Episode 74
“A-Ah, my lady…”
The nanny, who had been watching from behind, also stepped forward with tears streaming down her cheeks.
She took Yunseo’s other hand and held it tightly.
“Why are you both crying like that?”
Yunseo smiled gently as she looked at the two of them.
Hanlim and the nanny continued to weep beside her, and Yunseo comforted them with a soft voice.
Eventually, her gaze landed on Miel and the two men standing behind her.
Yunseo’s eyes widened slightly.
“Who are they…?”
Only then did Hanlim come to his senses and hastily wiped his tears.
Letting go of her hand, he stood up quickly.
“Ah, my lady, the man here—my older brother—he’s the one who cured your illness. And the others behind him are those who helped us.”
Hanlim gestured toward Jade, Miel, and Troy as he explained.
Yunseo, with the help of her nanny, slowly sat up.
“You cured me? Thank you so much… You seem to have come from far away…”
She bowed politely, and Miel responded with a bright smile.Even though she’s still recovering, she’s so beautiful.
Without realizing it, Miel stepped closer to her and crouched beside her, keeping a respectful distance.
“Yes. That’s right. We came from the Northern Continent.”
Jade and Troy flinched slightly at Miel’s tone—it was almost identical to how she had addressed the princess.
“Thank you… truly.”
Yunseo smiled and gently took Miel’s hand.
Seeing her smile, Miel’s own expression grew even brighter.
“N-No, really, it wasn’t me. It was our teacher who healed you.”
She beamed and looked up at Jade.
Seeing her smile made Jade’s heart race.
He couldn’t help but smile softly as he stepped toward her.
“Well… I suppose I was the one who cured her.”
“I wish I could repay you somehow…”
Yunseo began, but Jade’s eyes were still fixed on Miel.
Only when Miel turned back to Yunseo did Jade shift his gaze.
“I didn’t do it expecting anything in return. But tell me—do you know what illness you had?”
His eyes were cold and serious now, a stark contrast from how he looked at Miel.
“My illness? I… don’t know the details.”
“What you had is known in the Eastern Continent as ‘Vital Exhaustion Syndrome,’ and in the North, it’s called ‘Mana Poisoning.’ It’s something that happens to mages.”
“Mages?”
Yunseo’s eyes grew wide. Jade nodded and continued.
“Yes. You’re unusual for someone from the Eastern Continent—your body contains an abundance of mana. Very few mages are born in the East, but you’re one of those rare few.”
“You must have felt it too—before the symptoms appeared, there was a strange power flowing inside you, right?”
Yunseo’s eyes widened even more.
“That power is called mana. And the necklace Hanlim gave you—it held pure and powerful magic. It was that necklace that triggered your mana poisoning.”
“…Necklace? You mean this?”
Yunseo pulled out a necklace from her bosom. It was half of a pendant that matched the one Hanlim had.
“Yes. And of course, Hanlim didn’t know. There’s no one in this world who could sense the power sealed inside that necklace.”
“…I see.”
Yunseo looked at Hanlim with soft eyes and gently held his hand.
“You must’ve suffered a lot because of me, Hanlim.”
“M-My lady…”
Hearing her recognize his unspoken devotion, Hanlim’s eyes turned moist again.
“Come on, don’t cry. It’s a happy day, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yes… sniff… You’re right, my lady.”
Hanlim smiled tearfully.
Yunseo smiled back at him.
Seeing them, Miel’s eyes widened slightly.
So it wasn’t just one-sided love after all.
A warm smile spread across her lips.
“Well then—”
Jade, ever oblivious, broke the touching mood.
Miel glanced at him sharply, but he ignored it and continued.
“The one who saved you is Hanlim.”
He then briefly summarized everything Hanlim had done to save her.
As Yunseo listened, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Hanlim…”
Especially when she heard how Hanlim had desperately pleaded for help despite risking his life, her eyes trembled.
Then suddenly, she reached out and pulled Hanlim’s face toward her—and kissed him.
Hanlim’s eyes widened in shock.
Miel’s jaw dropped too.
Jade quickly reached out and covered Miel’s eyes with his hand.
Miel immediately pulled it down with an annoyed expression.
Thankfully, the kiss ended quickly.
Hanlim’s face turned bright red, while Yunseo smiled radiantly.
“M-My lady…”
“Thank you, Hanlim. I understand how you feel.”
His eyes welled up once again.
Behind them, the nanny watched with a pleased expression.
“Ahem… I wasn’t done yet.”
Jade raised an eyebrow.
“Ah, yes. Please continue,” Yunseo said with a smile.
“You were born with the talent of a mage. If you want, you can come to the Northern Continent and start your training from the basics.”
To his offer, Yunseo simply smiled and replied softly.
“No… I don’t wish to become a mage. I’d rather stay here.”
Her gaze turned to Hanlim.
His eyes widened as he finally realized this wasn’t just one-sided love.
Miel watched them with a pleased expression.
—
Not long after, Lord Jeong, having heard that his daughter had awakened, rushed in.
Tears streamed down his face as he embraced his precious daughter.
He then turned to Miel and her companions—the very outsiders he had distrusted—and bowed in sincere apology.
They graciously accepted his heartfelt apology.
From that moment on, Lord Jeong treated them as honored guests.
He gave them the finest rooms in the estate and told them to ask for anything they wanted.
However—
“No need for compensation.”
Jade’s firm words made Miel blink in surprise.
She had expected him to demand a large sum.
She stared at him in disbelief, and Jade leaned over and whispered in her ear,
“I just… don’t feel like it this time.”
He didn’t bother explaining further.
He had grown fond of the pure-hearted Hanlim, and he could tell Miel liked both Hanlim and Yunseo as well.
“Well then, please stay at least one night as our honored guests.”
Lord Jeong politely insisted.
Miel, who had been curious about Eastern food, looked up at Jade and Troy with pleading eyes.
Seeing her like that, both men blushed slightly.
Jade avoided her gaze and nodded.
“If you want to stay, we’ll stay the night.”
“I don’t mind either, Miss Miel.”
Their answers made Miel’s face light up.
Before long, a feast was laid out before them.
There was rice, a variety of neatly arranged side dishes, soups, and mountains of meat.
Oh my god… this is just like a Korean banquet!
Miel’s mouth dropped open.
Of course, it wasn’t exactly the same as the Korean food she knew—but it was similar in composition.
I don’t recognize about half of this, but the rest feels familiar.
She immediately began to eat, and many of the flavors felt nostalgic.
Especially the pile of meat at the center—it was practically braised short ribs.
This is insane. It’s so good.
Miel was overjoyed.
She didn’t care that her cheeks were puffing up as she stuffed her mouth.
Jade and Troy, sitting across from her, almost burst out laughing at her adorable eating.
They joined her in the meal.
For them, it was exotic food—but Miel was enjoying it so much.
Has she eaten Eastern food before?
Jade briefly wondered. But soon, he just smiled and continued eating—enjoying her happiness more than anything.
