Chapter : 12
After Agni announced her rare illness, there was a very slight commotion.
“Daughter… your father didn’t even realize that his daughter was sick…”
“…Is it true, Nuna? Was it really that hard?”
“Don’t worry about us.”
“To think you would think of us even in this situation… what kind of daughter are you… huh!”
[˃̣̣̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣̣̣ Oh my, our Master has an incurable disease.]
“…?”
[I was just trying a concept. This is the poor Vixiri setting of losing the Master. Pohang-hang. ꉂꉂ(ᵔᗜᵔ*)]
After that brief melodrama, Arisha settled back into a peaceful vacation—until the Grand Duke brought something in after being shocked that his daughter’s body was “garbage.”
“Daddy brought something very good for your health.”
The Grand Duke quickly handed a small bottle into Arisha’s hand.
‘What is this?’
The substance inside didn’t exactly look like a liquid—it seemed more like some kind of glowing powder floating around.
[Elixir infused with Father’s love (???)
/ A divine elixir imbued with the devotion of Grand Duke Hart. Consuming it might make you healthier?
Effect: ??? — Can be analyzed upon ingestion]
‘Is that all?’
[That handsome man designed a very complex magical formulation! Vixiri has never seen such a design before, so analysis is difficult!]
‘Hmm…’
Arisha felt it. Drinking this would probably be extremely troublesome.
As she pondered while staring at the bottle, her eyes met the Grand Duke’s.
“Drinking this will make you healthy.”
The Grand Duke smiled brightly, and Arisha responded with an equally beautiful smile.
“Good night.”
Arisha lay back down on the bed. The sun was high in the sky.
“Wait! Don’t just lie there—please take it. Just once. Daddy’s wish!”
How did the Grand Duke, the most powerful figure of this era, end up in this situation?
Like a parent insisting their child eat just one more spoonful before leaving for school, he pleaded urgently.
“If you take this, Daddy won’t bother you anymore!”
Arisha’s expression shifted slightly. Recently, the Grand Duke had been more than enough of a nuisance. Ever since entering the “family regret” phase, he hadn’t left her side all day.
In fact, Arisha spent more than half her day with the Grand Duke.
“Are you really not going to bother me anymore?”
“Yes. Truly. I promise.”
“Then stay here only one hour a day.”
“…Can it be two hours?”
“Thirty minutes.”
“One hour! Fine, one hour it is.”
“Alright.”
The deal was struck.
Arisha poured the elixir into her mouth. She could feel the soft, thick liquid sweeping across her tongue.
[A new substance has been introduced into the body. Beginning analysis.]
[New variable detected.]
[Resetting previous analysis and recalculating.]
[Reanalysis in progress…]
[Analysis complete!]
[Lion King Hart’s Elixir (Mythical Grade)
/ A divine elixir imbued with the energy of Leo, a family heirloom of the Hart Grand Dukes.
/ The effect varies based on the user’s current abilities.
Expected Effect: Acquire Imperial Myth ‘Heir of Souls.’
Heir of Souls (Title)
Brief Description
Expected Effect — (Accuracy 67%)
/ Lion King Hart’s Shield (Mythical Grade)
(Defense +130%)
/ Lion King Hart’s Sword (Mythical Grade)
(Magic +120%)
/ Lion King Hart’s Book (Mythical Grade)
(Mental Strength +110%)
(!) Caution: Side effects may occur proportional to the user’s abilities.
Side effects occur twice, with the second being more severe.
Expected Side Effects — High fever, severe body ache, headache, cough.
Phase 1 side effect duration: 7 days 12:59:59
Phase 2 side effect duration: 3:00:00]
‘A Mythical-grade elixir?’
[That handsome man, amazing at bluffing. └(⁰□⁰)┐ Maybe he was a gambler in a past life…!]
‘…I’ve been tricked.’
No wonder he said he wouldn’t bother her if she took it—there was a reason.
‘Using a Mythical-grade elixir so recklessly.’
Arisha didn’t know whether to be moved by the Grand Duke’s determination to make his daughter healthy or to sigh at his attitude of wasting such a precious thing.
While Arisha was confused, her body began reacting.
A slight fever arose, and she started coughing.
“Seeing a reaction start means the medicine is definitely working,” the Grand Duke said with satisfaction.
“Are you sure this is just ordinary medicine?”
“Of course. Ordinary medicine that’s easy to obtain.”
The Grand Duke laid Arisha back on the bed.
“You’ll only feel a little sick, then become extremely healthy. That’s how the medicine works.”
The Grand Duke lied smoothly.
A little later, hearing the news, Egail rushed to her room.
“Nuna, are you okay? Father, what on earth did you do?”
The Grand Duke lightly tapped Egail’s back and said,
“Don’t make a fuss worrying about Nuna. It’s nothing serious. She’ll just feel a little sick and get better soon. Watch and see.”
“Really?”
“Yes. When has Daddy ever been wrong?”
Egail finally calmed down at the Grand Duke’s relaxed attitude.
“Still, I’ll keep watch beside her.”
Egail dragged a sofa close to the bed where Arisha lay and sat like a guard. The Grand Duke laughed, lightly patting Egail’s back.
“Very well. I suppose I can finally spend time with my daughter without worrying.”
The Grand Duke smiled gently.
No matter how much Arisha insisted she was fine, the two stayed glued to the bed.
As a result, Arisha was wrapped up in the blanket and trapped on the bed.
The two had fully settled in. Despite being busy, they were motionless, and Arisha said:
“I really am okay, Egail.”
“Not okay.”
“Aren’t you both busy?”
“Is that important right now, Nuna?”
Arisha tried to hint subtly, but they showed no sign of leaving.
“Should I read a fairy tale to you, then?”
The Grand Duke seemed to enjoy it a little. No, judging by his sparkling eyes, he definitely was enjoying it.
Having someone read a fairy tale by her bedside… Arisha hadn’t experienced that even as a very young child.
“I’m grown up now.”
Arisha’s firm refusal cooled the Grand Duke’s sparkling eyes.
Hugging the fairy tale book, he murmured sadly,
“Ah, my dream was to read my daughter a bedtime story.”
He lowered his gaze and muttered,
“Even as a child, you weren’t allowed to read bedtime stories, and even now… nothing has changed.”
A lonely autumn wind blew, stirring the Grand Duke’s hair.
“Sniff”
The Grand Duke covered his mouth as if holding back tears and turned sharply.
“It’s fine. I’m fine. I suppose the fever has passed to me from my daughter.”
“….”
“It’s absolutely not that reading a story aloud will make you feel better.”
Finally, he raised his eyes to the sky outside.
Defeated by the Grand Duke’s perfect performance, Arisha relented.
“…Sit here.”
She lifted one end of her blanket slightly.
“Really?”
The Grand Duke’s face lit up, and he sat beside her, hastily beginning to read the story aloud.
Or rather, he tried to read—until Egail snatched the book away.
“Nuna needs to rest, don’t disturb her.”
“You—you brat!”
“Go do your work instead.”
Egail coldly blocked the Grand Duke and took his place beside Arisha.
“I misjudged. Nuna’s body was far weaker than I thought. Collapsing from enduring an elixir’s effect makes sense now.”
Thus, Arisha was officially pegged as a fragile sister who could topple at a tap from Egail.
At least one good thing from Arisha’s perspective: Egail wouldn’t be bringing up the terrible idea of training for a while.
“Close the window. If the cold wind comes in, Nuna will catch a cold.”
Egail, now extremely vigilant, hurried the servants.
Arisha, lying there, wiggled her toes secretly.
In one corner of the bed sat the sulking Grand Duke, and beside the sofa, Egail stood guard like a soldier.
It felt strange.
She’d been hurt many times before.
Most times, she’d wake up in silent hospital rooms. The room was a VIP suite, and no one was there but her. All she heard was the beep of the heart monitor.
Gang Suwon, his subordinates, and the Hunter headquarters were all busy handling dungeon aftermaths—no one could visit.
The injuries hurt like crazy, but the thing that hurt more was her chest.
Hospitals were dreadful.
‘Father.’
Thinking of him, someone she didn’t want to recall, made it worse.
That’s why not being alone while sick felt oddly comforting.
The care from Egail and the Grand Duke was full of love—care she had never received before.
Some time passed.
Outside, the midday sky had turned to dusk.
The two were still by her side.
The Grand Duke read aloud from books, and Egail pulled the messy blanket up to her neck.
…Not so bad, she thought.
The Grand Duke brought a spoonful of warm soup to her lips.
“Eat quickly. It tastes bad once it cools.”
Upon hearing that, a long-forgotten memory surfaced.
The same words, but in a slightly cynical female voice:
‘It tastes bad once it cools. Eat quickly.’
And then… Vroooom!
Another rocket resounded.
