Episode 5
The temple servants quickly transferred Lucy onto the stretcher and hurried off.
The maid who had accompanied Lucy could only watch helplessly.
Once she was to reside in the temple, she was no longer permitted to have personal servants.
As for Lucy herself, she had no mental space to care whether it was the maid or temple servants who were moving her to the private room and checking on her condition.
She was in utter confusion.
‘Who the hell is that man?’
Where had Alexander gone, and why was some random guy taking over the role of the Faraday family heir?
Alexander didn’t even have any siblings competing for the heir position.
The man she saw earlier felt like he had dropped out of the sky from nowhere.
‘I thought only my stats were messed up, and everything else was the same as before.’
Could it be that other parts had changed too?
If even the male leads were different, what was she supposed to do from now on?
Just as Lucy was about to spiral into panic, someone entered the hospital room.
At the unexpected visitor, Lucy’s eyes widened round.
It was Cecil Auden.
‘I came to the temple expecting to meet Cecil again eventually, but…’
She hadn’t thought it would be this soon—or that he would come radiating such obvious anger.
“I believe I told you last time.”
Cecil spoke in a low, sunken voice, not even bothering to smooth out his furrowed brow.
“No matter what you do, at the very least, don’t cause harm to others.”
What was he talking about?
Cecil gritted his teeth and spat the words out.
“Starting today, I will be in charge of Your Highness’s exclusive healing.”
“…….”
“His Majesty the Emperor personally issued the order to me.”
Lucy’s lips parted slightly in surprise.
A regular one-on-one opportunity with Cecil?
For Lucy, who had to capture the male leads, this was good news.
…Or was it?
As far as Lucy remembered, there was only one way to recover stamina in the temple.
It was to bathe in a tub filled to the brim with holy water blessed by the high priest.
That was the fastest way to restore stamina.
If it was done the way it seemed to be now, stamina recovery would be much slower.
“It is an imperial command, so I ask for your cooperation.”
The unexpectedly intense wave of hatred made Lucy puzzled.
Her confusion was quickly resolved thanks to the cheerful notification sound and the system window that appeared.
[Lucky Event occurred!]
[You will now receive Cecil Auden’s close-contact healing♡
Take this opportunity to raise Cecil’s favorability.
Although he is quite angry because his long-planned vacation was canceled because of you.]
Is this really a lucky event?
It felt more like Cecil was fully prepared to build up resentment rather than favorability toward her.
Moreover, unlike their first meeting, Cecil didn’t even ask her anything.
He had completely given up on expecting any answers from her and simply treated her in a purely businesslike manner.
“First, I will examine Your Highness’s physical condition.”
Cecil sat on the chair beside the bed, rolled up his sleeves, and extended his arm toward Lucy.
He held his palm about half a hand’s length above her body and slowly swept it up and down.
Lucy felt a warm energy spreading throughout her entire body.
‘So when you receive healing magic while not in pain, it feels like you’re in a jjimjilbang.’
Her body grew pleasantly warm, and the tension began to ease.
Just as she started to feel drowsy and her eyes threatened to close—
“As expected, there is nothing wrong with your body.”
Cecil’s cold voice snapped Lucy back to alertness.
“However, the energy flowing within you is considerably weakened. The fact that you still can’t move properly even after waking up, and that your mind has become affected, fortunately does not seem to be permanent damage.”
Cecil paused in thought for a moment before continuing.
“In cases like this, we should proceed with rehabilitation treatment.”
With that, Cecil handed something to Lucy.
Lucy stared blankly at the object in his hand.
‘It looks exactly like…’
Ding!
[Item acquired!]
[You have obtained ‘Sacred Dumbbell.’]
She hadn’t seen wrong.
What Cecil was holding was indeed a dumbbell.
[A special item crafted with the holy power of a priest. It aids in stamina recovery.
Use it consistently every day to train your stamina!]
Lucy was dumbfounded.
‘I just came here to soak in some nice warm water.’
They wanted her to recover stamina through strength training?
Was this a temple or a gym?
“What are you doing? Take it quickly.”
Cecil urged her in a serious tone.
Still dazed, Lucy accepted the dumbbell—and her eyes widened.
It probably weighed about 1kg.
For such a small and light dumbbell, her arm went completely limp the moment she took it, her wrist even bending slightly.
“Ugh!”
The absurdity lasted only a moment before sharp pain shot through her wrist, bringing tears to her eyes.
Ding!
[Muscle loss occurred!]
[Muscle loss has occurred due to tears.
Your stamina has decreased by 1.
Current stamina: -51]
Is this really a dating simulation game?
Wasn’t this just a hardcore gym game?
She couldn’t even cry freely for fear of losing more stamina.
“Be careful.”
Cecil spoke in a voice completely devoid of concern.
He then reached toward Lucy’s wrist.
“Your wrist has been healed. I will heal you immediately every time you get hurt, so feel free to use it.”
“…….”
“Fifty repetitions per arm. I will assist with rehabilitation healing until you can lift and lower it skillfully.”
Lucy saw it.
The faint upward curve at the corner of Cecil’s mouth.
Ding!
[‘Give sickness, give medicine’ route unlocked!
Due to low favorability, the healer Cecil has become a sadist healer exclusive to you.]
[Stamina recovery speed has slowed.]
A sadist healer—what a combination of words she had never heard in her life.
* * *
Cecil’s healing sessions were held twice a day—morning and afternoon.
After finishing the morning session, Lucy felt conflicted.
‘Even though Cecil was a bit prickly, among the male leads, his altruism as a healer was the highest.’
To think he had turned into a sadist healer.
It seemed the first button had been fastened completely wrong.
‘I can’t even make him a new cloak.’
Lucy felt like tearing her hair out as she gazed out the window.
As if mirroring her mood, the once-clear sky had become overcast.
‘Speaking of which…’
Lucy’s eyes widened slightly.
After a moment of thought, she rose from her seat as if in a trance.
Without hesitation, she left her hospital room.
‘Where would it be?’
The main building where Lucy stayed was grand and imposing.
The high ceilings, elaborately carved pillars, and famous paintings hanging on the walls were worth admiring.
But Lucy had no such leisure.
‘I ran out impulsively, but…’
When she passed the same painting of an angel blowing a trumpet again, a cold sweat ran down her back.
Yes.
Lucy had wandered the vast, labyrinthine corridors and gotten completely lost.
Even after that, she kept circling similar places.
She could feel her stamina draining in real time.
‘Please, anyone—someone just show up.’
Walking through corridors as silent as if not even a mouse lived there, Lucy shouted.
“Help!”
Ha…
As expected, the words she could utter were limited.
Still, being able to say the key word was something, she thought, and continued calling out “Help! Help!” as she went.
Then, finally, she discovered a corridor she hadn’t seen before.
Following it, Lucy realized it led to the backyard outside the temple.
And in that corridor was the place she had been searching for.
The herb storage room.
After confirming the sign, Lucy knocked and opened the door.
No one was inside the herb room.
‘It’s smaller than I imagined.’
Though she felt a vague chill as she looked around, she shook off the unease when she spotted the medicine cabinets.
‘Cecil, being a healer, was very interested in herbs.’
Giving him rare and hard-to-obtain herbs as gifts would raise his favorability.
But Lucy hadn’t come here to give Cecil herbs.
She had come to make herbal tea by blending the ingredients.
‘Since the weather is overcast today.’
On cloudy days, Cecil would suffer from poor condition.
From her previous life’s experience, Lucy recalled what kind of herbal tea Cecil liked to drink.
Each healer had their own unique way of blending teas, and Cecil was no exception.
Relying on memory, Lucy selected the herbs, wrapped them individually in cloth, and tied them up.
‘If I give him this, maybe his mood will improve a little?’
Just as Lucy was about to leave the herb room with anticipation—
Somewhere, the sound of water splashing echoed.
‘Why is there water?’
Puzzled, Lucy headed toward the sound.
Past the shelves of herbs and the desk with tools for making medicine, she reached a wall.
Lucy’s eyes narrowed.
‘It’s not a wall.’
What had looked like a wall was actually a thick, dark-colored curtain.
Seeing faint light leaking through the gap, Lucy, as if drawn in, slowly pulled the curtain aside.
A door appeared.
‘What is this place?’
Lucy peered through the glass window in the door.
The first thing that caught her eye was a large, round bathtub.
A man was soaking in the tub, his back to the door.
‘Why does it feel… strangely familiar?’
As Lucy scanned the man’s back, her eyes widened.
‘It’s the fake Alexander I saw today!’
The moment Lucy realized it—
The man suddenly glanced in Lucy’s direction.
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