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Chapter 59
It felt like something heavy had dropped inside my chest.
“That…”
I opened and closed my mouth several times.
I didn’t know how to explain it. My mind went blank.
What would happen if this secret was exposed?
What if Sion said he would stop the research?
What if he started seeing me as something strange?
Sion let out a sigh.
“So it’s true.”
His expression was hard to describe.
I lowered my gaze and just gripped the blanket tightly with my good hand.
“I wasn’t trying to deceive you.”
It was strange.
I hadn’t committed a crime. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Then why was I so scared?
I could just say that I was born with a special constitution.
That because of it, I received the Emperor’s favor.
But now I wanted to use it for others, not the imperial family.
That should have been enough.
“So, Sion—”
“I’m not trying to blame you.”
Maybe he felt sorry for me as I trembled, because Sion reached out and gently patted me.
“I just want to make sure.”
His low voice fell softly over my head.
“Lorea?”
“……”
“Aren’t you going to look at me?”
At his urging, I slowly raised my head.
Sion looked at me calmly, as if he had never once taken his eyes off me.
“I understand now why you didn’t tell me the raw material. You asked for research and mass production because you can’t keep drawing blood every time. Right?”
“Yes.”
I felt exposed.
When I first met him, I tried to act confident and hide the source of the purification stones.
But now that everything was revealed, I didn’t know what to do.
A short silence passed.
Sion spoke again first.
“You said you could give me as many purification stones as I wanted.”
“……”
“Were you planning to cut your flesh every time and provide me with the original stones until the research succeeded?”
I couldn’t answer.
Because that was true.
I was going to make purification stones with my blood and give them to Sion, so he could analyze them and find a way to mass-produce them.
That was the best method I had.
“I heard you’re also giving one to the Archduke once a week.”
“…It hasn’t been long.”
Everything I said sounded like an excuse.
“Compared to how the imperial family used to draw my blood… this is nothing. It’s much less now. It hurts less.”
Sion let out a long sigh.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, looking troubled.
“If I had known the purification stone was made from blood, I wouldn’t have cooperated.”
My shoulders flinched.
I quickly grabbed the edge of his clothes.
“N-no.”
“Lorea.”
“That’s the only way. There’s no other method. Even in the imperial family, they kept trying to find a material to replace my blood, but they failed every time.”
Until the day I died, the Emperor never found a substitute for my blood.
That was why he tried so desperately to secure it.
I shook my head anxiously.
Sion looked at me.
I couldn’t read his expression at all.
Another quiet sigh escaped from his lips.
“…For now, I understand.”
“For now?”
I asked in an uneasy voice.
What if he decided to stop the research?
What if he let go because he didn’t like my secret?
“I’ll continue the research. But I don’t need you to provide purification stones anymore.”
“…What?”
“I can handle it myself. I already received enough samples. I have plenty of material to analyze. I don’t need your blood anymore.”
“But… without the original, comparative analysis—”
“I’ll take care of that.”
Sion firmly held my hand and gently removed it from his clothes.
His warm body temperature spread to the back of my hand.
“I can manage this much on my own. Don’t underestimate me. I’m the Tower Master.”
“I wasn’t underestimating you…”
“I’m very capable.”
Sion smiled lightly.
Only then did my anxious heartbeat calm down.
‘That’s a relief. He’s not quitting.’
With his free hand, he stroked my hair.
It was a gentle touch, but somehow slightly different from usual.
“You’re really foolish.”
For the first time, he wore a serious expression.
Not his usual blank look, not his playful face.
His tone was soft, but I knew he was scolding me gently.
My gaze lowered.
“Do you think you can treat your body like that? Drawing blood to make purification stones, giving them to others, cutting your flesh every time.”
“……”
“You promised to be interesting to me. But you keep getting hurt and sick. That’s not interesting. If this continues, I’ll be disappointed.”
He said it calmly.
I couldn’t answer, whether it was concern or reproach.
‘Was there another way?’
The purification stone was the only weapon I had.
Without it, I wouldn’t have become the Archduke’s ward.
I might have died the moment I stepped into this mansion.
But instead of arguing, I quietly said,
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not quitting.”
“I don’t really want thanks for that.”
I saw his brows slightly furrow.
“Then… thank you for worrying about me.”
“That’s only natural. If you collapse, the research gets delayed. And I said it would be boring without you.”
“Yes.”
I never thought that being called interesting would bring me this much relief.
Still, even after his strange comfort, my heart was not completely at ease.
‘What should I do now?’
Since Sion found out, would the Archduke hear about it too?
I could handle Sion.
But I had no idea how Carlos would react.
Would he think it didn’t matter?
Would he pity me?
Or would he feel uncomfortable knowing he relied on purification stones made from my blood?
Honestly, I hoped he wouldn’t care.
More than anything, I didn’t want him to know how I had been treated in the imperial family.
How my blood had been used.
I didn’t want pity.
The best outcome would be if he never found out.
As my worried gaze turned toward Sion—
“I’ll keep it a secret from the Archduke.”
He said it calmly, as if it didn’t even need to be discussed.
“Instead.”
He raised a finger firmly.
“You’ll provide purification stones only when absolutely necessary. No more carelessly giving them out.”
“…All right.”
I nodded.
“Good. I’ll keep checking on the Archduke’s condition. I’ll stay here a few more days until your body recovers.”
“…Here? At the Archduke’s mansion?”
“Yes. It’ll take time before the Archduke wakes up. Why? Don’t like it?”
“No. Thank you.”
Sion smirked.
“If you’re thankful, get better quickly, Lorea. So I won’t be bored.”
I nodded quietly.
‘…That’s a relief.’
My secret had been exposed, but it wasn’t the worst outcome.
Sion would continue the research.
And he would keep the secret.
That alone made me feel reassured.
