Chapter 78
“Jeron! What’s wrong with your face?”
I looked at Jeron with concern. His eyes and nose were abnormally red.
Is he sick?
“Do you have a cold? Or…”
“A-achoo! S-sorry, Your Highness. E-e-etchoo! If you could, s-step back a bit, that would be g-great… Achoo!”
“No, that’s not it. Jeron, what happened? How did you end up like this?”
Instead of stepping back, I stared at Jeron. I wanted to examine him a little more closely to figure out what was wrong so I could help him…
“Achoo!”
“Tia, come here.”
Killian grabbed my hand and pulled me along. Jeron, who had been covering his nose, finally looked at me and Killian.
“I-I didn’t know the young Viscount Märchen was also here… Achoo!”
“What brings Tia here at this hour?”
His voice was strangely sharp. I carefully freed my hand from Killian’s and approached Jeron.
Jeron, probably worried he might drool, covered his whole face with a handkerchief and stepped back two paces.
“Wait a moment. Stay still for a bit. Why are you sneezing so much? Jeron, do you have allergies?”
“Al… aller…gy? Achoo! E-etchoo! Wh-what… is th-this? Achoo!”
It seemed likely. Allergies. But I wondered if antihistamines even existed in this world.
At this point, he probably needed medicine. Could someone suddenly have an allergy at his age?
Well, even in my previous life, I had a dreadful pollen allergy. During seasonal changes, it wasn’t just runny noses and sneezing—the corneas would swell, and pus would form. I knew the pain all too well…
“Jeron, sit here for now. Just a moment. You must be very uncomfortable, right?”
“Yes… Achoo! Your Highness.”
Oh dear…
I looked back at Killian. He had been wearing a somewhat displeased expression while looking at Jeron, but when he noticed I was watching him, he immediately unfolded his crossed arms and straightened up.
“Killian, can you go to the kitchen and call Adel?”
“Adel? Why Adel?”
Killian’s eyes flickered anxiously.
I wasn’t exactly trying to boss Adel around… though maybe I was a little.
I pointed to Jeron with a nod.
“Jeron is struggling. It seems this reaction is caused by some ingredient or pollen. If we leave him like this, he might have trouble breathing, or hives might break out over his whole body—I heard that somewhere. So hurry.”
Killian and Adel had been waiting for dinner together after Killian came to my palace for fittings left to Madame Casta.
Adel couldn’t wait and had already headed to the kitchen, curious about today’s menu.
“Please call Adel, Killian. I’m asking you.”
I asked, hoping Adel’s holy power might be able to heal him, but Killian lingered, reluctant to move.
“Ki-Killian?”
“I’m going, Tia. I’ll be quick.”
So we’re going to be alone with him… I needed to make this quick. Thirty seconds, maybe?
Killian, muttering to himself more than usual, darted off to the kitchen.
Once I confirmed he had left, I asked Jeron:
“How did this happen? Did you eat something wrong?”
Jeron, who had been sneezing for a while, finally seemed to calm down enough to catch his breath and speak.
“There was a dinner at the Emperor’s palace today… I thought I might find out something, so I sneaked into the kitchen for a bit… Hhh… Achoo!”
“Has this happened before?”
“Before? Achoo!”
“Have you ever sneezed this much or had a runny nose like this?”
It definitely seemed like an allergy, but Jeron shook his head.
“No, this is the first time. There was a sharp, tangy smell… I worried it might be a toxic ingredient. Achoo!”
Jeron sneezed four more times in a row, gasping for breath. He must have been in so much discomfort.
“Thank you for letting me know, Jeron. But oh no… you’ve gone through so much. Allergies are really miserable.”
I took a fresh handkerchief from the drawer and handed it to Jeron.
“Th-thank you… Achoo! Your Highness. Still, a little… Achoo! Distance…”
“Alright, alright. Don’t mention it. I’ll take care of it.”
I stepped back to give Jeron some space. At that moment, Adel came in, curling his hands near his cheeks.
“Tia! The cat that came looking for me? Meow. Meow.”
He seemed excited, so he must have liked today’s dinner menu. I nodded and gestured toward Jeron. Jeron was still burying his face in the handkerchief.
“Can you heal this with your holy power?”
“Ohhhh! Leave it to me!”
Adel nodded enthusiastically and stepped toward Jeron.
It was my first time seeing Adel use his holy power, so I was honestly a bit excited. I had only seen this in the original [Moonflower] series—how would it actually work?
My heart was racing.
But I momentarily forgot that Adel tends to talk a lot…
“It’s a bit awkward to touch the face directly.”
Adel looked at me, clearly asking for confirmation.
I gave him a thumbs-up, grinned, and winked.
“Good! Place your hands on his shoulders instead of his face.”
Adel gently placed his hands on Jeron’s shoulders and focused. White light emanated from Adel’s hands, slowly spreading toward Jeron’s face. As Jeron’s harsh breathing eased, I thought the healing had worked.
“Ahhh! Ugh! Ggghhh!”
“Jeron! Jeron? Are you okay?”
Suddenly, Jeron started struggling in pain.
“Adel! What’s wrong with Jeron? Why is this happening?”
I stepped closer, worried, but Adel shook his head to stop me.
“Wait, Tia. This….”
“Why? What is it?”
“Killian, come here and hold Jeron down!”
Even as Jeron struggled, Adel didn’t flinch and kept his hands in place. The white light continued spreading over Jeron’s body—or rather, it seemed to be struggling to spread.
It was as if something was blocking the holy power, and the light swirled and disappeared repeatedly.
“Adel, is this really okay?”
“Jeron is fine. Don’t worry, Tia.”
“No, you. Are you okay?”
Adel, sweat beading on his forehead, smiled brightly at me.
“Me? Of course I’m fine. Totally fine. Don’t worry, Tia. I’ll make sure Jeron is completely healed.”
Killian held Jeron firmly from behind, and Adel poured a stronger dose of holy power into him.
The sneezing had stopped long ago… but Jeron still looked exhausted.
“It’s done!”
After a little while, Adel removed her hands from Jeron.
Adel, Killian, and Jeron all looked drained. For a moment, I felt bad for being perfectly fine.
I ran to hug Adel tightly.
“Adel, you were amazing. Thank you so much. When did you become such an incredible person?”
“Hahaha!”
Adel laughed loudly, holding me back.
“Finishing the boring basic training was worth it! And I got praise from our Tia! I feel amazing!”
“Well done! Well done! You’re the best, Adel! Really the best!”
I showered Adel with praise and then checked on Jeron.
“Jeron, are you okay? Can you hear me?”
“Cough… Yes, Your Highness.”
Jeron coughed but responded. His color had returned, so the allergy was clearly healed. Whatever it had been earlier…
“Your face also looks strangely younger. Is this another effect of holy power?”
“Hmm? We didn’t learn that in basic training.”
Adel scratched her head, avoiding my gaze. Still, it was remarkable.
No special rejuvenation procedure needed.
I stared at Jeron. His skin was firmer, and even his eyes and jawline looked softer.
“Jeron, looking at you now, you look just our age.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. Amazing.”
I nodded enthusiastically.
While I chatted with Jeron, Killian came over.
“Tia.”
“Oh! Killian! I almost forgot. Sorry. Thank you too, for holding Jeron.”
“Ti-Tia? Ah, holding…”
Holding him? Holding him!
Killian’s face flared red. Adel laughed at the sight, and even I couldn’t help but giggle.
Killian and Jeron didn’t laugh at all.
So stubborn… They probably didn’t even realize how funny they looked.
Later, when we sat down for a slightly delayed meal after Jeron left and Adel playfully clanged his spoon on the plate.
“Hey, Adel. Quiet down.”
“Sorry. It’s a habit when I’m thinking.”
“Oh… I thought you weren’t going to think. I thought you had no intention of it.”
“Do you want to die? You… should I blow it all out? Should I? Should I really?”
Adel glared at me, then Killian, switching back and forth.
“I-I made a mistake. Ahem. I’m sorry. Really sorry. I went too far with my joke.”
Killian muttered his apology, and Adel smirked triumphantly.
“You should’ve done that earlier.”
“Yeah. Really sorry, friend.”
Watching Adel teasingly and Killian apologetically, I took a bite of the herb salad topped with nuts.
The aftertaste was strangely bitter.
