Alaric normally keeps his distance from Lenore's bedchamber. It's a matter of allowing her privacy and the feeling that at least one area in this large manor belongs to her. Bringing her back to her room and setting her on the bed, he takes a moment to observe her. Her breathing seems even enough, and there are no visible injuries.
He wouldn't be surprised if it was really a matter of sleepwalking, given how things have gone. Plus, he can't think of any other reason that she would faint like that. Unfortunately, this theory doesn't explain that flash of light or the flowers blooming.
Still, he doesn't want to take the risk that there could be an issue he can't see, so he pulls the braided rope hanging next to her bed and waits for one of her maids to arrive.
The girl that bursts into the room minutes later is one of the new maids Alaric ordered Corwin to hire. She's young, her hair tied into messy braids and a shawl pulled over her nightgown. The panic in her eyes tells Alaric that Lenore must not call for her maids often at night, but he's thankful that he can trust this young girl with Lenore's care, seeing how she rushed to her lady's room from the servants' quarters without even stopping to put shoes on.
Perhaps he should repurpose a room nearby for Lenore's personal maids. It's not something he's done often, but if Lenore is prone to sleepwalking, it's better to be safe and have trusted people nearby to stop her before she gets too far.
Belatedly, the maid bows in a sudden, jerky manner that must hurt her back. "Your Grace! I'm sorry, I didn't expect to find you in my lady's room. Not that you couldn't be here, of course; she's your wife. I just—"
"Go get the physician," Alaric says, cutting off her rambling. "Tell him that Lenore may have been sleepwalking, but that I'd like him to examine her to make sure she didn't hurt herself in the process."
"Yes, right away." She scurries out of the room, the same sense of urgency that brought her to Lenore in minutes now carrying her back to the physician's room that's near the servants' quarters.
Alaric doesn't envy her as she rushes from one part of the manor to another and back.
Doctor Wirvoth studied at the imperial medical academy with a focus on herbal medicine, but Alaric wonders if he should bring in an assistant for him. It could be a good chance to invest in an academy student by giving them a chance to work under an experienced physician and learn while working, an invaluable opportunity that teaches somebody the knowledge that books aren't able to give them.
It could be nice to bring in a student and teach them with the intention of making them Lenore's personal physician. He trusts Wirvoth, but he wonders if he'll need to consult somebody with a fresh perspective to figure out the mystery of this woman. He's felt curious about her from the start, and whenever she's involved in something, the outcome surprises him. She might look different, but she reminds him of Elyria in too many ways for it to just be a coincidence.
Of course, the other explanation could be that he's finally gone mad after grieving for so long.
The maid's return with Wirvoth trailing behind her breaks Alaric out of his thoughts.
"A sleepwalking incident, I hear?" Wirvoth doesn't wait for an answer before he's already digging into his bag of tools and listening to Lenore's heartbeat.
At first, Wirvoth followed the etiquette that workers use to show respect to their employer, especially when that employer has a noble status, but Alaric prefers that he skip those needless steps as a doctor, considering that every moment counts in emergencies.
"I can't be sure, but I don't know what else it might've been."
Wirvoth nods, not looking away from Lenore as he shifts to check for any injuries. "Well, tell me what you saw in that case."
Alaric skips the parts where he heard and saw traces of Elyria, instead saying he couldn't sleep and decided to walk the halls in the hope that tiring his body would tire his mind. After all, the figments of his imagination aren't related to Lenore's situation. He mentions the flash of light, Lenore spotting him before she fainted, and the roses that shouldn't have been in that vase. At that point, he also remembers that he left the lantern in that room after standing it up and asks the maid to go retrieve it in the meantime.
"Do you think it's possible she used magic on the flowers?" Alaric asks. As far as he knows, Lenore's sister can use magic, but he hasn't heard that anybody else in her family can, unless his investigation into her background missed it. Still, it's the only answer that comes to mind when he thinks about not only that vase but also the garden returning to life in the areas where Lenore spends the most time.
Wirvoth steps back and stares at Lenore with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyebrows pinch together as he thinks. "I doubt it's impossible, but I can't tell you if somebody is capable of using magic or not. That's not my field of study, as you know."
"Well, can you tell me if Lenore is indeed a sleepwalker?"
"That seems to be the most likely explanation," Wirvoth says. With a sigh, he picks his bag back up from its place on the bed next to Lenore. "The duchess doesn't have a fever, there are no visible wounds, and her pulse is normal. I suggest asking her in the morning if she remembers walking around the manor. Aside from that, there's not anything else I can tell you."
While Alaric is relieved that Lenore is in good health, Wirvoth's assessment leaves him without any answers that can help him figure out the mysteries that keep piling up around Lenore. "You can return to your room. Thanks for your work."
Wirvoth gives him a shallow bow before he leaves, and when the maid brings him the lantern, he sends her back to bed, too.
As for Alaric, he pulls the chair from Lenore's table to her bedside and sits, preparing himself for a long night of waiting and watching. He could order a maid to stay and watch Lenore the way they did when she was sick, but he doesn't think he'd be able to fall back asleep even if he had the chance. Besides, it puts him at ease to do it himself.
So, he sits and waits for morning to arrive.