CHAPTER 70…………………………………………
“How I act is up to both of you.”
Princess Laratu said coldly.
Unlike her usual favorable attitude toward them, she now held a remarkably aggressive stance.
“And Kichev, I suggest you choose your words carefully with me.”
Though called a socialite fool, perhaps royal blood runs in royal veins.
As a princess, Laratu, pressing Kichev, carried a remarkable air of authority.
Kichev, glancing at Giovanni, lowered his head obediently.
“I’m sorry.”
After receiving the apology, Princess Laratu’s gaze shifted to Giovanni.
Soaked from the rain, he looked no colder than anyone else, as if the rain had no effect on his condition.
His usual firm gaze looked down at her with undiminished intensity.
Princess Laratu, usually confident when dealing with Kichev, subtly lowered her head.
“Your Highness? What will you do?”
“Hold the Empire accountable.”
“…What?”
Her expression stiffened slightly.
Giovanni spoke calmly.
“I don’t know why the assassin of the shadows targeted you. If you think this is the Empire’s fault, then hold them responsible. I’ll cooperate.”
“…”
“I’ll cooperate if needed.”
A look of surprise flickered across the princess’s face.
After a moment, Princess Laratu spoke in a somewhat weakened voice.
“I’ll ask if necessary.”
As if to lighten the mood, she lifted the corners of her mouth.
“It’s late, but thank you for your help. Kichev finally seems to have recovered, even though he wouldn’t take Father Carlo’s medicine.”
“There was another skilled doctor.”
For a moment, his gaze briefly brushed past me. I almost cleared my throat in vain.
Fortunately, Princess Laratu had her back turned to me.
The doctor he mentioned was me.
[Tyryn, if the reason the Empire’s people are especially vulnerable to local diseases is because of opposing energies, is there a way to fix it?]
“There is.”
[What is it?]
“You can see it if you look at why the sun and fire people can’t thrive in this land.”
[Stop beating around the bush.]
“Tch.”
[Hurry. One, two, three…]
“This land originally belongs to our spirits. It has a cold nature incompatible with sun and fire people. After malicious magic manifested, it worsened. The coldness penetrates the body and causes suffering.”
[Last time you said the spirits lost their bodies, their power was sealed, and a curse occurred.]
“Same thing. Sinners harmed us, and the spirits’ essence started inheriting through the bloodlines of the sinners, leaving no one to balance the energy. Sun and fire people can’t control the energy within them, so of course they suffer.”
[Even why no medicine worked on the nobles?]
“Yes. Without spirits, what medicine could possibly work?”
“…”
“Of course, before it wouldn’t have worked. But now it can.”
[You don’t mean… me…]
“Yes. Because you have appeared.”
“…”
“More precisely, because you’ve awakened your power.”
His bright, piercing gaze stabbed me.
“You are the only spirit to survive in human form. You haven’t had your essence consumed by sinners, so you can wield your clan’s power.”
Tyryn’s confident voice was still vivid in my ears.
A recognition of me being a spirit?
Of course, I didn’t have it.
I was still me. Yet the look in Tyryn’s eyes, urging me to throw off constraints and demonstrate my true power as a spirit, remained overwhelming.
“The way he keeps urging me to reclaim the remaining spirits’ power… it’s a headache.”
Still, as he said, healing Kichev wasn’t difficult.
It was just a matter of giving Giovanni the fruit imbued with my energy—the same one I used a little trick with when I first met him.
[Is it poisonous?]
Even with his face pale blue, Kichev hesitated, and only after Giovanni opened his mouth did he place the fruit inside.
Within a few hours, he got up as if nothing had happened.
“So there really was a skilled doctor I didn’t know about. That’s a relief.”
Princess Laratu’s curiosity was piqued at the mention of a skilled doctor, but she didn’t press further.
A few months ago, she would have asked—like the day she first met Giovanni as a veil maid.
But she had changed.
Sigh, it feels like only yesterday I was happy to have royal connections.
Supported by Carsatuna, Princess Laratu turned and approached me.
“I’ve realized a lot from this incident.”
As she came close, she whispered.
“Let me ask you something.”
“…”
“Did you know the author would appear today?”
“I thought it might happen. That’s why I came—to protect you, Princess. I told you, going outside is dangerous.”
A fierce glare shot at me.
“You came to protect me, huh…”
“…”
“What if the heavy rain hadn’t poured?”
That’s absurd. The rain wasn’t random—it was me.
But Princess Laratu didn’t know that.
“I knew it would rain.”
“Ha!”
Covering her mouth with one hand, Princess Laratu widened her eyes.
“On such a clear day?”
A streak of disbelief crossed her pale, chilled face.
It would be hard for her to believe, but it was the truth.
“I’ll thoroughly uncover the mastermind behind this, Egrain. If you don’t want harsh suspicion, you’d better be careful.”
Seeing her suspicious gaze, I lowered my head obediently.
I was used to being suspected.
“Let’s go, Carsatuna.”
Leaning on Carsatuna, Princess Laratu started moving.
As she brushed past me, she said:
“I won’t forget this.”
“…”
“We probably won’t share tea together anymore.”
Don’t expect any more of my favor.
That’s how it sounded to me.
Ah, I can hear my golden connections shattering.
I lifted my head. I met Carsatuna’s eyes, worriedly watching me as he held her arm.
I smiled faintly.
The forest, now empty of Carsatuna and Princess Laratu, smelled strongly of damp leaves in the rain. My nose itched for no reason.
Not a good feeling.
Suppressing the strange emotion, I turned to Giovanni and Kichev.
“Thank you for your help.”
“No, this also benefits us.”
Giovanni stared at the spy collapsed on the ground.
The man had fainted from unbearable pain, his forehead bulging with thick veins.
“Since we confirmed Lodrakky’s trickery, there’s nothing to thank us for.”
“That’s not right.”
I felt Giovanni’s gaze.
“When you need my help, I’ll respond sincerely.”
Suddenly so formal?
Was it because of the Princess Laratu incident? His stiff tone felt awkward even to me.
Or not?
Glancing briefly, Giovanni’s expression was as indifferent as usual. It seemed only I found it awkward.
He naturally turned and started walking.
“I’ll take you home.”
He passed by me. His long legs moved slower than Princess Laratu.
Suddenly, a question came to mind.
Why had Princess Laratu suddenly doubted us?
The way to the Count’s house wasn’t far.
Throughout the ride, Giovanni sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed.
It was nice not to worry about what he might say, but the seat still felt uncomfortable.
Princess Laratu is aware of Giovanni, so why do I suddenly feel self-conscious too?
Even the usually indifferent silence felt irritating.
I watched Giovanni with closed eyes and sighed deeply.
The approaching Count’s estate felt unexpectedly reassuring.
As I hurriedly got out of the carriage, I realized something.
Focusing on leaving the carriage, I almost forgot to greet him.
Still, this isn’t right.
Awkwardly, I turned and bowed my head.
“Thank you. I was able to come comfortably because of you.”
No reply came back.
Just as I felt awkward…
“…Finally saying something now that we’re leaving.”
“Huh?”
Giovanni tilted his head, raising only one corner of his mouth, sighing.
“Did you suddenly feel awkward about me being a barbarian?”
My stiff shoulders relaxed.
“You noticed I acted strangely?”
“Very much so.”
“Was it really that awkward?”
“Why?”
“Just… because of a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“You and I, Your Highness… well, there’s a misunderstanding.”
He shrugged.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry?”
“Huh?”
“You asked what if you liked me, and suddenly you’re ignoring me.”
[What are you going to do if I actually end up liking Your Highness?]
Flustered, he whispered like a sigh.
“Don’t ignore me.”
“…”
“This is frustrating.”
A blanket fell on my shoulders. It wasn’t the one I gave to Princess Laratu and abandoned, but a soft, new one.
The carriage door closed.
I watched, dumbfounded, as the carriage moved away.
Could he have been hurt?
Before entering the mansion, I ran into Mrs. Emerne, giving instructions to the maids and servants.
“Be careful not to damage a single root. You can’t save a single plant with your own strength.”
Behind the leisurely fanning Emerne, the employees were sweating profusely.
The servant struggled carrying stones for the garden, made by a stonemason, and the maids squatted, pulling weeds.
Recently, it had become common to see Emerne’s employees enlisted for her new hobbies.
In some ways, gardening is harder than embroidery.
Without talent to keep plants alive, Emerne spent astronomical sums buying seedlings and seeds.
A money pit.
If I were the head of the family, I would have uprooted that hobby immediately.
I tried to enter the mansion without noticing her.
“Aren’t you going to greet me?”
A sharp voice came from behind.
“Even if taught, you still can’t hide that you didn’t learn.”
Tsk, tsk. I slowly turned.
I wasn’t particularly offended. It was just amusing that the money-wasting person was speaking.
“I thought you were busy.”
Emerne frowned.
“What does that have to do with you not greeting me?”
“You wouldn’t hear it anyway.”
“Even if I ignore you, you should greet me.”
She said coldly.
“That’s the duty of a subordinate.”
