ushernet Chapter 50
Chapter 50
She hadn’t slept at all.
Elodie blinked, her face pale and haggard.
Her eyelids kept drooping shut, but she fought through the exhaustion with sheer willpower. And after what felt like two whole weeks, she had finally finished reading A Beginner’s Guide to Herbalism for Our Children.
Even though she had failed to get closer to the Third Young Master, at least she had accomplished something.
They say understanding people is harder than studying.
And truly, it was.
It was difficult just to run into him, let alone build rapport.
Wasn’t it common for beastfolk to feel an instinctive sense of fondness toward members of the Ratson family?
Then again, Karon was a Basilisk—a bloodline that had kidnapped and cursed a Ratson. It seemed his instincts meant nothing in the face of his lineage.
"Well, at least I can do some light treatments now."
Not only that, she had managed to make potions that boosted courage, herbal sachets to ward off nightmares, and even...
"Khh...."
"Oh my."
Squirrel gasped as she watched Elodie, who had been dozing off, finally slump forward and smack her forehead against the table.
"Did you stay up all night again?"
Carefully, she lifted the small girl—who had already begun snoring softly—and gently laid her down on the bed.
Elodie let out a drowsy hum, making no effort to even try opening her eyes.
"She’s been like this for days now..." Squirrel murmured in concern.
She was still so young. Maybe the change in environment had made it difficult for her to sleep.
The thought made her heart ache.
"Would you like to see Doctor Packer?"
Doctor Packer?
'That name sounds familiar.'
Elodie’s curiosity stirred just enough for her to crack her eyes halfway open.
"Nugunde. (Who’s that?)"
"Hmm, he was the former Duke’s personal physician."
The former Duke’s physician?
And he was still alive?
"Ah, I mean, he was the personal doctor of the current Duke’s daughter—the mother of the young masters."
"Ah..."
Liana Valkyrisen.
Eisen’s daughter, and the mother of all three young masters, including Edmund.
She had died in an accident not long after inheriting her title.
Along with her husband.
That was why her children were now referred to as the young masters.
If she calculated the timeline properly...
‘She died around five years ago.’
Back then, the eldest of the young masters had only been ten years old. With no other option, their grandfather, Duke Eisenhartz Valkyrisen, had been forced to reclaim his position as Duke.
That was why people referred to Liana Valkyrisen as the former Duke.
Squirrel’s expression darkened for a moment, lost in memories. But she quickly shook it off and continued.
"Anyway, I heard that Doctor Packer was the one who treated the Young Lord’s insomnia."
"Edu-munteu-neun jam-eul mot-ja? (Edmund can’t sleep?)"
"He suffered from nightmares. But after undergoing the doctor’s unique sleep therapy, he stopped having them. These days, he sleeps just fine."
Nightmare prevention?
I can do that too.
He was younger, smaller in height and build.
Edmund had a sharp, fox-like gaze, with his eyes slightly upturned at the corners—almost like a cat’s.
‘But this guy’s eyes slope downward.’
And yet, he didn’t look gentle at all.
Humans tended to describe droopy eyes as “puppy-like,” but no matter how she looked at him, this boy was more like a rabid dog.
Ah. Rabid dog.
It finally clicked.
‘That bastard.’
The Second Young Master, Zenovia Valkyrisen.
Elodie had seen him multiple times at the royal palace in Silvaria.
Mostly because he would randomly crash into banquets.
And the reason she thought of it as crashing was because she was fairly certain he had never actually been invited.
Of course, no one had dared throw him out, since he was the Second Young Master of House Valkyrisen.
‘He was completely unhinged.’
One time, he had randomly burst into hysterical laughter, smashed a champagne bottle, and swung it around.
Another time, he had been drunkenly muttering to himself, then suddenly started a fight just because he didn’t like the way someone was looking at him.
There were even occasions when he would act perfectly normal during a conversation—only to randomly snap and start throwing punches.
Elodie remembered how he had eventually ended up on the royal palace's watchlist for causing too many disturbances at banquets.
Thinking back, when she had first seen him at the palace, he had been cocky but not completely insane.
‘I heard from the nobles that he used to be a swordsmanship prodigy.’
At some point, something had changed.
‘Can madness be cured?’
Elodie thought of the Ratson family’s abilities.
With enough talent, they could heal mental illnesses as well...
‘Someday, maybe.’
But definitely not now.
Until she was absolutely certain she could fix him, she needed to stay far, far away from the Second Young Master.
‘No way am I risking my life on this lunatic.’
There was no way a rabid dog’s childhood had been anything remotely normal.
As she slowly sat up from bed, the boy wasted no time striding forward.
Like he had been waiting for this moment.
"I don’t know if this place is a castle or a goddamn zoo, but now there’s even a tiny little rat running around?"
Beastfolk. Disgusting.
He made a gagging motion, then shuddered as he looked down at Elodie.
"Hey. Unlike the other mutts, I heard your parents were actually looking for you. You weren’t abandoned, were you? You have somewhere to go, don’t you?"
He spoke as if he genuinely couldn’t understand why she was here.
And, oddly enough, he sounded angry.
"I’m telling you nicely—get lost and go back to wherever the hell your kind belongs."
"......."
"What, you think I’m joking?"
Ah.
So this was...
Racism?
A beastfolk-hating noble?
‘Well, this is new.’