CH 23

Noha’s steps toward the entrance of the Grand Temple grew faster and faster.

I stared at Noha’s back, who looked a bit impatient, with a puzzled look.

“Noha. Did you find the starting spell for the holy relic?”

“Let’s talk about that later.”

The priests who met us in the corridor bowed their heads politely.

Noha continued without giving them a single glance.

“When we go back to the main palace, you better go to the doctor right away.”

In addition, he added that the High Priest’s innate power was half, and he didn’t have the most important healing ability.

My shoulders shuddered involuntarily at the sound of a voice that even felt strange hatred.

“I’m really fine, though.”

“You keep trembling. Mir said that humans have lower immunity than beastmen. Especially the younger ones.”

At those words, I had to keep my mouth shut. It was true that I had felt chills for no apparent reason since before.

Duchess Avicinian was waiting at the entrance as if she had been contacted by the High Priest. She bowed her head when she found us.

“I’ll serve you.”

“As fast as you can.”

Maybe it was because of Noha’s orders, but the carriage ran towards the main palace at a faster speed than when it came.

As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the main palace, Noha, who couldn’t hide his impatience even in the carriage, led me to the separate palace where the doctor resided.

‘He’s overreacting.’

Noha, who hadn’t spoken too much before, sat me down in front of the doctor.

“You’re feeling a little sick. Just take your medicine and get some rest, you’ll be fine.”

The doctor added that he would make a good medicine for relieving fatigue.

It was then that Noha’s face, which had been terribly hardened since the Grand Temple, was relaxed.

“It’s a relief.”

“I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”

“…It’s just. Just in case.”

Noha, who turned his head away, mumbled in a low voice.

‘So there is something.’

I guessed that there must be a hidden reason behind Noha’s overreaction and actions, but I pretended not to know and shut my mouth.

I had no intention of digging into the memories that Noha was avoiding from my side first.

After leaving the separate palace, we walked side by side through the corridor connected to the main palace.

Unlike when he entered this place, Noha’s face, who became more comfortable, was dyed red by the setting sun.

At that time, he brought up an unexpected story.

“I think I will be able to find the starting spell faster than I thought.”

This fast?

Startled, I blinked and looked back at Noha.

“How?”

“I found a record about the family that kept the relic in the library of the Grand Temple.”

“Where is that?”

“The Avicinian Duchy.”

“If it’s the Avicinian Duchy…”

I remembered the graceful figure of the beastman who had escorted us a while ago.

“Yes. Later, I’ll bring the pendant to Duchess Avicinian.”

“You did well, Noha.”

Seeing my sincere joy, a small smile spread across Noha’s lips.

“If I figure out the starting spell, I’ll tell you first.”

“Yesh!”

Not noticing the gradually approaching darkness, we looked at each other and smiled brightly.

***

As I was about to go to bed, I tossed and turned for a long time, then I finally turned on the lamp.

‘Let’s just memorize formulas.’

By the way, there was going to be a magic class with Licht tomorrow afternoon.

Unlike other classes in which specific days are set, Licht conducted classes in such a way that the time was notified one day in advance.

I swallowed the medication the doctor had sent me and opened a thick book.

There was no difficulty because most of the formulas had already been memorized.

‘It would be nice if we could have a conversation about prophecy.’

I clenched my fists as I remembered Licht’s words that he would give me a reward if I memorized all the formulas.

But the next day, there was a letter waiting for me.

“Your Highness the Princess. This is a letter from His Majesty.”

I moved my spoon vigorously and opened the envelope sealed with blue wax without eating breakfast.

[Today’s class is postponed to dinner.]

Even in a letter that was close to one-sided notification, I called for joy inside. It was because I had been sleepy since a while ago as I hadn’t been able to sleep at night.

“Tell Licht that I got it.”

“I, that’s…”

Loen frowned at the end of her words with a rare perplexed expression.

“Why are you like that?”

“…His Majesty has ordered he wants to receive a reply from Your Highness the Princess in person.”

…Why?

Alice, who was cutting the omelet placed in front of me into bite-size pieces, was also puzzled.

“It’s tiresome though.”

“He told me to get a handwritten reply from Your Highness the Princess.”

At Loen’s emphasis, I finally put down the spoon and picked up the quill that Askari had given me.

Being grumpy, I held out the scribbled paper, “I gawt it,” with crooked handwriting and incorrect grammar, and then Loen breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back from the bedroom.

Alice’s eyes, who were skillfully moving the knife, began to twinkle.

“Princess. Can’t you write a letter to me later too? I will keep it as a family heirloom for the rest of my life.”

“I’ll write to you later when my handwriting becomes prettier!”

Maybe it was because the strength of my hands was still not enough, so even if I was a little careless, the letters flew here and there.

To the extent that Mir couldn’t interpret the book review I submitted, it was embarrassing.

“It’s also pretty enough now, though? Yes? Princeeessss.”

I couldn’t stand Alice’s earnest gaze, so I finally came up with a compromise.

“Then give me a chocolate pudding as a snack today.”

Rolling my head over how to talk about the prophecy all night long, I was in desperate need of a sweet dessert.

“Um, but…”

Alice hesitated, remembering that the nanny had told her to only give me one dessert a day, so that my teeth don’t rot.

“If you give me a pudding, I’ll write ten letters and give it to you.”

“I’ll bring it right away.”

Alice jumped up from her seat and walked out of the bedroom with a pace faster than ever.

‘Chocolate pudding.’

The pudding, which I got to eat at Noha’s recommendation, surprisingly suited my taste.

With great anticipation, I was chewing the rest of the omelet, while Alice returned.

“Excuse meee, Princess.”

I paused as I pushed the last piece of omelet into my mouth at the sound of Alice’s voice full of hesitation.

It was at that moment that my eyes met with Licht, who was following behind Alice’s back.

“Yernian.”

My hand holding the paper twitched when I heard Licht’s voice after a few days.

“Licht? Why did you come?”

Why is the person responsible for delaying the class because of his busy schedule appearing here all of a sudden?

In fact, Licht came to me with an innocent face.

“I heard you were sick.”

Aah. Is it because of what happened yesterday?

“I’m not sick at all now! I got better after taking medicine.”

In fact, it was a symptom that was embarrassing to even say that it was painful.

If it wasn’t for Noha’s advice, I wouldn’t have even gone to the doctor. It was just a passing chill.

“Look.”

Licht motioned for Alice to step away and reached out and touched my forehead.

“You said it was all good. Why is your head so hot?”

“I studied so hard.”

One of Licht’s eyebrows curved at my proud remarks.

“How much.”

“Huh?”

“How much did you work?”

“A lot!”

The corner of his lips raised an angle as he was wiping the sauce off my lips casually.

Then, while Alice was away, he found several sheets of paper that I had picked out and wrinkled his eyes as if he was holding back a burst of laughter.

“Is this also a sign of studying?”

“No. It’s a letter to Alice.”

“…Letter?”

In an instant, Licht’s eyes, which were stiffened, swept through the papers as if he was dissecting it.

“I have one, but why are there ten?”

I have never written him a letter, though…

‘Is he referring to the reply in which I wrote, ‘I got it’ earlier?’

I murmured in exasperation and gave a reluctant answer.

“… You don’t gwive me pudding.” (…You don’t give me pudding.)

“Pudding?”

“Alice agreed to give me chocolate pudding if I wrote her ten letters.”

“You’re a princess, but you throw away your belief for just one pudding.”

What does that have to do with my belief?

Just as my eyes were about to blur, Licht asked a strange question at first.

“Me, or pudding.”

“…?”

“If a pudding and I fell into the water, who would you save first?”

No, why would you and a pudding fall into the water in the first place…

I muttered as I turned my head away from Licht’s gaze, more tenacious than ever.

“If a pudding falls into the water, it dies.”

“So you’re going to get a pudding over me?”

“I’m not going to save both.”

“…What?”

Licht seemed genuinely shocked by my honest answer. No, he looked down at me with a face stained with betrayal beyond shock.

“Why?”

“Yeni hates water.”

“Even if Noha falls into the water?”

I don’t know why Noha is coming out here, but I paused for a moment.

Noticing my hesitation, Richet’s eyes grew more fierce than before.

“…Then I’ll use magic to save him.”

“That’s discrimination.”

Why is he being so childish?

Now that I have gained some immunity to Licht’s nonsensical nonsense, I snorted.

“You’re shtronger than me.” (You’re stronger than me.)

“I’ll give you a hundred puddings, so save me too.”

“…A hundred?”

As if I was looking at a crazy cat, my eyes, which had been watching Licht, wavered helplessly.

In the meantime, I have never eaten dessert to my heart’s content, disregarding my status as the princess of Persian.

It was due to the nanny’s clever adjustments to my dessert diet, fearing I would develop cavities.

“Yes. A hundred.”

After hearing Licht’s affirmation, I immediately reversed my words like flipping my palms over.

“Yeni will save Licht too!”

However, Licht was an insatiable beastman.

With an arrogant smile on his lips, he whispered into my ear in a sweet voice.

“Instead, you can’t use magic, you should save me yourself.”

I looked up at Licht with disbelief in the anxiety that came later.

“…Licht, are you really going to fall into the water?”

“What do you see me as?”

Licht, who snorted, ruffled my hair lightly with a large hand.

“Don’t study too hard. I’ll come pick you up later.”

Licht, who bit his hand slowly, took the paper that was lying on the table first.

“You can’t eat pudding until you’re all better.”

“No…!”

My sugar level which fell overnight is desperate for it!

Licht, who had his eyebrows sullenly folded, disappeared like smoke, leaving behind my pitifully outstretched hand.

‘My pudding.’

I fell on the table, confused.

My body was so weak that I wondered if Licht, who issued a ban on pudding, took my energy with me.

“Are you cold, Princess?”

Alice, who had come back and cleaned up the messy sheets, looked back at me with a worried expression.

“Yesh, a little bit.”

The chill I felt yesterday was still a little bit left. I pulled the baby blanket around my shoulders a little more.

“Wait.”

Alice put her hand on my forehead and came straight from the dressing room with a thick blanket.

“This is the fever reducer that the Chief delivered. He told you to eat and sleep well.”

What Alice brought out was an expensive medicine bottle.

Inhaling the blue drug at once, I went into the thick duvet as if I was buried.

“If you don’t feel well, you must call me. I’ll be waiting in the next room.”

“Yesh. Thanksh, Alice.” (Yes. Thanks, Alice.)

When Alice, who had pulled the curtains and turned off the lights, left my room, a quiet silence came upon me.

It was time to surrender to the fatigue that couldn’t be lifted by hand.

A strange presence permeated the room.

‘Who…?’

I forcibly tightened my heavy, sunken eyelids.

However, the moment a piece of soft cloth approached with a unique scent touched my nose, I lost consciousness.