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Chapter 5
The attendants of the temple hurriedly moved Lucy onto a stretcher.
The maid who had accompanied Lucy could only watch helplessly. Since Lucy would now be staying at the temple, personal servants were not allowed to remain by her side.
As for Lucy herself, she had no room to care whether it was a maid or a temple attendant examining her condition after carrying her into a private room.
She was in complete confusion.
‘Who the hell was that man?’
Where had Alexander gone, and why was some random man acting as the heir of the Faraday family?
Alexander didn’t even have any siblings competing for the succession.
The man she had seen earlier felt like someone who had suddenly fallen from the sky out of nowhere.
‘I thought only my stats were messed up while everything else stayed the same.’
Could it be… other things had changed too?
If even the male leads were different, what was she supposed to do from now on?
Just as Lucy was about to spiral into panic, someone entered the room.
At the sight of the unexpected visitor, her eyes widened.
It was Cecil Auden.
‘I expected to meet Cecil again once I came to the temple, but…’
She hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly—nor for him to be radiating fury from head to toe.
“I believe I told you before.”
Without even trying to smooth the crease between his brows, Cecil spoke in a low, sunken voice.
“No matter what you do, at the very least, don’t cause trouble for other people.”
What was he talking about?
Grinding his teeth, Cecil continued.
“Starting today, I’ve been assigned as Your Highness’s exclusive healer.”
“……”
“His Majesty the Emperor personally ordered it.”
Lucy’s lips slowly parted in surprise.
She’d gotten regular opportunities to be alone with Cecil.
For Lucy, who needed to capture the male leads, this should have been a good thing.
…Was it really a good thing?
As far as Lucy remembered, there was only one way to recover stamina in the temple.
Bathing in a tub filled with holy water blessed by the High Priest.
That was the fastest recovery method.
If things continued like this, her recovery would probably be much slower.
“Since this is an imperial order, I ask for your cooperation.”
The hostility she sensed from him was much stronger than expected, leaving Lucy puzzled.
Her confusion was quickly answered by a cheerful system notification.
[Lucky Event Triggered!]
[You will receive close-contact healing from Cecil Auden♡
Use this opportunity to raise Cecil’s affection level.
Although, he is extremely angry because the vacation he had planned for a long time was canceled because of you.]
Is this really a lucky event?
Cecil looked less like he was ready to build affection and more like he was prepared to build resentment.
On top of that, unlike their first meeting, Cecil didn’t even bother asking Lucy questions anymore.
It was as though he had completely given up expecting answers from her and was treating her with nothing but professional detachment.
“First, I’ll examine Your Highness’s condition.”
Cecil sat beside the bed, adjusted his sleeves, and extended a hand toward Lucy.
Holding his palm about half a span above her body, he slowly swept it up and down.
Warmth spread through Lucy’s entire body.
‘So this is what healing magic feels like when you’re not actually injured. It’s like being in a sauna.’
As her body grew pleasantly warm, some of her tension melted away.
Just as drowsiness began to overtake her—
“As expected, there’s nothing physically wrong with your body.”
Cecil’s icy voice snapped her back to reality.
“However, the energy flowing through your body has weakened significantly. Fortunately, the reason Your Highness couldn’t move properly after waking up—and the abnormalities in your speech—do not appear to be permanent.”
Cecil fell into thought briefly before continuing.
“In cases like this, rehabilitation treatment would be the proper approach.”
With that, he handed something to Lucy.
Lucy stared blankly at the object in his hand.
‘That looks exactly like…’
Ding!
[Item Acquired!]
[You have obtained the ‘Holy Dumbbell.’]
Lucy hadn’t been mistaken.
What Cecil was holding really was a dumbbell.
[A special item created through a priest’s holy power that helps restore stamina.
Train consistently every day to improve your physical strength!]
Lucy was dumbfounded.
‘I only came here to soak in some warm holy water.’
Recover stamina through strength training?
Was this a temple or a military training ground?
“What are you doing? Take it already.”
Cecil urged her in a serious voice.
Still dazed, Lucy accepted the dumbbell—then her eyes widened.
Maybe one kilogram?
It was small and light, yet her arm immediately drooped weakly, her wrist even bending awkwardly under the weight.
“Ugh!”
Her disbelief lasted only a moment before pain shot through her wrist, bringing tears to her eyes.
Ding!
[Muscle Loss Occurred!]
[Your tears have caused muscle loss.
Your stamina decreases by 1.
Current Stamina: -51]
Is this really a dating sim game?
Isn’t this just a gym addict simulator?
She couldn’t even cry freely because her stamina would decrease.
“Be careful.”
Cecil said in a voice that contained not even a trace of concern.
He then reached toward her wrist.
“Your wrist has been healed. Every time you get injured, I’ll heal you immediately, so use it without worry.”
“……”
“Fifty repetitions for each arm. I’ll assist with rehabilitation treatment until you can lift and lower them properly.”
Lucy saw it.
The faint upward curve of Cecil’s lips.
Ding!
[‘Harm Then Heal’ Route Unlocked!]
[Due to low affection, the healer Cecil has become your personal sadistic healer.]
[Your stamina recovery speed has decreased.]
A sadistic healer.
That was truly a combination of words Lucy had never heard before in her life.
* * *
Cecil’s treatments took place twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
After finishing the morning session, Lucy felt conflicted.
‘Cecil was always a little prickly, but among the male leads, he was supposed to be the most altruistic because he was a healer.’
And yet he’d become a sadistic healer.
It seemed like she had fastened the very first button wrong.
‘It’s not like I can make him a new cloak.’
Feeling like tearing her hair out, Lucy looked out the window.
As though reflecting her mood, the once-clear sky had become overcast.
‘Come to think of it…’
Lucy’s eyes widened slightly.
After a moment of thought, she suddenly stood up as if possessed.
Without hesitation, she left her hospital room.
‘Where would it be?’
The main building where Lucy stayed was vast and magnificent.
The high ceilings, intricately carved pillars, and famous paintings hanging on the walls were enough to captivate anyone.
But Lucy had no leisure to admire them.
‘I rushed out without thinking, but…’
The moment she saw the painting of angels blowing trumpets again, cold sweat ran down her back.
That’s right.
Lucy had completely lost her way wandering through the enormous, maze-like corridors.
She kept circling through places that all looked the same.
She could practically feel her stamina draining in real time.
‘Please, anyone, just show up already.’
Walking through the eerily silent corridor as if not even a mouse lived there, Lucy shouted,
“Help!”
Ha…
As expected, there was still a limit to the words she could say.
Still, at least she could say important words.
Thinking that much was fortunate enough, Lucy continued wandering while repeatedly shouting, “Help! Help!”
Then, at last, she found a hallway she didn’t recognize.
Following it, Lucy realized it led to the rear courtyard outside the temple.
And there, along that corridor, was the place she had been searching for.
The herb room.
After confirming the sign on the door, Lucy knocked before opening it.
No one was inside.
‘It’s smaller than I imagined.’
As she looked around, Lucy felt an inexplicable chill, but upon spotting the herb storage shelves, she brushed the feeling aside.
‘Cecil was deeply interested in medicinal herbs because he was a healer.’
Giving him rare herbs that were difficult to obtain would raise his affection level.
But Lucy hadn’t come here to give Cecil herbs.
She had come to make him herbal tea.
‘The weather’s cloudy today.’
Whenever the sky was overcast, Cecil suffered from poor condition.
Recalling her experience from her previous playthrough, Lucy remembered exactly which herbal tea Cecil liked to drink.
Each healer had their own unique blending methods for herbal tea, and Cecil was no exception.
Relying on memory, Lucy selected several herbs, wrapping each one in cloth bundles.
‘If I give him this, maybe his mood will improve a little.’
Just as Lucy was about to leave the herb room with hopeful anticipation—
Splash.
She heard the sound of water from somewhere nearby.
‘What’s that sound?’
Curious, Lucy walked toward it.
Passing shelves of medicinal herbs and tables filled with tools for making medicine, she eventually reached a wall.
Lucy narrowed her eyes.
‘That’s not a wall.’
A thick, dark curtain hung there, cleverly disguised to look like one.
Seeing faint light leaking through the gaps, Lucy unconsciously pulled the curtain aside.
A door appeared behind it.
‘What kind of place is this?’
Lucy peered through the small glass window in the door.
The first thing she saw was a large, round bathtub.
A man was soaking in it with his back facing the door.
‘Why does he look strangely familiar?’
As Lucy examined his back, her eyes widened.
‘The fake Alexander from earlier!’
The moment Lucy realized it—
The man suddenly glanced back in her direction.
