Chapter 89
So I could understand why, in that suddenly burned temple, she—appearing perfectly fine in front of Barbara, who was frantic looking for Titania—would then break into sobs. At first Barbara was stunned and dumbfounded, but watching Licianthus—also bewildered like her—and Debby smoothly pretend to be holding back Titania, she quickly grasped the situation and went along with it.
There’s a saying: to fool the enemy, first fool your allies. The temple people had tried to pick a fight and subtly harass Titania; this was probably payback to show them. After Raiman broke into the temple and they moved to the Kastrain family villa, Barbara actually thought it was for the best. Even to Barbara it seemed staying in the temple any longer would do Titania no good.
The meaningful words the High Priest Ilian left Titania with, and Titania’s flustered behavior—both felt like a foreign object stuck in Barbara’s chest, nagging at her. Still, she didn’t step forward and ask. She was only a maid. Even if Titania thought she could not be “completely” trusted, that was that — they hadn’t even met before Titania came to the Empress’s palace.
To be honest, Barbara was indeed a person of the Empress’s palace. Her top priority was always Her Majesty the Empress. If she had to choose between Titania and the Empress, she would always choose the Empress. So even if she was being left out of something important, or seemed to be shunned, she thought she must endure it. The Kastrain family would be collaborating with someone grand, so even if she couldn’t be part of it, that was inevitable.
Barbara had noticed that Debby, assigned by the Kastrain family, wasn’t an ordinary maid. Even while laughing and saying frivolous things, her eyes were sharp and her gestures unusual.
So Barbara thought that if Titania took Debby with her, there wouldn’t be any great danger.
…However, even while staying at that very Kastrain villa, Titania once again slipped away leaving Barbara behind, returned covered in blood into Raiman’s arms, and made Barbara’s heart drop.
Although the High Priest’s treatment saved her life, Barbara paced anxiously. But because the High Priest had said, “let her rest somewhere quiet until she wakes,” Barbara left Titania lying in bed and went to her own room…
The next morning, Titania’s bed in her room was empty.
Barbara was so shocked and worried in that moment she felt faint.
Hoping she hadn’t imagined it, she searched the room thoroughly and when she stepped into the adjoining chamber, she found Titania snugly tucked under the covers on the bed there, snoring away. How relieved and surprised Barbara was — she just lost all her strength.
When she woke Titania, Titania blinked a few times, mumbled, “Huh, when did I fall asleep here? I was sitting on the balcony chair. When did I even pull the covers over me? I must’ve been really tired!” — said with that innocent brightness. It made Barbara speechless.
Her neck muscles tightened as if she might fall backward. If Titania weren’t royalty and someone she served, Barbara would have scolded her and given her a good smack for skulking around and being reckless.
Of course, these days if Barbara had slapped Titania hard, Titania would have responded with things like, “Ouch! Barbara! I was wrong! Ouch ouch! Ahh! A maid hit a royal! No, I’m overreacting! Don’t bow so much, I’m sorry!” But since Titania had nearly died the day before and come back, Barbara couldn’t touch her — so she stayed silent and brewed medicine instead.
Titania took the medicine, muttered some complaints under her breath, then suddenly closed her eyes tight, lifted the bowl, and swallowed the contents. She then held her breath, shoved the entire contents of the glass of chocolate into her mouth, and chomped it down. Her smooth white forehead crumpled like paper weathered by wind and rain.
“Ugh, bitter! Soooo bitter! Aaaah! I… I’ve tried every medicine since I was little… but this is really too bitter! It’s torture! I melted chocolate and ate it, but the chocolate smell mixed in makes me want to throw up! What on earth is in it?!”
“You’d better not know,” Barbara said.
“Is this all I have to take? After the High Priest’s treatment my body feels so light. I honestly don’t hurt at all…”
“The High Priest said—last time and this time—that because you received such severe wounds and divine power… healing isn’t omnipotent, so your body will be greatly weakened.”
Titania’s pupils trembled like aspens. Then, as if trying to escape reality, she asked in a brittle voice, “…So this is all I have to drink, right?”
“You’ll need to take it steadily for the next month.”
“Uwaaah…” Titania sighed deeply. As the cold wind brushed her face, Barbara collected Titania’s medicine bowl and the empty dessert dish. Debby butted in.
“Looks like Barbara’s sulking! Eh, Princess, why did you make everyone’s hearts drop by getting found in the other room after leaving your bed?”
“I…I just woke up at dawn to get some fresh air and planned to come right back, but then I had no memory of it…”
Titania glanced at Barbara and Debby. Barbara’s brow twitched.
“…Waking up at dawn is certainly something to celebrate. But you should’ve called someone. To go out in the cold when you’re not fully recovered—what if you catch consumption? You know holy power doesn’t help with disease or aging like it does with external wounds.”
“Ahaha… my body feels perfectly fine… but I thought Lord Raiman was… in my room?”
Titania’s voice showed she herself was suspicious. Her eyes rolled around like a thing worried by something; Debby, seeming to have guessed, answered cheerfully.
“The young viscount left early this morning! He said it was urgent. But he wouldn’t leave without confirming you were awake, so maybe he checked on you before he left?”
“…Hmm…” Titania answered like a small animal with its throat pinched. She kept her mouth tightly shut, clearly troubled by something.
At that moment the door flew open.
Licianthus burst in, wearing a loosely buttoned shirt—half-dressed—and a single pair of trousers, looking like a scruffy puppy meeting its owner, and called out brightly, “Titania! You’re awake!”
At the sight of him, Titania smiled.
“Ahahaha, with High Priest Ilian here there’s nothing wrong with me. Were you worried?”
Licianthus stepped up to Titania without waiting for an answer—but then flinched.
“You—how could you? You bled so much yesterday, what do you mean ‘Were you worried’?!”
Licianthus jumped in outrage.
“If it weren’t for the High Priest telling us you’d be alright and to let you rest, I would’ve been frozen in place until you woke. Seriously…”
His face twisted.
“…You said you’d save me. You said you’d protect me. You came here bragging about being my guard, but you’ve never properly protected me once.”
Titania’s eyes widened.
Even while speaking, Licianthus kept his gaze fixed on the floor as if ashamed.
He, who usually ran around like an excited dog when happy or angry, was unusually deflated.
“…At the temple fire, yes. I was fooled by their sweet talk and wasn’t at your side. Fine, I’ll accept that. And Debby says you weren’t in ‘real’ danger. But still…”
He clenched his fist, unable to keep his anger down.
“When it actually happened, I was weak… I couldn’t keep you safe. I used to brag that I could handle a sword. I thought since I can use flame power, if things got bad I could just burn everything around here to ash and be done with it.”
In truth, Licianthus felt depressed.
Even if he was weaker than Raiman or his father, he believed he could handle most people. He couldn’t fully control the power of fire, but he thought it was enough.
He considered himself a joker who, if he were willing to risk his life, could surely catch enemies.
But—
When confronting the enemies who targeted Titania and stood between him and her, he realized:
As long as there was something to protect nearby, his “joker” was practically useless.
If he couldn’t control his power and burned Titania too—what would be more foolish? In the end, until Raiman came and rescued Titania, Licianthus hadn’t really accomplished anything. The enemy retreated on their own, not because he captured them.
And having to watch such an enemy leave with his eyes wide open—he was furious.
“If it had been my brother, he wouldn’t have left things so dangerous from the start.”
