chapter 42
“On the contrary, if I can’t do my work properly or if things go wrong, the stress might make my health worse.”
Of course, I understood what my father meant.
But whenever the Saint appeared, my condition improved. I couldn’t explain that, which was frustrating.
This is the world inside a novel, and if I were to say I know what will happen in the future, people would probably think I’m crazy—mentally as well as physically.
“This doesn’t mean the business is on track. We’re just getting started. It’s not just me who wants to get involved in the magic crystal business; Josephine Ingda and others are also trying to jump into it.”
“Melanie.”
“If I reduce the hours I work now, I’ll end up with neither one nor the other. All the work I’ve put in could go to waste!”
My voice rose without me realizing it. Shaking my head at my father, I spoke with desperation.
“Father, I don’t want to tell lies like ‘I’ll reduce my working hours,’ which would be found out immediately. Please understand me.”
“…I, you should, like your mother…”
My father swallowed the words he was about to say.
Yes. Losing my mother, whom he loved so dearly, must have been a huge shock. I understood that me collapsing was another blow to him.
But I couldn’t back down.
“I’ve held on too long. Take it easy today.”
My father didn’t say anything further and got up, leaving my room.
I roughly washed my face and buried myself under the blankets.
I was scared that today’s conflict wouldn’t simply resolve with time—that it might become a standoff where no one yields.
Damian had endured Duke Clotilde’s reproach calmly because he felt responsible.
Melanie, feeling sorry, thought it was unfair that he, a mere business partner, was being scolded because she collapsed. But Damian saw it differently.
After all, Melanie had proposed the engagement, and he hadn’t outright rejected it.
It was Melanie who gave him time to think.
So it was only natural for Duke Clotilde to look at him with a reproachful gaze as if he were responsible for his daughter.
“I should have paid more attention to her.”
But Melanie, always focused on the business, probably wouldn’t have liked that.
“I should have told her to rest more… knowing she wasn’t feeling well.”
Damian pressed his brow and fell into thought.
Even in the hazy dust floating in the Tower of Magic, under the languid sunlight, his focus didn’t waver.
“When Clotilde first collapsed, I definitely drew up my mana.”
Yes. When someone suddenly collapsed in front of him, and he realized he couldn’t catch her with his arms from the opposite side, he instinctively used his mana.
Thanks to that, he prevented Melanie from getting further injuries as she fell to the ground.
Yet… the strange thing was her expression when he drew his mana.
She clearly struggled in pain, losing control of her body.
Why did her expression look so calm at the exact moment he drew his mana?
“If this were a normal illness, it shouldn’t react to my mana.”
That fleeting expression lingered in his mind.
Guilt over not being able to stop her collapse, the fleeting resentment he saw in her eyes as Duke Clotilde looked at her—these memories kept circling in his mind.
“At least if she took strong painkillers, it’d be much easier for her…”
The pain Melanie was experiencing wasn’t just from illness. She was probably also dealing with the side effects of strong painkillers.
“I don’t have a blessing like a fairy’s.”
But…
Damian wanted to cling to even the smallest possibility.
“….”
He closed his eyes and stayed silent for a while.
Everything was quiet, and memories from a few days ago came flooding back against his will.
Even though there’s a gate, he still had to use a carriage to get there.
At first, Damian had planned to discuss business with Melanie during that time.
But the conversation had somehow gone off in another direction.
For someone who valued efficiency, that was unusual.
“Lord Damian of the Tower, do you like traveling?”
Even though riding a carriage must have been difficult, Melanie showed no signs of struggle.
She even smiled, saying it felt like going on a trip.
Perhaps that’s why he let himself bring up something he wouldn’t usually discuss with others.
“Actually, I haven’t traveled much, so I don’t really know.”
“It’s just that my mother wasn’t in good health.”
It felt strange.
“Then my first trip will be with Representative Clotilde, I suppose.”
She didn’t seem upset at the idea of traveling.
On the contrary… hearing that made his heart beat a little faster.
He considered himself indifferent, or even cold. He wasn’t the type to care about others, yet he found himself noticing small details.
Taking time to look at flowers for Melanie’s sake was uncharacteristic of him.
And… removing the petals from the flower.
But when the white petals, blown by the wind, landed on Melanie’s smiling dimples…
He felt as if he forgot to breathe.
Time seemed to slow down, and he thought that Melanie was the only person in the world.
Without realizing it, his hand reached out.
“Yes, it’s pretty.”
“Oh my, did you just say it was pretty and get your heart fluttering?”
Melanie laughed, thankful, twirling her eyes. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to make much of his action.
But at the same time, he felt a subtle sense of disappointment.
Why?
“I’m really glad I came here today.”
But the rising questions didn’t matter.
After all, this woman was smiling.
…and he was smiling too.
But that smile didn’t last a day.
“Melanie!”
The lively girl collapsed like a sandcastle in an instant.
The sensation of his hand touching her dimples was completely different, and time seemed to slow.
The chatter around him became a dull hum, and Duke Clotilde running toward them felt unreal.
Everything seemed like a bad lie.
In a way, Melanie Clotilde might be an unfortunate person.
On the surface, as a duke’s daughter, she seemed to have everything.
But she only watched over all those things, never truly enjoying them.
She wouldn’t live long.
She clearly had no fairy blessing.
But sitting still and doing nothing would be disgraceful.
“I’ll do everything I can.”
Just like when he went to the Tower of Magic from Count Beldert’s house.
So Damian decided to create something to help Melanie.
A magical artifact infused with his mana, made for the first time for someone else.
If Melanie’s illness reacted to mana, then the artifact, created with the mana of the Lord of the Tower, would be highly effective.
Creating a magical artifact was not easy.
If it were easy, magical artifacts would be everywhere.
“The gate is, in a way, a magical artifact. The magic crystal too. If it doesn’t react to those, but only reacts to my mana, normal mana won’t work.”
Damian spent time choosing the metal that best matched the properties of his mana.
He experimented with how much mana it could hold.
Even as a skilled mage, embedding his mana into metal wasn’t easy—if anything, his skill made it more difficult.
How many times did he fail?
A task that might take other mages weeks, Damian completed quickly, driven by the desire to give the artifact to Melanie.
“Phew.”
He was concerned the design, excluding the mana crystal, was too simple for a duke’s daughter.
“But first, I need to see if it works.”
After two nights of work, Damian brought the bracelet-shaped magical artifact to the duke’s house to visit Melanie.
“…Representative Clotilde.”
“Oh my, you’ve come despite being busy?”
Her face looked much paler than before, but she smiled as if nothing had happened.
Her attitude, as if pain were nothing, irritated him.
Even if Damian was tired from staying up for two nights, it was nothing compared to Melanie’s pain.
Seeing her suffering made him feel guilty for making a big deal about his own effort. Without a word, he handed her the bracelet casually.
“It’s a gift.”
