Chapter 21: 21
Dorothy was taken to the infirmary, where a physician treated her injuries.
Every affected area was swollen, but there were no abnormalities with her bones, so she was given painkillers and ointment.
However, the physician instructed her to stay overnight in the infirmary.
The infirmary had an adjacent room separated by curtains, with several beds prepared for those who were seriously injured or unwell.
A doctor came to check on patients every few hours.
Even if someone’s condition worsened in the middle of the night, a doctor was always on standby and could see them immediately.
In Dorothy’s case, there was a possibility she might develop a fever overnight, so it was decided she should stay there for one night as a precaution.
“Thank you, Leticia-san. I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
Leticia was the one who brought her meals and other necessities to the infirmary.
“It’s fine. You were off duty today anyway.”
“Lady Aurelia was also very worried about you.”
“And the swelling won’t go down for a while, so I’ll handle the work that requires going outside the room.”
“I’m really sorry for all the trouble.”
Normally, Leticia handled the work inside the room while Dorothy took care of tasks that required going out.
But until the swelling subsided, Leticia would have to cover those duties.
With her face this swollen, strange rumors would surely spread.
“Lady Aurelia wanted you to take an interest in things outside the room, so she deliberately assigned you work that involved walking around the palace.”
“She thought that if you stayed shut inside the room all the time, nothing would ever change for you.”
“Is that so?”
“It didn’t matter what it was, as long as you looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
“Lady Frederica, who introduced you to us, told us that you’d spent all your time embroidering, ignored by both your family and your husband, and were rarely even allowed to leave the house.”
“So Lady Aurelia and I talked about hoping we could spark your interest in something, anything.”
“It could have been people or objects, anything at all, but did you find something that caught your heart?”
“…Yes. I think I did.”
The work itself was enjoyable, and being able to feel that she was useful to someone, after having been treated as if she didn’t exist, was a fresh experience.
She felt nothing but gratitude toward Frederica, Eugene, Aurelia, Leticia, and Noah.
“By interacting with so many people here, I realized how narrow the world I’d lived in until now truly was.”
“I only knew a very small world and thought everything beyond it had nothing to do with me.”
“But when I gathered the courage to step outside, I found that I fit in more easily than I expected.”
“That’s true.”
“I didn’t know either.”
“I wasn’t scared because Lucien was waiting for me where I leapt out to, but you were alone, Dorothy.”
“Even so, no one treated me like I didn’t exist.”
“Where I was before, I was always alone.”
“But here, people acknowledge me as someone who exists.”
“Of course they do.”
“You’ve become someone we can’t do without here in the palace.”
Dorothy’s earnest work had earned the trust of both Aurelia and Leticia.
And since Noah was diligently removing any troublesome elements, Leticia knew that Dorothy’s surroundings had remained relatively peaceful.
“Noah-sama told me that I’m allowed to choose who I fall in love with.”
“…That’s true.”
Though the very person saying that was also the one steadily filling in the outer defenses.
In a palace as vast and crowded as this, the probability of frequently running into the same specific person by coincidence was extremely low.
Yet some people clearly knew that Noah kept meeting Dorothy.
Even though Dorothy went out at different times each day, adjusting his schedule so he could casually exchange a few words with her in the corridors required considerable effort.
The fact that he went to such lengths while carefully maintaining the appearance of coincidence, never boasting about the trouble he took, was something worth acknowledging.
Aurelia and Leticia had already decided that if Dorothy ever showed discomfort toward Noah, they would immediately inform Eugene and have him distanced from the Empress’s office.
But Dorothy never showed any reluctance about her interactions with Noah.
“So, how do you feel about Noah-sama?”
“About Noah-sama?”
“Well, he helps me in many ways, and I’m very grateful to him.”
“And he’s someone who genuinely cares about me.”
“…He’s the first man who’s ever truly seen me for who I am.”
For Dorothy, who had always been neglected, a man of her generation who paid her such attention was something entirely new.
Cyrus had been distant from the very first day of their marriage, and whenever they did meet, he would make cutting remarks and barely conceal his disdain.
Her father and brother had either been indifferent to her or looked at her with something close to hatred.
She never knew why.
Perhaps, as the weakest person in the household, she had simply been seen as a convenient target for venting their daily frustrations.
Now, none of that mattered anymore.
“…When my father hit me and said he would offer me as a sacrifice, I was terrified.”
“I thought I might never be able to return here, that I would be killed.”
“My body was shaking, and I’m sure my voice was too.”
“When Noah-sama arrived, I felt such relief.”
“I thought, now I can go home safely.”
“I’m so glad.”
“I’m really glad you came back safely, Dorothy.”
Leticia gently hugged her.
“His Majesty, Lady Aurelia, all of us, everyone in the palace who knows you, was praying for your safety.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
“I’m truly glad I was able to come back.”
“Is it okay if I call you Dorothy?”
“You can call me Letty.”
“…Letty?”
“That’s right.”
Somewhere in her heart, Dorothy had always held herself back from becoming too close to others.
So until now, she had always maintained a line with everyone she met in the palace, never calling anyone by a familiar name or nickname.
But by sharing a more intimate way of addressing the woman she worked with most closely, Dorothy felt as though she had finally taken root in this place.