Chapter 26

After that, I immediately headed to Rebecca's room.

"Rebecca!"

When I entered the room, Rebecca was not lying on the bed, but sitting at her desk.

What, she has a fever...?

"Oh... Lady Sophie, welcome back..."

Rebecca turned to me and gave me a lovely smile.

However, her expression seemed more pained than usual, her face was red, and she was sweating.

"Rebecca, are you okay? Your face is red."

"I'm fine... I'm sorry to worry you."

No, you don't seem fine at all...!

I approached Rebecca and pressed my forehead against hers to check her temperature.

"Wow, you have a really high fever!"

I've heard that children's body temperatures can be high, but this is way too high.

Despite clearly feeling unwell, she was sitting at her desk, studying.

"Rebecca, you must be feeling terrible. You need to rest properly."

"But I still have today's studies to do..."

Even though you're feeling so bad, you're still studying?

I heard from the servant that since she got a fever, she hasn't rested in bed but has been studying the whole time.

Why are you pushing yourself so hard...!

"No, Rebecca. Go to bed."

"B-but..."

"Rebecca"

I said it more firmly, and she flinched.

She suddenly looked scared and looked up at me with teary eyes.

"I'm sorry...!"

Rebecca was so scared of being scolded by me.

She had been scolded by her parents and her tutors before.

So being scolded has become a source of emotional pain for her.

I don't want to scold her, but this time it's necessary.

"Come on, lie down in bed."

"Yes..."

Rebecca obediently followed my instructions, but she seemed scared.

After she lay down and I covered her with a blanket, I sat on the edge of the bed and spoke to her.

"Rebecca, do you understand why I scolded you?"

"Because I didn't listen, right?"

"No."

"Um... because I got sick..."

"No, Rebecca. It's because you don't take care of yourself."

Rebecca, lying down, opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"Also, I'm not angry, I'm scolding you."

"Scolding..."

"Yes, I'm scolding you because you did something bad to yourself, and I want to correct it. I'm scolding you because I care about you."

Scolding and being angry are similar but very different.

Being angry is about your own emotions, lashing out at others, like taking out your frustration on someone.

Rebecca has been scolded by her parents and tutors, so she was very scared.

But scolding is about guiding and correcting wrong behavior.

"You shouldn't force yourself to study when you're sick. Take care of yourself."

"...Yes, I'm sorry."

Rebecca apologized sincerely. I hope she can understand the difference between being angry and scolding.

"Come on, close your eyes, Rebecca. Get some rest."

"Yes..."

Rebecca closed her eyes, and as I stroked her head, she soon fell into a steady sleep.

To fall asleep so quickly, she must have been pushing herself a lot.

As soon as she fell asleep, the door to the room opened, and Alan came in.

"Is Rebecca... asleep?"

Alan lowered his voice when he realized she was sleeping.

I nodded and spoke in a low voice as well.

"Yes, she's asleep."

"I'll call the doctor; he should be here soon."

"Thank you."

As Alan said, the doctor arrived quickly.

He examined the sleeping Rebecca and concluded that it was just a fever.

He said that if she rests for a while, she'll get better soon.

Phew, that's a relief...

We left Rebecca's room and headed to the dining room for dinner, as it was dinner time.

Even during dinner, I was worried about Rebecca and couldn't sit still.

"Will Rebecca be able to eat properly...?"

"I don't know, but I'll have the kitchen prepare something gentle on the stomach, like porridge."

"Thank you. The duke's chef should be able to provide good nutrition."

"...I'm not sure. I've never been sick, so I've never had to ask the chef to make porridge."

"What, really?"

To never have been sick, how perfect are you, Alan?

"Yes, generally, those with high magic power rarely get sick. I've been trained since I was young, so I almost never get sick."

"I see... Indeed, I might have been healthier than most people."

Still, I've had some illnesses... Oh, thinking about it now, I felt bad the day after having a premonition dream. It must be because I used a lot of magic in the dream.

"Yes, that's why it's a bit strange."

"What's strange?"

"Rebecca has high magic power. She shouldn't get a fever even if she pushes herself a bit. In fact, she hasn't been sick at all in the year since she came to the duke's house."

"Then...?"

"She must have pushed herself too hard, or her magic power has decreased, lowering her resistance."

"...It could be either of those."

Rebecca once cast a spell on me during practice.

Alan protected me, so nothing serious happened, but Rebecca felt very guilty.

So she studied magic and practiced controlling her magic a lot.

When I was busy with social events, she might have been practicing hard on her own.

"Phew, that girl really..."

She's so kind and wonderful, but she shouldn't push herself too hard.

After finishing dinner, I went to Rebecca's room.

When I opened the door and went in, Rebecca was sitting up.

"Oh, Lady Sophie..."

"Rebecca, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Yes, I feel a bit better."

"That's good. Do you have an appetite?"

"Well, a little."

"Then I'll have them bring you something."

I asked a maid to bring her some food.

After a while, the porridge was brought in.

I took it, brought a chair to the side of the bed, and sat down to feed her.

"Rebecca, here, open up."

"I can eat by myself."

"It's okay. Come on, open up."

"Ugh... open up."

Rebecca opened her mouth a little shyly and started eating.

Hehe, she's so cute.

Since it wasn't a lot, I fed her all of it.

"You ate well."

"Yes, thank you."

Rebecca also took the medicine prescribed by the doctor.

I hope she gets better soon.

"Rebecca, I have a question for you. Please answer honestly."

"Y-yes."

"Have you been secretly practicing magic in your room recently?"

"Oh, that, well..."

Rebecca looked away in a panic, but I looked straight into her eyes.

Then Rebecca met my gaze and answered apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I have been..."

"I see... You don't need to worry about what happened when you cast a spell on me. If you study properly, it won't happen again. Rebecca, you'll be fine if you study at a normal pace. You don't need to rush."

"...Yes, I'm sorry."

Rebecca lowered her gaze and apologized.

I stroked her head and continued.

"But Rebecca, I'm sorry too. I've been busy lately and haven't been able to pay attention to you."

I've been going to social events and haven't spent much time with Rebecca.

If I had been more attentive, I might have prevented her from pushing herself so hard.

"No, it's because I pushed myself too hard..."

"You realize that, right?"

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"Hehe, just be more careful in the future."

"Yes..."

Rebecca yawned, looking sleepy.

She must still be tired.

"You can go back to sleep, Rebecca."

"Yes... Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course."

She's becoming more open to being pampered.

Maybe it's because she's not feeling well.

Rebecca lay down again, and I sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hand.