Harriet had finished cleaning and getting dressed and considered visiting her brother today. She walked with two maids along with Almandine Castle to where her brother was cared for.
As she entered a room with double doors, she immediately saw her brother guarded by two male servants who seemed to be Lycans. The two male servants stood up and bowed their bodies.
Harriet nodded politely and sat on the side of the bed.
"My brother is very calm after taking his medicine, even on a full moon," Harriet said quietly.
One of the two servants explained that the Lycan physician had prescribed several suppressants for Heath's rampage periods. Harriet nodded quietly at this. Her decision to bring Heath here to be treated by the experts was right.
Marchioness Harriet Goldlane had a younger brother named Heath Goldlane, who had military leadership talents. However, one day, Heath Goldlane returned home from an expedition he led, riding on his black horse, unconscious and seriously injured, alone without the knights going with him.
Two days later, on a whole moon night, Heath suddenly woke up and went berserk in an unconscious state. Not only that, he then turned into a giant wolf.
At that moment, Harriet immediately realized that her brother had Lycanthropy. On a moon night last month, Harriet chased her brother with her knights to a waterfall with a rushing river running through it.
Just as her brother was about to escape her chase by successfully jumping over the river, a man he had never seen before suddenly stopped him by jumping from above the waterfall.
Harriet still remembered clearly when she saw the man flicking his finger into her brother's snout, and her brother was thrown so far back that he passed out.
The man was the man who later became her husband, Liam Almandine.
"Thank you," said Harriet, bowing to the servants guarding Heath.
The two Lycan servants knelt in surprise. "P-please don't bow to us, Madam!"
Harriet blinked, then chuckled awkwardly.
"Okay. Get up, don't kneel like that," Harriet said calmly.
Harriet said goodbye to them after the two Lycan servants promised to take good care of her brother. Later, she was reunited with Secretary Daniel, who was done with his job of serving Liam in the tower.
The two talk about what Daniel usually does to help Liam in the mornings and evenings. Daniel explained that Liam needed moonlight, so the roof of the tower was made of glass so the man could absorb more moonlight. In the morning, he usually went up to the tower to cover the ceiling panels so that the sunlight would not sting Liam's body, which could have been sleeping soundly.
He also often asked the maids to help him clean Liam's body once a day. When Daniel mentioned that, Harriet volunteered to do it every day.
"I am his wife now. It's the little thing I can do for him," said Harriet.
Daniel smiled and nodded.
***
It had been almost a week since Harriet had arrived at Almandine castle. She usually studied how the Lycan worked and their organizational structure. After all, she was now the future Duchess Almandine.
Harriet asked Daniel if there was a letter from the Old Duke for her, but Daniel just shook his head.
While talking about the Old Duke, Harriet and Daniel smiled helplessly at each other as they worried about the old Alpha.
"Oh, that's right. Is there still a Lycan in the castle that I can ask to do something outside?" asked Harriet.
Daniel raised his eyebrows. Harriet was used to being a clan leader; she didn't hesitate to ask about their resources.
Daniel smiled happily and bowed his head. He asked politely, "We still have a few wolves left in the castle, Madam. Do you need anything, Madam?"
Harriet nodded.
"Even though I can do nothing but wait for the war in the West to end, I'm not at peace if I can't get the most up-to-date information. But let's be calm and not be rash," said Harriet.
Daniel nodded in understanding. He agreed they should try to find information on their own even though the Old Duke had yet to send any letters to the North.
"Of course, I will prepare three people for you to guide, Madam," said Daniel.
After that, Harriet wrote letters to some of her acquaintances, namely merchants, mercenaries, and several nobles with whom she trusted enough to exchange information. This was something she was used to as a Marchioness.
It may be a tedious and unexciting job, but after doing the same thing for years, Harriet eventually used to take responsibility and lead effectively.
After tea, Harriet went to the tower with the maids to clean Liam's body. The maids who were used to this job taught Harriet how to wipe the unconscious Liam's body. When she was done, Harriet sat down in a chair by the side of the bed and stared absentmindedly at her husband's face.
The servants had withdrawn. And when the atmosphere became quiet, she realized the sun had begun to set. Red light flooded the room, and Harriet rose from her seat to light the candles to help illuminate the room. She also opened the ceiling panels by pulling a rope in the room's corner.
She could see that this room was specially made for the Young Lord. The ventilation was so good, and the furniture placement was so systematic. Since it was still cold in spring, she closed most of the windows and left one open.
After that, she sat back down on the side of the bed and brushed off a few strands of hair that covered Liam's forehead.
As long as she was in this room, her mind was blank. There was a depressing serenity hanging over the atmosphere of this room. Harriet didn't know how to think or feel.
Maybe she would spend her days until she died in this way?
Harriet was terrified at the thought. Everyone said her husband would die soon. The Old Duke was also so old, although he was still healthy. Maybe he would also go to the afterlife before Harriet raised a new Alpha.
By then, Harriet would be in full charge of the Almandine Duchy.
The woman smiled faintly and blandly. On the bright side, she and her brother would always be protected by everything she had, but...
Harriet could already imagine how lonely it would be to live like that.
However, she had already accepted this agreement. She was ready to live alone. Harriet would still have her brother, of course, if they managed to save him…
The woman took a deep breath and then left the room for dinner. She glanced at the door leading to the stairs and smiled at Liam.
"Good night, Milord."
Aksara