# 38
---
Kenneth quickly flipped through the pages of his nearly one and a half year examination log. As he read further, his blue eyes, which had lost their luster long ago, sank into deeper darkness.
Since their marriage, Ariana has been receiving medications every one to two weeks.
It was mostly sedatives or sleep aids, but the problem was the frequency of doses.
Kenneth looked coldly at the doctor who was staring at the ground like a silent comet.
“…All these medications were prescribed for her?”
“Well, she was always complaining of pain before and after events with you, sir...”
“Pain...”
“Yes, but they were not real injuries, but rather pain resulting from nervous tension.”
Anyway, isn't it true that Ariana was suffering? Kenneth remembered several times when Ariana would beg timidly.
[Kenneth, I'm really… not feeling well today… can I miss just this once?]
Each time, it was assumed that it represented illness.
He took her out of prison, fed her, and cared for her in the ducal palace. He thought she was behaving carelessly.
Or maybe, because she almost became Crown Princess but ended up just a duchess, she hated her situation. These thoughts made him unwilling to tolerate them.
[I feel a little dizzy, and I'm afraid I'll make a mistake on the occasion-]
[Ariana, do you think you're qualified to say this?]
[Ah…]
As he scolded her, her blue eyes would tremble and then drop to the ground.
[No, I'm not]
[Then, don't waste my time. Don't think about making mistakes like last time.]
They repeated these conversations several times in the first year of their marriage, until at some point Ariana stopped asking.
'I thought she had woken up then.'
But now, it seemed that, instead of telling him, she had increased the dosage of the medications.
The scan log suddenly stopped after Ariana ran down a fever and exhibited strange behavior by digging in the soil in the garden.
Kenneth, not wanting to see any more, closed the thick record.
'I know very well why this happened.'
As he had told the Empress earlier, servants' excessive loyalties could become poison.
Therefore, it was not difficult to understand why Dr. Piyali made his own decisions.
He served my father, Kenneth, and was closest to him during his escape when he faced death many times.
So, it is natural that he hates the Aberdeen family, which caused the collapse. But that went beyond his duties as a doctor.
“You've gone too far, doctor.”
“My lord Duke...!”
“I should have received these fine details.”
No matter how much he despised Ariana, he should have known about all the types of medications that the “Duchess” was taking. This long omission of reporting was unacceptable.
Dr. Piyali's face turned pale with confusion.
The whole world despised Ariana behind her back, and this contempt seeped into Dr. Bialy's behavior.
But if it had been a normal marriage with the Duke, no one would have dared to treat her like this.
Even if the Aberdeen family was inferior, it was still a noble family.
The doctor finally realized his recklessness and quickly bowed his head.
“I apologize, Sir Duke. Please, forgive me. This negligence will not be repeated.”
"Of course it shouldn't happen again. So, how is she now?"
“As I said incompletely, her condition is stable now.”
Dr. Piyali stammered as he explained seriously. Although he used slightly sarcastic words, his examinations were thorough.
“From the circumstances of the cruise ship, the symptoms appear to be due to excessive anxiety.”
“What about the prescription?”
“Her condition is still mild, so I prescribed a mild medication for her, sir.”
“But isn’t there a possibility of a recurrence?”
“Yes...but if you avoid stress and stay away from anxiety-causing factors, you will gradually improve.”
If he hadn't been in front of Dr. Bialy, Kenneth might have let out a laugh mixed with a sigh.
anxiety? A soft and pathetic word like that? But remember moments when Ariana silently lowered her eyes, or covered her face with her hands because of the Empress's gift.
“…Okay, Doctor. Is there something else I should pay attention to?”
Dr. Pialli breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the Duke had forgiven him for his impudence.
“It would be good to pay more attention to her diet. She often skips meals...”
“Okay. Tell the kitchen what food is needed.”
“Yes, but… with all respect, sir, will you need other medications?”
Since their marriage, Kenneth has announced that he will not produce an heir with Ariana Aberdeen. But if the Duke cared so much about her, couldn't the matter of the heir change?
Unlike the doctor who was thinking quickly, Kenneth calmly dismissed the question.
Although he sometimes desires Ariana, it has not yet outgrown his hatred.
Dr. Piyali took out a small green pillbox from his examination bag.
At the beginning of the Duke's marriage, the doctor suggested that the woman take contraceptive medication. It was a stronger medicine, but more effective than the medicine the man was taking.
The doctor took out the medicine that Kenneth had been taking since his marriage, and he breathed a sigh of relief. While Kenneth looked silently at the greenery quickly passing through the window.
Anyway, I now realize that Ariana wasn't faking illness.
So…well, he can fulfill what you want at least once.
Even if it came very late.
* * *
She knew that the journey to the sea took four days, even by luxury train.
The trip could get boring over time, but Ariana never found a moment to get bored.
She hoped it was because of the beautiful scenery passing through the window, but the bigger reason was that she had to stay close to Kenneth in the narrower space of the palace.
Like now, when they were alone in the dining car on the train.
Ariana looked at Kenneth, who was quietly sipping tea across from her, with a feeling of heaviness.
Maybe on occasion, but eating in person like this was the first since their marriage.
'...What's going on?'
Until moments ago, he was busy reviewing business documents with Roger Ingalls, and now he was spending mealtime with her?
'Ah, did he decide to monitor me himf...?'
In the palace, the place was spacious, so he assigned servants to do it, but the train was narrow, so he decided to do it himf?
Kenneth put down the cup of tea and looked at Ariana's hands with alert eyes. The fork and knife in her hands were fixed on the table, motionless.
“Why? Did you suddenly forget how to use cutlery?”
“Of course it's not.”
Does he think that, because she is from a poor noble family, she does not know table manners?
He knows her situation well and yet he asks like this.
Ariana responded annoyed and lowered her eyes to the table. She didn't want to eat with Kenneth.
She wasn't in a good mood, because she was allergic to trivial matters, and because her period had started, making all her previous efforts seem in vain.
Every attempt to speak politely was extremely exhausting.
“…Weren’t you busy? Or did I miss something that needed to be prepared?”
As she braced herf for harsh words that might hurt her, Kenneth seemed to wonder why the obvious had to be said.
“It's Wednesday, isn't it?”
"Yes?"
“Wasn't you the one who ed me to make time today?”
“Ah...? Ah”
Ariana finally realized why he called her on the trip today.
Of course, she had ed him in the past to make time for her.
A suit every time.
He didn't respond to her even once, just made her wait.
“I said I didn't ask for it anymore. There's no need to make time for this...”
Ariana dropped the question and decided to focus on the food in front of her.
She had to endure humiliation every time she ed for his time.
It was natural for Kenneth to ignore her requests depending on his mood, yet unilaterally control her time.
That was bothering her a little.