“When I opened my eyes, the sight before me was the familiar view of the reception room. Before I could recall the sensations of returning, Calib called us.
“Your Majesty, Lady Hyerim. Have you returned?”
“Calib. Were you waiting?”
“Yes. Lady Collis is in the guest room where she stayed earlier. Thanks to Lady Hyerim finding her promptly and moving her here, there is no harm to her life. However, due to various issues, Dipeume’s diagnosis suggests that she might have difficulty waking up for a while.”
“Is that so? Just as Hyerim mentioned.”
“Now, what would you like to do?”
“Unconscious but with no harm to her life, there’s probably no need to rush to see her immediately. Many things happened overnight, so it’s best to rest for now. Prepare a meal and call the maids to attend to Lady Hyerim.”
“No, Lucerne.”
I quickly interrupted Lucerne’s words. A gentle pressure from Lucerne’s fingertips on my waist told me to stop. He silently gazed into my eyes without reproach.
Thanks to Lucerne’s magic, I didn’t feel hungry, tired, or uncomfortable. Of course, as he mentioned, I had experienced various things last night, so it would be necessary to rest deeply and organize my thoughts. However, there was something more urgent than that.
“I’m fine. Let me go to Collis.”
“But…”
Last night, Lucerne inflicted wounds on Collis and, at the same time, received wounds himself. The person who needed attention now was neither Collis nor me but Lucerne. I needed to ensure his sister was unharmed and, if necessary, verify what had happened to her.
Honestly, I wanted to have a conversation with Lucerne right away. I wanted to ask the meaning behind wanting to see my smile, why he was glad I didn’t leave, and the reason for kissing me when he returned. I was curious about the reasons behind his actions.
I wanted to confirm, even a little, if he loved me.
But in front of Lucerne, I couldn’t be selfish.
Because I liked Lucerne.His well-being mattered more than the tales of my love. I hoped Lucerne would be a bit less burdened.
I lightly placed my hand on top of Lucerne’s hand wrapped around my waist.
“I’ll go with you. I want to check on Collis’s condition accurately as well.”
Truthfully, I wasn’t that curious about Collis’s condition. But if I didn’t do this, Lucerne would never leave me and go to Collis.
Because of that, I inevitably weaved a lie. Lucerne, who was hesitating, eventually nodded his head.
“Alright. If that’s the case, go visit Lady Collis first and rest. While you’re at it, it would be good to check on Geo’s condition.”
The hand that was wrapped around my waist loosened. Trying not to show any disappointment, I gathered my thoughts. The hand that had been kept at a distance now grasped my hand. My heart raced playfully.
Lucerne didn’t use teleportation magic this time. Holding hands, we walked at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, heading towards the guest room where Collis stayed.Beside Collis, there was only Dipeume. He was sitting at the table next to the desk, writing documents. As we entered, he stood up from his seat.
“You’ve come now, Your Majesty, Lady Hyerim.”
Lucerne’s gaze, after nodding, went straight to Collis lying on the bed. Lying on the bed with a neat appearance, Collis was as beautiful as Lucerne and seemed peaceful. She didn’t appear to be in pain or lonely. She just seemed to be sleeping comfortably.
Lucerne seemed to share the same thoughts as me, and he relaxed his tensed shoulders.
“Looks much better than what I heard from Calib.”
“If it’s okay with you, shall I give you a detailed report? I was in the middle of writing documents.”
Lucerne turned his head to look at me. It seemed like he was asking if it was okay to listen to the report. I nodded, and he nodded in return.
“Go ahead.”“There were unidentified wounds on her abdomen. The wounds seemed to be penetrating, but due to the urgent treatment, Lady Collis’s condition was unique. There was no need for separate treatment, but it seems there might be scars left.”
Dipeume, who didn’t know the circumstances, explained in a dry voice. I glanced at Lucerne, but his expression remained unchanged. With a slight turn, he looked at me as if asking what was going on, holding my hand tightly with a reassuring grip.
I felt sorry. There might have been other ways, and I didn’t even ask Lucerne to stab Collis, but I still felt sorry. Lucerne might tell me it wasn’t something I should feel sorry for, but still, I felt sorry.
I squeezed Lucerne’s hand, which stood by my side, forcefully. He turned to me with a sigh. The opal-colored eyes flickered, and the emotions within them, whether moved, loving, or painful, were not clearly distinguishable.
Dipeume, who had been silently watching us, cleared his throat and resumed the report.
“It’s estimated that she was immersed in seawater for a long time. Although the swelling has subsided a bit now, her whole body was swollen. Normally, if an ordinary person had fallen into the sea at this season, they would have frozen to death, but it seems she survived by extracting the remaining magic to maintain body temperature.”
“Is that so?”
“However, when Her Highness brought her to the palace by Lady Hyerim, her body was extremely cold. There is a high possibility that her magic was depleted or some other problem occurred.”“If there is a problem, what could it be?”
Unlike before, Dipeume hesitated before opening his mouth.
“I’m not proficient in handling magic, so it’s difficult to say for sure. But it seems uncertain. According to Lady Hyerim’s words, Lady Collis used a teleportation bead while underwater.”
Dipeume met my eyes as if to confirm Lucerne’s gaze lingered on me, and I answered with a bit of anxiety.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I didn’t want to talk about it. Collis and I fell into the sea, and Collis used a teleportation bead right in front of me. Even a fool could imagine that Collis left me alone in the sea, teleporting away.
“Anyways, what’s important now is to help her recover. If there’s anything specific you need to do, please tell us.”
The situation suggested that Collis failed to escape using the teleportation bead. I didn’t want to inform Lucerne of Collis’s actions, and as expected, Lucerne’s face turned somber.“For Lady Collis, someone of her caliber failing to escape the sea even after using a teleportation bead leaves us with only two possibilities. Either the teleportation bead was faulty, or she was in a condition where she couldn’t use magic properly.”
“There’s no way the teleportation bead I made was faulty. It has never happened, not even once. I made it so that even ordinary people can use it, so it should work properly regardless of whether Lady Collis’s magic is depleted or not.”
“So, what you’re saying is…”
“Well, I need to think about it a bit more.”
In a low voice, Dipeume fell silent for a moment.
“For now, her physical condition is severely weakened, making it difficult for her to regain consciousness for a few days. Depending on the magic issue, it might take even longer. As I mentioned, there is no harm to her life.”
“I see.”
After finishing his explanation, Dipeume glanced at Lucerne, who had become somber. Lucerne’s eyes remained fixed on Collis’s face, and his gaze didn’t waver even when he let go of my hand.Once Dipeume concluded, he quickly excused himself, sensing Lucerne’s mood. The closing sound of the door echoed, bringing stillness to the guest room.
Liberating his hand from my grasp, Lucerne’s gaze remained on Collis’s face, and his steps didn’t falter. Time seemed to freeze, and everything came to a standstill.
It was me who broke the silence.
I pulled my hand away from Lucerne and spoke softly.
“I’m okay, so go closer and check. You should examine her magical condition… you know.”
Lucerne spoke, directing his attention back to the main concern. I couldn’t help but appreciate his calm demeanor amidst the complex emotions surrounding us.
My hand slipping away, Lucerne, who had been gazing at his own hand with a distant look, raised his head.
“What do you mean?”“She’s the one who tried to kill you. It might be unsettling for me to take care of her.”
Naturally, there was no way it would be okay. If I could, I wanted to hate Collis with all my heart. But because she was the older sister of someone I cared about so much, because she had protected the person I cared about during their childhood, and because she was someone my beloved person cherished dearly, I couldn’t do it.
“I’m fine.”
“You…”
Lucerne, who sighed like a breath, raised his hand. The cold fingertips brushed against my cheek. His eyes, filled with countless words, stared at me for a while.
I didn’t avoid his gaze and met eyes with Lucerne.
“Speak your mind.”“…No. Next time. I don’t want to talk about it in a place like this and feel this way.”
“Okay.”
“Sit in the chair and wait for a moment.”
“Sure.”
I sat comfortably in the plush chair and watched Lucerne. Approaching Collis’s bedside, he silently observed his sleeping sister. Her large, wide back rose and fell a few times as if taking deep breaths.
A blue light floated around Collis. Some lights were absorbed into her body.
Without proficiency in magic, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening even as I watched it with my own eyes. I observed the scene where light spewed out and permeated for quite a while.
Shake, shake. My body pleasantly swayed. It felt like I was flying through the air and floating in the water at the same time. It was warm. The warmth touching my cheeks and the solid sensation felt good. I happily smiled and pressed closer to where the warmth was.Suddenly, the swaying stopped. I frowned with regret. “Don’t stop…” Please don’t stop….
“Did you wake up?” A deep voice echoed from above. In a daze, my mind, which had been hazy, slowly returned to its place.
“I thought you might not like it, but… sorry. I was going to move you to the bedroom because you seemed uncomfortable. I’ll move you with teleportation, so bear with it for a moment.”
“What?” Trying to make sense of the words, a bright light pierced my eyes. I tightly shut the half-opened eyes again and huddled my body.
When the light disappeared and I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a familiar bedroom, still cradled in Lucerne’s arms.
“When I opened my eyes, the sight before me was the familiar view of the reception room. Before I could recall the sensations of returning, Calib called us.
“Your Majesty, Lady Hyerim. Have you returned?”
“Calib. Were you waiting?”
“Yes. Lady Collis is in the guest room where she stayed earlier. Thanks to Lady Hyerim finding her promptly and moving her here, there is no harm to her life. However, due to various issues, Dipeume’s diagnosis suggests that she might have difficulty waking up for a while.”
“Is that so? Just as Hyerim mentioned.”
“Now, what would you like to do?”
“Unconscious but with no harm to her life, there’s probably no need to rush to see her immediately. Many things happened overnight, so it’s best to rest for now. Prepare a meal and call the maids to attend to Lady Hyerim.”
“No, Lucerne.”
I quickly interrupted Lucerne’s words. A gentle pressure from Lucerne’s fingertips on my waist told me to stop. He silently gazed into my eyes without reproach.
Thanks to Lucerne’s magic, I didn’t feel hungry, tired, or uncomfortable. Of course, as he mentioned, I had experienced various things last night, so it would be necessary to rest deeply and organize my thoughts. However, there was something more urgent than that.
“I’m fine. Let me go to Collis.”
“But…”
Last night, Lucerne inflicted wounds on Collis and, at the same time, received wounds himself. The person who needed attention now was neither Collis nor me but Lucerne. I needed to ensure his sister was unharmed and, if necessary, verify what had happened to her.
Honestly, I wanted to have a conversation with Lucerne right away. I wanted to ask the meaning behind wanting to see my smile, why he was glad I didn’t leave, and the reason for kissing me when he returned. I was curious about the reasons behind his actions.
I wanted to confirm, even a little, if he loved me.
But in front of Lucerne, I couldn’t be selfish.
Because I liked Lucerne.His well-being mattered more than the tales of my love. I hoped Lucerne would be a bit less burdened.
I lightly placed my hand on top of Lucerne’s hand wrapped around my waist.
“I’ll go with you. I want to check on Collis’s condition accurately as well.”
Truthfully, I wasn’t that curious about Collis’s condition. But if I didn’t do this, Lucerne would never leave me and go to Collis.
Because of that, I inevitably weaved a lie. Lucerne, who was hesitating, eventually nodded his head.
“Alright. If that’s the case, go visit Lady Collis first and rest. While you’re at it, it would be good to check on Geo’s condition.”
The hand that was wrapped around my waist loosened. Trying not to show any disappointment, I gathered my thoughts. The hand that had been kept at a distance now grasped my hand. My heart raced playfully.
Lucerne didn’t use teleportation magic this time. Holding hands, we walked at a pace neither too fast nor too slow, heading towards the guest room where Collis stayed.Beside Collis, there was only Dipeume. He was sitting at the table next to the desk, writing documents. As we entered, he stood up from his seat.
“You’ve come now, Your Majesty, Lady Hyerim.”
Lucerne’s gaze, after nodding, went straight to Collis lying on the bed. Lying on the bed with a neat appearance, Collis was as beautiful as Lucerne and seemed peaceful. She didn’t appear to be in pain or lonely. She just seemed to be sleeping comfortably.
Lucerne seemed to share the same thoughts as me, and he relaxed his tensed shoulders.
“Looks much better than what I heard from Calib.”
“If it’s okay with you, shall I give you a detailed report? I was in the middle of writing documents.”
Lucerne turned his head to look at me. It seemed like he was asking if it was okay to listen to the report. I nodded, and he nodded in return.
“Go ahead.”“There were unidentified wounds on her abdomen. The wounds seemed to be penetrating, but due to the urgent treatment, Lady Collis’s condition was unique. There was no need for separate treatment, but it seems there might be scars left.”
Dipeume, who didn’t know the circumstances, explained in a dry voice. I glanced at Lucerne, but his expression remained unchanged. With a slight turn, he looked at me as if asking what was going on, holding my hand tightly with a reassuring grip.
I felt sorry. There might have been other ways, and I didn’t even ask Lucerne to stab Collis, but I still felt sorry. Lucerne might tell me it wasn’t something I should feel sorry for, but still, I felt sorry.
I squeezed Lucerne’s hand, which stood by my side, forcefully. He turned to me with a sigh. The opal-colored eyes flickered, and the emotions within them, whether moved, loving, or painful, were not clearly distinguishable.
Dipeume, who had been silently watching us, cleared his throat and resumed the report.
“It’s estimated that she was immersed in seawater for a long time. Although the swelling has subsided a bit now, her whole body was swollen. Normally, if an ordinary person had fallen into the sea at this season, they would have frozen to death, but it seems she survived by extracting the remaining magic to maintain body temperature.”
“Is that so?”
“However, when Her Highness brought her to the palace by Lady Hyerim, her body was extremely cold. There is a high possibility that her magic was depleted or some other problem occurred.”“If there is a problem, what could it be?”
Unlike before, Dipeume hesitated before opening his mouth.
“I’m not proficient in handling magic, so it’s difficult to say for sure. But it seems uncertain. According to Lady Hyerim’s words, Lady Collis used a teleportation bead while underwater.”
Dipeume met my eyes as if to confirm Lucerne’s gaze lingered on me, and I answered with a bit of anxiety.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I didn’t want to talk about it. Collis and I fell into the sea, and Collis used a teleportation bead right in front of me. Even a fool could imagine that Collis left me alone in the sea, teleporting away.
“Anyways, what’s important now is to help her recover. If there’s anything specific you need to do, please tell us.”
The situation suggested that Collis failed to escape using the teleportation bead. I didn’t want to inform Lucerne of Collis’s actions, and as expected, Lucerne’s face turned somber.“For Lady Collis, someone of her caliber failing to escape the sea even after using a teleportation bead leaves us with only two possibilities. Either the teleportation bead was faulty, or she was in a condition where she couldn’t use magic properly.”
“There’s no way the teleportation bead I made was faulty. It has never happened, not even once. I made it so that even ordinary people can use it, so it should work properly regardless of whether Lady Collis’s magic is depleted or not.”
“So, what you’re saying is…”
“Well, I need to think about it a bit more.”
In a low voice, Dipeume fell silent for a moment.
“For now, her physical condition is severely weakened, making it difficult for her to regain consciousness for a few days. Depending on the magic issue, it might take even longer. As I mentioned, there is no harm to her life.”
“I see.”
After finishing his explanation, Dipeume glanced at Lucerne, who had become somber. Lucerne’s eyes remained fixed on Collis’s face, and his gaze didn’t waver even when he let go of my hand.Once Dipeume concluded, he quickly excused himself, sensing Lucerne’s mood. The closing sound of the door echoed, bringing stillness to the guest room.
Liberating his hand from my grasp, Lucerne’s gaze remained on Collis’s face, and his steps didn’t falter. Time seemed to freeze, and everything came to a standstill.
It was me who broke the silence.
I pulled my hand away from Lucerne and spoke softly.
“I’m okay, so go closer and check. You should examine her magical condition… you know.”
Lucerne spoke, directing his attention back to the main concern. I couldn’t help but appreciate his calm demeanor amidst the complex emotions surrounding us.
My hand slipping away, Lucerne, who had been gazing at his own hand with a distant look, raised his head.
“What do you mean?”“She’s the one who tried to kill you. It might be unsettling for me to take care of her.”
Naturally, there was no way it would be okay. If I could, I wanted to hate Collis with all my heart. But because she was the older sister of someone I cared about so much, because she had protected the person I cared about during their childhood, and because she was someone my beloved person cherished dearly, I couldn’t do it.
“I’m fine.”
“You…”
Lucerne, who sighed like a breath, raised his hand. The cold fingertips brushed against my cheek. His eyes, filled with countless words, stared at me for a while.
I didn’t avoid his gaze and met eyes with Lucerne.
“Speak your mind.”“…No. Next time. I don’t want to talk about it in a place like this and feel this way.”
“Okay.”
“Sit in the chair and wait for a moment.”
“Sure.”
I sat comfortably in the plush chair and watched Lucerne. Approaching Collis’s bedside, he silently observed his sleeping sister. Her large, wide back rose and fell a few times as if taking deep breaths.
A blue light floated around Collis. Some lights were absorbed into her body.
Without proficiency in magic, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening even as I watched it with my own eyes. I observed the scene where light spewed out and permeated for quite a while.
Shake, shake. My body pleasantly swayed. It felt like I was flying through the air and floating in the water at the same time. It was warm. The warmth touching my cheeks and the solid sensation felt good. I happily smiled and pressed closer to where the warmth was.Suddenly, the swaying stopped. I frowned with regret. “Don’t stop…” Please don’t stop….
“Did you wake up?” A deep voice echoed from above. In a daze, my mind, which had been hazy, slowly returned to its place.
“I thought you might not like it, but… sorry. I was going to move you to the bedroom because you seemed uncomfortable. I’ll move you with teleportation, so bear with it for a moment.”
“What?” Trying to make sense of the words, a bright light pierced my eyes. I tightly shut the half-opened eyes again and huddled my body.
When the light disappeared and I opened my eyes again, I found myself in a familiar bedroom, still cradled in Lucerne’s arms.
