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Chapter 18
At the sudden voice, I flinched and dropped down in shock.
All the effort of sitting up in bed had gone to waste.
Behind me—who knows since when, perhaps from the moment I first opened my eyes—Pavel was sitting on the couch, legs crossed.
“…Your Highness.”
“Why don’t you call me by name again?”
“That’s…”
His suspicion was understandable, but I still felt wronged.
I’d never once said his name aloud before.
Of all times, why did he have to catch me the very first time I did?
“Did I faint?”
“You’ve even learned to deflect questions now.”
“……”
He was right—I was changing the subject, so I couldn’t argue.
I shamelessly waited for his response.
A faint smile appeared on his lips—then disappeared.
Did he just smile?
Lately, I kept catching glimpses of a side of Pavel I’d never seen before.
Of course, Pavel did smile sometimes. But only with his mouth.
Never with his eyes.
Like a marionette taught that lifting the corners of your lips counts as a smile.
Pavel, who had been watching me with mild amusement as I sat there on the floor, suddenly stood up.
“How long are you planning to stay like that?”
“Ah, um…”
I made a foolish sound and scrambled up from the floor.
Thankfully, my body felt much better than before—almost back to normal.
While I straightened my clothes and avoided his gaze, Pavel sighed—a deep, weary sound pulled up from somewhere far below.
“W-what are you doing…?”
“Stay still.”
Before I could react, his hand reached toward my neck.
Flustered, my voice wavered, but Pavel spoke in a tone that left no room for argument.
His fingers plucked something near my collarbone—
a hairpin barely hanging there, dangling loosely.
It must have fallen when my hair came undone earlier.
“You look a mess right now.”
He frowned, as if that were some grave problem.
But I was still in full formal dress, with only a few wrinkles here and there.
“You really don’t know how to hide your emotions, do you?”
“…Me?”
“You’re literally making an indignant face right now.”
And indeed, I was feeling indignant at his words.
If we kept talking like this, I’d just dig my own grave deeper.
So I cleared my throat and tried again.
“Ahem. So, I fainted, then?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
Of course I could tell.
What I meant was—was he the one who found me?
“The imperial physician said it seemed like your energy was suddenly drained.”
“My energy?”
“He also said it looked like you’d overexerted yourself somehow.”
“……”
He clearly expected me to exclaim in understanding or agreement.
But when I only looked more puzzled after hearing him out, his eyebrows furrowed sharply.
“I suppose I’ve been stressed lately. That must be it.”
That was the only explanation that made sense.
Maybe I’d been more worn out than I realized.
“You were so stressed you used up all your strength?”
I couldn’t tell what kind of answer he wanted—he was strangely persistent.
“What strength are you talking about?”
It almost felt like he was trying to lead me somewhere with his words.
I tilted my head, openly confused.
“…Never mind. A carriage has been prepared. You should go.”
“Giselle…”
“I told her you weren’t feeling well and needed rest.”
“…Thank you.”
Giselle was utterly devoted to Pavel.
A woman who had never failed to get what she wanted—except for him.
I wondered how she’d felt hearing news of me directly from his lips.
She probably wants to kill me right now.
That thought was oddly satisfying… but also gave me a headache.
Once I returned to Erdonaja, another round of arguments surely awaited.
“Then I’ll take my leave, Your Highness.
Thank you for not abandoning me when I fainted.”
“It must be my imagination, but that almost sounded like an insult.”
“…Then farewell.”
At my slightly delayed farewell, Pavel gave a short, incredulous laugh.
Perhaps it was because I was still exhausted, but the fear I normally felt toward him seemed duller now.
Even before stepping out of the carriage, I could feel Giselle’s fury radiating.
Honestly, I wanted to turn the carriage around and go anywhere else.
Behind her, Jessie stood with a worried expression, watching me carefully.
After taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped down.
“What are you plotting?”
Her sharp voice stabbed straight at me.
“What would I have to plot? You’re the one with schemes.”
“Trying to get into Prince Pavel’s good graces now, are you?”
“…You really are consistent. Do you think I’m you?”
“What do you have to complain about? I’m the one who used my power! Tell me, what’s your game?”
I ignored her and kept walking—but then I stopped.
Because, in truth, she wasn’t completely wrong.
Giselle must have used up an enormous amount of energy during the barrier ceremony.
And yet, here she was, confronting me. She must have been deeply anxious.
“What is it? Afraid His Highness will start showing interest in me instead of you?”
“What?”
Giselle’s face paled, clearly thrown off balance by how close I’d hit the mark.
“Seems I’m right.”
“You…”
I stopped walking and stepped closer to her.
Her face was visibly ashen.
You really are hopeless, Giselle.
“If you’re tired, go rest.
Even someone destined to be the next imperial magician shouldn’t have forced herself that hard at the ceremony.”
“…How dare you.”
The more she spoke, the weaker her voice became.
Even her lips were losing color.
She looked pitiful, but honestly, I couldn’t stand to look at her right now.
“At this rate, you’ll probably say it’s part of my ‘plot’ if you collapse too.”
“…Saya.”
Barely managing to speak my name, Giselle bit her lip and trembled.
Clearly, it infuriated her that she couldn’t even get a proper word of retaliation out.
Getting angry at me will only hurt you, you fool.
“Rest well, Giselle.”
She couldn’t even fire back one last retort before her knees gave way.
A few maids rushed over to help her.
“…Are you all right, milady?”
Only Jessie approached, her eyes scanning my face anxiously.
Truthfully, I’d been feeling a bit nauseous again for a while now.
Jessie must have noticed—how perceptive of her.
“Let’s go inside.”
I wasn’t about to lose my composure after finally winning this exchange.
* * *
A few days passed after the barrier ceremony.
One morning, Jessie climbed the stairs struggling under a mountain of letters.
“What’s all that?”
“I don’t know, miss. They say they’re price offers?”
Her eyes went wide as she handed them to me.
They were proposals from nobles wanting to buy my Trillin estate—
for several times what I’d originally paid.
And there were piles of them.
I had no idea why anyone would pay that much for it,
but one thing was clear:
there was no way I could keep living there now.
Whether it was its prime location or just noble greed,
the property had become far too desirable.
If I stayed, rumors would spread that the “red witch of Erdonaja” was hiding in Trillin.
So it was better to sell.
No way… could it be? No, it can’t.
I remembered running into Pavel outside the brokerage office a few days ago—
then quickly shook my head.
No, don’t even think it.
Shoo, shoo!
In the end, I decided to sell the Trillin house.
The silver lining was that I had somehow made an excellent profit.
With this money, I can find an even better estate.
So that day, Jessie and I set out by carriage to tour some estates an hour outside the capital.
I was still physically weak after the ceremony, but this couldn’t be postponed any longer.
Now was the perfect time to leave Erdonaja.
Since the Crown Prince’s invitation to the ceremony, the gossip about me had died down.
Giselle was still too drained to cause trouble.
Kiril was out of the capital, and Pavel hadn’t visited.
Even the matter of Chaddy had been resolved after I helped the guild.
All that remained was finding a way to stay in contact with Sersi.
Since she was part of the mage association, that wouldn’t be difficult.
Now’s my chance!
My body might have been tired, but my mind was completely clear.
“Jessie, are you ready?”
“Yes! Almost done!”
She handed me a pair of silk gloves, smiling so brightly it was contagious.
That expression brought back memories of when I had first taken Jessie in.
Back then, she treated me purely as an employer—
obedient to a fault, but driven by desperation.
She’d been terrified of losing her job and being thrown back onto the streets.
“…Jessie, are you crying?”
“S-sorry, miss. Please don’t fire me!”
She had spilled a basin of washing water.
It was nothing—just a damp carpet.
But Jessie had fallen to her knees, begging forgiveness as if she’d committed a grave crime.
Her wide eyes had filled with tears, and watching her like that had been heartbreaking.
It was her first job, and she was the only one supporting her family—
no wonder the pressure was immense.
I should have realized that sooner.
It was my mistake.
I’d helped her up and taken her hand, not knowing what to say to comfort her.
But that only made her look even more frightened.
