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Chapter 55
A little later, Elia, hesitating slightly, washed her face one last time and turned around.
Her neatly kept bangs were now messy, and her face, red from holding back tears and breath, looked like an overly ripe apple.
“Let me see.”
Her voice, worried and drenched in tears, was like peach jam cooked with too much sugar.
Without making much eye contact with Cedric, Elia carefully stepped forward and gently held out her hands to him.
“Let me take a look. Where does it hurt so much…?”
With her small, delicate hands, she carefully held his large hand, the one gripping ice, and examined it.
Her face was so cute and endearing that…
“It’s here.”
Cedric lifted the back of his hand, which had reddened as if she were pouting.
“There’s already a blister forming…”
Elia, on the verge of tears, blew on the back of his hand.
As if doing so would make the blister disappear.
Though medically meaningless, the burning sensation on his hand seemed to ease slightly, as if by illusion.
“Why hasn’t the doctor come yet…?”
Elia muttered, continuously blowing on his hand.
Her movements were childlike, yet her kindness left no room for irritation.
Cedric pursed his lips and observed her face as she blew air.
She’s definitely been crying.
Her eyes were red, almost swollen, and her long, thick eyelashes were drenched.
Why was she crying?
What reason did she have?
Could it be… because I hid it, and that upset her…?
Because she felt sorry for him, for someone who couldn’t even feel pain?
The time Cedric had spent with Elia was short, but long enough to understand each other.
And what he understood was that Elia was extremely kind and affectionate.
She could very well cry out of genuine sympathy for someone so pitiful.
For him, cursed and dying, struggling to find a way to break the curse.
She felt pity for me.
A bitter feeling arose for a moment.
But at the same time, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was that Elia was moved by him, like this.
“It must hurt a lot. What can we do… hoh, hoh…”
What mattered was that she was entirely focused on him.
Cedric watched her quietly, then slowly leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers.
A small, cute sound escaped.
Elia looked up at him, eyes sparkling.
“Cedric?”
“The sensation is gone.”
“…”
“It hasn’t been long. It started the night Calib had a seizure because of Mephisto.”
“…”
“This curse… it’s not completely clear yet, but it seems to progress according to my emotional state. The more I’m agitated, the faster it advances.”
Elia inhaled sharply.
Cedric’s words were true.
“I wanted to tell you earlier, but the timing wasn’t right. With Calib and the oath of loyalty ceremony…”
“And Mephisto suddenly appeared too.”
Elia responded as if she understood, but her voice was somber.
Cedric cleared his throat and said,
“So, don’t worry too much.”
“…How can I not worry? The sense of touch…”
Elia sighed, closing her eyes.
A heavy tear slipped down, clinging from before.
“It’s gone.”
Cedric waited silently as she whispered, then finally let go of the ice he had been holding.
The sound of it shattering was unusually loud, yet no one paid attention.
Cedric found Elia’s hand with his frozen one and held it, slipping his fingers between hers and entwining them.
Worried that she might be cold, he spoke.
“Elia.”
“…”
Elia flinched but didn’t pull away or hold on tightly.
Cedric kissed the knuckles of her intertwined fingers.
Their foreheads still touching, so close that their breaths mingled.
When Elia flinched more than before, Cedric’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
The smile of a man usually known for his impassive, expressionless demeanor.
Elia, too close to focus properly, found herself captivated by his smile.
Cedric whispered,
“Again.”
“…Again?”
“You make me live.”
“…”
“With you here, even my lost senses of smell and taste return.”
Her fingers pressed against his lips as he murmured, and the sensation was ticklish.
So Elia gripped his hand tightly, resisting the tickle.
“The sense of touch too.”
“Ah…”
“When I’m in contact with you like this, warmth, pain, sensation—all of it becomes vivid.”
Elia said nothing.
“So, don’t worry so much.”
“…”
“With you here, I become normal again.”
His voice, rough and sincere, came from his throat.
For a moment, Elia staggered unconsciously.
If Cedric hadn’t quickly pulled her closer with their intertwined hands, she might have collapsed.
She could feel his heartbeat against her bare cheek.
Only then did she remember that she had undone Cedric’s shirt buttons, and now they were this close.
“…!”
Her heart, fine until moments ago, now raced wildly, and blood rushed to her face.
The warmth of her heated face would have traveled to his shoulder where they touched.
With me here, he becomes normal again…
Her wildly beating heart, almost arrhythmic, would have reached him too.
It was mortifying, but she didn’t want to push him away.
So instead of stepping back, she leaned closer into him.
At that moment,
“Brother! Elia! Quick, the treatment…!”
The door, previously unlatched, swung open, and in came Calib, Mephisto, Olivia, the doctor, and many attendants.
“…”
“…”
A considerable number of eyes fixed on the two of them.
“…”
Though the number of people exceeded double digits, the silence stretched as if eternal.
After what felt like an eternity,
“Uh, uh… uh. Do, do it… yes.”
Calib, who had burst in, cautiously closed the door again.
Click.
The sound felt as if the sky itself was falling.
The next day, I sat at my vanity with a pale face.
“How would you like your hair today?”
“…”
“It’s very hot outside. Since you’ll be outdoors, it would be neat to have it tied up. What do you think?”
“…”
“Also, I picked out your outfit in advance. It’s a summer dress, but with the magic device blowing cold air, you might feel chilly, so I paired it with a light cardigan.”
Olivia kept talking, but I heard nothing.
Yesterday… that… incident.
It was an event I could call a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
The reason my under-eyes were dark from lack of sleep was that.
“Hmm…”
When I didn’t respond, Olivia hesitated, looking troubled.
She lightly touched my shoulder and met my gaze in the mirror.
Smiling brightly, she said,
“The newlyweds are supposed to be passionate, you know.”
“AAAAH!”
I slammed my forehead onto the vanity.
“Kyaa! Lady Elia!”
Olivia screamed, but I didn’t hear it over my internal screams.
Yesterday, Cedric and I… and well… it had been completely discovered.
Even Calib had been there.
“Uh, uh… do, do it… yes.”
I had no choice but to hear those words!
“Ahhhh, I want to turn back time!”
If I can transmigrate, can’t I also reverse time?!
I don’t want much, just back to yesterday!
Time-Turner! I need a Time-Turner!
I slammed my head repeatedly in shame, and Olivia truly didn’t know what to do.
“Lady Elia! It’s okay! Everyone in the castle keeps secrets! In fact, they were relieved your marriage is going well—no! I mean, no one has said anything since!”
I acted so insanely that even calm Olivia didn’t know what to do.
The thought that our incident from yesterday had become gossip among the servants made me even more frantic.
If I could die from embarrassment, I would have done so hundreds of times over.
“Sigh…”
Pressing my forehead to the vanity, I let out a deep sigh.
Just then, I noticed the clock. I’d better prepare, or I’ll be late.
Today, with Mephisto’s guidance, I was heading to the hidden village of the fairies.
“Sighhh…”
I couldn’t stop sighing.
Slowly raising my head, I noticed a crack in the vanity.
I touched it hesitantly and found I was fine.
Elia, really a blockhead.
Repeating the pun in my mind, I looked at Olivia.
“Eek…”
Startled, Olivia shrank her shoulders, clearly terrified.
After I’d been banging my head wildly and then suddenly calmed down, it was understandable.
I awkwardly smiled as if I were fine.
“For hair… it should be neatly tied. And the dress… yes, a summer dress with a cardigan is best. Since the climate may vary, bringing a few options would be wise.”
Olivia, checking that I seemed okay, immediately started preparing.
Watching her hurry, I turned to the mirror.
My forehead was slightly red, but I still looked like Elia—beautiful, calm, and with a natural expression, even after the curse incident with Cedric.
And annoyingly so.
