The Bitter Truth Behind Noah's Illness

The maids who had gone to fetch Noah's meal whispered among themselves. “Master is on his deathbed… I really had no idea.” “He wasn’t even that healthy, was he? How could he get sick overnight?”

The kitchen chef, who had also been summoned, was just as flustered. He had to rewrite every single recipe from scratch. The man, already hurried because of the extra time, nodded along with the maids as if he understood.

“It’s sudden, isn’t it? No warning signs at all?” “Teflu is an especially vicious illness, after all.”

A calm voice suddenly cut in.

“Lady Bilrit.”

The maids fell silent the moment Adeline appeared. They had been remembering the head maid’s strict order to watch their tongues. Though they had no idea whether Lady Adeline suspected them of gossiping, the servants exchanged uneasy glances.

“We… we were only worried—” “It’s all right. Just be careful when outsiders are around.”

Adeline offered a faint smile.

Noah treated his illness as a weapon. His resolve to hide it until the very end had never wavered. That was why the few people working in his home had to be kept on a tight leash. Yet if he pushed too hard, resentment was bound to grow.

Even though she was a noble, Adeline treated her subordinates with respect. In a world where high-ranking nobles trampled on their inferiors, she was a rare sight.

“May I check your liver as well?” “Of course. I’ve been concerned about mine too.”

The chef quickly ladled soup into a small bowl. Watching him eat with his eyelashes lowered in such elegant grace, Adeline found it strangely moving. She wasn’t wearing a grand gown—only a simple dress—yet she radiated an unmistakable aura of nobility.

Her shimmering silver hair looked almost mystical, and her high nose and refined yet striking features drew every eye in the room.

Everyone stared at her as if she were a vision. Only when they felt that gaze did Adeline blush and laugh softly.

“Your liver looks perfectly fine.” “Really? …Well, since I’ve never prepared patient food before, I’ve been struggling with the recipes.”

“I prepared every meal for my grandmother while she was alive. Especially when she was sick, I had to be extra careful with the seasonings. This should be just right.”

Her heartfelt words struck every heart. Both the maids and the chef wore expressions heavy with emotion.

Adeline, who had suddenly become the object of pity, felt mortified and lifted the tray. The maids immediately rushed to stop her.

“Allow me! I’ll carry it!” “It’s too heavy and hot for you, milady! You shouldn’t be doing this in the first place!”

Adeline ignored their protests.

“I’m doing it because I want to.” “But—” “And do I look like I don’t have the strength to carry this?”

With a playful tone that somehow eased the tension, Adeline left the kitchen.

To the maids and chef who had seen her off, her slender back looked far too fragile. Their eyes grew wet.

“What are we going to do? She’s truly pitiful…” “Master will get better and wake up, and Lady Bilrit will marry him. Poor thing…” “That’s what love is—loyalty. Idiot.”

The eyes of the maids and chef who had seen Adeline off were still glistening.

Over time, the breakup rumors that had flown between Noah and Adeline had twisted into a tragic love story.

*Clang!*

In contrast, Miller Duke’s room held not a trace of romance.

“Shut up!”

Only the man fighting a disease and a woman whose eyes widened in shock at his behavior remained in the room.

…

This had happened only minutes ago. When Adeline had entered the room carrying Noah’s meal, he had been lying with his back turned to her.

[Master. I brought your meal.] [Why did Lady Adeline bring it?]

Noah stared at Adeline with genuine bewilderment. His condition was so poor that he looked incredibly unwell.

Adeline set the meal on the small table beside the bed and gestured for him to leave, but she pulled out a chair and sat in front of him.

[I’ll watch you eat.] [I said it’s fine. Go.] [You mustn’t skip meals. Finish everything. Here, I brought your medicine too.]

Noah gave up arguing and picked up his spoon. After taking a bite of the chicken soup, he was about to dump the medicine straight into his mouth. Adeline quickly grabbed his wrist.

[The medicine is too strong. Eat it until the bottom of the bowl shows. The medicine comes after that.] [My body is my own.] [No. From now on, I’ll be managing your body as well.]

When Noah sighed at her stubborn refusal to back down, he frowned. He looked thoroughly irritated, yet somehow managed to force down the soup anyway. Then he tilted his head back to swallow the pills. Even as his Adam’s apple moved slowly, Adeline watched him meticulously.

Occasionally patients grew so depressed that they chose to die by their own hand. His grandmother had been one of them. She had refused the bitter medicine, claiming it would tear her stomach apart. Of course, while eating it in front of Adeline, she had secretly spat it out under her tongue.

Adeline still remembered the sight of the pills scattered beneath her grandmother’s mattress.

[Open your tongue.] [What?] [I want to make sure you took the medicine.] [Haa… you’re impossible…]

Noah had no intention of playing along. The act of pretending to be a perfect nanny was the opposite of what he had planned. He had been about to ignore her and sleep. Once he was snoring quietly, she would surely give up and leave.

But just as he thought that, Adeline caught his arm and pulled him forward.

Suddenly…

[Enough already—glk…!]

Adeline pried his lips open with her hand. Her fingers slipped between his unconscious teeth and invaded his tongue. Adeline froze in surprise as she lifted his tongue to check for pills. Seeing none, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Still dazed, Noah grabbed her wrist.

He had no idea what was happening. His cheek was stiff and the corner of his mouth twisted.

[Is this a joke? What kind of—] […Sorry. But I still wanted to confirm you were taking the medicine. So it’s better for you to lift your tongue.]

Noah’s blue eyes hardened with shock. He had never seen a woman this crazy before. Adeline smiled bitterly.

[Don’t bring my meal or medicine anymore. We shouldn’t have to deal with something like this again.] [I won’t allow it.] [Lady Adeline, leave.] [Master, I just want you to get better…] [I told you I don’t need your pity—get out!]

The feeling of being watched and controlled was the worst. And if the watcher was Adeline, it was even more terrifying. He was furious about her arbitrary act of lifting his tongue under the excuse of checking, but Noah held back.

[I’ll come back at night.]

But the moment he heard her voice say she wouldn’t back down, his patience shattered. He hurled the soup bowl.

And right now.

Noah took a deep breath to calm his raging heart.

“My words sound insincere, don’t they?”

Rejection had never worked on Adeline. Pushing without mercy was the same as ignoring someone. Since he had never encountered a woman who treated him like this before, Noah was thoroughly bewildered.

Yet there was another reason he had gone this far with the violent act of throwing the soup—

*I’ll make her bored.*

Noah had planned to use his illness as a tool to tire out Adeline.