CH 93

“Mariel, you’re going to fall down if you don’t be careful.” 

“Whoa! Sister, look at these flowers! The buds shrink when you touch them!”

Mariel paced around the greenhouse tirelessly, shouting exclamations. Asella watched the scene with concern that her younger sister, who was running around enthusiastically, might fall over and get hurt. 

It was a very warm room. It was partly due to the warmth of the greenhouse itself, as well as the simple stove that had been kept burning. The interior was as cozy as a room, thanks to the preparation made in advance by the servants, including tables, chairs, blankets, and other small accessories.

“Wow! This looks delicious!”

Mariel’s exploration of the greenhouse finally ended when Margo placed hot tea, cocoa, and freshly baked cookies on the table.

Asella gave a small smile as the faint aroma of the tea rising from the cup seemed to relax her tense mind that had been on edge this whole time.

“Thank you, Margo.”

“You’re welcome. We’ll be waiting outside, so if you need anything at all, please feel free to call us anytime.”

Margo said, pointing to a round crystal ball on a small table. It was a device that could be used to summon servants, just like the traditional rope or bells. She had heard that it was originally so precious and used only in the Imperial Palace since it had to be enchanted with a high-purity magic crystal stone, but surprisingly, there were many devices like this crystal all over the Grand Duchy.

“Delicious!”

Mariel took a big bite of a cookie filled with chocolate chips and squealed.

“Mariel, you can only eat two of these.”

“Even though there are so many?”

“Too much sweet food will make you sick.”

“Hmph!”

Mariel complained with a disappointed look on her face and puffed out her cheeks, but shortly afterward she regained her cheerfulness.

She even took one large cookie and offered it quickly to Asella.

“Eat some, Sister! Delicious food tastes even better when we eat it together!”

“Thank you.”

As Asella reached out to take the cookie from Mariel, she heard the words, “Wait a minute!”

Mariel’s bright face suddenly hardened. The child’s eyes narrowed as if to confirm something, then immediately exclaimed in horror.

“What’s wrong with your wrist, Sister?”

Within the long sleeves, Asella’s wrists were red and bruised.

It was only then that Asella also noticed the bruise on her wrist. It looked as if someone had squeezed it tight and released it.

When and how?

Looking back, she remembered what had happened last night. It seemed that when the Grand Duke had caught her trying to escape, the force of his strong hands had caused this to happen. It was not surprising, since her skin was easily bruised from even the lightest grip.

At the time she didn’t know it hurt because she was too startled, and afterward she was in a hurry and suddenly felt the pain as well, but she didn’t have time to worry about it.

Asella hastily tucked her wrists between the hems and tried to hide them.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nonsense, it can’t be! I saw it for sure. There was a bruise!”

“I just bumped into the table by accident. It will heal in a few days, so don’t worry about it too much.”

“Still…”

Mariel, who had approached Asella’s side before she knew it, looked up at her with tears in her eyes.

“I’ll blow on it for you, then. I’ll pray to Goddess Herniya, too.”

According to legend, if someone prayed sincerely to the goddess for someone who was sick or injured, they would be cured quickly.

“It’s all right, Mariel. You don’t have to do this.”

“Don’t say that Sister, hmm?”

Hoping that her sister wouldn’t be worried, Asella tried her best not to show her bruised wrist. But Mariel held her sleeve and insisted, so she gave up one of her wrists.

“It looks painful.”

Mariel, who had been touching Asella’s wrist where the skin had turned into a reddish-black shade, gently cupped Asella’s wrist in her plump hand and closed her eyes.

“Goddess Herniya, please quickly heal my sister. Please don’t let it hurt.”

Mariel’s prayer continued.

“And please don’t let her catch a cold, too. My sister gets cold quickly and easily catches a cold when the weather suddenly changes. She gets a fever so bad that she stays sick for days. That’s why she doesn’t go on walks often, even though she enjoys going outside for walks. So please keep her warm tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that.”

Asella’s heart sank at the consideration of her sister, who remembered even the most trivial details about her.

But Mariel’s prayers did not end there.