I, the Villain, Want to Save Myself, But the Yandere Heroines Disagree-Chapter 17 - Suddenly Deteriorating Illness

It couldn’t be said that he couldn’t wash himself clean even if he jumped into the Yellow River, after all, Orson did have that kind of relationship with Celineina.

However, if he could somehow get away with it like a cowardly turtle thanks to the two of them not being perceptive, Orson would be quite lucky.

Thinking this, he dusted his clothes and returned to the Duke’s mansion.

“Young Master Orson, you’re back?!” At the entrance of the mansion, the maid Vivian was looking around worriedly. Seeing Orson return, a look of surprise appeared on her face, and she quickly came up to greet him.

“Yes, I’m back,” Orson nodded, then feigned confusion as he looked into the house.

“Where are Olivia and Litte? Why aren’t they at home?”

“Ah, Young Master Litte and Miss Olivia went to look for you. They said you didn’t come home all night yesterday and might have stayed at President Celineina’s place, so they went to look for you this morning.”

“Oh, I see,” Orson said this, explaining, “I had something to do last night. After having dinner with Celineina, I went to handle my own business. I forgot to come back and inform you. I apologize.”

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Vivian said this, shaking her head. “I knew Young Master Orson, you would definitely be alright.”

That’s not necessarily true. If you hadn’t stopped him last time, your young master might have jumped off a cliff. Orson heard this and pouted.

But even if he had jumped, with his strength, he probably wouldn’t have died.

Orson followed Vivian into the mansion.

“I’ll go see Father,” Orson said this, bidding farewell to Vivian, and walked upstairs alone, coming to the door of Lucius’s room.

He knocked on the door two or three times, then pushed the door open and walked in.

“Father,” Orson said this, looking at Lucius lying on the bed.

Lucius heard the voice, turned his head blankly, and looked in Orson’s direction.

In his eyes, unexpectedly, there was a hint of confusion.

“You are...”

Orson was startled upon seeing this. He quickly stepped forward, knelt beside Lucius’s bed, and brought his head level with Lucius’s.

“Father, look at me. I am Orson, your son, Orson.”

“Oh... Orson...” Lucius said this, a hint of clarity returned to his eyes. He nodded. “Good child, you just entered the Imperial Academy this year. You must study hard...”

“Father, you’ve mistaken,” Orson said this, forcing a smile. “I am your eldest son, Orson, not Litte. Your second son, Litte, just entered the Imperial Academy this year. I am already a second-year student at the Imperial Academy.”

“Wrong, wrong,” Lucius shook his head upon hearing this. “I, Lucius, only have one son. How could I have only two sons...”

Then, he showed a confused expression, which quickly changed to understanding and anger.

“Wrong, one of you is fake. One of you is not my son!” Saying this, he suddenly became agitated. “Speak! Are you lying to me! Are you trying to take my inheritance!”

“I’m sorry, Father, but everything I said is true.”

“Get out! You are not my son, get out!” Lucius sat up agitatedly, pointing at Orson, then pointing at the door.

“Father, calm down,” Orson said this, holding Lucius’s shoulders.

“Litte and I are both your children. You said this yourself. I am your adopted child, who has lived with you for eighteen years. Litte is the child you had with your former wife, Margaret!”

“Margaret...?” Hearing this name, Lucius’s expression froze for a moment, then he showed a confused look.

“You know Margaret... Are you really my child?”

“Yes, not just me, Litte is also your child,” Orson nodded.

“...You leave. I need to rest for a while.”

“Alright,” Orson nodded upon hearing this and voluntarily exited the room.

...

After leaving the room, Orson saw Mary just coming out of her own room.

“Mother, Father just said that no one should enter his room until this evening.”

“I understand,” Mary frowned upon hearing this but still nodded. “He might not be in a good mood, being a warrior but having to lie in bed and be looked after according to the doctor’s orders...”

“Mm, it’s best if you understand, Mother.”

“It’s a good thing you’ve grown up, Orson, and can help alleviate some of his stress. Otherwise... sigh.” Mary said this, coming before Orson, straightening his collar which had been messed up by Lucius, then patted his shoulder.

“Keep it up, Orson. The future of the family is yours,” Mary said this, turned around, and walked downstairs.

Orson stood in place, watching Mary’s retreating figure, silently.

When Orson first returned, Lucius intentionally dismissed everyone, leaving only Orson alone, and talked with Orson for a long time.

“But, Father, didn’t you just say your health is fine?” Orson looked at Lucius in confusion. “As long as I can stabilize the situation on the front lines, it will be fine when you recover and return, right?”

Lucius said nothing. He stared at Orson for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

“Orson, do you think, if I were truly well, I would entrust all these matters to you?”

“Then... Father, your health...”

“Although my physical functions are not in major trouble, I feel like I’ve been forgetting many things lately,” Lucius said this, shaking his head.

“I often forget Mary’s name, and the names of some servants at home. I should remember their names, even though I see them every day, but I’ve forgotten a lot now.”

“I’m not sure if it’s an aftereffect of the assassination attempt, but in my current state, I shouldn’t be on the battlefield.”

Orson listened to Lucius’s description. Although his face was calm, his heart was in turmoil.

This symptom was very similar to Alzheimer’s disease.

But Lucius was less than fifty years old this year...

“I understand, Father,” Orson nodded upon hearing this. “During this time, I will take on your responsibilities and do my best to handle the matters on the front lines well.”

“No,” Lucius shook his head. “If I don’t recover well, perhaps in the days to come, the Antica Duchy will have to rely on you.”

“You said before that you weren’t interested in the Duke’s position, right...” Lucius said this, and took out a piece of paper from the bedside table.

“Take this. If I truly can’t hold on any longer, and Litte is unable to take over the family, I am entrusting this family to you.”

“Father, don’t say such foolish things. You are still healthy.”

“Heh, I know my own condition.”

“By the way, Orson, call Margaret in. I have some things to say to her.”

“Father... Your wife’s name is Mary. Margaret is your former wife...” Orson’s calm expression could no longer be maintained upon hearing Lucius’s words. He quickly spoke to correct him.

“Ah... right.” Lucius heard this and patted his head. “See? I told you. How could I be on the battlefield now? I even get people’s names wrong.”

“So, Orson, I’m counting on you,” Lucius said this, looking deeply at Orson. “Even if it’s just for the sake of my upbringing these past ten years, please also ensure that the child of Margaret and I lives well.”

“Mm, I understand. You will recover. Don’t think about too much for now. Focus on recuperating,” Orson said this, gripping Lucius’s hand, then walked out of the room.

...

Through this period of contact and observation, Orson knew that Lucius’s symptoms were intermittent, like a ticking time bomb.

Normally, he seemed no different from a healthy person, but at a crucial point, he would suddenly forget or mistake things, leading to emotional agitation and irritability after feeling deceived.

And this was, as far as Orson knew, the second time Lucius had an episode this week.

During the previous episode, Lucius had only mistaken a servant’s name, mistakenly calling Vivian the deceased old servant Linda. Fortunately, Vivian didn’t react, and Orson helped Lucius cover it up.

But today, Lucius’s condition seemed to have worsened significantly.

Alzheimer’s disease was difficult to treat even in the era before transmigration, with advanced medical technology. In this continent, although there was magic, finding medicine or magic to treat this symptom in a short period of time was still very difficult.

If, during this time, he suddenly encountered an occasion that Lucius absolutely had to attend, what would happen?

Orson couldn’t imagine how many conspiracy theories would surface if others knew Lucius’s current state.

What should be done in this situation?

Orson’s head was in knots. This was clearly a world with magic, but magic seemed useless against this illness.

Should he find a doctor?

Orson thought of the doctor he knew. If he were to come, his suggested method would probably be trepanning. Orson could only shake his head and dismiss the idea.

Just then, Olivia returned home with Litte. The two had originally intended to question Orson about what he had been doing last night, but seeing Orson leaning against the door of Lucius’s room with a pensive expression at this moment, they still didn’t dare to approach and speak to him.

Olivia poked Litte with her finger.

“What’s wrong with Orson? He seems to be thinking about something.”

“I don’t know either,” Litte shook her head. “What about you? Aren’t you Orson’s fiancée? Aren’t you going to go check on your fiancé?”

Olivia heard this, nodded, walked forward with her hands behind her back, and greeted Orson.

“Hey, Orson, what are you doing?”

Orson then snapped back to attention from his thoughts.

“Ah, Olivia, you’re back?”

“Yes. You seem troubled?” Olivia looked at Orson, showing a confused expression. “And you’re in front of Duke Lucius’s door. Did your father scold you for not coming home last night?”