IMNT CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 12

Was this just a case of a rigid holy knight being nosy? Even so, there was no reason for Raphael to act this excessively.

In the original story, Raphael did have a bit of a soft spot for the weak, but he was never someone prone to meddling.

He was strict about personal boundaries, and if someone crossed the line he had set, he was cold—almost cruel.

So for someone like him to go out of his way for someone he supposedly hated?

‘It doesn’t make sense for him to genuinely worry about me… Could he have an ulterior motive?’

Louisa’s mind raced.

The first thought that came to her was: what benefit would he gain if she were sick? The answer was obvious—breaking off their engagement. But what did her health have to do with that?

‘Health and annulment… wait, ah! That’s it.’

To preserve the royal bloodline, a consort had to be in perfect health.

If word got out that she was unwell, she would no longer meet the imperial standards to become a royal, giving Raphael legitimate grounds to formally end the engagement.

‘So that’s what this is. Hmm… I guess there’s no helping it. Originally, I planned to wait for Raphael to call off the engagement so I could get compensation… But since he keeps bothering me like this, maybe it’s better to just end it now and move on.’

Plus, since the illness was undiagnosed, from Raphael’s perspective it could be seen as a genetic or incurable disease, giving him more leverage.

“…I’m sorry. I should’ve told you earlier, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it, so I ended up lying.”

As Louisa bowed her head deeply, Raphael’s handsome brow furrowed.

“When did it start?”

He finally opened his mouth and asked, almost like a sigh.

“After our engagement. I guess I was in denial. I knew someone like me—with flaws—shouldn’t stand beside someone as noble as you.”

But her subtle push for him to break the engagement backfired. As expected, Raphael misunderstood, thinking she was hiding her illness out of fear he’d leave her.

He even took it a step further and said seriously:

“…If it hasn’t been long, it might still be treatable. Please see a royal physician.”

…What?

Louisa, who was just waiting for him to leave peacefully, stiffened.

‘It’s hard enough to fool my personal doctor—now the royal physician?!’

If they figured out her unique condition, things would get even worse.

Louisa quickly lifted her head and spoke.

“I’ve already been diagnosed! Nothing’s wrong with my body, but given my symptoms, they’re still looking for a cause.”

“You’re coughing up blood, and there’s nothing wrong?”

His low, tense voice struck her ears like thunder.

At this rate, he’d probably drag her to the royal physician himself.

‘He’s way more meddlesome than I expected. This was a miscalculation.’

‘Forget the breakup—I should just lay low for now.’

Louisa’s eyes dulled. Half-resigned, she repeated the excuse she’d been giving her doctor.

“…Actually, it’s not a big deal. Some say it might just be internal damage from wearing corsets that are too tight.”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“That’s what I think too. I’m sure I’ll recover soon.”

“Tight corsets causing that much internal damage to make you spit blood?”

His skeptical gaze burned into her. Was it just her imagination, or was there a hint of judgment in his eyes?

‘Ugh. I don’t even care anymore.’

Louisa pressed her tired eyes with her hand, trying to hide her weary expression.

“Your Highness, have you ever worn a corset?”

Then, lowering her hand, she muttered coldly.

“…What?”

“You haven’t, right?”

“Is that a real question right now?”

“Yes. I’m being serious.”

“…”

“Your Highness. If you’ve never worn one, don’t talk. Anyone who’s worn a corset would completely understand. You can barely breathe—it’s awful.”

He looked like he wanted to ask, ‘What do you even know?’ Raphael’s sharp gaze softened in confusion.

“Then why do you wear something so terrible?”

He unintentionally asked a stupid question.

“Beats me. I guess to women in high society, corsets are like swords to knights.”

Louisa laughed bitterly. Unlike a sword that protects, a corset destroys the body—but what could she do?

An awkward silence fell. She looked away and muttered under her breath, like she didn’t even know what she was saying anymore.

“Anyway, I’d rather not talk about this anymore. It concerns a lady’s figure, and you should be more mindful.”

Raphael looked uncertain. Her logic was outrageous, but calling it out might make him seem rude.

Especially since that bold expression from earlier was now stuck in his mind.

Just when he thought she had completely changed, she pulled a stunt straight out of her childhood days…

“No matter how scary the monsters are, my dad’s scarier! And I’ll be with him, so it’ll be fine!”

“…He’s still human, you know.”

“Have you seen my dad angry?!”

“You brat! Are you going to keep calling me you?”

“Yup! Hehe~! Anyway, if you haven’t seen my dad mad, don’t talk. Whenever it’s Mom’s birthday, he’s terrifying. I bet even monsters would run away!”

Even back then, she was oddly mature for her age and had snapped at him with that same boldness.

‘Still, something feels off. I need to keep watching her.’

Raphael shook off the strange thoughts. But no matter how hard he tried, his thoughts circled back to Louisa.

She said she was fine—so why did he keep worrying?

Not even realizing what he was thinking, Raphael nodded and placed a box on the table.

“…Just in case. I know it’s not a cure-all, but it helps the body recover, so I thought it might help a little.”

A luxurious wooden box clicked open, revealing a familiar glass bottle. Louisa’s eyes widened.

“Gasp! Holy water…!”

Seeing her so overwhelmed she covered her mouth, Raphael felt both awkward and oddly warm inside.

“Ahem. The Holy Knights are allotted a certain amount, so I have some stock. I’ve never used it, so I have a bit more than most. Anyway, I have plenty—it’s just a gift, so please don’t read too much into it.”

He carefully explained, trying to prevent any romantic misunderstandings.

Her violet eyes sparkled as she stared at the bottle, then looked at him.

“Three bottles… That’s so expensive… Your Highness, why is there a halo behind you? Is this divine grace…?”

Was her head the problem?

Seeing her muttering to herself, Raphael’s expression grew serious.

Her eyes sparkled more than usual, and her cheeks seemed flushed.

Even Raphael—usually indifferent—could tell that was the look of someone deeply in love.

He sighed.

Don’t tell me she’s fallen for me again. This isn’t good.

As the thought flowed naturally through his mind, he suddenly stiffened.

‘…Why does that look like something I’ve never seen before?’

A strange unease settled over him.

“Your Highness, have you eaten? You must be so busy, yet you made time to see me. You’re so kind. If you’re ever too busy to meet in person, feel free to summon me to the temple. I’ll come running anytime!”

Raphael watched her with narrowed eyes as she practically jingled imaginary bells with her words.

‘Not embarrassed at all. She’s openly saying she wants to see me constantly.’

He absently rubbed his ear.

‘Someone like that… Maybe I just never noticed before. Still, what does any of it matter to me?’

Summer was still far off, but for some reason, he felt warm.

He slowly dropped his hand and looked back at her.

“…That won’t be necessary. I’ve just been busy coordinating with the Imperial Knights lately. There won’t be any rushed meetings again before deployment.”

“The Imperial Knights? Oh, is it because of the demonic energy?”

Recently, the spreading demonic aura had become such a widespread issue that even the newspapers were covering it.

“Yes.”

“Oh… You must be having a hard time.”

At first, the Imperial Family tried to suppress information to avoid panic, but the ever-increasing number of monster attacks finally forced them to acknowledge the crisis and consider dispatching troops.

‘Originally, monsters were only found in the north. No wonder everyone’s panicking now that they’re appearing all over.’

That’s also why the original female lead drew so much attention. The temple had many healers, but someone who could purify was a literal savior.