TOWL 02

Chapter 2

She was making a firm resolution alone when a hoarse voice pierced her ear.

“…You smell like poison.”

Pian slowly sat up. Beneath his silver hair glinting in the candlelight, the boy’s blue eyes shone sharply.

Pian, the same age as Laila, looked younger than his description in the novel, but no shabby clothing could hide his beauty.

He leaned his face close to me, then slowly lowered his gaze down to my stomach.

“W-why are you doing this?”

I instinctively pulled back, but Pian grabbed my arm and instead pulled me even closer.

How can something so small be this strong!

Pian placed my hand—still in his grip—on my stomach.

“You can heal, right? Do it now.”

Despite his terrifying grip strength, Pian looked up at me with puppy-like eyes.

…Anyone would think I was the one in pain, begging you to heal me.

“My stomach hurts a lot.”

Unhappy with my hesitation, Pian urged me again. But I had no intention of purifying the poison.

Six months into possession, I had realized something: it was easier to just live according to the Empress’s will.

At first, I secretly used healing magic and even pretended to be sick. But my acting must have been poor, because the Empress summoned a physician to examine me.

Perhaps thinking someone had given me an antidote, the next day the Empress completely replaced the maids in my detached palace and my attending physician. Then she gave me an even stronger poison.

Back then, I suffered full-body muscle pain as if my body were paralyzed. I even considered reincarnating once more.

It sounds strange to call this fortunate, but luckily, the Empress was a busy person.

As long as she satisfied a certain level of her abusive urges, she wouldn’t torment me for a few days. So unless it was a deadly poison, it was easier to endure it.

I still couldn’t understand why she hated Laila so much.

Seeing my serious expression, Pian shook my arm slightly, urging me again.

I smiled to reassure him.

“I’m fine. I’m a fairy, so things like this don’t hurt me.”

Pian’s face twisted sharply, but I looked straight at him and arrogantly lifted my chin.

On the day we first met, when Pian asked about my identity, I didn’t know how to explain magic and ended up saying I was a fairy.

Of course, Pian had looked me over carefully and gave me a doubtful stare that said, You? A fairy?

Well, whatever.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. I did have elven royal blood.

Still, after showing him my magic several times, he seemed to have started believing it.

“But just in case, hurry and use your magic.”

He fell for it again. The effects of rote learning were impressive.

“This is the most you’ve ever talked. Are you worried about me?”

I grinned teasingly, and Pian raised an eyebrow.

“You’re really worried, huh?”

“……”

Pian stubbornly shut his mouth and looked away.

It might seem like a denial, but I, who had reread the novel multiple times up to Pian’s death, knew better.

That was a yes.

Pian was worried about me. Ah, my heart… When a cute kid does cute things, my heart can’t handle it…

I must have grinned too openly, because Pian flinched and quickly lay back down, pulling the blanket over his head without saying no.

That only made me smile more.

I gently patted Pian’s back again.

“Sleep well, Pian.”

I was a little surprised by his sudden change in attitude, but I felt good. For the first time, I felt like this boy was truly a living person with his own will.

If there’s a better path, maybe you can change your life too.

Pat, pat.

Until the cold night passed and the warm sun rose, I stayed by his side so he could sleep peacefully.

“Ugh, I’m seriously dying…”

I pulled the signal rope repeatedly until a maid came in. Even seeing me drenched in cold sweat, she didn’t look particularly surprised.

In a flat voice, she said,

“I’ll call the physician.”

It wasn’t anything new, but people here were always harsh toward Laila.

While I was feeling bitter, the court physician arrived. Laila’s detached palace was far from the main palace, yet he came quickly. He must have been waiting nearby.

“My stomach hurts…”

“Do you feel as if your intestines are being torn apart, your whole body is burning, your shoulders are stiff, your arms are numb, and it feels like someone is pulling your navel from the inside?”

For a moment, I almost thought he was a master doctor, the way he described my symptoms so precisely.

Does he already know what poison I took? Don’t tell me he’s the one who prepared it?

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. The physician trembled as he carefully took a few drops of my blood and placed them into a vial.

“I will prepare medicine immediately and send it to you, Princess Laila.”

Sweating heavily, he avoided my gaze and quickly left.

Even doctors are suspicious here…

I told the maid I wanted to take a bath. While she went to prepare the water, I quickly used my magic to purify the poison.

Warmth slowly spread through my abdomen. Within minutes, all the pain vanished.

Thank goodness Laila’s magic was powerful. Otherwise, I would’ve seriously considered reincarnating again.

“Your Highness, the bath is ready.”

That maid must have been a devil in her past life. She prepared a tub filled with cold water even though she saw me suffering.

Worse, she didn’t even assist me and just left the room. It was clearly meant to torment Laila, but it actually worked in my favor.

Splash.

I dipped my hand into the tub and warmed the water. Then I concentrated a bit more and recreated the bath additives I had once seen the second imperial consort gift to the Empress.

The water sparkled like a galaxy, releasing a sweet fragrance.

As I lowered my sweat-soaked body into the warm, fragrant bath, a pleasant drowsiness washed over me.

“Nice…”

Why didn’t Laila run away? With this level of magic, she could have lived happily anywhere.

I absentmindedly played with the beautiful water while thinking about my future plans.

Soon, I intended to escape the imperial palace.

If I kept living here with my temper, I would never die a natural death.

If I didn’t have this ability, I might have tried to endure it somehow in the palace… but—

I lifted my hand out of the tub and moved it slightly. Under my palm, gold coins spilled out with a clattering sound.

With another small motion, they disappeared again.

This is insane. This is beyond winning the lottery!

Looking at my wrinkled, water-soaked palm, I couldn’t stop smiling.

With creator-level power in Laila’s hands, there was no reason to stay in the palace.

Leaning back in the bath, I imagined a rosy future.

Should I buy a yacht and sunbathe lazily on an emerald beach?

Or invite handsome men and women and throw parties? Ah, but Laila is only 14… that might be a bit much.

Usually, reincarnated novel characters worry about ruining the world’s setting, but I didn’t care about that. The world? Not my problem. I was selfish enough not to worry about that.

The only reason I couldn’t leave immediately was Pian.

Whether I knew it or not, I couldn’t leave that child behind in that abuse.

While lost in thought, the bathwater had already cooled. I refreshed it with magic again, stepped out, and put on a robe.

Creak—

I slightly opened the window, and a refreshing breeze brushed through my hair. Sunlight sparkled over the lush greenery of the garden.

Unlike the main palace, where trimmed bushes and flowers bloomed in perfect order, the detached palace garden was overgrown like a jungle. Still, it had its own rough beauty.

When I read it in the novel, I thought the imperial palace was beautiful…

But seen through Laila’s eyes, it felt lonely.

I brushed my damp hair.

No one else would come today. Should I go see Pian?

As I leaned on the terrace railing, pondering, a clear birdcall tickled my ears, as if telling me to go now.

Today was the decisive day.

After his mother’s death, Pian had been abused by his father’s concubine.

That woman had to be removed so Pian would no longer suffer.

Honestly, I wanted to take Pian with me. With this level of magic, raising one child wouldn’t be difficult.

But this was my optimal choice, not his. Since Pian was a character bound to the main story, it was better for him to remain in the duke’s household.

Instead, I had another plan for him.

I would steal a treasure from the palace and plant it in the concubine’s vault, framing her for the crime.

I needed time to find the right item—something that wouldn’t harm Pian but would be enough to imprison her.

A theft that would anger the Emperor but still force him to quietly clean it up.

Like a company embezzlement case where a vice president frames an executive.

And yesterday, I found that item in the 16th vault.

Today, I will change Pian’s life.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t find those rat-like pests still hiding?”

Since it was early, I took the stairs in case the concubine was inside—and sure enough, a sharp female voice echoed from within.

“Who healed you?”

At those words, my body froze.

Pian did not answer. A series of metallic sounds echoed through the underground like clashing steel.

After what felt like an eternity, the concubine finally left the torture chamber.

Pian lay on the floor, reduced to a ragged mess.

As I placed a trembling hand on him, my magic poured out in an instant. His wounds vanished.

Pian slowly opened his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

It wasn’t me who spoke. Pian suddenly sat up and asked me.

Who’s worrying about who here?

I stared at him, speechless.

Perhaps misunderstanding my expression, Pian frowned, sniffed at me oddly, then looked up again.

Surprisingly, there was a faint smile on his lips.

“So you healed me. That’s a relief.”

Only then did he seem to feel the pain, squeezing his eyes shut. Even after being tortured moments ago, he was still worried about me.

“…Were you beaten more because of me?”

“Why would it be because of me?”

“I…”

If I hadn’t healed you, you wouldn’t have been beaten this much.

My throat tightened, and I couldn’t speak.

How foolish I was.

I had been planning everything in secret to save him, yet I left traces of myself on his wounds.

My eyes burned with guilt.

Pian, still with his eyes closed, spoke.

“Does your stomach still hurt?”

After a brief silence, he opened his eyes again. Beneath silver lashes, ocean-blue eyes were revealed.

Those deep eyes scanned my face carefully.

It felt strange—someone worrying about me.

Even stranger was someone putting me before themselves.

That unfamiliar feeling made my whole body itch.

Without thinking, I pulled Pian into a tight hug, blocking his view.

“…Don’t underestimate a fairy. Things like this don’t hurt me.”

I tried to sound calm to reassure him, but my voice still cracked.

Pian murmured softly, as if unsure whether he heard it or not,

“That’s a relief.”

Warm tears dripped onto his silver hair.

I won’t forgive them. Not a single one.