The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 77: The Nosebleed

Chapter 77: The Nosebleed

The onset of the rainy season in the Imperial Capital eerily harmonized with the grim ambiance that had enveloped the city in the wake of the horrifying Harvest Festival.

Rumors swirled, attributing significance to the synchrony of the monsters’ assault and the commencement of the rains. Some deemed it a providential occurrence, cleansing the streets of the grim aftermath left by the festival’s wreckage. Others, however, held fast to a different conviction. They saw the rain as a message from the departed Saintess, her ethereal gesture to reassure the Empire of Rische that her vigil continued, her tears mingling with the downpour, mourning the needless loss of lives.

The tragedy, awakened by the unpredictable and terrifying events, held the whole Empire of Rische in lethargic suspension as it mourned the death of those unfortunate souls who lost their lives either due to panic or the magic beasts’ attack.

Every subsequent facet of the grand celebration lay in ruin, events canceled and festivities abandoned. The Emperor himself delved into the investigation, accompanied by Damien Dio and his enigmatic Shadow Knights. The once-open doors of the Imperial Palace shuttered, wrapping the case in layers of secrecy and intrigue.

The Dio mansion seemed to have been engulfed by the dark mourning atmosphere as well – the previously light and cheery duchy was now covered in a thick layer of misty gray shadow buried underneath the heavy veil of the cold downpour, its resounding cold droplets hitting each surface like bullets. Every single person residing in the mansion was affected by the glum of the tragedy, and no matter how much each of them tried to sustain their composure and uplifted pretense, the somber mood of the cold gray skies was nearly impossible to defeat.

Both Damien and Altair remained conspicuously absent from the duchy for a span of nearly an entire week, engrossed in the arduous task of mitigating the aftermath of the now-ruined festival. The Grand Duke found himself sequestered within the opulent confines of the Imperial Palace, addressing the multifaceted repercussions, while Altair devoted his energies to providing invaluable aid to the High Priest during the somber proceedings of the funerals and the intricate blessings that ensued.

This, however, did not mean the end of the overwhelming amount of work assigned to the title of the duke, therefore, the person who had to suffer the most, at least inside the Dio mansion, was none other than Damien’s loyal aide, Felix Howyer.

In an attempt to relieve her lethargic mood as well as do something useful again, Rosalie decided to offer Felix her assistance, entirely prepared to face his irritated rejection, however, much to her surprise, the man accepted her help right away, nearly pulling the lady inside Damien’s study and placing mountains of paperwork on the wooden desk in front of her.

"I cannot adequately express the depth of my gratitude for your assistance, Lady Rosalie. The Grand Duke maintains a deliberate selectiveness when it comes to entrusting individuals with his personal affairs. As you are well aware, this privilege is sparingly extended, confined exclusively to my humble self."

Felix wiped his tired glistening eyes underneath his golden-framed spectacles and offered Lady Ashter a pitiful, yet apologetic look which she accepted with a sympathetic nod and an understanding smile.

"Don’t worry, I enjoy doing this, it brings me a lot of pleasure knowing that I can be helpful to both you and His Grace in any way."

Encouraged by Felix’s appreciative words, Rosalie pulled the first stack of papers toward her and started going over them, already familiar with her partner’s usual working routine. With each sorted paper and each careful yet skillful stroke of the black fountain pen, Lady Ashter began to feel her restless mind getting distracted while her thoughts became pleasantly calm and focused – a familiar feeling she had when she was doing her job back in her previous life working as an office manager.

’I wonder if overseeing a charity fund would be as busy... I thought I would be alright living a life filled with everlasting leisure but as it turns out, my inner workaholic cannot be that easily pushed out.’

Rosalie’s breath escaped her lips in a sigh of measured disappointment as she set another sealed document before her. Unexpectedly, three crimson droplets descended upon the pristine expanse of the page, swiftly diffusing into tiny scarlet pools.

"Oh my!"

Caught off-guard by this unforeseen development, Rosalie involuntarily emitted a startled exclamation. This abrupt reaction drew Felix’s attention, his silver eyes redirecting toward her in a display of widened astonishment.

"Lady Rosalie, you have a nosebleed!"

The man abruptly leaned over, nearly shoving his white handkerchief into the lady’s face, his face growing even more worried and bewildered.

"Are you unwell? Has the workload proved excessive for you?"

With a swift movement, Rosalie adeptly retrieved the handkerchief from Felix’s grasp, promptly pressing it against her nostrils. She shook her head, a gesture meant to convey that her well-being was not compromised by illness.

"It’s alright, I am not ill, I swear! It is but a mere nosebleed, don’t worry!"

"How can I not worry? Nosebleeds can be a sign of a far serious condition, this should not remain unattended!"

Felix’s genuine concern for Lady Ashter’s well-being both touched and flustered her, yet a sense of unease lingered due to her awareness of the inconvenience her compromised health had already caused Damien. Thus, she found herself at a crossroads, opting to tread a path of deceit. As the blood-tinged handkerchief met her nostrils, she released a subtle, contemplative sigh, and shook her head again.

"Please, this is truly nothing serious. I... regularly have nosebleeds during the rainy seasons! Something to do with the pressure, perhaps. Really, I am absolutely fine!"

Her explanation appeared to quell the furrow that had etched itself between Felix’s brows, his countenance softening in response. Casting another appraising glance in Rosalie’s direction, he emitted a sigh akin to her own before seamlessly returning to his duties. With an air of nonchalance, he gracefully concluded the matter that had momentarily disrupted their shared focus.

"I still implore you to check it with His Grace’s doctor, it seems like Revered Altair’s attention is not enough."

The girl watched as Felix gracefully slid the fountain pen across the white sheet of paper for a few more moments, before shifting her deep gray eyes back to the blood-stained handkerchief, her chest slightly trembling with a new wave of anxiety.

’This is the first nosebleed since the one I had upon encountering the talking wolf beast... What in the world is happening to me?’

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report