Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: A Dangerous Imbalance
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"What in the world is going on?"
Deep in the night, the villa was in an uproar.
Aileen was suffering from a high fever of unknown origin.
The resident doctor's face had turned deathly pale.
He had failed to determine the cause, and Kaide's temper was wearing dangerously thin.
He had administered a fever reducer as a temporary measure, but her forehead was still boiling as if to mock his efforts.
Set and Arban, who had been abruptly woken in the dead of night, also wore grim expressions.
Kaide, who had been tapping his finger against his crossed arm, scoffed and pressed him.
"You don't know?"
"...I am deeply sorry, my lord."
"If the doctor here doesn't know, then who does?"
Kaide swept his gaze over the people gathered in the room.
Every one of them was pale with fear.
If he hadn't ordered someone to check if the children were sleeping soundly, she might not have been discovered until morning.
Kaide pressed his fingers to his forehead.
There was nothing to be gained by interrogating the doctor further.
He made a swift decision.
"We're returning to the mansion."
"What? But Aileen's not well, Father. What if her condition worsens on the way...!"
Set said, a rare look of panic on his face.
Arban nodded, agreeing with Set's opinion.
But Kaide did not change his mind.
It was far more dangerous to hope for her recovery here.
"There is no doctor here capable of properly diagnosing Aileen."
His voice was chilling, laced with undisguised fury.
The doctor who had examined Aileen flinched and bowed his head low.
He was ashen-faced and at a complete loss.
All he could do was fervently pray for the fever to break and apply ice packs.
"What about calling for Hestia to come here?"
"No. It's better to go to the capital. The environment there is best."
Even finding rare medicinal herbs was a relatively simple task in the capital.
After all, merchant guilds dealing in the continent's rarest goods were established throughout the city.
"Hk…"
A choked sob escaped Aileen's dry lips.
The ice pack on her forehead quickly melted, water trickling down.
"Have the carriage ready at once. We're returning to the capital."
"Yes, right away."
The steward hurried from the room.
Despite being delirious with fever, Aileen was crying.
Arban looked shocked, seeing Aileen so sick for the first time.
He could only stare blankly at her.
His usual prickly demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
Arban's fingertips twitched every time he heard Aileen whimper.
"My lord, the carriage is ready."
"Let's go."
Kaide swept Aileen up into his arms in one motion. The child in his embrace felt like a ball of fire.
As everyone rushed hectically from the room, Set caught sight of Aileen's camera and turned back.
He grabbed it and hurried to the carriage.
* * *
They arrived at the mansion just before the break of dawn.
The moment the carriage stopped, Kaide threw the door open rather roughly.
The eyes of the Black Mambas on guard duty widened at their lord's early return.
"...My lord? Isn't it too soon for you to be back?"
"Fetch Hestia."
"Pardon?"
"Hestia!"
At Kaide's roar, the Black Mamba on duty looked at him, bewildered.
Then his eyes fell on Aileen in Kaide's arms, and seeming to grasp the situation, he vanished in a flash.
The Astrofel lord's premature return sent the mansion into immediate disarray.
News of Aileen's illness spread through the estate like wildfire.
Reaching the second floor, Kaide entered Aileen's room and gently laid her down.
Though his own body temperature was naturally cool, the spot where Aileen had rested against him was scorching hot.
"My lord!"
Having heard the news, Hestia came rushing in, still in her nightclothes.
Rosaria was with her, having apparently heard at the same time.
"What has happened?"
"Aileen has an unrelenting fever. It's been over five hours now."
"When did the fever start?"
"I'm not certain, but we discovered it around eleven at night."
Hestia's expression hardened as she picked up her stethoscope.
Too much time had passed while she was feverish.
To think she's been like this for five hours.
It was a miracle her small, frail body had endured it.
"What did the doctor who examined Lady Aileen say?"
"He said he couldn't determine the cause."
She had asked for information to avoid redundant diagnoses, but there was nothing helpful.
Hestia's expression grew grim.
It was common to catch illnesses like the cold these days with the large temperature swings, but…
The symptoms were different.
Hestia quickly took Aileen's arm.
The slender arm hung limply.
Seeing this, Set's eyes widened. The anxious trembling in his gaze showed no sign of abating.
Kaide closed his eyes.
It was a sight he could hardly bear to watch.
Hestia sighed.
"Everyone, please cool your heads and wait outside. A cluttered environment will only make Lady Aileen more uncomfortable."
"But she's still unconscious!"
Arban burst out.
He couldn't bring himself to leave Aileen like this.
"Arban."
"...Yes."
At Kaide's stern call, Arban reined in his emotions and answered.
They all felt the same, but getting emotional now would do no good.
"Listen to Hestia."
"Yes."
Arban reluctantly left the room.
Set, Rosaria, and Kaide followed him out.
Rosaria hadn't said a word since seeing Aileen's condition.
Hestia gave Rosaria a worried glance before turning her focus back to Aileen.
Aileen's breathing was ragged. Her strained groans were hoarse.
One could only imagine the pained moans she had let out during the entire journey.
Holding Aileen's hand, Hestia slowly examined the energy within her body, then flinched and pulled her hand away.
"This is…"
Two different energies were clashing, vying for control of Aileen's body.
"...What is this?"
Hestia's voice trembled with disbelief. It was a phenomenon she had never seen before in her life.
She unknowingly let go of Aileen's arm.
Thump. The fragile arm fell onto the bed. Aileen's smooth brow furrowed in pain.
Hestia tried to remain calm, but it wasn't easy.
Two pheromones in her body?
Thinking she might have been mistaken, she checked again, but the result was the same.
There were two pheromones inside Aileen's body.
Hestia desperately tried to summon all her knowledge to quickly assess the situation.
As she calmly identified the properties of the clashing pheromones within Aileen, Hestia was horrified.
One was Aileen's own pheromone, and the other resembled that of a Black Mamba.
The two pheromones were clashing violently.
That was what was causing Aileen's body to burn up.
"I have to suppress one of them."
First, she had to quiet at least one.
But which one should I suppress?
Hestia was conflicted.
"Haa… which one."
Should I preserve the dominant one?
Or should I save the one that's growing weaker?
Hestia was in a bind.
To help Aileen find relief as quickly as possible, the right choice was to suppress her original pheromone, the one that was losing ground.
But what if something goes wrong? What if it causes a major problem for Aileen?
"Hk. Daddyyy…"
Aileen's voice came out as a frail whisper.
Even while unconscious, she was desperately calling for Kaide.
Hestia steeled herself.
Trying something was better than doing nothing at all.
"Lady Aileen, please hang on just a little longer. This will be over soon."
Without hesitation, she suppressed Aileen's pheromone.
At that moment, Aileen's high fever miraculously began to drop.
Her body going limp with relief, Hestia sank to her knees on the floor.
While she was relieved by the sight of Aileen sleeping peacefully, her breathing even, an uncontrollable wave of anxiety washed over her.
Hestia staggered to her feet.
When she opened the door, she saw the others waiting outside.
"The result?"
Kaide asked. Hestia held back her tears.
"...The fever has broken."
"Then why that look on your face?"
"Before that, there is something I must ask."
"What is it?"
"Does the young lady have two pheromones?"
At Hestia's question, Kaide's red eyes wavered.
Rosaria stared, her expression asking what that could possibly mean.
Taking Kaide's silence as an answer, Hestia wiped a hand over her face and began to explain.
"Lady Aileen… may have to live the rest of her life experiencing episodes like today's."
Kaide's expression hardened terrifyingly.
"What does that mean?"
"The pheromones inside her body will continue to clash. This fever was a result of that."
A clash of pheromones.
Kaide rubbed the corners of his eyes.
The hope that it wouldn't be this, of all things, shattered into pieces.
"I've suppressed it for now, but there's no guarantee it won't happen again."
"I suppose not."
"We must find a solution as soon as possible. And…"
There was a bigger problem.
"Lady Aileen seems to be on the verge of her intermediate growth. When that happens, simple suppression won't be enough to solve it."
As she grows, the pheromones will clash even more violently.
If that happens, Aileen's body will no longer be able to withstand it.
"We need to find a neutralizer."
"A neutralizer?"
"A neutralizer that can harmonize Lady Aileen's pheromones. Her energy is in a state of extreme imbalance right now."
Hestia recalled the pheromones she had just sensed.
The energy that had pushed aside the delicate pheromone as if to devour it.
"The young lady needs a medium that can suppress the heat."