1- Parting ways.

Vale Nightingale, the Duchess of the North region, was staring blankly at the man that was lying unconscious in bed she had seen many people die so she was used to this kind of situation yet she couldn't believe that this man was here now, about to die.

"Duchess... I have done everything that I can for him."

Vale heard the shaky voice of the doctor who broke the silence in the grand luxurious room, yet she didn't answer, her grip tightened as she grip the bedsheets with anger and sadness.

'I part ways with you so that you could live a happy life, yet you are now here about to die.'

Vale's mind was full of unuseful thoughts.

"My lady, he won't last much longer."

Swallowing the sorrow that was in her heart, she answered in her usual cold tone.

"I understand, you all can now leave."

As she had commanded, everyone was out of the room in an instant now, she was left all alone with the dying man she stared at him her eyes sparkled with anger she was about to do something that he would not like her to do.

'That tiny family, that you form is the one to blame for your actual state.'

His heavy breathing was all that could be heard in the room. She sighed in sadness leaving her anger aside for the moment and got closer to him gently she brush his short and silky brown hair actions that she would not have ever gathered the courage to do if he was conscious.

"Ron" She bearly whispered his name.

Deep within she was hoping that he would answer her one more time it was so long since they last saw each other since she last heard his voice and felt the comforting touch of someone who truly cherished her.

"Ron..."

If only she would have followed her heart and not force him to leave the estate maybe he would not be in such a situation. Why was she such a coward when it come to love? Ron was her first love and even though he married and even had a child, she never forget him.

"I am so sorry. I didn't want to acknowledge that I..."

Vale choked on her words as tears fell from her eyes this was the second time she had shed tears the first was since her parents had passed away. She buried her face in the sheets close to his side and scolded herself mentally over and over for being stubborn about her feelings toward him and not being brave to tell him about how she felt.

If someone saw her; the Duchess of perdition crying, all her fame about her being a devil, a tyrant, or a cold-blooded unmarried witch would go to waste. She stayed silent and let her warm tears fall over her face and onto the sheets.

'I don't want you to die.'

Vale could be cold-blooded to anyone and not hesitate to kill a human being but when it comes to Ron; her ex-butler she was soft-hearted and any little thing that wanted to harm him was always terminated silently by her.

"I should have never let you out in such a horrible world."

She remembered how naive and extrovert he is things or circumstances that she didn't think of before were now flooding her mind she felt as if her head was about to burst with such pressure. Vale didn't move from where she was and gently hold his cold hands.

After a while which seem like an eternity her tears stop and she gathered the strength to get up. She stared once more at his pale face and sight checking that he was still alive his breathing had calmed down a bit but still, he was going to die sooner or later, Vale wasn't going to sit, cry, and just give up on him.

Giving up was never an option for her before and it would never be.

"Ron, I know you can't hear me but I swear on my honor of the Duchess of the North that I will try to save you. I promise."

Vale had now made an oat on her honor and with that being said she storm out of the room suppressing all her anger and went to meet up with the doctor who was sitting on the soft couch drinking tea in the visitor's room. He didn't see her but she saw him and went directly to him.

"Doctor Hoggard."

The poor elderly man nearly spills all his tea over and Vale wanted to laugh in amusement but of course, she couldn't because it is inappropriate for a lady to do so in the eyes of the public, and of course, others never knew about this side of her.

"D-Duchess?"

She nods gracefully.

"I assume you are ready to hear the details?"

Once again Vale nods quietly at his questions with a cold expression. The old man clears his throat and sips a mouth full of tea then begins to speak.

"That young man... His body is nearly taken over by the black death*"

Vale's heart sank as she heard about 'the black death' she squeezes her hands into a fist once again the anger was slowly taken over her body yet she managed to calm down and keep listening to Hoggard's analysis.

"My lady, I assume you are custom to how it works and how to stop it but honestly he has been infected for a long time and..."

Hoggard didn't dare to look at her he imagine what her expression was like and didn't want to get too caught up in this situation.

"I'm sorry." He honestly paid his respects to her.

He and everyone in the Duches' estate knew how much she cared for everyone in her estate especially how much she appreciated Ron, her trustworthy butler, and how much she would do for him yet he; a well-known doctor couldn't do anything about the black death.

"How long...?"

Hoggard swallowed deeply.

"My lady..."

"Hoggard, don't let me repeat it."

He signed and lower his head even more.

"About Five or four years? Maybe more... I'm not entirely sure myself."

Vale wanted to throw a tantrum and tell him that was simply impossible no one had ever been infected for so long and still be alive instead she calmly accepted what she had been told. Her right hand went to her head as she tried to relieve her painful headache.

"How...?" She muttered to herself.

'Is that even possible?'

"My lady I know it is hard to believe but it seems that someone was silently infecting him slowly."

Vale sight. Five or four years was the exact time she had to liquidate Ron and around that same time, he married that blonde lady it couldn't be what she thought possible but then why would they do that to Ron? Wasn't he a lovely husband and a marvelous father?

"I would recommend you to spend the little time he has left by his side because any minute now he could die." His voice took Vale out of the trace and she nod in agreement.

"I will be off then... Thank you for everything."

Hoggard nod silently as he watches the Duchess walk away. The atmosphere around her is dark and he hopes that she won't do anything reckless.

Once again she was in front of the huge door she didn't hesitate to enter the luxurious and spacious room of her estate after locking the door she laid her head gently on Ron's chest his heartbeat and breathing gradually started to get calmer.

Vale was quite familiar with the black death because every time she was on the battlefield many of her men and even the enemy men died of the black death she always hated such a mysterious sickness that couldn't be treated no matter what unless the source of it was founded.

'Ron...'

Suddenly she felt a cold hand that touches her head her eyes widen because of the sudden touch and she lifts her head to see Ron bearly awake. She is so surprised she doesn't know what to do.

"Vale? Where... Am... I?" Ron's voice is bearly audible it is just a faint attempt to speak.

Vale swallows as she yanks up from his chest.

"Ron we are at the estate."

He bearly moves his head and frowned as he rubs her hair.

"Why? I... am not... suppose to be... here.."

Vale felt like a bucket of cold water was dropped on top of her but she was the only one to blame for this situation.

"Where... is my... family...?"

She swallowed at the sudden question, now how was she supposed to explain that he was thrown out in front of her estate on a snowy night and that his family was nowhere to be found?

"I don't know... Ron—"

"Vale..."

"Please don't die!"

Without realizing it Vale was crying once again this time Ron saw her but he didn't have a lot of strength to comfort her like in old times yet with all he had left he stroke her cheek.

"Vale..." Ron bearly whispered.

Before he could finish talking she start to shout about all the random stuff that she did in the past and regret it in silence.

"Yes, I am here and I am sorry I—"

"Vale."

"Listen, Don't leave me alone again Ron I promised I won't fire you again."

Ron tried to smile but was unable to because of how weak his body had become.

"Vale... I have always loved you." Ron sincerely proclaims his feelings to Vale in his last moments.

Her eyes widen with surprise and she stares at Ron's pale handsome face.

"Me too..." Vale whispers lightly.

Ron's eyes slowly lock and his hand drop on the bed now all that is left in the grand luxurious and silent room is a corpse and a teary Duchess.

[*The Black death: It is a sickness that can be cast onto another person like a curse. If you think you are cursed with the black death it is best to go to a Saint those who aren't able to get there on time can die in about a day or a month longest case in history is a year. Another way to cure this is to locate the source and eliminate it but hardly people make it till the second day of the curse.*]