CHAPTER 65……………………………………..
Should I go meet Cassius?
No, wait and meet him tomorrow.
The two thoughts were locked in a tug-of-war in my mind when there was a knock on the door, and unfamiliar paladins opened it.
“What brings you here?”
One of them looked somewhat embarrassed.
“It seems His Highness is looking for Priestess Sonia.”
Seems like?
I had nearly died once before after following a priest I didn’t know into the forest.
I had to be wary of anything suspicious.
“Did His Highness order this?”
At that moment, Jurgen, who had been outside, suddenly came in.
“These are the same paladins who serve as His Highness’s guards.”
So they weren’t pretending to be paladins. Jurgen continued:
“I’ll guide you. Would you like to see His Highness?”
“Is it alright to visit so late at night?”
“Yes. Priestess Sonia said to bring you whenever you come looking for him.”
The winner of the mental tug-of-war had been decided.
I would go meet Cassius immediately.
So, wearing my robe, I went to meet Cassius with Jurgen.
I was taken aback when I entered the room through the door the paladins had opened.
Cassius was lying down.
“Your Highness!”
I rushed over to check on him.
His eyes were closed, and he was breathing harshly.
Was he injured? Or was it some illness…?
Or could it be poison?
As I examined Cassius, I noticed black thorned vines extending from under the sleeve of his priestly robes.
The thorns spread all the way to his fingertips.
He’s collapsed because of the power’s curse!
It had been several days since I last made contact with him.
It seemed he had used his ability during the time we hadn’t met.
I can’t let anyone else see this.
The Holy Empire did not recognize powers other than divine magic.
If it became known that Cassius, an Alpha, possessed supernatural powers, he would have to step down from his position.
I grabbed his sleeve and slightly pulled it down, then said to the approaching paladins with alarm:
“I’ll examine His Highness myself.”
Everyone in the room knew I had not awakened my powers.
One of Cassius’s guard paladins said:
“I’ll call a priest trained in medicine. Priestess Sonia, please leave for now.”
That wasn’t an option.
I couldn’t let anyone else see Cassius’s condition.
I had to take care of him myself.
As a priest, my usual duties involved counseling.
If I insisted on treating Cassius without medical training, it would look suspicious.
I had to find a way to be alone with him.
Should I say I can heal him?
I couldn’t place my hand on his chest in front of all these people.
No, if I even started to undress him, they might pull me away, saying it’s suspicious.
Ah, whatever.
I decided to lie, even if it might slightly harm Cassius’s reputation.
Better that than losing this chance.
Your Highness, I’m sorry. I’ll make it right later.
I apologized silently in my heart before speaking:
“Your Highness is suffering from lovesickness.”
One paladin asked in surprise:
“Lovesickness?”
“When we rode together in the carriage to the Empire, we talked. I heard you have someone you care for deeply.”
In other words, I was claiming Cassius had fallen ill from unrequited love.
The knights looked puzzled.
Seeing that they didn’t press further, I guessed they were taking it seriously.
My random story seemed to be working better than expected.
I decided to continue with it for now.
“Your lovesickness has worsened, so you’re bedridden, but holy water alone can help. Afterwards, I can counsel you to make you feel better.”
There were several bottles of holy water in Cassius’s room.
I pretended to support him, covering his thorned hand with my palm.
It wouldn’t be as effective as touching the curse directly, but it would help gradually.
I pointed to the holy water in the corner of the room.
“Please bring that holy water here.”
A knight fetched it and removed the cap.
I poured a little into Cassius’s mouth, and his previously harsh breathing began to stabilize.
The paladins sighed in relief.
“He seems more comfortable now.”
“So it was really just a fever of the heart.”
There were three guards, and two seemed convinced by my act.
“He should regain full consciousness soon. I’d like to speak with him to ease his mind. Could you give us some privacy?”
“….”
“It’s a personal matter.”
I added hastily.
One knight who had been frowning at me scowled.
“I’ve never heard of His Highness having someone he loves!”
I worried my acting wasn’t enough to fool everyone, but Jurgen intervened.
“No, Priestess Sonia is correct.”
The knight who was objecting said:
“Sir Jurgen, what are you saying? You want us to leave while His Highness is unconscious?”
“Exactly. He’s suffering from lovesickness. I heard a similar story from him as well.”
Jurgen winked at me, signaling he would go along with the story.
“You’d notice even if he drank alcohol he usually doesn’t, right? His Highness has been struggling with a broken heart.”
“…Now that you mention it, I’ve never seen him drink before.”
“That’s right. Recently, he’s been improving a lot through conversations with Priestess Sonia. But since arriving in the Empire, he hasn’t had time to talk due to work…”
Jurgen shook his fists in frustration, emphasizing the point.
His acting was so convincing that even I almost believed it.
One of the knights murmured:
“Indeed, before he collapsed, he was looking for Priestess Sonia. Maybe he really needed her.”
“If that’s all, we’ll leave you for a while.”
Even the paladin who had been skeptical left the room.
Phew. That solved the situation.
I slowly removed my hand from Cassius’s hand.
The thorns, which had spread to his fingertips, had receded to his wrist. I would need to touch the curse directly.
I carefully laid him down and loosened his tightly fastened robes.
Soon, his chest was exposed.
It’s hot.
And he looked in pain.
It was time to touch the red-rose curse. His eyelids twitched, then slowly opened.
He murmured:
“…Sonia?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Hah… so the visions are over now.”
He mumbled almost inaudibly, staggered to sit up, and removed my hand from his.
“Your Highness? Are you feeling a bit better?”
The curse still lingered. I wanted to remove as much as possible while I could.
“I’ll get rid of the curse.”
He shook his head, as if refusing to let me touch his chest.
“I have something to say.”
“Yes.”
Hesitantly, he spoke with effort:
“…Please don’t hate me.”
“Excuse me?”
When did I?
“What do you mean?”
“Earlier… I didn’t read your thoughts. I just… saw you were hurt and told you to rest today.”
He whispered softly, but I heard him clearly.
So he wasn’t reading my thoughts when we parted earlier.
Cassius gripped my collar tightly.
“I’m still controlling my ability. I don’t want to read your thoughts without your permission…”
This also appeared in the original story.
Psychic powers activate automatically unless suppressed.
Without restraint, one would involuntarily hear the thoughts of others.
Listening to other people’s thoughts makes it hard to maintain sanity.
If you don’t want to go crazy, you have to suppress the ability, which alone can allow the curse to spread.
In the original story, a certain obsessed mage had psychic powers, and suppressing them drove him insane.
I looked at Cassius.
Thanks to my touch, some of the thorns had disappeared, but black thorns still covered his entire chest.
“So please don’t hate me. If you hate me…”
His eyes grew red as he spoke.
Startled, I studied him.
Tears welled up in his eyes, and one dropped.
Wait, tears?
It felt unfair that only Cassius knew my thoughts.
I couldn’t help muttering a little in frustration.
“Your Highness, try to stand up first.”
He clutched my robe tightly, refusing to move.
Tears streamed down his face as he said:
“It’s cowardly… but I have no choice but to speak to you as if in a dream.”
I glanced at the shattered bottle of alcohol.
He had been drinking alone.
Plus, the curse had spread and raised his fever.
Not in his right mind, he seemed to think this was a dream and was speaking his heart freely.
I was a little pleased to glimpse his thoughts.
“You admit it’s cowardly.”
He bowed his head.
Tears continued to fall from his eyes.
I placed my hand on his exposed chest.
The curse began to fade rapidly.
“So speak to me again when you’re fully yourself.”
His harsh breathing returned to normal, and his fever slowly subsided.
Cassius’s previously dazed gaze began to clear.
As he regained consciousness, his mouth set firmly, and his face began to flush.
