It Turned Out She Wasn't a Favored Concubine - Episode 40

“This is the room His Highness used to stay in. We’ve redecorated it with new furniture and wallpaper—I hope it suits your taste.”

Louis stepped forward and opened the door. The room, decorated in soft wood tones with a white base, was completely to my taste.

Not Arne’s taste—mine.

It felt a bit strange. The style was quite different from that of Arlin Palace. Both this room and the palace had been decorated by Arne, yet the interiors were so contrasting that I asked without thinking:

“Did you completely replace the furniture and wallpaper?”

Only after asking did I realize how foolish that sounded.

Arne wasn’t an idiot—he wouldn’t have forgotten his own room just a year after leaving it. Yet I had asked as if I were seeing it for the first time.

“Yes! Oh, that’s what I heard. I think it’s because this style is trendy now, so they updated it to match.”

Fortunately, Louis didn’t notice anything odd. I sighed in relief.

After Leanne left the Edelheit estate with his parents, I swallowed dryly, feeling somewhat awkward.

The bustle of preparing the carriage, loading luggage, and exchanging farewells had faded, leaving the villa in silence.

It was so quiet that I kept recalling how I had collapsed earlier, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I’ll escort His Highness to the room now. You’ve walked all the way from the carriage to the villa—you should rest a bit.”

Louis was always considerate of me. Thanks to him, I escaped the awkward situation.

Hans and Martenal followed behind, but Giskal had returned to the main house, saying he had business to attend to.

The main house was a four-story building, and my room was on the top floor. So Louis, as well as my guards Hans and Martenal, were also staying on the fourth floor.

Thankfully, they didn’t follow me all the way to my room. Guided by Louis, I arrived at the door in the center of the fourth-floor hallway, and he opened it with a look of anticipation.

Seeing Arne’s room for the first time, I found it perfectly aligned with my taste. It was a relief that the latest trends matched what I liked. As I expressed my admiration and looked around, Louis seemed genuinely pleased, as if it were his own accomplishment.

Knock knock

While I was enjoying the room filled with things I liked, a knock came at the door. Louis announced the arrival of the butler, Ortrang.

“Apologies for disturbing your rest. The head of the house had an urgent matter arise and asked me to convey his regrets for not being able to join you for dinner.”

Ortrang looked genuinely apologetic, even though it wasn’t his fault. I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I was relieved to avoid an uncomfortable dinner.

“That’s fine. I think I’d prefer to eat early and turn in for the night.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Ortrang bowed deeply. His posture was so straight, it made his white beard seem out of place.

“If you experience any discomfort during your stay, please let Louis or me know. Fulfilling Arne’s wishes is our joy.”

“Alright, I will.”

Thankfully, Ortrang didn’t seem to harbor any resentment toward Arne. Perhaps Arne had behaved well toward the butler who managed the estate.

Come to think of it, even on the day he handed me the diary, Ortrang had comforted me with a gentle smile, like soothing a child who didn’t understand anything.

“By the way, there’s someone I’d like to introduce to you.”

“Hm?”

As I looked up, a man cloaked entirely in black robes appeared at the door.

“Who is he?”

“This is Parsen. He’ll be looking after your health from now on.”

Parsen bowed politely. But he didn’t remove his robe or make eye contact. For a doctor, his first impression was rather gloomy.

“Let’s start with a quick pulse check.”

At Ortrang’s suggestion, I waved my hand dismissively.

“No need. I’m not sick. I get checked by the royal physician at least once a month.”

Because Erich was so fussy, I was getting health checkups here more frequently than the biennial ones I had in modern society. I didn’t want another doctor at the Edelheit estate.

“He’s the one who treated Leanne.”

“What?”

I jumped to my feet. The doctor Leanne had respectfully called “physician,” the one Giscal had brought in for him—that was this man? The robe that had seemed oppressive now looked mysterious.

I rushed over to Parsen and clasped my hands together.

“I was meaning to thank you. Truly, thank you. Thanks to you, Leanne regained consciousness. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would’ve happened. Even the royal physician had no solution.”

“You’re too kind.”

His face remained hidden in the shadows of his robe, but judging by his voice, he seemed to be middle-aged.

When I tried to peek inside the robe, he turned his head away. Realizing my rudeness, I cleared my throat and stepped back.

“Parsen is a renowned physician, skilled enough to treat Leanne. That’s why I insisted he see you as well. He even rearranged his busy schedule to accommodate you. Please don’t refuse.”

With Ortrang’s repeated suggestion, it was hard to say no. I glanced at Parsen and said,

“Alright, if you’re okay with it, Parsen.”

“Just Parsen is fine. You can speak casually.”

Parsen bowed again. I had planned to reward the doctor who treated Leanne generously. Now I had a reason to do so—he would be treating me for a month.

“I’ll be in your care, Parsen.”

“Then let’s begin a simple examination.”

I blinked.

“Right now?”

“Yes, it’s very simple and will be over quickly.”

Normally, you just exchange greetings during a first meeting, don’t you? Especially when I wasn’t feeling unwell.

But Parsen was proactive. He pulled something from his robe and quickly rolled up his sleeves.

“Just sit still and close your eyes.”

“Close my eyes?”

“Yes.”

His reply was short, with no explanation. I glanced at Ortrang and Louis, but neither seemed uncomfortable with Parsen’s actions.

Louis even gestured for me to hurry.

I slowly closed my eyes. Then I felt something touch the back of my hand.

“You may open your eyes now.”

It really was a simple examination. I had no idea what he had checked or what it was for.

“I’d like to conduct a daily checkup at the same time each day. Would that be alright?”

“Daily checkups?”

“I understand it may be inconvenient, but it’s necessary to monitor your condition closely. Please allow it.”

Parsen bowed again, making it hard to refuse.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

“Very well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Parsen gave a brief farewell and left first. Ortrang watched him go and offered an explanation.

“Parsen isn’t very talkative. Unlike royal physicians who are trained in etiquette toward royalty, he may seem rude, but it’s never intentional.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about that. I’m just curious how he could assess my condition with that brief exam. The royal physician uses a different method.”

“Well…”

Ortrang hesitated, and Louis stepped in.

“I’ve heard Parsen uses a rather unique approach. That’s probably how he was able to treat Leanne.”

“True, he’s a skilled doctor—he must know what he’s doing.”

“Exactly. Earlier, you said you’d prefer a light dinner. Would you like it now?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll go down and take care of it myself. I need to make sure the chefs know what ingredients to avoid for your meals.”

Louis hurried out with Ortrang.

Typical of meticulous Louis—he was probably informing the staff to avoid ingredients I disliked. I didn’t have any dietary restrictions, but I did have preferences, and Louis had figured them out perfectly after just a few months of serving me.

But wouldn’t the chefs here already know Arne’s food preferences? After all, Arne grew up here. Louis, who had been a maid at the estate, would know them too.

Had the estate’s chefs changed in the meantime?

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