“Haah, seriously.”
After laying Lars on the ground, Acella finally caught her breath.
She had just stumbled upon a hut halfway up the mountain.
From the looks of the dust-covered magical tools inside, it seemed to be a workshop once used by a reclusive wizard.
“What a mess.”
No matter how weak the faction may be, she had lived as a child of the emperor.
Acella had spent her whole life without lifting a finger in work.
Her whole body was a complete mess of dust. She had never felt this unpleasant on her skin before.
Especially the feeling of mud seeping between her toes was the worst.
“It’s your fault, Lars.”
She resentfully smacked his chest, still unconscious.
…He was as unresponsive as a corpse.
She pressed her lips together, filled with frustration about how much more worry this man would bring her.
So annoying.
“…He won’t die, right?”
He had also collapsed like this after his attending physician’s practical exam.
At that time, she had thought he was dead and was already coming up with the words to engrave on his tombstone.
But now, she wished he wouldn’t die.
…Why is that?
It was common for members of the imperial family who made mistakes or nobles who plotted rebellion to be dragged out and executed.
In order to make a mark on the emperor’s eyes, Camilla had Acella participate in every execution.
So, she thought she was used to scenes of death.
It is said that a subordinate sacrificing their life for their lord is the greatest honor.
The lord must not waste emotions on those consumables and cannot let them disrupt significant matters.
She had always been taught that, so she thought she wouldn’t even flinch in a situation like this.
But Lars was a little different.
“No, that can’t be.”
Max mustn’t die either.
He’s too soft.
Lars is not soft, but…
Acella decided to hold off on labeling the strange emotion she felt.
“When are you going to wake up?”
How dare you make the imperial princess suffer like this, it’s infuriating.
You’re my attending physician, for crying out loud.
Acella whined to the person who couldn’t hear her.
Tap, tap…
The sound of raindrops hitting the ceiling of the hut filled the air, gradually growing louder.
Along with it, a strange sense of liberation blossomed in Acella’s heart.
Now that she thought about it, it was her first time leaving the palace without a bodyguard or attendant.
It was also her first time escaping Camilla’s watch.
In a place unknown, with only one unconscious physician by her side.
The scent of moss rising with the sound of rain provided a refreshing sensation.
It made her feel alive.
Acella soon found herself enjoying the atmosphere.
She felt like she had escaped from the suffocating imperial palace, her heart racing.
“It would have been more fun if you could feel it too.”
Acella absentmindedly brushed her fingers across Lars’s cheek.
His baby-soft skin was not very manly.
Observing his face was quite amusing.
Touching him was out of the question.
It felt belittling, and somehow, it made her embarrassed.
Being aware of that embarrassment only made her more upset.
“Yet you dare to fondle me like this.”
She knew he meant no harm.
Lars always acted with professionalism, doing his duty as her attending physician.
He had no self-awareness at all.
In fact, he often showed signs of discomfort. Acella had always noticed those sensitive moments.
At those times, her pride took a hit.
He might be accustomed to a woman’s body thanks to his life in a noble family, but still, her growing body probably wouldn’t interest him that much.
“You’re my betrothed.”
That’s just too annoying.
Of course, if Lars ever got it into his head to treat her like a real betrothed and make advances on her, she would immediately behead him.
Their engagement was just a political arrangement.
She knew well that she was holding contradictory thoughts.
But she could afford to be selfish.
It was the privilege of the one who bore the royal blood.
Tyrants rather than wise rulers built powerful empires.
“I wonder what you’re thinking.”
Acella was always curious about that.
Why does this man help her?
He always acted reluctantly, unconditionally supporting her during critical moments.
The pain in her abdomen was a result of the talents bestowed upon her.
Every time the pain shot up from her abdomen, negative feelings engulfed her body.
Interestingly enough, he had always been by her side during those times.
When she was scolded harshly by Camilla, when she had to endure training without resistance, and even when the commoners became detestable, or when she felt despair imagining Max’s death.
Every time, something inside her abdomen squirmed, whispering to her.
Telling her to unleash the magic she had learned, to bring about the world’s destruction.
They said that higher-ranked wizards could sometimes hear such auditory hallucinations or see hallucinations.
Her master, Seymour, had the know-how to maintain his sanity.
…Was it really because of magic?
Or was there something even more intense that kept instilling destructive impulses within her?
“Lars.”
It’s curious since you’ve come around, almost feels like I can’t hear my own voice.
Is there anyone in the imperial palace who understands my condition as clearly as you do?
Having had needles stuck in my body and blood drawn,
the pain had definitely reduced.
Even now, taking your medicine has made the sensations fade to the point of comfort.
During that time,
“Cough.”
Her attending physician coughed deeply.
Acella prepared to angrily scold him, thinking he had finally come to.
He had severely sinned by making the princess suffer. She would make him pay one way or another.
“Cough, cough.”
But Lars didn’t open his eyes, only the cough deepened.
“Uh…?”
Acella finally realized something was wrong.
The sticky feeling from her palm resting on Lars’s cheek was unpleasant.
It was dark red blood.
“Lars?”
Acella gasped and shook Lars’s shoulder.
Still no response. His frail body simply swayed weakly.
Acella’s hands began to tremble. Shadows darkened her face.
Why hadn’t he reacted until now? Guilt crashed over her.
He had taken the curse of the Death Dragon fully. It might not just be magic reflection; he could have suffered other negative effects as well.
She should have suspected an injury when he remained unconscious, but she had been reckless.
“What… what do I do?”
Acella desperately wracked her brain.
She couldn’t use a Healing Spell at all. There was no helpful magic in this situation. Moreover, her Mana was completely depleted.
“Anything…”
Thump!
Acella hastily ripped off Lars’s gown.
She rummaged through his inner pocket. Colorful syringes and various medication bottles tumbled out.
“If I make him take this….”
Acella was about to take out the medicine before pausing.
Lars had always warned her about the overdose of medication.
He had told her never to take more than two aspirin a day.
If she started giving him medication without knowing what was what, it might end up killing Lars instead.
“What the hell is what…!”
She clicked her tongue and started to feel Lars’s body.
His muscles felt utterly stiff as if they were paralyzed.
She felt anxious that if she didn’t act quickly, something terrible would happen.
“This is.”
Acella found a notebook.
It was that notebook Lars always carried with him to jot down everything.
Rustle.
Acella flipped through the pages quickly.
The uses of the medication and syringes were written in detail.
There were also dense records about her condition.
A few strange sentences caught her eye.
Some were crossed out and some remained.
[Executed and beheaded. Deleted.]
[Died from suffocation magic. Deleted.]
[Defeated by the Demon King.]
[Failed to capture the Demon King, leading to the emergence of the Demon God.]
[Magic that leads to the palace’s destruction.]
…
Now was not the time to waste on unnecessary noise.
Acella flipped through the pages to find valid information.
[Hemorrhaging can be roughly stopped with candy.]
[Rank-up requires enhancement when the rank goes up.]
[Secure additional materials for candy, candidate list.]
[Golden Rose: A superior breed of yellow rose, mainly found in dragon nests or the western Demon Realm.]
“Candy.”
Despite not knowing all the words, it was clear that the candies he always ate would help improve his condition.
Acella roughly pulled the candies from his pocket.
She unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.
“I need water.”
Acella immediately dashed outside the hut and caught the falling rain with her hands.
Her clothes got drenched, but there was no time to care.
She hurried back inside, pouring the rainwater into Lars’s mouth as the candy slowly melted.
Lars’s breathing gradually started returning to normal.
But he still showed no sign of waking.
“Do we need more materials?”
She checked the ingredients listed in the notebook.
There were pictures accompanying some plants or fruits that were somewhat hard to come by.
Thanks to her education, Acella had a rough idea of what they might be.
What she immediately needed was the Golden Rose.
“If we’re near a dragon’s nest…”
She picked up her wand and dashed out of the hut.
*
“Phew.”
I finally opened my eyes.
My whole body felt numb. It was the side effects of the strength-enhancing potion.
It felt like quite a bit of time had passed as I could slowly start to move my paralyzed muscles.
My mouth was dry and sticky with blood.
During my unconsciousness, my blood must have been flowing wildly.
…Why does it taste sweet?
With everything already dizzy, letters flowed chaotically in my Status Window.
――――――――――――
· [Recognized Newcomer] Achievement unlocked. The emperor of the empire has shown interest in you.
· [Beginning of a Hero] Achievement unlocked. Some citizens respect you.
· Medicine has ranked up to C rank. You can choose two new skills to learn.
· As a result of the talent rank increase, the Debuff Health Duration Reduction D has ranked up to C rank.
――――――――――――
The medicine skill had ranked up.
Perhaps due to the extensive distribution of aspirin and masks, the knights benefiting from it might have shown great results.
The most significant factor was probably Acella herself who had defeated the Death Dragon using my concoction.
Experience points accumulated in an instant.
Though, right now was not a good time after receiving a direct hit from a curse.
‘Health, need to synthesize candy anew.’
I needed to move quickly, but I couldn’t find any strength in my body.
I strenuously turned my head to assess my surroundings.
The tap, tap of raindrops.
In the darkness, a figure sat placidly before me.
I recognized who it was instantly and called out to her.
“Royal Princess.”
Acella looked quite exhausted.
She didn’t even have the energy to be angry at me.
Nevertheless, she briefly showed a sense of relief and handed me a single flower she was holding close.
“Is this what you need?”
A golden rose, shining brightly even in the darkness, was carefully held by Acella’s muddy hands.
“Where did you find this?”
I asked in surprise, and Acella scoffed as if it was no big deal.
“It was just lying around.”
As I reached to take the rose from Acella, our hands touched, and Acella spoke to me.
“Prince, you asked me if I hate the imperial family.”
“Yes.”
“I do hate it.”
It was an answer I could easily foresee.
“There are only enemies in the imperial palace. I can’t think of anyone else who could have summoned the Death Dragon other than dear mother…”
Acella spoke weakly, as if resigning.
She looked quite drained.
“My siblings, even you all are enemies. Why should I like a palace where I don’t have any family?”
Thinking about how they behaved during the martial arts tournament, Acella’s opinion was valid.
There was no way she could develop affection for the imperial family and palace. It wouldn’t be surprising if they met a demise like the ending of the empire.
Still, it was unacceptable for such a thing to happen.
“Is family important to you?”
“It seems… like it is.”
“You can have them. Just like you have other things, Royal Princess.”
“How? No matter how hard I try, they won’t acknowledge me. Even dear mother is only disappointed.”
“Not all families are blood relations. You can create a new family.”
Even if it might not be the right answer, I presented a basic response.
Acella paused for a moment after hearing my words.
The hand holding the rose stem trembled slightly.
She looked me in the eye and said,
“…With you?”
No, that’s not what I meant.
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