Chapter : 19
That afternoon, inside Arisha’s room.
Agni, who had been urgently summoned from the Holy See, quickly exchanged glances with Arisha. As if she had caught on to Arisha’s intentions, Agni silently lifted her chin.
It was a gesture telling her not to worry.
Agni stepped closer and pretended to examine Arisha, who was seated on a plush sofa. Soon, she cleared her throat, drawing everyone’s attention.
“After examining her, I can confirm that the Grand Duke’s daughter has made a full recovery from her rare illness. It appears to be the effect of the elixir His Grace administered.”
“Is that so?”
The Grand Duke’s face visibly brightened.
“Then what about the mana that formed within Arisha’s body?”
“It seems to be a temporary phenomenon caused by the elixir’s effects.”
“So her mana hasn’t actually returned?”
“Not at all. In a few days—”
Agni glanced briefly at Arisha. When Arisha gave her a look, Agni continued.
“—once it exceeds a certain threshold, it will disappear again.”
“I see…”
The Grand Duke murmured softly. His darkened expression made his conflicted emotions clear.
After adding a few plausible explanations, Agni excused herself.
Once she left, the Grand Duke simply stared at Arisha for a long while.
Arisha looked back at him, her heart tightening with unnecessary tension.
Then the Grand Duke stepped forward and pulled Arisha tightly into his arms. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“……!”
“Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.”
The hug itself was sudden, but what startled her even more was something else.
The Grand Duke’s body was trembling—so faintly that only Arisha, held tightly in his arms, could notice.
He pulled her even closer.
“I knew you would recover.”
“……Ah.”
She hadn’t realized he had been worrying this much about her. He had always looked so calm on the surface, so she had thought he was truly fine.
Even though she knew better than anyone that appearances were not everything.
Only then did Arisha slowly raise her hand and place it on his back.
“I’m sorry for making you worry.”
She held him carefully. From beyond his broad, solid chest, she could hear the rapid beating of his heart.
It was beating faster than usual.
After several minutes like that, the Grand Duke finally released her.
He stared at his daughter’s face for a long moment, then burst into laughter.
“What a wonderful day.”
Arisha couldn’t take her eyes off his warm smile.
Just then—thump—the sofa sank. Egail had flopped down beside Arisha.
“Don’t make people worry so much, sis.”
He said it while resting his head against her shoulder.
“You act all tough on your own and then…”
Egail trailed off with a sigh.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. We’re past that kind of relationship now, aren’t we?”
Arisha gently brushed aside Egail’s messy hair.
“Yeah.”
She and Egail weren’t like that anymore.
Arisha grabbed Egail’s hand lying beside her. The sensation was becoming a little familiar now.
“That’s enough!”
The Grand Duke said in his usual voice.
“At last, I can enjoy a pleasant breakfast after so long! Should we drink wine? There’s one I’ve had my eye on—it’s aged just right! I feel like getting nicely drunk today.”
“Father, even street thugs don’t drink in the middle of the day.”
“Our son lacks boldness.”
“How is that boldness?”
“Because I say so.”
“Wow. That’s ridiculous.”
“If you don’t like it, eat separately.”
“……!”
Before the words even finished, Egail scooted right up next to Arisha.
“That’s absolutely not happening. Sis and I are closer.”
“You’re closer to her than her own father? I drink tea with my daughter and—!”
Egail cut off the bragging Grand Duke with a firm voice.
“A gift.”
“What?”
“Father. Have you ever received a gift from Sis?”
“……What nonsense is that?”
The Grand Duke looked utterly incredulous.
Egail pulled something out and placed it on his head. It was the flower crown Arisha had put on him before.
“You see this?”
“What is that?”
“She gave it to me.”
She had only put it on him…
Setting aside where it suddenly came from and how the flowers were still so fresh—
The important thing was that the story had changed.
“What?!”
“And these earrings were from Sis too.”
Egail boasted, showing them off.
She had just handed them to him…
Egail was far better at manipulation and fabrication than expected.
In the end, the only one in trouble was Arisha.
“Daughter… what about Dad…?”
The Grand Duke held out both hands with a hopeful expression.
“Well, that is—”
“Alright, enough, let’s go eat, Sis.”
Egail pulled Arisha to her feet and breezed right past the Grand Duke.
Dragged along, Arisha didn’t even get the chance to explain that Egail was lying.
“……?”
The Grand Duke froze like stone.
Regardless, Egail pulled out a chair and seated Arisha at the dining table. As if on cue, the dishes were served.
The Grand Duke followed along dejectedly and took his seat, his expression still gloomy.
“Dad likes flower crowns too… earrings as well… if it’s from my daughter, anything would make me happy…”
“Sis and I even played card games together.”
Egail’s final blow.
Clang.
The fork in the Grand Duke’s hand fell onto the plate.
Unaware of its owner’s turmoil, the fork spun cheerfully.
“…Damn it!”
The Grand Duke gulped down his wine and shouted bitterly.
“Stop!”
“And also—”
“Please, please talk about something else.”
The Grand Duke covered his ears. But Egail’s eyes had already taken on a faintly unhinged glow. His smile looked slightly wicked now, too.
No matter how one looked at it, there was definitely something wrong with Egail…
In the end, the Grand Duke only recovered after Arisha promised him a gift.
“Still, it’s such a relief. To catch a rare illness I’ve never even heard of in my life, and to recover so quickly.”
“It’s thanks to the elixir you found for me, Father.”
“I hoped it would work, but I’m truly glad you’ve fully recovered.”
As Arisha replied, the Grand Duke gently stroked his chin. He could still feel faint traces of mana coming from her.
‘…How very strange.’
What he had given Arisha was certainly a treasured heirloom of the Grand Duke’s household.
But honestly, he hadn’t expected much. For the elixir to work properly, the user needed mana—and Arisha had none.
Even so, he gave her the elixir. Even if it was wasted, he didn’t care.
If he hadn’t done something, his heart felt like it would burst from the pressure.
‘The Holy Father said it was only a temporary mana reaction.’
A temporary response created by the meeting of holy power and the elixir. Mana that would disappear in a few days.
Yet it didn’t feel entirely right. Something he couldn’t quite pinpoint bothered him.
‘Am I missing something?’
The Grand Duke stared at Arisha.
After taking a sip of wine, Arisha was staring at her glass with a serious expression.
Judging by her shocked look, the wine must once again have perfectly matched her taste. Just as the Grand Duke expected, it had a slightly bitter edge.
When Arisha noticed his gaze and turned her head, their eyes met.
“What is it?”
At that moment, all of the Grand Duke’s worries melted away like snow. For now, he was simply grateful for this moment.
“It’s nothing.”
After organizing his thoughts, he continued.
“I was considering whether we should leave a record of such an auspicious case.”
“That does seem appropriate, Father,”
Egail chimed in. Arisha said nothing.
No matter which side she supported, it wouldn’t end well.
Stirring the two of them up when they were already fired up would only make things worse.
“That settles it then. Steward.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Tell the archivist to record today’s events in detail.”
“Understood.”
The steward bowed deeply and left the room.
Some time later, just as Arisha finished dessert and wiped her mouth—
Ding.
Suddenly, Bixiri’s alarm rang.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the title “Rise From the Sickbed~!”]
[Everyone in the Grand Duke’s household has learned your story!]
[Reaction: “Our tear-jerking young Grand Duchess who overcame a rare illness!”]
[Reaction: “This old granny feels so sorry for the young lady.”]
[Reaction: “Wait, why is sweat coming out of my eyes?”]
[Your story spreads, increasing your fame among the Grand Duke’s household!]
[Expected Effect ─ Your reputation as the next Grand Duke’s successor slightly increases.]
[Wow! At this rate, Master might end up ruling this place!! ﾟ(و ˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و:.｡+ﾟ !!!]
…What?
Thunk.
The napkin slipped uselessly from Arisha’s hand.
***
That afternoon, Egail entered the Grand Duke’s office. It was an unexpected visit.
“What is it?”
The Grand Duke was about to joke and ask if Egail had come to tease him again, but stopped.
Egail was lost in thought, his expression serious.
It had been the previous evening.
From far away in the bustling district, Egail had sensed an enormous amount of mana being used—delicate yet overwhelmingly powerful.
A force imbued with a strong will that allowed no approach.
Egail immediately dropped everything and ran toward it. But when he arrived, he found nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
All that remained were children huddled together in one corner of an alley.
Just as Egail was about to move on—
“I swear, I really saw it!”
One of the girls screamed.
