Chapter 26
Startled!
At the sharp sound piercing his eardrums, Lucian reflexively let go of his hand.
*Rustle—*
The letters he was holding spilled out. Between his wavering vision, he could see the words ‘I’m sorry’.
Yes. It was time to admit it.
Cielle had truly, sincerely apologized to him and Ijel.
“Haa.”
His head understood that fact, but his heart was the problem.
Except for when they were young, Cielle had always been a very bad sister to him.
She never included Lucian in the category of ‘family’. She was particularly the only one who treated him like an outsider.
No matter how hard Lucian tried, the distance between them only grew.
It became even worse after Cielle noticed his feelings for Ijel.
“And now, after all that…?”
He thought this change came too late. The emotional rift was too deep.
Relationships like being close siblings or family were things he had long let go of.
But it was also ridiculous.
*Click.*
This time, it felt like even his heart had split into several pieces.
His hand instinctively pulled out a leather envelope from the drawer. He gathered the fallen letters and put them inside, sealing it with a wax seal.
Pulling the bell rope to call the butler was half unconscious.
“You called, Young Duke?”
Shortly after, the butler entered his study.
Lucian glanced at the butler, then shifted his gaze to the letter.
His fingertips traced the feel of the tough leather and the thick stationery beneath it.
“……”
His wavering heart had, at some point, tilted enough that he no longer needed to weigh it on a scale.
Lucian wanted to trust Cielle one more time.
Having solidified his resolve, Lucian slowly began to speak.
“These are Cielle’s letters. Have them delivered to Ijel as they are.”
“You’re not discarding them?”
“…Yes.”
At Lucian’s answer, the butler looked surprised for a moment before silently accepting the letters.
“Then what shall we do about Jenna?”
Jenna, Cielle’s personal maid. She had handed the letters to the butler today and said something unexpected.
*Butler. From now on, I will faithfully perform my duties as Lady Cielle’s maid.*
The implied meaning, expressed indirectly, was that she would no longer take orders from another master.
“Shall we replace her with another maid?”
At the butler’s question, Lucian was silent for a long moment, his lips parting slightly.
Just as the silence was about to pass the one-minute mark, he spoke again.
“Leave her be.”
Since he had decided to trust her once, he figured he should also step back from the surveillance to some extent.
“…Understood, Young Duke.”
The butler openly showed his astonishment at Lucian’s markedly changed behavior.
Lucian didn’t bother to point it out.
In fact, the person most surprised by his own judgment was probably himself.
*Whoosh—*
Sunlight, hidden behind the dark clouds, shone down upon Lucian.
He thought it might be okay to visit the garden today.
Unlike the pouring rain outside, a corner of his heart felt warm.
***
My body, which had been running relentlessly for the past two days, was warning me to rest.
I, who didn’t even have the energy to lift a finger after being harassed by Lucian, succumbed to the sweet temptation.
‘Right. It’s okay to rest for a day…’
After all, people need proper rewards to function well.
But… I didn’t know this ‘rest’ would last for several more days.
No, honestly, it couldn’t even be called ‘rest’.
I was just as busy inside the mansion as I was outside!
For example:
“Who would have thought I’d be proselytizing at home.”
And I succeeded. Not just succeeded?
‘I achieved a *massive* success.’
The unfair thing was, it was never my intention.
‘I was just acting out of genuine goodwill!’
But who knew such a mishap would occur?
The incident started two days ago, after Jenna’s mother visited.
The problem(?) was that I healed her in the garden since she had difficulty moving.
After the healing was finished and her health restored, Jenna’s mother cried her eyes out in the garden.
*Sob, Th-Thank you, My Lady! I will repay this grace somehow. Sob, sob!*
*No need for repayment. Just live happily and well. Lady Arte would want that too.*
*Sob, L-Lady Arte…! I will, I will remember! I will live the rest of my life grateful to you and Lady Arte, Sob…*
Soon after, Jenna also hugged her mother and burst into tears.
When she said she would dedicate her life to me and Arte, I was utterly flabbergasted.
‘That’s too much, even if you’re grateful.’
Although I did hope that Lady Arte would become known in a positive light.
Still, I thought it was a good ending since everyone was happy, one way or another.
But.
‘I didn’t expect the mansion staff to witness that scene and come rushing to me…’
They were the same people who had been avoiding me until just a few days ago.
I wasn’t surprised by their changed attitude.
‘Well, if I heard there was a walking panacea next to me, I’d probably run over with wide eyes too.’
So, I got swept up and ended up healing the staff’s various ailments.
Honestly, most weren’t fatal illnesses, just freedom from chronic conditions, so I thought they’d just say thanks.
*Sob, from now on, I will only follow you, My Lady!*
*The Arte sect… I won’t forget.*
*Even the gods of the Four Great Churches couldn’t grant health… My Lady, I pledge my loyalty to you too!*
Why is everyone so easily leaving the Four Great Churches?!
Of course, they must trust me to say such things, but for a while, I was lost in thought, wondering, ‘Is this really right?’
“I feel like I’m coaxing naive people…”
I guess it’s because I’m proselytizing before completely overhauling the Arte sect.
“Hmm, I need to work harder from now on. I need to brighten up the sect quickly!”
*Ding.*
[Lady Arte has donated 1 Florin!]
[Zzaranda, zzaranda, Cielle! (ง⁎˃ ᵕ ˂ )ง⁾⁾]
It seemed she liked my resolution. Arte revealed a smiling face on the status window.
‘A hallucination?’
…Probably not.
I don’t have the brains to imagine such a perfect smile!
‘And to think, I’m marveling at how handsome he is even now.’
It’s oddly embarrassing.
Seeing that deadly face after so long made my neck feel hot for no reason.
As I averted my gaze from him.
“Meow!”
Tete, who had been quietly lounging in my lap, suddenly threw a ‘nya-nya punch’ towards the status window.
Arte’s face disappeared like an illusion.
‘Right, he’s only weak against Tete.’
It’s a shame I can’t admire that handsome face more…
“Mrreow.”
“Eeek, so cute!”
Honestly, seeing Tete makes me happier.
Yes, yes, Tete is still the best, better than Arte!
As usual, I held Tete and grinned happily.
But I shouldn’t have thought that.
In the deep darkness of the night.
I saw a beautiful man in my dream who looked similar to Arte.
But who would have known that he would…
‘A cat…?’
Have cat ears and the same red eyes as Tete!
***
Contrary to Arte’s words that self-healing wasn’t possible, since gaining divine power, the pain from my incurable illness had never been severe.
So I thought Arte’s divine power was subtly affecting me too.
“Ugh, h… This evening, a sudden, intense pain made me forget that thought.
It felt like my brain was bubbling and boiling.
I felt so dizzy I couldn’t tell if I was awake or still drifting in a dream.
That was probably the problem.
‘I must be going crazy.’
Who knew that the image of Arte buried somewhere in my subconscious, Tete, and my pain would create such an insane collaboration!
Dark black hair, red pupils reminiscent of Tete, and a face so beautiful it made your jaw drop.
Even through the pain, I found myself dazedly thinking, ‘How many times have I slapped a male lead’s cheek?’
He clearly resembled Arte, but upon closer inspection, many parts were different.
Unlike the god’s curly hair, the man in my dream had straight hair, sharper eyes, and overall had a cooler, more languid aura.
But the moment those red eyes met mine.
*Poof.*
…Poof? A cat poof?
Along with the cute sound, cat ears sprouted from the man’s head!
Such adorable ears on the cold impression that could slap the face of the Northern Grand Duke, the main male lead of the novel?
‘It’s definitely a dream.’
His appearance was too destructive to exist in reality.
