Before a scowl could fully form on his countenance, Marquis Benedict assumed a straight face. He then scarfed down a mouthful as he unfastened the topmost button of his shirt.
"Haa-- You say some interesting things, Lady Gertrude." The Marquis said, turning his head to the right until he could feel a stretch in the side of his neck.
"I believe there are a few who share your sentiment." Ilya's rejoinder sounded so matter-of-factly that it caught the Marquis a tad off guard.
He closed his eyes as he smoothened his shirt. He then averted his eyes from Ilya, licking his lips wet once his head was lowered. His entire face was now riddled with beads of sweat, so he wiped them hastily with his quivering hands.
Ilya merely watched the Marquis have a difficult time sorting out his thoughts. Since there was nothing for her to say, Ilya closed her eyes as she relaxed her back on the pillows. The physicians were still busy checking her body, thus she yielded herself to their care without reservations.
Out of the blue, someone broke the harmonious clamor.
"To all the gentlemen inside the room, including the nurses and the two physicians, can you all please take your leave? We have to remove Her Grace's clothing to complete the check-up."
Once Dantalion was done speaking, her request was immediately heeded by the people involved, albeit with the exception of one.
Dantalion quickly approached the man and said, "Lord Benedict, is something the matter?"
Receiving no answer, Dantalion took a step back and observed the man. As it happened, he looked as if he was gasping for air. The area of the floor directly below his face had wet stains, either from the man's sweat or tears.
Leahmir Dantalion knelt beside the Marquis to look at his face. The moment her knees touched the ground, she saw a pair of feet with the palest of complexion dangling on the edge of the bed.
She raised her head to see who it was, unsurprised that her eyes landed on Ilya. Dantalion hurriedly stood up and assisted the Lady. One of the nurses also made her way to the two to lend a helping hand.
Ilya had a bit of difficulty controlling her legs. Every step that she took, a wave of spasm assaulted her body. It made her want to give up, but she pursed her lips and endured. When she was an arm's span away from the Marquis, Ilya stopped.
"Pl-please put me down," Ilya demanded, her breathing heavy.
"But Your Grace, the floor is quite cold."
"Then please get me a pillow to sit on."
The nurse fetched a pillow in a haste and placed it on the floor. Ilya was subsequently lowered by Dantalion.
Once she was seated, Ilya looked up at Marquis Benedict's face that was covered with sweat.
"Marquis, what seems to be the problem? Is something bothering you?"
At the outset, the man acted as if he didn't hear Ilya. He kept his reticence through his unfocused gaze. Ilya just sat there for a few seconds, trying to gauge the man's demeanor. No later than a moment, she reached for his cheek and caressed it delicately.
"Herkel Benedict, what's troubling you so that you're this distraught? Is your body in pain?"
The Marquis slowly raised his head and met Ilya's gaze. His lips trembled as he gave in to the lady's touch.
"There you go. You're strong, aren't you? Everything is going to be just fine."
To Herkel, Ilya's voice was therapeutic. Her touch alone made him stop thinking about unnecessary things. And soon, his breathing became stable.
Marquis Benedict put a hand over Ilya's only to remove it. Latterly, he gave the Lady a smile.
"Thank you, Lady Gertrude. It's because of you that I managed to regain my calm."
"I'm glad to be of help."
Thenceforward, Ilya glanced at Dantalion and nodded her head. Leahmir and the nurse were quick to assist Ilya in standing up and helping her return to her bed.
The second she was back in the comfort of her mattress, Ilya allowed herself to adjust for a brief while. From there on, she faced the Marquis, yet her words weren't addressed to him.
"Everyone, aside from Lady Leahmir Dantalion, please exit the room. I would like to have some privacy with these two."
The hospital staff immediately bowed their heads at Ilya prior to making their way out of the room. Once the double doors were closed, Ilya gestured for Dantalion to approach her.
"Lady Dantalion, did you notice the individual who reacted at my mishap of mislabelling the Marquis as a Prime Minister?"
"Yes," Dantalion replied as she nodded.
"Let them in."
"As you wish,"
Soon after, Dantalion went out of the room and searched for the individual in question. It didn't take her more than a minute to fulfill the task. She brought the person in front of Ilya before the doors could even close on their own.
"Here she is, Your Grace."
Ilya reserved her response for later, and instead, stared at the woman afore her straight in the eye.
"Baroness Anastasia Corvich, I suppose an apology is in due order." Ilya proceeded to bow her head, "I apologize for disregarding your presence earlier. You already have your suspicions. Am I mistaken?"
The Baroness sighed as she made a riposte, "No, you're entirely right, Your grace."
"It will be strange if you didn't have any suspicions. After all, my court appearance didn't happen in the first timeline."
"To be honest, I wasn't complacent enough to believe that I'm the sole person who retained my memories of the first timeline. Once I received the news that the Gertrude Dukedom was on fire, I already assumed that someone had also retained their memories."
Pleased at what she was hearing, Ilya housed a coy look on her face. She then scoffed almost mockingly, her glare on the Baroness becoming sharper by the second.
"The three of you," Ilya spoke, her voice stern yet soft, "You'll understand me if I declare my intentions of entering the Hlavny Academia, right?"