CHAPTER 57……………..
“What—what!”
It was the first time in her life anyone had ever called her “auntie,” and Theodora, along with her knights, nearly had their eyes pop out.
That mouth on the child!
Could this girl really be Minerva’s daughter?
Her face was shockingly similar, but her words and behavior—nothing alike at all.
After her brief panic, Theodora realized the children’s hostile glares were all fixed on her. Reluctantly, she lowered her sword.
“Put your swords away, men.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The knights obeyed, inwardly relieved. It was unthinkable to point blades at a child.
At once, Aslan tugged at Ide with all her strength.
“Uncle Ide, hurry! Don’t let Mom die, save her!”
“Lady Aslan, please calm yourself. We’ll move the mistress at once.”
“Uwaaaah!”
The knights were left dumbfounded. They had never met such a loud, stubborn child.
In that confusion, Ide carried Minerva past Theodora.
“When Her Highness awakens, hear the full story from her.”
“W-what, you—!”
“Over here, Uncle! Mom’s room is here!”
Theodora tried to seize him, but he vanished already, following Aslan’s lead.
When Ide laid Minerva gently on the bed, Doctor Jayden ground up several medicines from his satchel and trickled them into her mouth.
With practiced hands, he splinted and bandaged her arms firmly, then gave strict instructions to Ide and Luisa.
“I’ve given her medicine to ease pain and aid bone healing. She must rest completely. And you—you shouldn’t have left your own treatment, get back to bed.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
Jayden left to tend the remaining wounded, while Luisa turned to deal with Theodora.
At last, in the quiet, Aila felt a rush of confusion.
She had suspected Minerva was no ordinary noblewoman—after all, she’d never revealed her real name when they met.
But a princess? To Aila, a princess was someone so high she could never meet her in her lifetime.
All the playful whining she had shown Minerva now felt like a terrible sin. Panicked, she whispered to Aslan, who clung to Minerva.
“Aslan, did you know? That Madam is the Princess?”
Without even looking her way, Aslan asked back, “What’s a princess?”
Aila blinked, startled.
“She’s the daughter of the highest person in the world.”
But Aslan showed no shock at all. She only squeezed Minerva’s hand tightly, her face filled with one desperate wish: that her mother would wake soon.
“I don’t know. I just want Mom to get better.”
That grip looked like a plea for Minerva never to leave her side.
Aila could say no more.
In the hushed room, Aslan buried her face in the blanket, clutching Minerva’s hand as the woman breathed faintly.
Her muffled little voice trembled out:
“Get better soon, get better soon. Let all the pain fly away.”
Ide and Aila listened quietly, thinking her prayer sounded like a spell.
And that spell continued long into the dawn, until Aslan finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
Breathing felt strange.
As though something heavy pressed on my chest.
“Ugh, heavy…”
I groaned without realizing it and slowly opened my eyes.
What I saw were clear green eyes, frowning in worry.
“Mom!”
“Ugh.”
As Aslan lifted her upper body, the weight pressing on me only grew heavier.
Especially where her elbow dug into my arm—it hurt the most.
Her expression brightened, but I grimaced and whispered to her.
“Aslan, Mom can’t breathe… could you move a little?”
“Okay! Luisa, Jane! Mom woke up! Come, everyone!”
Beaming, Aslan darted away to shout for everyone.
I took the chance to steel myself and carefully sat up.
My arms were bound tight with splints, and moving my body now would bring muscle pain as well as the bone ache—I prepared for it.
But the moment I fully sat upright, I blinked blankly.
‘Why… doesn’t it hurt?’
Had I been unconscious so long that I’d healed?
No, a fracture takes at least two weeks.
Could I really have slept that long?
Shocked, I barely noticed as the room filled with people: my close attendants, Theodora, Ide, and the physician he had brought.
“Mistress!”
“You’re awake?”
“Do you know how I feared for you?”
Amid their noisy questions, I asked nervously,
“How long was I asleep?”
Luisa answered, “Two days.”
“Only that?”
“Only? When has Your Highness ever collapsed so long?”
At Theodora’s sudden rebuke, my attendants bobbed their heads in agreement.
True, my stamina was unusual, but I’d long lost much of it.
Even with monstrous healing, two days could not mend fractured arms.
I must be mistaken.
The doctor stepped forward. “Then, may I examine you, Ma—no, Your High—?”
As he faltered over my title, I silently held out my arm.
Relieved, he began carefully unwrapping the bandages.
But when he removed the splint supporting my arm, my suspicion became certainty.
My eyes widened. The doctor, worried he’d done something wrong, stammered,
“W-what is it?”
I stared down at my arms.
The injuries had been serious—swollen, red, agonizing even at rest.
But now the swelling was gone.
Not only that.
I opened and closed my fists, then even swung my arms in circles.
Gasps erupted all around.
“Don’t move like that—!”
“It doesn’t hurt at all.”
My calm words amid the fuss made the biggest shock.
“What?”
“What did you say?”
“Really?”
Even when I tapped my arm with a fist, there was no pain, as though it had never been broken.
“The young lady’s spell worked!”
“Mm-hm!”
Flora, Aslan’s maid, exclaimed brightly, and Aslan puffed up proudly.
What did you do? I asked Aslan with my eyes.
She beamed, eager for praise.
“While you were sleeping, I kept saying ‘get better, get better’ and rubbed your arms. And I did it for the others too! Told their pain to all fly away!”
“As soon as the young lady prayed over me, I healed too!”
It was surely just their imagination, but the servants laughed as though it were true, showering Aslan with praise.
Indeed, thanks to the antidote, though their wounds were bandaged, their color was healthy.
‘The doctor must be a genius.’
Everyone had been gravely injured, yet recovered so quickly—of course I thought that.
I looked at Jayden with admiration.
“You’re quite the physician.”
“Eh? N-no, that is…”
“Your monstrous recovery is the same as ever,” Theodora said proudly, as if it were her own accomplishment.
Was that really worth boasting over?
In any case, healed wounds weren’t the main issue now.
Theodora stepped forward, folding one arm, and spoke.
“Your Highness, I have something to tell you.”
