Chapter 09
Aedric quietly looked down at my hand.
The white cloth wrapped around it was incredibly uncomfortable. Moreover, the throbbing pain that flared up whenever I tried to forget it kept nagging at my nerves.
But what came to mind before the pain was Edith’s face. The face of her, frightened, as she treated my wound.
I had to admit, her audacity to try and treat the Crown Prince with folk remedies was remarkable. I should have been
displeased that she didn’t use divine power, but perhaps I should say it was fascinating how she stubbornly persisted, knowing full well I would be displeased.
It was unexpected. At first, she was so afraid she couldn’t even speak, but then she boldly blocked me from entering the infirmary.
‘And of all people, right in front of me.’
How could she do that?
She had been trembling in fear all this time, so had there been some change of heart?
Curiosity mingled with rising irritation. All that laughing and chatting with those lowly knights, and the moment I appear, her expression hardens.
“Annoying woman.”
As Aedric muttered lowly, Dewis, standing beside him, cautiously spoke.
“Still, please try to be a little more lenient, Your Highness.”
Aedric frowned at Dewis’s words. Dewis then continued, as if gently coaxing him.
“No one has been able to break Kalad’s curse until now. At least it’s worth observing a little longer.”
Dewis poured tea into a cup and placed it before him, bowing his head.
“I fear she might run away if you frighten her too much.”
Aedric furrowed his brow. Despite seeing his expression crumple in real-time, Dewis continued speaking steadfastly, as if unconcerned.
“You even cut your own hand in front of her. It wouldn’t be strange for someone so young to be frightened.”
“Young? That woman?”
Aedric scoffed and glared at Dewis.
“Long tongue. What is it you’re really trying to say?”
“Why not wait and see a little longer? It’s not as if you can’t execute her later if you deem her incompetent.”
As Aedric gritted his teeth, Dewis tried to soothe him once more.
“She’s a healer we went to great lengths to procure. If you execute her here, who knows what kind of uproar the Temple will cause.”
“How dare the Temple think they can…”
“Of course, the Temple is nothing compared to the authority of the Imperial Family.”
“But.”
“Still, you need to be mindful of them.”
Aedric twisted his face and clenched his fist. The sharp pain coming from inside his hand irritated him once again.
Would the unpleasant feelings disappear too once this wound healed?
Aedric quietly closed his eyes.
—
Around the time the wound was slowly healing, an absurd piece of news reached Aedric’s ears.
“I’ve heard that Duke Felix recently visited the Imperial Healer. Moreover, it seems he even defended the healer.”
Upon hearing those words, Aedric’s face contorted.
Duke Felix, Akanthus.
The Emperor’s nephew, and at the same time, his cousin. A person both quite different from and very similar to him.
Yet their reputations were starkly different. Due to his gentle and kind nature, he enjoyed high support from both nobles and commoners.
He had always been attentive to commoners, and since he had even rescued her, he had more than enough reason to take an interest in Edith.
But still, skipping a council meeting to visit her seemed rather excessive.
“Absurd.”
“We haven’t confirmed the truth of the rumor yet, but the healer is scheduled to visit soon to treat Your Highness’s hand. How about asking her then?”
Dewis’s words were no longer reaching him. Though his eyes were fixed on the documents, all of Aedric’s senses were focused on the footsteps pacing outside the corridor.
Hearing the distinct, measured yet light footsteps of a specific person, Aedric’s gaze reflexively turned towards the door.
A knock resounded, and the attendant announced.
“Your Highness, the new Imperial Healer has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
As Aedric gave his permission, the door opened and Edith entered.
Today, too, Edith kept her head bowed. As a result, her hair, which seemed neither gray nor silver, was the first thing to catch the eye.
“I greet Your Highness.”
Edith grasped her skirt and bowed her head.
Having resided in the Imperial Palace for nearly a month now, Edith seemed quite accustomed to Imperial etiquette.
‘Is she trying to act the part of an Imperial Healer as well?’
To Aedric, it was simply loathsome. However, not wanting to engage in unnecessary conversation, he asked in a businesslike tone.
“So, what are we doing today?”
“As always, I plan to disinfect the wound and check if it has healed, Your Highness.”
Feeling that the atmosphere was particularly low-pressure today, Edith began to unwrap the bandage while cautiously gauging Aedric’s mood.
“The wound has healed considerably. It should be fully healed the day after tomorrow. From today, you may remove the bandage. Still, be careful not to get a paper cut.”
“Mind your own business.”
A paper cut, not even a sword. How ridiculous.
“I heard Duke Felix visited you. And that he protected you.”
As Edith flinched, Aedric grabbed her wrist and asked in a low voice.
“How did he treat you?”
“…”
“Did he use the same folk remedies you used on me? I suppose that precious divine power of yours is too valuable to waste even on the Crown Prince.”
Aedric’s eyes as he looked at her were like those of a predator with its prey in sight.
Though her body trembled, Edith spoke calmly.
“The reason he protected me was because a knight threatened me.”
She was afraid, but if she kept trembling here, the Crown Prince would surely continue to pressure her.
“And I treated him exactly the same as I treated Your Highness. I stitched his wound with folk remedies and poured healing power into it, nothing more.”
“Your divine power seems quite precious indeed.”
This should be enough. Thinking so, Edith pulled her wrist free from Aedric’s grasp.
Just as she was about to sigh in relief at how easily her hand was released, Aedric spat out.
“With Duke Felix’s protection backing you, you must be feeling pretty confident.”
“Not at all.”
“I’m curious.”
“…”
“Whether you’ll be like those other fools, unable to grasp your place, reaching for what doesn’t suit you and dying.”
Aedric declared in a chilling voice.
“Or whether you’ll make a choice befitting your station.”
His eyes as he spoke were so sharp it took her breath away. Edith, trembling violently, barely managed to nod.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Gathering her things and rising from her seat, Edith kept her head half-bowed, slowly turned, and fled the room as if escaping.
Aedric, gazing quietly at the spot where she had vanished, let out a low chuckle.
She’s still being cautious for now, but soon that woman will change too. After all, word has spread that she’s the healer who broke Kalad’s curse.
Having accomplished what no one else could, everyone’s eyes on her will change. Some will try to use her, others will revere her. And with the protection of a Duke, even more so.
People are bound to change once they gain power.
In the worst case, he could just cut her down. Aedric closed his eyes, thinking that.
—
“It hurts…”
Edith looked at her throbbing wrist. The area the Crown Prince had gripped was aching.
‘Should I apply a cold compress?’
Her wrist was red and just on the verge of bruising. He must have squeezed it quite hard.
“Anyway.”
Excessive greed, he said.
Muttering softly, Edith glanced back. The Crown Prince’s office door remained firmly shut.
What was the Crown Prince thinking when he said that to her?
‘Whether you’ll be like those other fools, unable to grasp your place, reaching for what doesn’t suit you and dying, or whether you’ll make a choice befitting your station.’
It could have been a simple threat, but the emotion contained in his voice was unmistakably murderous intent.
‘Could it be… that’s the reason the previous healers were executed?’
No one knows the exact reason why the healers died. But judging by the charges of insulting the Imperial Family and the Crown Prince’s words, perhaps they got involved in power struggles within the palace.
‘If that weren’t the case, His Majesty the Emperor wouldn’t have just stood by with his hands behind his back while the Crown Prince beheaded countless people.’
I must never get entangled with the Imperial Family or nobles.
Edith shook her head vigorously and hurried towards the military encampment. Her wrist had already become mottled, as if bruised.
Fortunately, there were herbs there that could alleviate bruises. Edith headed straight for the herb storage.
“…Huh?”
But there was only one bundle of herbs left in the storage.
Surely, more supplies should have arrived yesterday.
Edith quickly checked the ledger. She had made sure they kept records in case of emergencies.
The ledger clearly showed that forty bundles of bruise-relieving herbs had arrived yesterday. With only one bundle left, it meant someone had tampered with the herbs.
“Should I tell them to keep an access log too.”
She had a rough idea of who took the herbs. Edith sighed as she looked at the ledger. It was probably the auxiliary staff, quietly skimming off a little at a time. The knights must have taken a bundle each as well.
Though these were the kind of herbs that could be found in fields and mountains, they were still the property of the Imperial Palace since they were provided by them. And stealing Imperial property was a grave offense.
“But I can’t exactly ask them to replenish it either.”
If she fired someone for misusing supplies, the Crown Prince would hear of it. And if that happened, it wouldn’t end with dismissal. Not only would she risk losing her head, but either way, it would cause a huge problem.
For now, it seemed best to keep it under wraps. Edith corrected the ledger and took the herbs and left.
But her heart remained heavy even as she ground and applied the herbs.
“I hope this treatment ends quickly.”
As Edith sighed while bandaging her wrist, a maid rushed into the infirmary in a fluster.
“Healer! Healer!”
At the urgent voice, Edith hastily raised her head.
