# 7
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“Release him, Doo…”
Elinor almost shouted, “Duke,” but she quickly covered her mouth.
She almost revealed Matthias' identity in front of other people.
She looked at him sharply and shouted.
“Give me the baby back!”
"they."
But Matthias ignored Elinor's words and felt the child's body with his large hands.
His touch was surprisingly gentle and tender.
He even looked brilliant, too.
He hugged the feverish little body.
"We need lukewarm water to cool him down. And new clothes to change him. Ma'am, is there a doctor around?"
“No, there is none in our village. We must go to the neighboring village to summon one.”
“Can you call a doctor?”
"Of course we have to call him! Wait a minute. I'll go quickly and get help!"
Sophie rushed out of the inn in a hurry.
The door swung open noisily without closing.
When Matthias did not return the baby to her, Elinor finally exploded in anger.
“Give the baby back to me now!”
“Instead of wasting time, shouldn't you get moving?”
Mathias spoke in a cold tone.
The smile completely disappeared from his face.
“Shouldn't the fever be cooled quickly?”
“How can I trust you, Your Highness...!”
"Bring well-ventilated clothes. Thick clothes may raise the temperature more, so choose something light. But first, bring lukewarm water. And water that the baby can drink."
He quickly instructed and went up to the room on the second floor with confident steps.
Elinor was in a panic.
What if Matthias took the baby and disappeared like that?
But, he said, they needed water to bring down the child's temperature.
After hesitating, she quickly filled a wooden bucket with lukewarm water and followed him to the second floor.
“Ha, ha.”
Matthias was in his room, not Elinor's.
Did he completely change the bedding after arriving just yesterday?
In contrast to Elinor's room, his bed looked luxurious and soft.
The child was lying on it.
After opening the buttons of his upper clothes, his feverish body was clearly red. There were small drops of sweat forming on his skin.
“Water.”
Matthias said without looking at Elinor.
"Here is."
Elinor suddenly extended the wooden bucket to him.
Mathias dipped his fingers in the water to check its temperature.
Then he began to wipe the child's body with a handkerchief moistened with lukewarm water.
Swish, Swish.
His large hand moved preciy.
The child was in pain and had difficulty breathing.
The baby, who was barely hanging on, looked smaller than usual today.
“What should I do...”
Elinor cried.
This was the first time the child had been sick like this, and I felt terrified and afraid.
“I should have taken better care of the baby.”
Instead of ignoring his calmness today, I should have checked if he was sick.
She was distracted by Matthias's sudden appearance.
But what's the point of that now?
In any case, the child neglect was her responsibility.
“It's all my fault.”
“Instead of beating yourf up, take action, Miss Elinor.”
Matthias said dryly.
“Did you bring clothes?”
"Hello."
“Then go get her.”
His orders were normal. But for Elinor, who was in a panic, it was useful.
This time, Elinor moved quickly without objection.
After cooling the child's body once, Matthias dressed him in the light clothes Elinor had brought.
He opened his small cherry lips slightly and fed him water with a spoon.
Continue to fan the baby with your other hand.
It was to cool his overheated body.
The whole process was smooth and seemed very familiar.
After about an hour,
"Ellen! I brought the doctor!"
Sophie finally returns with a doctor from the nearby village.
The doctor, who had been called suddenly in the middle of the night, was wearing striped nightgowns.
“The baby is here.”
Matthias made way for the doctor.
The doctor sat on a chair to catch his breath and took out a stethoscope from his old bag.
Check the child's breathing and check his body.
Elinor waited anxiously for the test results.
"Seems like the first aid was good. The fever has gone down a lot."
“Huh...”
Elinor breathed a real sigh of relief.
"To be safe, I will give you some antipyretics. I give it once now, and if the fever rises further, I give him just three drops mixed with water. Too much of it could be harmful."
"Good."
“Watch him carefully tonight. If there are no problems, he will be fine tomorrow.”
“Yes...thanks.”
What luck.
Elinor collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.
Instead of the exhausted Elinor, Matthias thanked the doctor.
“Thank you for coming despite the surprise visit request.”
“Nothing. When a child is sick, it is normal for me to come.”
“Is there anything else I should pay attention to?”
“Looks like you were fanning him before I arrived, didn't you?”
"Yes."
“Good job. When a child’s temperature rises, cooling him down is most important. But be careful not to cool him down too much, so pay attention to his temperature.”
In fact, Matthias focused on keeping the baby at the right temperature before the doctor arrived.
Matthias nodded seriously.
"The baby's father seems to know what he's doing, so I'm not too worried. Keep an eye on him, and if something happens, call me even if it's late."
The doctor left after gathering his things.
Sophie followed the doctor to the first floor to bid him farewell, while Elinor, Matthias, and the child remained in the room.
Elinor looked at the child without stopping.
At this moment, she was grateful and sorry that the child had escaped safely.
Even with her lack of parenting knowledge, she knew that a child's illness could be more serious than an adult's.
Especially since her nephew is still a baby, just over two months old.
“Medicine, I have to give him medicine.”
Elinor stumbled to her feet.
She grabbed the antipyretic that the doctor had left on the table.
“Ah…”
But, perhaps because the tension was suddenly gone, her hands couldn't move properly.
Her hands trembled as she held the spoon and the medicine bottle.
Matthias took the medicine bottle from her.
“I will do it.”
Click.
He opened the bottle cap and deftly fed the baby the antipyretic.
Elinor looked at him in amazement.
‘Brilliant.’
She seemed like less than him as a protector of the child.
While she was paralyzed with panic, he knew exactly what to do and how to move.
His actions were so perfect that they earned the doctor's praise.
'Were you too arrogant?'
Aunt is worse than the villain.
She claims protection when she can't even take care of the baby properly.
How are you going to face Charles like this?
Elinor dropped her shoulders sadly.
Suddenly, everything seemed lacking in confidence.
At that moment, Matthias said as if talking to himf.
“I have five younger brothers.”
"What?"
Elinor raised her head.
Did you just hear something strange...?
Matthias looked at her and said softly.
“I said I have five little brothers.”