At Rosaline's chilling command, everyone hesitated, unsure of what to do.

But Ghislain, ignoring her warning, strode confidently into the room.

The room, for someone of noble status, was surprisingly disheveled and unkempt.

‘She lives in a place like this?’

The butler, embarrassed by the state of the room, hardened his expression as if feeling ashamed to show such a scene to guests.

“My Lady, this is a direct order from the Marquis. For the next fifteen days, Baron Fenris will be treating your skin condition.”

“…”

“The baron is highly knowledgeable in medicine and herbalism. He’s also the creator of the capital’s most popular cosmetics.”

“…”

Despite the butler's continued explanation, Rosaline remained silent, her breaths heavy. Though her face was hidden behind a mask, her demeanor alone conveyed her emotions clearly.

Ghislain clicked his tongue at the sight.

‘There was nothing about her living like this in the records… Well, of course, it’s not the kind of story that would be widely shared. They must have kept this tightly under wraps.’

The records from his previous life barely mentioned how Rosaline had lived. All it said was that she had quietly retreated from public life after her marriage.

Even those limited records painted her as the kind and gentle person the butler described.

‘Well, none of that matters to me. Once I cure her, I won’t have to see her again.’

Ghislain cleared his throat and spoke gently.

“I’m Ghislain. I’ll be treating your condition from now on.”

But before he could even finish his sentence, Rosaline interrupted him in a low, ominous tone.

“I don’t need it. Get out.”

Her tone was icy, though the fact that she was even using polite speech showed some restraint.

Ghislain gazed into her eyes, which were filled with bitterness and resentment.

‘This is not good.’

Her eyes were darkened with a mix of self-loathing and unresolved problems that had consumed her from the inside.

Ghislain had seen many people with similar expressions before.

People like her, who held in their emotions for too long, often ended up exploding violently.

‘She’s barely holding it together.’

Even in his previous life, there were no records of Rosaline ever losing control and harming someone. She had likely isolated herself in this manner to prevent such a breakdown.

‘Still, her reaction is a bit too extreme.’

Usually, people suffering from an illness would cling to any hope of treatment, desperate for a cure, but Rosaline's outright rejection seemed strange.

Sensing Ghislain's confusion, the butler spoke in a somber tone.

“My Lady has endured many hardships from previous treatments. That’s why she’s reacting this way.”

“Huh…”

Ghislain understood the unspoken implication and clicked his tongue in frustration.

‘So because of those quacks, she doesn’t trust me either.’

It made sense. If someone had endured failed treatments that worsened their condition, the fear of more harm would be greater than the desire to be cured.

‘There’s no helping it. I’ll just have to earn her trust first. This is why I hate those incompetent fools.’

Forcing a smile, Ghislain spoke again.

“It seems you've had a tough time, My Lady. But I’m not like those other doctors.”

Rosaline tilted her head slightly, her tone sharp as she asked.

“And how exactly are you different?”

“I’ve staked my life on this treatment.”

“Ha.”

Ghislain’s sincere declaration was met with nothing but laughter.

Rosaline didn’t even try to hide her amusement, her shoulders shaking as she laughed derisively before her voice turned cold once again.

“Do you really think you're the first person to say that? Do you think none of the doctors who treated me before put their lives on the line?”

“…”

“Every single one of them said the same thing. ‘I swear, I’ll cure the young lady, even if it costs me my life!’”

“…”

“Do you want to know what happened to all those doctors?”

Rosaline’s voice rose in anger as she jabbed a finger at Ghislain’s chest, her words dripping with contempt.

“You think just because you sell some fancy cosmetics that you’re someone special? Let me make this clear—your life is worth less than the trash I throw away after dinner. Staking your life means nothing to me.”

“Ah, My Lady, please, this is too much!” The butler, sweating profusely, tried to intervene, but Rosaline ignored him, continuing to lash out.

“Oh, and I suppose you are different in one way. None of those doctors were nobles. You’ll be the first noble to lose your head trying to treat me. That’ll be entertaining.”

“…”

“You’re nothing more than a useless nobleman who happens to make cosmetics. I don’t see how your death will be of any concern to anyone, least of all me.”

It was as if Rosaline was blind to her own status, the situation, and everyone around her.

As her harsh words poured out without pause, Ghislain found himself unable to even respond, standing there dumbfounded.

‘Is she just venting her anger on me?’

After all, no one had dared to confront her, and she must have had a lot of pent-up frustration. Ghislain could understand that to some extent.

But Belinda, standing nearby, could not tolerate hearing someone insult her master.

“My Lady! That’s too harsh! What has our Young Master done to deserve such treatment on our first meeting?”

She stepped forward, raising her voice in protest.

Rosaline turned to look at Belinda, staying silent for a long moment.

Then her breathing grew heavy, her eyes filled with rage.

Belinda, startled by the intensity of Rosaline’s gaze, instinctively took a step back.

‘Oh no, did I make a mistake? I should’ve stayed quiet.’

Ghislain, realizing what was happening, carefully watched Rosaline’s expression.

Belinda’s skin, glowing from the cosmetics she had applied, was smooth and radiant.

For someone already deeply insecure about her own skin condition, seeing someone with perfect skin would have only made Rosaline more furious.

Ghislain quickly stepped between the two women, forcing a strained smile.

“Haha, My Lady, let’s not be hasty. Please, just listen to what I have to—”

“Get out.”

“No, really, I can help you. Let me—”

“Get out! Get out right now!”

Rosaline screamed, throwing objects around the room once again.

The butler, in a panic, grabbed Ghislain’s arm and urged him to leave.

“I-I think we should leave for now. Let’s give her some time to calm down and come back later.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Ghislain deflected the flying objects as he and the others quickly retreated out of the room.

Thud.

Even after the door was shut, they could still hear the sound of things being smashed inside.

Ghislain scratched his chin, his expression troubled.

“We need to calm her down before we can even begin treating her.”

“Let’s just leave, then,” Claude suggested. “There’s no way to treat her in this state. If she doesn’t want it, even the marquis can’t force her.”

The others nodded in agreement, but Ghislain shook his head.

“I can’t just walk away. There’s no guarantee the marquis would let us go, either.”

After all, they had come here with a clear purpose and had risked their lives for this opportunity. One rejection wasn’t enough to make him give up.

Claude clicked his tongue in frustration.

“And how do you plan to convince her? She’s been through too much and doesn’t trust anyone anymore. She won’t listen.”

“Well, we need to get her to calm down first…”

“And how are you going to do that? She’s practically rotting away inside, eaten up by her illness and distrust.”

“…I’ll try talking to her again.”

“You already did, and it didn’t work.”

Ghislain frowned, glaring at Claude, who quickly averted his gaze, pretending to be interested in something else.

After a brief moment of thought, Ghislain nodded as if he had come up with a solution.

“Let’s just force the treatment.”

Everyone blinked in confusion, unsure if they had heard him correctly.

Belinda, seeking clarification, asked cautiously.

“What did you say?”

“I said we’ll force the treatment on her.”

“...Can we even do that?”

“We’ve already been given permission. What does it matter? If we show results, it’ll be fine, right?”

Ghislain turned to the butler for confirmation, and the butler stammered in response.

“Well, I suppose... but forcing it seems a bit extreme… Couldn’t we take more time to convince her?”

“She’s too angry to have a proper conversation, and we only have fifteen days. We can’t waste time.”

“Ah, well…”

“We’re not going to spend fifteen days twiddling our thumbs, waiting for her to come around. You’re not going to be held responsible for our lives, are you?”

“I-I suppose not…”

With the butler’s reluctant agreement, there was nothing left to hold them back. Ghislain immediately gave his orders.

“Alright, I’ll need some specific herbs to get started. Go get the finest mandrake root, enough for her to take twice daily for the next few days.”

“Mandrake root?”

The butler, along with the others, looked puzzled.

Mandrake root was known as a strong tonic, typically used by men. It was widely believed that it was too potent for women to consume safely.

Seeing their confusion, Ghislain didn’t bother explaining in detail, continuing with his instructions.

“Yes, mandrake root. It’s necessary for treating Lady Rosaline. Also, gather some additional herbs I’ll list for you.”

The butler, though clearly nervous, nodded. He had no choice but to follow Ghislain’s instructions since the marquis had already given his approval.

The ingredients Ghislain requested were rare and expensive.

However, in less than half a day, the Branford family had managed to procure everything he needed, even preparing the herbal concoction for him.

Ghislain, impressed by the marquis’s wealth and influence, carefully inspected the prepared medicine.

“Great, now let’s go to the lady.”

Belinda asked cautiously.

“But how are we going to get into her room? If she won’t open the door, we’ll be stuck outside.”

“If that happens, we’ll just break it down. But that wouldn’t look very good, so butler, you’ll try first, right?”

“M-Me?”

The butler, looking flustered, glanced at Ghislain.

“Who else? Or should I just tell the marquis that we’ve given up? Can you take responsibility for that?”

The butler sighed, realizing he had no other choice, and nodded in resignation.

Once again, the group made their way to Rosaline’s room.

Knock knock.

The butler knocked on the door, and Rosaline’s voice, filled with irritation, immediately responded from inside.

“What now? Didn’t I tell you not to come back?”

The butler, his voice trembling, answered.

“I-I’ve brought some new servants to attend to you, My Lady.”

“What? Who asked for new servants?”

“Well, haven’t we been short-staffed lately? I thought it was necessary to bring in some new people to serve you. I believe it’s proper that they introduce themselves.”

There was a long silence from the other side of the door.

Even though Rosaline avoided contact with people as much as possible, she couldn’t completely avoid her personal maids.

After all, someone had to prepare her meals, draw her bath, choose her clothes, and clean her room.

The maids always tried to complete their tasks as quickly as possible, but even that brief time was too much for Rosaline to bear.

Whenever something displeased her, she would lose her temper, sometimes violently.

Many of the servants who had suffered under her tantrums ended up leaving, unable to endure it any longer.

“…Let them in.”

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Rosaline gave her permission.

The door slowly creaked open, and two women entered the room.

Both were dressed in the elegant, yet understated uniforms of the Branford family’s personal servants.

They each gave a small bow to Rosaline.

“Hello. I’m Belinda.”

“And I’m Wendy. Pleased to meet you.”

Rosaline scrutinized the two women, her expression darkening.

“What is this?”

She recognized them immediately as the women who had been with that so-called doctor earlier.

And now they were trying to pass themselves off as new servants? The audacity!

“You’re playing games with me? Do you two want to die?”

Grinding her teeth, Rosaline stood up, but Belinda simply smiled, undeterred.

“From today onward, we’ll be taking care of you with the utmost care. I’m quite experienced in this.”

“What care? What are you even talking about?”

“We’ll be starting your treatment. Please prepare yourself.”

“What? Who gave you permission—”

Before Rosaline could finish her sentence, Belinda and Wendy moved like lightning.