🔊 TTS Settings
CHAPTER~12
The following day, Frezen left the villa without even saying goodbye, claiming he had urgent business to attend to.
Not that it mattered.
Since when had we ever been the kind of people who exchanged warm farewells?
As soon as dawn broke, I hurriedly took Mela with me and left the villa for the estate.
By the time the attending physician had been monitoring her condition for two full days, something strange became apparent.
Mela’s condition neither improved nor worsened.
I gently stroked Mela’s hair as she slept soundly after taking her medicine.
“Countess, could I have a word with you?”
I had been smiling as I watched the sleeping Mela when the physician, having finished his examination, lightly tapped my shoulder and gestured for me to follow him.
“Something is rather unusual, Countess Leella.”
The moment we stepped into the hallway and the door closed behind us, those were the physician’s first words.
He kept tilting his head in confusion, unable to make sense of it himself.
“What’s so unusual?
She does seem to be getting better.”
Growing frustrated with his vague explanations, I pressed him for a clear answer.
The physician carefully began to explain.
“Well, after taking the medicine, she naturally appears better.
If this were merely an ordinary allergy, patients usually show improvement for anywhere from several hours to several days.
I expected Miss Mela to follow the same pattern.
But…”
“But?”
“Last night, she clearly improved after taking the medicine.
However, when I examined her today, her condition was exactly the same as yesterday.
It’s almost as though the illness disappears, only to return all over again.
I’m honestly not sure how best to explain it.”
Seeing my confusion, he tried to explain it in simpler terms.
Unfortunately, his explanation only made it sound even stranger.
In other words, the medicine worked while it lasted, but by the next day her symptoms had completely reset.
Could this be another symptom of the epidemic?
I don’t remember anything like that in the original story…
I could only tilt my head in bewilderment.
“There’s one more thing, Countess.”
After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, the physician leaned closer and lowered his voice.
“I’m no expert in magic, but that young lady…
If I may put it this way, the magical power flowing through her body is extraordinary.”
“…Really?”
Well, of course it was.
Mela would one day become Aberk’s very first female Archmage.
She wasn’t my daughter, but I still couldn’t help feeling proud, and the corners of my lips twitched upward.
I quickly suppressed my smile.
The physician believed Mela was merely a distant relative of mine.
“So?”
The physician’s next words immediately erased my sense of pride and replaced it with confusion.
“With that much magical power, she should be capable of controlling it to some extent.
Perhaps even controlling her own body…
And possibly the illness itself.”
“You want to know if we’ve noticed anything unusual about Miss Mela?”
“Yes.
Anything at all.
No matter how small.
Just tell me honestly, Hubert.”
After speaking with the physician, I headed straight to my office.
“Lily and Bailey too.
Anything you can think of.”
The maids and the head butler had just finished cleaning the office, making it the perfect opportunity to ask.
“Anything…?”
Lily and Bailey—collectively known as the Lili Sisters—hesitated as they exchanged uncertain glances.
I understood.
Speaking freely in front of the head of the household wasn’t easy.
“Something unusual, Your Ladyship?”
Hubert adjusted his glasses with an oddly solemn expression.
Why was the old man suddenly taking this so seriously?
“Yes.
Something unusual.
Or… perhaps something distinctive?”
The instant I finished speaking—
Bang!
Hubert slammed both hands onto the desk.
“Old man, have you lost your mind?
Why are you suddenly pounding the desk?!”
“Miss Mela.
No, Lady Mela.
Everything about her is unusual.”
My ears immediately perked up.
Hubert’s eyes gleamed as he spoke with absolute seriousness.
“In all my years of life, I have never encountered such a life-form.
At first, I even wondered whether the Lopenter Marquis had deliberately sent her here.
But such a tiny, adorable little lady could never do such a thing.”
“…?”
“Her little hands and feet are unbelievably tiny.
Can they truly belong to a human?
Ah!
The other day, while I was taking her for a walk in the garden, she picked a tiny yellow flower—smaller than her own hand—and offered it to me.”
Sir…
You’re just gushing about how cute she is.
My eyes gradually became as lifeless as a dead fish.
As if that weren’t enough, the Lili Sisters eagerly joined in.
“That’s right!
Miss Mela really is unusual!
She can’t possibly be human.
Maybe she’s actually a doll!
How can anyone be that adorable?”
“Who knows?
She might even be hiding little wings from us!”
“Eeeek!
Then she’s an angel!
That suits her perfectly!
I hope our little lady gets better soon…”
Just when had everyone secretly made so many precious memories with Mela?
Then Hubert cut in again.
“As for something distinctive…
Upon closer inspection, there appears to be a tiny beauty mark just above her soft, squishy cheek…”
This adorable fangirling convention clearly wasn’t ending anytime soon.
Instead of discovering anything suspicious, the entire discussion had devolved into nothing more than Mela is adorable!
I could only clutch my aching forehead.
“Forget it.
Just forget everything.”
Still…
I had to admit Mela really was adorable.
Even after losing her memories, she never cried.
She was brave, mature beyond her years, and every time she smiled, she reminded me of cotton candy.
She simply melted people’s hearts.
“Putting that aside, why were you asking about anything unusual?”
The answers hadn’t been particularly helpful.
It was already afternoon when the now-calm Hubert handed me a stack of documents.
He had returned to his usual overly serious, expressionless self.
“Nothing important.
The physician said Mela’s condition isn’t improving.”
“Then he must be a quack.
I’ll replace him immediately and begin searching for—”
“Frezen recommended him.
Hubert…
Are you challenging the House of Decart?”
“Haha…
Of course not.
Me?
Replace the capable physician personally recommended by the House of Decart?
How could I possibly dare?”
His change of attitude was, as always, second to none.
In any case, the physician had explained that the speed of recovery depended on the amount of magical power within one’s body.
Despite only being five years old, Mela possessed far more magical power than ordinary children.
If even the physician could sense it, then it had to be true.
Based on her magical reserves alone, she should have recovered long ago.
Yet instead, her condition remained unchanged.
Which led to one possibility.
Perhaps she was intentionally regulating her illness.
Of course, it was only speculation.
I had no proof.
Besides, perhaps her allergic reaction was simply more severe than everyone else’s.
There were always exceptions.
After all, she was the heroine of the original story.
There was no point in becoming suspicious.
If I accidentally let those doubts show, Mela would surely be hurt.
And that was the last thing I wanted.
“Anyway, it isn’t anything serious, so don’t overthink it, Hubert.
More importantly…
You really couldn’t find any?”
I immediately began looking over the list Hubert handed me.
“Yes.
If you’re referring to Andra fruit, there isn’t a single place that produces it.
Nowhere except the northern territory of Northskal.”
“Ugh!
Why there of all places?!”
I buried my head in my hands.
The reason I’d been searching for Andra fruit was simple.
It was the essential ingredient needed to create the cure for the epidemic.
Unfortunately, Andra fruit grew nowhere outside the northern region.
I had searched every possible source just in case, but the answer was still the same.
That left me with only one choice.
Swallow my pride and ask Frezen for help…
Or cling to my dignity until the bitter end.
I couldn’t believe I was being forced into another impossible choice.
Resting my head on the desk, I looked at Hubert.
“Hubert…
Hypothetically speaking.”
“Have we finally gone bankrupt?”
“…Before we go bankrupt, I’ll make sure to cut off your head first.”
“How strange.
My neck has been feeling rather itchy today.”
Damn old man.
He never let me win a single exchange.
I ground my teeth before continuing.
“Anyway.
Let’s say there’s something the head butler absolutely has to obtain.
But unfortunately, it’s in the hands of your sworn enemy.
You absolutely, unquestionably have to get it.
What would you do?”
Hubert answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Kill them.
That would solve everything.”
“No!
You can’t kill this person!
They’re incredibly powerful.”
“Then steal it.
Strike them hard on the back of the head first.”
“I told you they’re too strong!
Your own head would be rolling across the ground before you even got close enough.”
“…Wait.
Am I the sworn enemy you were talking about?”
Listening to this maddening conversation, I was the one on the verge of losing my mind.
Asking Hubert had clearly been a mistake.
I was just about to give up when he casually added,
“Why not simply make a trade?
If you’re worried, do it anonymously.”
I fell silent.
An anonymous trade?
“Wait…”
Something suddenly flashed through my mind.
I sprang to my feet, my eyes widening.
“There was that option!”
