Chapter 7
Elion, who could hardly miss the confusion clouding Hailey’s face, spoke again.
“There’s been a change in my body.”
“Could you explain it a bit more clearly, Your Highness?”
“By chance, when I did something, the low fever and headaches seemed to disappear. I wasn’t sure if I’d felt it correctly. That’s why I want you to confirm it.”
“Ah… if that’s the case, then I’ll begin an examination right away.”
Hailey immediately opened her bag and took out her medical instruments.
Elion closed his eyes and entrusted his body to the practiced hands of his physician.
After about ten minutes—
Hailey practically shouted in astonishment.
“My goodness! Your body temperature is normal. Your magical stability is normal as well. This is the first time in a year, Your Highness!”
“…”
“I measured everything twice with two different instruments, so the chance of error is extremely low.”
Hailey’s violet eyes glistened with moisture before she realized it.
She suddenly grabbed Elion’s hand.
His thick brows furrowed briefly, but Hailey paid it no mind.
“What on earth happened, Your Highness?!”
“It’s because of Lady Payson. When I hold or touch her hand, this effect occurs.”
“I don’t know how it works, but do not let go of Lady Payson, Your Highness. At least not until we know the cause of the problem and how to resolve it.”
“…”
“Please listen carefully to what the lady says. Look at her with warmth. Offer her a kind smile as well.”
“Why must I go that far?”
“Your Highness…”
At Elion’s lukewarm reaction, Hailey let out a small sigh.
“For the past year, you’ve been tormented by strange symptoms. Even I—who graduated top of the Imperial Medical Academy and publish the most research every year—couldn’t figure out the reason.”
“…”
“The symptoms only worsened without explanation, and it was enough to make me feel powerless. I didn’t tell you, but I struggled with it a lot. And now Lady Payson might hold the answer! Of course you must keep her by your side.”
Elion pressed his lips shut and stood.
She was a woman he had met for the first time just a week ago.
All he knew was her face and name.
And yet suddenly, she had relieved his illness.
It was true he felt wonder at the bizarre phenomenon he had experienced firsthand.
But the emotion that followed was not gratitude—it was suspicion.
“She’s someone I barely know. How can I trust her enough to keep her close?”
“You must trust the ability she possesses. Trust the sensation you experienced for yourself.”
“…”
Elion ground his teeth.
Depending on someone he knew nothing about left a bitter taste, but Hailey wasn’t wrong.
“…Fine. I’ll at least hear what she has to say.”
“And the warm gaze, the kind smile—”
“That will be enough. You may leave now.”
Dismissed before he could finish, Hailey pouted but quietly gathered his bag and left the room.
After a quick bath, Rubiana dressed in clothes brought by Head Maid Jocelyn.
‘We cannot give a noble lady servant’s clothes, so these are garments His Highness Elion wore in his youth—likely when he was around fifteen.’
It was a simple white shirt, navy trousers, and a jacket.
When Rubiana emerged from the bath fully dressed, Jocelyn beamed.
“I’m glad it fits well. It suits you, too. Now, please sit here. I’ll dry your hair.”
“…Thank you.”
Rubiana sat before the vanity as Jocelyn directed.
Jocelyn and two other maids began patting her long silver hair dry with towels.
Seeing Rubiana in young Elion’s clothes, Jocelyn’s eyes glistened nostalgically.
‘Is she reminded of the duke in his childhood? They must have been close.’
In the original story, the unstable mana of the villainous duke and its related episodes were described in detail, but not much else.
So the butler, physician, and head maid Rubiana met today were all unfamiliar figures to her.
‘Still, they’re surprisingly kind. I guess not everyone working in the villain duke’s estate is terrifying.’
No—surely not even the duke himself was frightening all the time.
At times he must laugh, show kindness.
And on rare occasions, extend goodwill—like when he had carried her earlier.
‘Yes, that’s right. Even the villain must feel pity or compassion sometimes. I’ll appeal to that.’
Staring into the mirror, Rubiana steeled her resolve.
At last, Rubiana sat facing Elion.
‘I have to do this well. My life is on the line. Focus.’
She sipped the tea the butler had prepared, steadying her nerves.
After setting down her cup, she met Elion’s gaze and spoke.
“The truth is, I suffer from an illness that leaks mana. If the mana continues to escape, I’ll eventually die.”
“…”
“That’s why I need Your Highness’s mana. Please, share just a little of your overflowing mana with me.”
“Overflowing… mana?”
At the unfamiliar concept, one of Elion’s brows arched sharply.
For the past year, he’d suffered low fevers and headaches from unstable mana.
But overflowing mana?
He had never heard of such a thing.
If what she said was true, then the reason for his instability was that he had too much mana.
If it was true… then how did she know this?
Not even Hailey, considered the Empire’s finest physician, had discovered it.
Sensing the doubts flashing in his eyes, Rubiana hurriedly continued.
“Ah… I just wondered if maybe you might have surplus mana. That’s what I meant to ask. You’re the strongest person in the Empire! So I thought perhaps your mana is so abundant it overflows, and maybe you’d have some to spare.”
“…”
“If you didn’t, then I was going to seek out the next strongest knight.”
The lie she had prepared flowed smoothly from her tongue.
Rubiana’s heart pounded as she watched Elion’s expression.
‘That sounded harmless and innocent enough, right? Like a naïve young lady?’
She must not let him realize she already knew he was a Swordmaster.
Only his closest aides were privy to that secret.
‘If I slip up and get caught… I might have to confess that I’ve possessed this body. That can never happen.’
Not even Omar, who knew she was a possessor, knew the details of her past life.
“You felt it yourself, didn’t you, Your Highness? How the mana naturally flowed into me. Isn’t that right?”
“…That did happen.”
Elion, his narrow eyes studying her, gave a single nod.
The fact that he didn’t deny it was encouraging enough for Rubiana.
‘Now… I need to seal the deal.’
To erase the suspicion lingering in those icy blue eyes, she needed a decisive strike.
It was time to attempt her last resort.
‘I really didn’t want to go this far…’
But she had no choice.
If it meant survival—if it meant becoming the rightful heroine—she would do anything.
Clenching her teeth, Rubiana shot to her feet.
Elion’s eyes widened at the sudden movement.
She stepped closer, then dropped to her knees before him.
Thanks to Hailey’s excellent treatment, her injured ankle no longer hurt.
She grabbed hold of the fabric near Elion’s calf.
It was the infamous “grab-his-pants-leg” tactic.
Elion’s eyes wavered as if struck by an earthquake.
The relaxed posture of his crossed legs stiffened instantly.
Looking up at him with tearful eyes, Rubiana pleaded.
“Please save me! Without Your Highness’s mana, I’m as good as dead. Please don’t let me die. Share just a little mana so I can live, please?”
“L-Lady… first, stand up and calm yourself…”
Elion tried to remove her hands from his trousers.
But flustered as he was, his stiff limbs moved awkwardly, failing to function properly.
