Episode 4: I Won’t Go Back
When Tori said that, Mertz suddenly stood up and started taking off his shirt. He showed off his strong body and walked outside. Everyone was shocked by how suddenly he acted.
“What are you doing, taking everything off?”
Philip and Harel followed him outside. Even though it must have been freezing, Mertz lay down in the snow without flinching.
“Your Majesty, you will catch a cold!”
“You belittle my healing. I am not as strong as Yulita, but this will not hurt me.”
After cooling his body in the snow, Mertz went to Yulita and held her. His body was ice cold.
Seeing that, Jizelle realized she could not just sit and cry.
“Princess, where are you going?”
Jizelle took off her clothes too and rolled in the snow. When she felt unbearably cold, she ran back to Yulita.
“Mom, Mom. Wake up. Stay with me.”
Like Mertz, she used her chilled body to help bring Yulita’s fever down. The daughter and father and daughter kept doing this, trading places and cooling Yulita. Mertz watched Jizelle roll in the snow with mild surprise but did not stop her. Of course, even if he told her to stop, she would not listen.
“Princess, you will get frostbite doing that!”
“I do not care!”
People tried to stop them, but thanks to their efforts Yulita’s fever finally began to come down. Harel and Philip dug up herbs from Yulita’s garden, boiled them, and fed the medicine to her. Before long, Yulita looked peaceful and fell into a stable sleep.
“Prince Philip, please use your healing magic.”
Philip stepped closer and drew green runes that matched his eye color. The runes formed a magic circle that surrounded Yulita, Jizelle, and Mertz.
“It is sad that healing magic does not help reduce the fever much, right?”
Tori said that, and Mertz replied,
“Yulita might be able to bring down the fever.”
Mertz put on the bloody shirt again and draped his cloak over his shoulders. Tori came to Jizelle and put a cloak over her chilling shoulders.
“Is it really hard to cool a fever?”
Jizelle sniffled like she was catching a cold. Philip answered.
“Yes, Princess. Treating external injuries is the simplest healing. Internal illness is the hardest.
Since this shows symptoms like an incurable disease, we cannot heal it with regular methods.”
“Then if Mom says she cannot be cured, nobody can help?”
“Yes. Lady Yulita is a master of healing.”
Philip tried to smile without sounding too sad, but his drooping eyebrows betrayed him.
“That is why when she disappeared before, I understood but also felt bad. We lost the empire’s best healer.”
Tori glared at Philip. Even though he was a prince, he acted unusually relaxed.
Jizelle lowered her silver eyes and looked at Yulita sleeping. Tori came over and patted her shoulder.
“If we go to the palace, we can find a way.”
Jizelle curled up next to Yulita to sleep. Mertz watched his daughter for a bit, then stood and went outside.
“Let them stay at the nearest inn.”
“There is no inn. Stay in my room for now.”
But four big men sharing Jizelle’s tiny bed was impossible. So Jizelle brought out blankets and shared them.
“Use these to sleep on.”
“Thank you, Princess!”
Philip took a blanket and sat by the fireplace. Tori and Harel also made space, and soon there was barely any room left.
“What about you, sir?”
“I will watch Yulita’s condition.”
“I will sleep with Mom.”
Saying that, Jizelle ran into the room and lay down next to Yulita again. Her mother’s breathing calmed Jizelle. This was the kind of care she had never felt in Gwak Chaerin’s life. In her past life she had no parents who loved and cared for her.
“…I am sorry, Mom.”
Maybe she heard in her sleep, because Yulita pulled Jizelle into her arms.
“Mom, I love you.”
Jizelle kissed Yulita’s cheek.
That tender, peaceful moment caught Mertz’s silver eyes. He felt something strange and sat off in a corner, watching
Jizelle woke up early the next morning. The first person she saw was Mertz. He looked like he had not slept at all, staring only at Yulita.
“You did not sleep?”
“Of course not.”
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
He paid little attention to Jizelle and kept his eyes on Yulita. That annoyed her a little. Even so, when someone speaks it would be nice if they at least looked.
“Why did Mom run away from you?”
“Even if I explain, you would not understand.”
“Why would I not? I do not think a guy who cannot keep a woman’s heart should lecture me.”
A crooked smile curved Mertz’s mouth. He felt complicated watching his bold, new daughter resemble him.
“I will explain later when we return to the palace. For now, I stole something very precious from your mother.”
“What? What did you take?”
The reason he gave was different from the book. Jizelle was surprised, though she wondered if he was lying because she was only ten.
“Should I tell you?”
“Of course! I am my mother’s daughter!”
“Then ask Yulita.”
Jizelle frowned and moved close to Mertz. Only when she stood right in front of him did he look at her. His sharp face and shining silver eyes suited him well.
“Then why did you take it?”
“Yulita protected my subconscious, so I took it to gain strength. I wanted to keep it from the previous emperor.”
“Huh?”
“The late emperor intended for Yulita to become empress. I guess she was carrying you at that time.”
Mertz spoke as if it meant nothing. The messy family history sounded like a ridiculous soap opera, and Jizelle was stunned.
“So your father tried to steal your lover?”
“Yes. He wanted Yulita to be empress. I killed them to make that happen.”
The phrase “to make her my empress” felt implied but not said.
“…But you failed.”
“It is not a failure while Yulita exists.”
“Okay. I will go and prepare breakfast then. I will take a quick rest.”
Jizelle pretended to be calm and nodded, then left the room. The fire was out and Harel, Philip, and Tori were sleeping like the dead. If they had not woken up soon, she might have thought they had frozen to death.
“Yawn. Slept well. Princess, are you up? What are you doing?”
“Preparing breakfast.”
Jizelle tried to follow what Yulita would do. She chopped onions and diced potatoes. Then what next?
Tori shouted confidently,
“There are wild boars around these mountains. Let’s catch one!”
They did not seem to know how to cook soup. But Jizelle was too hungry to wait for her mom to wake. Philip approached her.
“Princess, what are you doing?”
“I am trying to think how to make soup.”
“Don’t make that. Make barbecue instead, Princess!”
Tori seemed ready to rush into the snowy mountains. Harel folded his blanket and got up. Then Mertz came over.
“I will do it.”
Jizelle was surprised. Would the emperor really know how to cook?
“Because Yulita has to eat.”
Philip put his arm on Mertz’s shoulder.
“Hey, at least look after your first meeting with your daughter. Princess, what kind of food do you like?”
“…Food my mom makes.”
Ignoring them, Mertz began chopping potatoes and vegetables and putting them in a pot. Jizelle brought some eggs, and he beat the eggs with milk and added them to the soup. A delicious smell started rising.
“Are you good at cooking?”
“For Yulita, I can do anything.”
“Well… usually an emperor hires a top chef though…”
“There are no chefs in this village.”
“That is not what I meant…”
Mertz stirred the soup, tasted it, and nodded. Philip scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and fed it to Jizelle. She tasted it.
“Mm!”
The soup tasted very good. It was sweet and smooth, and Jizelle’s eyes lit up.
“It’s delicious!”
“Yulita should eat this.”
He seemed to only focus on Yulita. Jizelle yawned and shook her head. At that moment Yulita woke up.
“Jizelle…”
“Mom, you’re up?”
Jizelle ran over and hugged her tightly. Yulita patted her back.
“Jizelle, you worried me so much.”
“Of course, you are my mom!”
Jizelle buried her face in Yulita’s chest. Love showed in Yulita’s eyes as she looked at Jizelle.
“Mom, this man made something really tasty. Try it now!”
Yulita glanced at Mertz. She looked uncomfortable, but Jizelle forced her to sit and try a spoonful. Philip handed a bowl to Jizelle too. They finished the soup fast.
“How was it, Yulita?”
“…You still cook well.”
“If you want, I can give you better dishes for life.”
“No, thank you.”
Yulita was cold and aloof. Jizelle watched her while fiddling with her spoon.
“Mom…”
“Yes, Jizelle?”
“I heard you are the empire’s best healer.”
Yulita’s face hardened a little. Then she looked at her daughter who was nervously watching her and smiled gently to reassure her.
“Yes. I suppose I have that ability so I can protect and raise you well.”
“But if it is a disease Mom cannot cure… then what will we do?”
Yulita’s face tightened. Jizelle realized she had said something wrong. Yulita took Jizelle’s hand.
“Not yet. Not yet. But if I have to leave someday, I will have made preparations. Do not worry too much.”
Mertz interjected.
“So you planned to send Jizelle to me only after you died? If you are gone, my daughter would be meaningless.”
“Do not be mistaken. I never intended to send her to you.”
Yulita’s cool reply made Mertz a little restless. He raised his voice more than before.
“Then what are you going to do? About the child and your illness?”
“You already took the reason for my life from me back then. If Jizelle had not been there, I would probably have died.”
Jizelle wanted to ask what subconscious thing Mertz had taken from Yulita, but she could not bring herself to ask. The mood was too tense.
“So stop interfering in my life. I have my own thoughts.”
“Yulita, that was to gain you. If not for that, Jizelle would have been registered as my sibling instead.”
Hearing that, Yulita glared at Mertz with wide eyes.
“Do not say such things in front of the child.”
“Too late, I already said it.”
Yulita looked at Jizelle in surprise. Jizelle nodded and tried to act like she was not bothered.
“Well, I suppose that could have happened…!”
