The next morning, there was a knock on my door.

“Little miss!” exclaimed Jenny as she came in. I looked up from my book and saw how excited she was. “Her Grace has sent you a gift!”

“A gift?” I asked, surprised.

“Yes, she said that she knew you liked sweet things.”

How did she know that?! Wait a minute... I vaguely remembered telling Lord Pearlman I liked sweet things on my first day in the castle. The duchess must’ve asked him for his advice.

“She sent over a strawberry cake.”

“Oh, really? That’s nice of her.”

“Yes, but… Er...”

Jenny carefully pulled a rolling cart inside the room. I nearly fell out of my chair. It was huge! The biggest cake I’d ever seen in my life. Every kid at the orphanage could have had a giant slice and it would have barely made a dent.

Still in shock, I gingerly opened the note next to it.

—I was able to sleep well, thanks to you. I woke up this morning feeling very well rested. I heard you like sweet things, so here is a token of my appreciation. I will ask the palace to send us one of their royal bakers. Have a good afternoon.

This giant cake... and a royal baker?! This was a token of appreciation? I knew the Cereus family had deep pockets, but this was seriously on another level.

“I could eat this for a month,” I murmured, gazing at the enormous cake in front of me.

“If you don’t like it, Her Grace ordered that it should be sent back to the kitchens,” said Jenny. “And... she’ll fire the baker,” she added.

“Oh, uh. N-no need.”

The duchess was certainly extreme in everything she did.

Well, there was no way I could eat this thing all by myself, even if I had it for every meal for days on end. I clapped my hands as a bright idea occurred to me.

“Maybe I could share it with Lord Erwan? It’s too much for me to eat all by myself.”

I knew he’d be alone in his room, not doing much.

The more inactive he is, the more sickly he’ll feel...

I needed to become his friend so I could get him to do what I say. Unfortunately, his status was much higher than mine, so I wouldn’t be able to outright bully him into health. I’d have to be quite crafty about it.

* * *

“My mother sent you a cake?” asked Erwan in astonishment.

“Yes,” I said, cutting him a slice. “I helped her to go to sleep last night.”

I’d taken three slices for myself. It really was delicious.

“What did you do for her?” he demanded.

“Why d’you wanna know?”

He hesitated. “I... I also have trouble sleeping.”

“That’s because you don’t do enough physical activity and you never see the sun,” I said. “The cause of your headaches is different from your mother’s.”

“But...” he protested.

“If you can’t sleep, should I help you tonight?” I asked.

Erwan peered at me. “You’re really amazing, aren’t you?”

“Uh... Pardon?” I was a little stunned by the unexpected remark.

“You said so yesterday,” he said. “You told me you’d get my mother to acknowledge you, and you really did.”

“Ah, that’s not so amazing,” I said casually. “I just knew if I did my best that it would work out fine.”

“Okay,” said Erwan, eating his cake. “I believe in you. Will you help me get to sleep later?”

“Okay,” I said. “But right now, would you hold out your hand for me?”

Holding his hand was the fastest way to detect the flow of his mana and see if there were any irregularities. I put my fingers on his pulse, then abruptly pulled away.

“L-Lord Erwan...?”

I leaped up and laid the back of my hand against his forehead. His mana was pulsing irregularly and he was burning up.

“Does your head hurt? Why didn’t you say anything?!” I’d thought he’d been completely fine the whole time. Usually, I could tell if someone was sick by simply looking at their complexion. But I had been totally clueless with him. Erwan quietly regarded my frantic expression.

A thought occurred to me. “Were you... worried that I’d be annoyed?” I asked. “Like all those other assistants were?”

“My mother told me I shouldn’t look weak in front of people,” mumbled Erwan.

“But you’re still young, not to mention very ill. You don’t have to be strong all the time,” I said.

I ushered him out of his seat and quickly got him into bed. Rushing into the hall, I found a maid and ordered her to bring me fever medication, herbs, a pen, and a notebook. I rushed back to Erwan’s side.

“Do you know why I’m sick?” he asked quietly.

“No, I don’t know why,” I said.

I’d spent some time searching for a likely cause, but I hadn’t hit upon anything yet. If it was a simple illness, I knew Lord Pearlman would have figured it out long ago.

While he lay in bed, I meticulously recorded the flow of his mana and the effect each medicinal herb had on him, every half hour. As Erwan slowly started to relax around me, the sickness he’d been hiding started to show on his face as he gradually became paler. I’d wanted him to eat well today, but it was more urgent now that he get some rest. I diligently kept cool, wet cloths on his forehead and switched them for fresh ones as soon as they began to get warm.

“You should go...” he murmured. “I’m fine, I’ll feel better soon.” He blinked his eyes, trying to look convincing. He was definitely experienced in pretending to be well.

“No, you are not fine. You’re just fighting it,” I said, sponging his face. “But if you keep pretending to be fine, you’re only going to get sicker.” I laid my cool hand against his cheek. “Try to get some sleep. And remember that feeling this way isn’t normal. You must always let me know.”

“It’s not as if I’ll get better,” he mumbled.

“But you’ll feel better for now. What’s the point of suffering if you don’t have to?” I said. “If we both try our best, then you will definitely get better.”

I held his bony arm and carefully inserted a needle attached to a drip. I winked. “I’m a genius, remember?”

He looked at me thoughtfully.

“You will definitely get better,” I said. “Because I’m going to do my best to help you.”

“But why?” he asked, looking puzzled.

“Well, because I worry about you. And it’s my job, as a doctor.” I smiled and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

He blinked his eyes languidly as the calming potion began to take effect. If I could calm that wild mana coursing through him, he would feel much better.

* * *

Erwan awoke in the early hours of the morning, just as the sky was turning a rosy pink. Looking around, he realized that he had been asleep for an astounding twelve hours. What’s more, the pulsing headache that he’d been suffering from was gone entirely, and he felt clear headed and alert.

Erwan usually didn’t care much about the servants and the people who went in and out of the castle daily. He’d especially had little interest in Lord Pearlman’s assistants since so many of them had come and gone.

He had also felt embarrassed to call for them, knowing that they were annoyed whenever they had to check on him or make him some medication. Eventually, he’d fallen into a habit of trying to ignore his pain rather than ask for help. He knew he wouldn’t get better anyway, so it seemed pointless to try.

His mother was also too stressed and occupied every day, and she was so formal and distant with him. He was used to keeping to himself and not making a fuss. He had expected the same sort of dismissive treatment from the new assistant. He had been pleasantly surprised when Rita had approached him to play that first day. But he knew he’d feel sad when she left like all the others, so he did his best to not get too attached.

But Rita had managed to gain approval from that scary Lord Pearlman, and even from his mother.

Erwan had been so happy when she’d come to his room with that huge cake. He hadn’t wanted her visit to be ruined, so he had done his utmost to hide his pain. But as soon as she had realized he was sick, she’d jumped into action and immediately worked to make him feel better.

Erwan gazed at the small figure sleeping by the side of his bed. The cloth on his forehead was cool and fresh. He knew she had stayed up all night to take care of him. No other assistant had ever done anything like this. They’d been quick to toss him the medication he needed and then leave to go about their day.

Erwan glanced at the open notebook by Rita’s side. It was filled with observations and a detailed record of his condition every half hour. It also included notes on the slightest changes in his mana whenever she administered a new medicine.

“If we both try our best, then you will definitely get better.”

Erwan knew she was working hard for him. For the first time in forever, he felt a slight spark of hope.

He reached out and stroked her hair softly. Unexpectedly, he found himself opening his heart to his doctor’s new assistant.