Chapter 8
This was…
Unlike in my previous life, this was an early manifestation of my ability—fifteen years earlier.
Why.
Why now.
If only it had been a little faster… if only it had been…
A sense of guilt washed over me, wondering if I could have saved my mother.
“Mo-ther… mo-ther… sob… waaah…”
I cried loudly, calling out for my mother.
In my previous life, I had manifested a healing ability.
It was an ability that no royal family member—except for the founding emperor—had ever possessed, and I had obtained it.
However, on the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, for some reason, the ability did not manifest, and I was imprisoned for deceiving the imperial court.
‘I still don’t know why that happened.’
After being confined in the palace, my ability returned, but by then there was no one left who would listen to me.
Although I couldn’t precisely determine the limits of my healing ability, through experience I knew that I couldn’t use it on myself.
If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have died so easily in my previous life.
In this life, after meeting my mother, I had begun to harbor hope.
I couldn’t be certain that the same healing ability would manifest again, but if it did… and if it appeared even earlier than before… perhaps I could save my mother.
But that hope was cruelly shattered, and all that remained was the guilt of failing to save her.
Days passed as I cried myself to sleep, unable to eat properly, but with Leni and the maids of the Princess Palace caring for me, I gradually began to regain stability.
“Nu-nu and Ri-i are together.”
Lucas also came to the Princess Palace and stayed by my side so I wouldn’t be alone.
Seeing him like that made me suspect once again that Lucas might also have returned from a previous life, but remembering his appearance as a newborn quickly dispelled that thought.
Even as infants, twins are still twins, I suppose.
His presence felt reassuring.
‘But what should I do with this power going forward?’
I was worried about how to handle this ability, which had manifested far too early.
It wasn’t time to reveal it yet. What if revealing it caused me to repeat the same life as before? What if the day came again when I couldn’t use my ability?
There was also the possibility that factions might form, trying to elevate me as emperor.
Countless worries swirled endlessly in my mind, and among them, the greatest concern was that I might end up competing with Lucas and face threats to my life.
‘It’s better to hide this power.’
I resolved to conceal it so that I could safely grow until my coming-of-age ceremony without anyone knowing.
Since the manifestation of my ability did not appear outwardly, I was able to keep it hidden for the past year without anyone noticing.
However, a day eventually came when I had to use the ability I had been carefully concealing sooner than expected.
In the year I turned three, Sir Baumann suffered a severe injury.
While hunting with my father in the spring, Sir Baumann saw a bear attacking my father and jumped in to shield him.
Thanks to his sacrifice, my father was unharmed, but Sir Baumann could not evade the bear’s swift forepaw and was struck directly by its sharp claws.
After Sir Baumann was attacked, other knights quickly subdued the bear, preventing further harm. However, the single strike left behind a devastating wound.
The long claw marks stretching from his right eyebrow, across his nose and mouth, down to his left chest were enough to make anyone shudder.
His left chest had been torn deeply, resulting in severe bleeding, and he was brought to the imperial palace in a life-threatening condition.
Leni, who had been taking a walk with me in the garden at the time, heard the news and rushed to the medical facility, trembling as if she might collapse. However, due to the severity of his injuries, she could not see him immediately.
Only after Sir Baumann had stabilized somewhat did she begin visiting him daily at the imperial medical ward, practically living there while tending to him, but there seemed to be little improvement.
“Leni, are you going to see Sir again today?”
“Yes…”
“Then I’ll go with you too.”
“Yes… let’s go together…”
Leni gave a bitter smile and carried me in her arms to the medical facility.
Even after that, I visited the medical ward several times with Leni, but each time, I only ever saw Sir Baumann lying unconscious, as if asleep. I never once saw him awake.
‘That must be why I didn’t recognize him.’
Only then did I recall why, in my previous life, I had only known Sir Baumann’s name but not his face.
With his face and upper body entirely wrapped in bandages, no one could have possibly connected him to the man I had once admired while bleeding from a nosebleed.
In my previous life, he must have barely survived, but the wounds on his face would have remained as unsightly scars.
The injuries to his body would have remained as well if one had removed his armor.
“Sir, please wake up…”
Leni wiped the sweat from Sir Baumann’s face as he lay unconscious, in visible pain, and continued speaking to him.
However, he did not easily regain consciousness.
Leni’s complexion grew increasingly pale, and her eyes became red and swollen from crying every time she visited the medical ward.
During the day, she would come to the Princess Palace to take care of me, and at night, she would return to the medical ward to care for him. Seeing her constantly so pale and exhausted, I finally made up my mind.
‘Don’t worry, Leni. I’ll fix this.’
Clenching my small fist tightly where no one could see, I made my resolve.
Late at night, when everyone else was asleep—
It was the seventh day since Sir Baumann had been hospitalized.
After an early dinner, I sent Leni back, saying I would go to bed early, and waited for this moment.
“Now, let’s move.”
For someone as small as me, traveling to the medical facility was not too difficult.
Having followed Leni many times, I had memorized the routes, and thanks to my previous life spent in the dimly lit Princess Palace, I was accustomed to walking the corridors by moonlight.
However, with my short legs, I had to shuffle along and rest several times along the way, which delayed me slightly.
Still, I managed to arrive at Sir Baumann’s hospital room safely.
Fortunately, no one was present in the ward. It seemed that since no further treatment could be provided, they no longer monitored him during the night.
Leni had also returned to her room after I insisted she rest instead of going to the medical ward today.
Thanks to that, I could act without interruption.
“Let’s see… where is it… ah, here.”
Muttering to myself, unheard by anyone, I located the room where Sir Baumann was staying.
Passing several empty rooms, I finally found him lying there asleep.
Climbing onto the chair beside his bed to look at him, I saw that he was still sweating heavily, as if in pain.
Given the extent of his blood loss, his complexion was poor.
“Sir, I’ll heal you quickly, so when you wake up, please take good care of Leni, okay?”
I whispered softly into his ear and carefully placed my small hand over the bandaged wound on his left chest.
Then I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts, repeating a single earnest wish—that Sir Baumann would be completely healed.
Since I was still young, this was the only way I could concentrate my ability in one place.
Gradually, I felt heat gathering in the palm of my hand.
“Ah… it’s hot…”
As the heat intensified, I could feel my magical energy draining away.
“I need to hurry.”
If I delayed any longer, I might expend all my energy without achieving proper healing.
Carefully maintaining my focus on the warmth in my palm, I slowly opened my eyes.
With a strong desire for his healing in my mind, I looked at my hand.
Soon, a faint light began to emit from my palm resting on his chest.
The light spreading from my hand gradually expanded, enveloping Sir Baumann’s body.
Starting from his left chest, the light covered his left face and arm, then moved across his torso and legs, eventually spreading to the right side until his entire body was wrapped in light.
Once his entire body was enveloped, the pale, sweating complexion began to regain color, and his irregular breathing seemed to settle.
After a moment, the light surrounding his body was drawn back into my palm.
It seemed his injuries had all been healed.
“Hoo…”
As I lifted my hand from his chest, relief washed over my small body, drained from the exertion of my magic.
“Once I get back to my room, I should wash and sleep.”
My palm was damp with sweat, and I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead as well.
‘Thankfully, my ability is more powerful than I expected.’
It was a bit meaningless to compare with my previous life, where I hadn’t been able to properly use my ability, but it certainly felt stronger now.
My healing ability not only healed injuries but also restored lost stamina. However, it was disappointing that I couldn’t restore my own energy.
Clicking my tongue slightly, I examined the areas of his wounds.
The scars would only be visible once the bandages were removed, but I believed they had likely healed cleanly.
“Now Sir will be okay.”
I said softly, patting his chest as he breathed steadily.
Although using my power at such a young age took more effort than expected, it wouldn’t be a problem since I would recover after a few days of rest.
However—
“Ah… how do I get back…”
The thought of returning all the way back made me feel faint.
I had used too much strength to remain fully conscious, but I held on with sheer determination and made my way back to the Princess Palace.
“Time to go back and sleep…”
Still, the thought of seeing Sir Baumann’s handsome face again filled me with a quiet sense of satisfaction. Of course, this had all been for Leni.
“Ah… I’m exhausted…”
Barely dragging my body, which felt like it might collapse at any moment, I reached the front of my room when I noticed a shadow lingering near the door.
“W-who…?”
Feeling guilty for some reason, I shrank my neck and spoke to the shadow in a trembling voice.
“Your Highness?”
The figure, startled by my voice, turned to look at me.
