WAV 39

Chapter 39

“Last night, I roughly finished the healing,” Eston said at that moment.

No wonder. Yesterday, every time she spoke, it felt like my throat was being ripped apart—but now, it felt perfectly fine.

“Where did you get your throat injured? It looks like scratches from fingernails…”

“……”

“Your eyes were bloodshot, and the inside of your throat was badly swollen. It must have been hard to breathe. Do you happen to have a metal allergy?”

True to her abilities as a healer, she accurately guessed the cause of my throat being a wreck.

I, of course, had no idea that some lunatic had tried to strangle me.

As her questions lingered, flashes of yesterday’s events slowly came back.

‘…That was quite the spectacle.’

Not only did I face Male Lead 4, but Male Leads 1, 2, and 3 all at once.

Perhaps it was a blessing that I happened to faint at the right moment.

“Our young lady doesn’t have a metal allergy…”

The butler answered for me, lost in thought.

“Miss, was there a problem with the necklace you were wearing?”

“No, nothing like that.”

I shook my head.

“I just wasn’t used to wearing it, so I must have scratched myself without realizing it. The swelling… it’s because there were flowers at the banquet hall.”

“Ahh.”

Luckily, everyone seemed satisfied with my explanation.

“This old heart nearly stopped! Such fragility… what should we do? The Duke was very worried as well.”

The butler dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief and offered way too much information.

I replied indifferently, “Really?”

“Yes. He even ordered that all meals for the time being be specially prepared nutrition for you.”

“I see. So, where is Father now?”

“Eh? He had some appointments today, so he’s out…”

‘Of course.’

I felt no disappointment—I wasn’t expecting anything.

If the Duke had really worried, he would have at least checked on his daughter who collapsed at the palace. Not just ordered a special meal and gone about his own business.

‘…Still, at least this is better than nothing.’

Even just taking care of meals is something. Some parents wouldn’t even notice if their child bled, broke a bone, or ran a fever.

‘If they don’t know, that’s for the best.’

Better than knowing and just giving you a helpless, “So what am I supposed to do about it?” look.

Thinking of that, I felt my mood sink.

“…What about my brother?”

“The young master also entered the palace early this morning.”

Still, thanks to the butler’s oversharing, I gleaned one thing.

‘So Ethan didn’t recklessly run to the Duke with accusations.’

I’d expected him to report the incident at the banquet, or the supposed fight I’d had…

‘Well, I guess. No one stepped up to say they were hit by me, so it’s not easy to just blurt it out.’

Maybe Ethan’s caution was reasonable. After all, Edith’s behavior had given him enough reason to suspect.

Of course, that didn’t mean I sympathized with him.

Meanwhile, the butler and Eston were quietly talking.

“But even if Miss is physically fine, isn’t it a bit too frequent to faint like this? It wasn’t this bad before…”

“Ah. I was actually going to discuss that. Could you step aside for a moment?”

The butler, flustered, pointed at himself.

“Me? Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. It’s a private matter between women…”

“Ha! Hey! I have a duty to check Miss’s condition thoroughly!”

“Well, are you planning to check her naked? That’s a bit… perverted, don’t you think, Butler?”

“N-No! Not at all, Miss! I meant absolutely no such thing… I’ll wait outside the door!”

The butler, completely flustered by the much younger Eston, hurriedly left the room.

When Nancy went to fetch snacks, silence fell.

I looked at Eston, who had swiftly sent the butler away, with surprise.

“…Not bad,” I remarked.

“It’s all thanks to what I learned from you, Lady.”

Not exactly a compliment that made me feel good.

Eston wasted no time and got straight to the point.

“Did you use your abilities at the palace?”

“…How did you know?”

“You didn’t sustain injuries severe enough to cause a fainting spell.”

No serious injuries, but I had suffered serious mental shock.

However, Eston’s next question left no room to explain.

“Miss, do you realize you faint every time you use your powers?”

“Did I?”

Now that I thought about it, it seemed likely.

I had fainted even after purifying Theo, Eston’s younger brother, the last time.

But in between, I had been chased by the Corruptors and had a tense encounter with Dylan… plenty had happened.

“Isn’t it just a stamina issue?” I asked.

“If using your powers drained stamina, all awakened fighters in combat would already be dead,” she said.

She had a point.

Eston continued, eyes narrowed.

“I also looked into it because post-pubertal awakening is unusual. Rare, but not impossible. There was one common factor.”

“What is it?”

“They can’t psychologically recognize that they’ve awakened immediately.”

I didn’t understand.

“What does that mean?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Hmm… Using abilities is like moving your arms. The brain commands, and the body obeys,” she explained, moving her arms up and down.

“But you subconsciously think you have no arms. Or even if you do, you don’t move them.”

“……”

“So naturally, controlling your movements is awkward, and you end up using more force than expected.”

“Ah…”

“In short, every time you use your powers, your body is overloaded.”

She shrugged, finishing her explanation.

‘So I subconsciously think I have no powers?’

It made sense. Even in modern life, I never considered myself an awakened one.

Maybe that’s why I always chant “Purify” before using my powers, why severe dizziness and nausea accompany their use, and why green light continues to leak from my palms after purification.

“I think this is just a side effect of being a late-awakener. You should be careful until you get used to it.”

“……”

“You’re performing self-purifications, right?”

I wasn’t doing it at all.

Eston’s brows furrowed at my solemn expression.

“A purifier isn’t even considered awakened? You must be invincible in magic, Lady.”

“I’ll do it. I just need to do it…”

“Try not to use your powers when I’m not around.”

“Why?”

“Something dangerous could happen while you’re unconscious. Someone could target you… and you want to keep your purifying ability a secret, right?”

She glared at me, scowling.

I widened my eyes. Thinking of how we used to growl at each other just by eye contact, it really felt like we’d made huge progress.

Since that dream, the icy emptiness in my chest had warmed a little.

“…Thank you.”

I said, genuinely grateful.

“For showing me the layout of the palace. Thanks to you, I didn’t get lost.”

“……”

“I didn’t think you’d think of me like this.”

I chuckled, teasingly.

Suddenly, Eston’s cheeks turned bright red.

“I-I only agreed to your deal! You let Theo and me live at the Duke’s house…”

“Of course.”

“I-I just wanted some insurance too!”

“Got it.”

“Hey, weakness! I have leverage over you too…!”

“Get out.”

After Eston left, Nancy returned, carrying the delicious smell of freshly baked muffins.

“Miss, have a muffin. I just baked them.”

Sitting by the window, lost in thought, I suddenly came to my senses.

“Ah. Thanks, Nancy.”

“And here’s today’s newspaper.”

She placed a folded stack neatly next to the tray with tea and muffins.

I opened it immediately.

I had been catching up on newspapers whenever I could. There were too many things not shown in novels, and I wanted to understand how this world worked.

As in any society, newspapers in this world were similar to those in the modern one.

“Uh…!”

But today, an exceptionally interesting headline dominated the front page.

“Exclusive! The Undefeated Legend, Grand Duke Belnark! Overpowered by Intruders and Defenseless?!”