frowned, glanced at Dite across from him in the carriage—who was wide-eyed and trying to peek at the mirror—and subtly shifted his body to block the man’s view. He said to Kelusta, “Since you’re fine now, let Gloria get her rest. We’ll head straight back—”
“Hey, wait, my lord!” Dite patted the medicine box beside him and said with a grin, “Didn’t you say Madam Lechena went to the Royal Palace and isn’t at the academy right now? Since we’re already here, why don’t I give this young lady a thorough examination, just to be safe.”
Wend hesitated. He wasn’t sure what method Gloria had used, nor could he be certain how much a girl like Kelusta, who didn’t seem particularly sharp, understood about her own physical condition. Therefore, to be on the safe side, it was better to let Dite examine her.
A physician who had been employed by the ducal family for many years was naturally highly skilled.
He looked down at Kelusta with a hesitant expression, only to see the girl nod with perfect composure. She replied enthusiastically, without a hint of nervousness, “If it’s convenient for you, I’d certainly be willing to have a more thorough check-up.”
Seeing Kelusta’s natural demeanor, Wend couldn’t help but breathe a small sigh of relief. He nodded, looked out the carriage window at the approaching academy scenery, and made the arrangements. “Alright, get ready. We’ll meet in the medical room in half an hour.”
“Thank you again, sincerely,” Kelusta said politely with a small smile. Once Wend had cut the connection, she turned and went back into the room.
Healing magic left no traces. As long as she stuck to her story that she recovered because of the Antipyretic Potion, no one would be able to detect anything amiss.
Thus, she was quite confident.
Kelusta walked to the edge of the bed and reached out, gently and carefully nudging the sleeping Gloria.
“Lux, wake up.”
Gloria hummed softly and opened her cornflower-blue eyes. Having just woken from a deep sleep, her magnificent, gem-like eyes were veiled in a thin layer of mist, looking so languid and enchanting that Kelusta nearly lost her soul gazing at them.
“…What is it? Did Wend send a message?” Gloria blinked, clearing the sleepiness from her eyes. She pushed herself up to lean against the headboard and lazily reached out to ruffle Kelusta’s long hair.
Kelusta cooperatively lowered her head, involuntarily nuzzling Gloria’s palm like a little kitten. “Yes, the doctor Mr. Silentdis brought suggested a thorough check-up for me, just in case. We’re scheduled to meet in the medical room in half an hour. That should be alright, right?”
“Mm, it’s fine.” Gloria brushed back her slightly messy hair and gave Kelusta a faint, reassuring smile. “As long as you insist that the Antipyretic Potion cured your illness, no one can do anything to you.”
Seeing Kelusta’s expression relax, the smile on the silver-haired girl’s lips cooled slightly. She turned to look out the window with an ambiguous expression and said pointedly, “Besides… a lesson has been learned. Even if someone with ill intentions is still out there and wants to use this against you again, they’ll have to get past me first.”
Kelusta looked at her in surprise. After a moment, a smile full of security spread across her face. “Okay,” she said with intimacy and reliance, “I’ll leave it all to you.”
“Ding. Gloria’s favorability +2.”
“Don’t worry,” the silver-haired girl said, smoothing Kelusta’s hair and promising solemnly, “I absolutely won’t let you get into any trouble.”
Half an hour later, in the medical room.
“Well, this young lady’s body is indeed very healthy. There’s no sign she was recently ill… You two may rest assured.”
Dite put his diagnostic tools back in his box, gave Wend a wink, and teased him ambiguously, “Especially you, Young Master Wend—you can stop looking so worried. Who doesn’t get a few fevers growing up?”
Wend froze, frowning in confusion. He was about to retort to the physician, who always spoke so flippantly, but Dite suddenly dropped his playful demeanor. He turned to Gloria, who was helping the brown-haired girl off the examination bed, and his attitude did a complete one-eighty. He reported to her with what could be called professional rigor, “Lady Gloria, although it’s normal for patients to develop a high fever from the cold due to the recent drop in temperature—however, after a blood test, I detected trace amounts of Moonlight Vine residue in this young lady’s system.”
At these words, everyone froze.
Kelusta couldn’t help but turn to look at the silver-haired young man, blinking. Fake Illness Potion?
Wend stood with his arms crossed, his face expressionless, but his deep blue eyes darted up and down almost imperceptibly.
Although Kelusta didn’t understand what this meant… she guessed that Wend himself probably wasn’t sure if the Moonlight Vine residue in her system was caused by the combination of the Fake Illness Potion and the Antipyretic Potion.
The two of them were off to the side, engaged in a silent, intense exchange of glances, neither saying a word. Gloria, ever the most reliable, calmly glanced between them before being the first to answer the doctor’s question. “Perhaps it’s residue from the Antipyretic Potion?”
Dite shook his head in disagreement. “The amount of Moonlight Vine in an Antipyretic Potion is minuscule. Once ingested, it fully integrates into the user’s bloodstream along with the potion, so it normally wouldn’t be detectable.”
“In that case, perhaps I’ve recently taken some other potion that contains Moonlight Vine?” Kelusta interjected, pulling her gaze away and smiling. She subtly shot Gloria a look.
Gloria understood and gave a slight nod, but her eyes darted toward Wend, giving her brother a rather unfriendly glare.
The direct creator of the Fake Illness Potion: “…”
He sighed inwardly for the umpteenth time, thinking he must have been possessed to agree to help Kelusta with such a thankless task.
And now he had to take the fall for it all!
Hearing Kelusta’s words, Dite paused, looking completely baffled. “But in the officially published registry, there are no potions that require an excessive amount of Moonlight Vine. Miss, forgive my impertinence, but may I ask what you took—”
“It was a new potion I’m currently developing.”
The silver-haired young man, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, cutting off Dite’s question. “She’s my classmate,” he said calmly. “She was just helping me test a potion. That’s hardly something to make a fuss about, is it?”
“A new potion?” Dite stroked his chin. “Moonlight Vine is such a rare ingredient. Aside from a wealthy and extravagant potion master like yourself, no one would be willing to waste a large amount of it in the testing phase… Alright, then. Other than that, there’s nothing else abnormal about this young lady’s health—in fact, I’d estimate she’s probably healthier than I am right now.”
Since he had his answer, Dite didn’t dwell on the Moonlight Vine issue. After all, he was just a physician; potion-making was outside his area of expertise.
However… in certain other areas, his expertise was perfectly suited.
The physician, a man of rich romantic experience, let his eyes wander. He subtly observed Wend and Kelusta for a moment, feeling he had keenly sniffed out something unusual.
Despite Dite’s youthful appearance, he was actually only a few years younger than the Duke. Having been employed for many years, he was considered a veteran of the Silentdis household and had practically watched Wend grow up.
Consequently, his attitude toward the eldest daughter and the second son was completely different. Compared to Gloria, who had been tirelessly working for the family since she was a child, Dite was much more familiar with Wend, the tech-geek who stayed home all year round, tinkering with potions whenever he had free time.
Likewise, he knew full well that Wend detested strangers entering his potion room, and that the job of testing potions had always been reserved for Gloria, the Duke, or Dite himself.
But now, this potion master, who was quite fastidious in certain respects, was claiming he had chosen a common classmate as a test subject?
If someone claimed there was nothing fishy going on, Dite, a man of the world, would be the first to raise his hand and declare his disbelief.
—Of course, it was perfectly normal for the physician to have this misconception. After all, expecting Dite to guess that the two of them were actually in an “employer-employee relationship” without any clues was asking too much.
The ducal family’s exclusive physician, unaware of the truth, smiled reservedly. While keeping his speculations to himself, he casually brought up a recent major event to the two nobles.
“Oh, right,” Dite said, tapping his hand as if he’d just remembered something. “You two haven’t been home for a few weeks, so I haven’t had a chance to complete the task the Duke assigned me. I’m truly ashamed.”
At his words, not only the two he addressed but even Kelusta looked over, her eyes shining. However, the latter was well aware of her position. When her eyes met Dite’s, she immediately felt a pang of guilt and raised her hand, tentatively asking, “Should I step out, sir?”
“Oh, no, no, of course not, my dear girl,” Dite said kindly. “It’s not a private matter. You’re certainly welcome to listen.”
He was too smart to rashly send her away and severely hinder Wend’s progress!
Gloria patted Kelusta’s hair, letting her stand comfortingly by her side. She looked up at Dite and said in a calm, expectant tone, “Father sent you to ask about our plans for the court ball in half a month, didn’t he?”
“Yes, Lady Gloria.” Dite bowed slightly and concisely relayed the Duke’s message. “His Grace said that if you two have chosen dance partners or have other plans, please inform him as soon as possible so that he can notify the royal family in advance and prevent any unexpected situations.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the brown-haired girl’s golden eyes seemed to shine even brighter, while the other two principals exchanged a look, as if communicating something unspoken.
The next second, Wend turned and said flatly, “Same as previous years, I will not be inviting a partner.”
“???” Dite looked at Kelusta in confusion, then hesitantly asked again, “Are you sure? You’re going to attend the ball alone again this year?”
Wend stared at him, bewildered. “I’m sure.”
Dite opened his mouth, about to try and persuade him, but Gloria cut him off crisply before he could continue.
“I have already decided who I will be inviting this year,” the silver-haired girl said, turning to smile at the dazed-looking Kelusta. Her voice was steady. “Please trouble yourself to inform Father that I will personally report my choice to the royal family, and the invitation will be written in my own name. There is no need for Father to trouble himself.”
Dite watched as Gloria cast a meaningful glance toward Kelusta, and he felt the number of question marks floating above his head suddenly multiply.
Wh-what did that mean?
He frowned, pondering deeply for a good while before it finally dawned on him.
Could it be that Wend was too shy to invite the girl himself and planned to have his sister do it for him?
How pathetic!
—I’ll have to give this boy a good talking-to later. To be so innocent at his age—is he doing that face of his any justice?
Mr. Dite sighed heavily in his heart. He felt that not only was he a peer to the Duke, but he also had to help his old friend worry about his children’s romantic lives. His sincere, caring heart was truly worn out.
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