Chapter 136: Farewell Beneath Grey Skies

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Farewell Beneath Grey Skies

The ache had begun bothering her the previous night, but Elysia had thought little of it.

By afternoon, however, it had become considerably worse.

Miriam finished arranging her hair and stepped back to inspect her work. Elysia barely noticed. The room had grown unusually stuffy, and despite it still being afternoon, the light filtering through the windows had dimmed considerably.

She turned towards the window.

The sky had transformed while she was getting ready.

Dark clouds churned overhead, swallowing the sunlight and casting the manor grounds beneath a dull grey veil.

"Looks like rain," Miriam murmured.

Elysia lowered her gaze to her knees.

That explained the pain.

Ever since the injury, her knees had developed an unfortunate habit of predicting the weather. Whenever rain was approaching, the old injuries would begin to ache.

In the beginning, she had relied on pain-relieving pills.

Eventually, however, they had stopped doing much.

After that, she had simply learned to endure it.

This time would probably be no different.

"Your Grace."

Clara appeared at the doorway.

Elysia turned.

"Yes?"

"Mrs. Rennor is here."

Elysia was surprised.

With rain clearly on its way, why had Ismeria come all the way here?

Ignoring the discomfort in her knees, she rose from her seat and made her way to the receiving hall.

The moment she saw Ismeria, however, her brows drew together.

"Mrs. Rennor, what happened to your face?"

A scratch ran down the left side of Ismeria’s face.

The skin had been broken, leaving a thin, angry mark that looked as though someone had deliberately raked sharp fingernails across it.

Ismeria had clearly tried to conceal it with powder, but the injury was still visible beneath the cosmetics.

She gave Elysia a strained smile.

"It was Adela."

Elysia stared.

"When we were at Merlinspire Manor, I heard that Adela had escaped the house. I rushed home immediately."

Ismeria’s expression became weary.

"The house was empty when I arrived. I was about to go searching for her when the Duke of Draevenor’s guards brought her back."

She paused.

"After I learned what she had done, I couldn’t simply ignore it. I scolded her, and we ended up arguing."

Her fingers rose instinctively towards the scratch.

"She scratched me."

There was no attempt to excuse Adela or hide what had happened.

Elysia’s expression softened.

"She’s young. There has been too much for her to deal with all at once. Give her some time. She’ll calm down eventually."

Ismeria gave her a grateful look.

"I know you’re kind-hearted."

She sighed.

"But she cannot go on like this."

After a moment, she continued,

"I’ve decided to leave Caelvyr with her."

Elysia blinked.

"Leave?"

Ismeria nodded.

"If we get away from this place... and away from the Duke of Draevenor, perhaps she’ll finally settle down."

A faint sadness crossed her face.

"I also intend to arrange a marriage for her soon."

Elysia was momentarily speechless.

She had known Ismeria was struggling, but she had not expected her to make such a drastic decision.

Ismeria stepped closer and took both of Elysia’s hands in hers.

"Your Grace, I’m truly glad to have been your friend."

Something in those words tugged painfully at Elysia’s heart.

She took a slow breath.

"I... I’ll write to you."

Ismeria gently shook her head.

"It would be better if Adela had no contact with anything connected to Draevenor Manor."

Her fingers tightened slightly around Elysia’s.

"As much as I would love to exchange letters with you, for Adela’s sake... I can’t."

Then she smiled.

It was a genuine smile, though sadness lingered in her eyes.

"But don’t worry. Once everything is settled, I’ll return."

Elysia opened her mouth.

Nothing came out.

Ismeria’s decision really was the best one.

For Adela.

For Ismeria.

And perhaps for everyone else involved.

There was nothing Elysia could say that would change that.

In the end, all she could do was nod.

Then she nodded again.

After a long silence, she finally managed to speak, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Mrs. Rennor, it looks as though it may rain soon. Please take a cloak with you."

Ismeria’s eyes grew slightly red around the edges.

She smiled and nodded.

"I will."

The two women exchanged one last look before Ismeria turned and left.

Elysia remained standing in the receiving hall for a while.

Almost as soon as Ismeria stepped outside, the first large drops of rain began to fall.

They struck the tiled roof with heavy taps before quickly becoming a steady drumming. Water pattered against the courtyard stones, while the trees shuddered beneath the growing downpour.

Elysia lowered her eyes.

Ismeria had been one of the few genuine friends she had made in recent years.

Now she was leaving.

And once again, Elysia would be alone.

She slowly turned towards her chambers.

The rain grew heavier with every passing moment.

So did the pain in her knees.

By the time she reached the corridor, the ache had sharpened into something almost unbearable.

Elysia clenched her teeth.

She only needed to make it back to her room.

Once she could sit down, it would be easier.

She took another step.

Then another.

As she turned into the next corridor, she nearly collided with someone.

Wulfric.

Elysia immediately tightened her jaw.

The pain in her knees was becoming severe, yet she forced herself to straighten and put on a smile.

"Doctor Grey."

She stopped before him.

"You’ve finished examining the Duke? How is he?"

Wulfric gave her a slight bow.

"Your Grace."

Then he looked properly at her.

Her expression was open and guileless, completely devoid of suspicion.

A fresh stab of conscience pierced him.

He silently cursed Cassiel for being an absolute scoundrel.

Why had he agreed to this?

Still, there was no turning back now.

Wulfric repeated the explanation Cassiel had given him, though his delivery was noticeably stiff.

"His Grace was indeed forced to consume aphrodisiac wine. It has left lingering effects, and medication alone will not be enough to resolve them."

Elysia’s fingers twisted together anxiously.

"Then what do we do?"

The concern in her eyes only made Wulfric feel worse.

He had never been particularly sympathetic to Cassiel.

At this moment, he was positively indignant on Elysia’s behalf.

Cassiel, you truly are the worst.

Wulfric cleared his throat.

"There is... another method."

Elysia looked at him attentively.

"It may require Your Grace to maintain close physical contact with the Duke."

Elysia blinked.

"Close physical contact?"

Her mind immediately supplied its own interpretation.

Did he mean kissing Cassiel?

Heat rushed to her cheeks as memories of Merlinspire Manor surfaced without invitation.

Wulfric noticed the change in her expression and quickly continued.

"Also, the Duke’s legs require your close attention."

Elysia’s embarrassment vanished.

Her expression became serious.

"Please tell me what I need to do."

Wulfric began explaining the treatment regimen.

There were numerous details.

How Cassiel should rest.

How much he could walk.

What movements he needed to avoid.

How often his legs needed to be examined.

What sort of treatment and care he required each day.

Elysia listened with complete concentration, committing every instruction to memory.

The longer Wulfric spoke, however, the more complicated the regimen seemed.

Eventually, she frowned.

"Doctor Grey, please wait a moment."

She turned towards the nearby table.

A sheet of paper and an inkpot were soon brought over.

Elysia sat down, dipped a quill into the ink, and gave Wulfric a small, polite smile.

"Alright."

She poised the quill over the paper.

"Please continue."