Chapter 42
However, neither Felix nor Sebastian rushed Garayan. They waited patiently for him to speak again on his own.
Even seasoned knights typically felt intimidated before the Duke of Acliff and his heir, yet this foreign boy remained composed. There was no doubt he was an unusual one.
“I want to learn the sword.”
“The sword?”
“Yes. If you’d be willing to teach me.”
Sebastian raised one eyebrow in surprise at the unexpected request.
Despite the high-pressure atmosphere, Garayan showed no sign of shrinking back. He looked Sebastian straight in the eye.
“Is there a special reason?”
“After what happened, I realized how powerless I truly am. I never want to feel that helplessness again—being unable to protect anyone.”
Garayan replied calmly, but then his expression subtly changed and his voice took on a quiet intensity.
“And… I want to repay a kindness. I want to protect the person who was the only one to reach out to me when I was left alone in this world.”
His gray eyes flicked to the side—to look at Erica.
Exactly one week ago, he had been crouched alone in that alley of the square.
Many people had passed by, but none had offered him help simply because he was of foreign origin.
The discriminatory glances made him wonder if he should move elsewhere, but he couldn’t. He had nowhere else to go.
So he had stayed, huddled in the corner of the alley.
With his head buried in his knees, he repeatedly recalled the moment he failed to protect his parents and younger sister.
Even as they were devoured by monsters, his family hadn’t begged for help—they’d only desperately urged him to run.
Garayan couldn’t shake their final expressions from his mind.
The self-loathing gnawed at him.
There’s no one left beside me.
I’m all alone.
It’s lonely. Empty. What reason do I have to keep living?
Then… I might as well die. Just die already.
If I stay like this, I’ll die eventually anyway.
And just as he was giving up on life—
Erica appeared.
She was the first person ever—
To ask his name. To hold out a hand to him.
“Do you want to come with me?”
“I need your help.”
Her warmth seeped into his desolate heart.
When he looked up, it felt like radiant sunlight was pouring into the darkness where he had been isolated.
Garayan felt momentarily blinded.
For the first time, he felt hunger—an aching thirst.
In the moment when he had wanted to give everything up, he found a reason to live.
He knew it sounded ridiculous, even to himself, but he couldn’t help it.
Erica’s small act of kindness had meant that much to him.
He figured, since it was a life he had already planned to discard, it wouldn’t be so bad to dedicate it to the one who picked it back up. He was sincere.
Sebastian immediately understood who Garayan meant by “that person.”
The boy wasn’t even trying to hide it—it would be stranger not to notice unless you were blind or a fool.
“Hah.”
A sharp light flickered in Sebastian’s red eyes as he looked at Garayan.
Felix glanced between his son and the boy with slow, deliberate interest.
There was a clear glint of amusement in his gaze.
Sebastian may not have realized it yet, but Felix had.
That Erica had become someone special to his son.
It was only a matter of time before Sebastian realized it too.
Kids these days, Felix thought, suppressing a chuckle.
Tension crackled between the two teenage boys.
Felix deftly cut through the invisible string and stepped in between them.
“Let’s think about this a little.”
Garayan looked at him, as if asking why.
“To join the knights of House Acliff, one must pass an entrance exam. If we skip that process, it would be granting you special treatment.”
The knights of House Acliff were renowned across the Angelica Empire for being particularly fair and just.
Garayan nodded slightly, as if he understood.
“I understand what Your Grace is saying. In that case, I’d be grateful just to be given the chance to take the exam.”
He bowed his head respectfully.
“I’ll consider it. It won’t take long. And about what you saw in the forest—keep it to yourself.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Vincent, prepare lodging for the boy for the time being.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Felix then turned to Erica, who was sitting beside Garayan.
“Erica. You should go too. You haven’t had lunch yet, have you? Don’t skip meals. You need to eat if you want to grow taller and put on some weight.”
“My height… I’m trying my best to grow,” Erica replied in a small, shy voice as she stood up.
She shifted her gaze to Sebastian.
He had looked displeased for a while, and it bothered her.
“Lord Sebastian. I’ll see you later.”
“Sure.”
Fortunately, Sebastian didn’t ignore her, though his tone was curt.
“We’ll head out now. Please continue your conversation.”
But Sebastian’s gaze as he watched the two leave side by side was anything but pleasant.
Felix pretended not to notice his son’s expression.
In the meantime, Vincent returned to the drawing room.
He had apparently handed off Garayan’s lodging arrangements to another servant.
“Your Grace, would you like a smoke?”
Vincent, as always, offered a cigarette and matches to Felix.
But Felix casually pushed them away.
“No need.”
Sebastian furrowed his brow slightly.
Was Felix refusing because of him?
“Please, go ahead. I don’t mind.”
“No, it’s really fine.”
Felix looked down at his left arm.
He slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.
“My condition’s been improving lately.”
He lifted the corners of his mouth into a grin.
“I think it might be thanks to my daughter-in-law’s massages.”
He even stretched contentedly.
When he was first injured by the monster, his left arm had quickly gone numb to the point where he couldn’t even move a finger.
But after meeting Erica, every time she massaged his arm, his fingers began to tingle.
At first, he thought it was just his imagination.
But it wasn’t.
The pinky finger, which had been immobile since the injury, started to twitch—and before long, he was able to make a light fist.
Even the family physician, who had been monitoring Felix’s condition in secret, was amazed and called it a miracle.
“My daughter-in-law’s massage skills are impressive.”
At that moment—
Sebastian, who had been staring at Felix with a serious expression, finally spoke, his face rigid.
“Your improvement… It might be due to the blessing Erica received.”
Felix turned to his son, surprised.
“You’re saying I’m draining her power?”
“I’m not certain. It could be true, or it might not be.”
Sebastian spoke with uncertainty.
Blessings were incredibly versatile in their effects.
And the priest had said: “The power will manifest in whatever form Erica desires, at the moment she desires it.”
That meant—if Erica had truly hoped for Felix’s recovery and massaged him with sincere intent, then the power of her blessing might have been released in that moment.
“Could it be making things harder for her?”
Felix muttered worriedly. But Sebastian shook his head.
“I don’t think so. She doesn’t appear to be unwell.”
“Well, that’s good…”
Still looking uneasy, Felix clicked his tongue and spoke as if making a firm decision.
“Just in case, let’s stop the massages for now.”
His red eyes lowered to his left arm.
“This is more than enough for me.”
Compared to when he couldn’t use it at all, his current condition was more than he could ask for.
A short silence fell over the drawing room.
No one spoke—but all of them were thinking about Erica.
One week later, at the Grand Duke’s training grounds.
Erica wandered about, holding a light parasol over her shoulder, as if looking for someone.
It happened to be a break time in the training session.
One of the knights, recognizing Erica, warmly approached her.
“Good day, little mistress.”
“Hello, Sir. Isn’t it quite hot today?”
“Haha, indeed it is. Seems like it’ll only get hotter from now on.”
“I asked the kitchen to prepare some chilled punch. It should be here soon, so please enjoy it to cool down.”
“Ooh, that’s thoughtful of you. Thank you!”
After a short exchange of pleasantries with the knight, Erica resumed scanning the area.
“Ah! There he is.”
Her face lit up as she spotted the person she had been searching for and made her way over.
