I Thought I Healed the Villain's Sickly Younger Brother - Chapter 23

As Ariel placed the puddings on the table and took his seat first, Merrien quickly sat down across from him.

Though her eyes were wide with wonder at the appetizing puddings, she didn’t forget to hand Ariel a spoon.

Only after watching contentedly as those white, pretty fingers grasped the spoon did she scoop up some of her own pudding.

“…This is insane. It’s so delicious.”

With a bit of exaggeration, one could say it tasted heavenly.

Her dramatic reaction, having completely forgotten the earlier awkwardness, was quite amusing to Ariel.

The spoon she had given him to eat with just twirled between his fingers.

How long had it been since he’d seen the daytime scenery?

He gazed at the light blue sky and clouds visible behind Merrien, recalling the pudding she had pointed to with such a serious expression earlier.

As it happened, the pudding Merrien was eating now was the blue one that matched his eyes exactly.

“….”

From below the terrace came the giggling laughter of noble young ladies.

This was perfectly normal for a street frequented by nobles, lined with high-end salons and dessert shops.

Watching Merrien innocently eating her pudding across from him, unaware of everything, stirred an indescribable feeling in him.

Am I keeping Merrien caged?

But still…

Ariel’s lips moved unconsciously.

“Merri, if you don’t want to go to the Imperial banquet, you don’t have to.”

“Huh? Where did that come from?”

Ariel, who had been resting his chin on his hand, covered his mouth with a “pfft!” as soon as Merrien looked up.

Last time she looked like a pink rabbit, but this time…

Now she looked like a hamster with her cheeks stuffed full. Just how delicious was that pudding?

“Why are you laughing?”

Merrien pouted, not understanding. Even then, her cheeks remained puffed out, and Ariel had to hold back his laughter.

He waved his hand dismissively, saying it was nothing.

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to, and if you don’t want to do something, you don’t have to do it.”

“…But it’s His Highness the Prince’s command, how can I refuse?”

Merrien swallowed what was in her mouth with apparent displeasure and took another large spoonful of the next pudding.

“It’s fine, I’ll handle it.”

“What are you talking about now?”

This guy seems to be getting carried away just because he’s the Tower Master’s brother. That’s not how you should live.

Merrien advised solemnly, apparently unaware of how amusing she looked speaking while holding a spoon full of pudding.

“And I don’t particularly want to avoid it. There are obviously lots of rumors about you and me, so rather than constantly avoiding it, it might be better to go and show ourselves directly.”

This was something she had realized from consistently reading the morning papers.

The mysterious Duke Hartez who never went out due to poor health. His only outing had been a single visit to the temple for healing.

And now that Merrien, the Empire’s only Saint who had been at that temple, was staying at the Hartez mansion, it was obvious what the nobles would be gossiping about.

“I saw in recent papers that Forcite is obsessed with me. That means all sorts of gossip about the three of us might be circulating, right?”

To resolve this, a direct approach might be better.

Merrien pointed at Ariel with her now clean spoon.

“The real issue is your health. What if something happens or you collapse while we’re there?”

“You can heal me then.”

“…You make it sound so easy. Anyway, as long as you’re okay with it, I’ll keep learning to dance and go to the banquet.”

For some reason, Ariel’s gaze seemed to turn oddly cold at the word ‘dance.’ But since he was the one who had provided the dance instructor, she figured she must have imagined it.

‘Though I’m worried, in two months his condition should improve quite a bit with direct heart healing.’

Although his strange reactions during those healing sessions made her feel somewhat odd…

Besides, the Imperial banquet would be a good opportunity to meet the original story’s female protagonist, the Saint.

Ariel had no response.

Seeing him trying to say something but only moving his lips hesitantly, Merrien left him alone to give him time to think.

After hesitating for a long while, Ariel finally mumbled softly.

“Thank you.”

“Hm?”

By then Merrien had become focused on the pudding and didn’t hear him.

“Nothing. Merri, is the pudding that delicious?”

“Huh? Yeah. The pudding here is absolutely delicious. You should also…”

Merrien was about to point to the puddings on the table, suggesting he should eat.

But she stopped speaking when she noticed that about half of them were already empty.

“Ah.”

She had been eating mindlessly.

Merrien, who had still been holding her spoon, quietly placed it down on the table.

Ariel’s eyes curved into crescents.

“Show me how to eat it. I still can’t eat because you haven’t shown me.”

He suddenly changed to acting childish like when he first received healing, clutching his stomach. His voice dripped with feigned disappointment.

“Ah, no. You just need to scoop it up with the spoon…”

Though he was clearly joking, Merrien, perhaps feeling awkward, slowly demonstrated the rather obvious action of scooping pudding with a spoon.

“See, you just scoop it up with the spoon like this.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Ariel followed along eagerly, his deepened blue eyes fixed intently on Merrien.

“Then put it in your mouth like this.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And chew it up.”

“Mmm.”

“Isn’t it delicious?”

Watching Merrien’s chewing lips, Ariel slowly savored the pudding, following her lead.

Seeing her pink-tinged lips curve up prettily, Ariel felt an inexplicable elation.

“…Yes, it’s delicious.”

Behind her, the sky blushed crimson as sunset drew near.

Watching her pink hair sparkle in the sunset, Ariel thought that pudding might become his favorite food.

***

After that, ordinary days passed by. Though Merrien had to endure two painful hours whenever the dance instructor came.

“Hah… huff…”

Even after the lesson ended, Merrien couldn’t relax as she bent over her knees, sweating.

As always, the dance instructor maintained perfect posture while writing something down as she watched Merrien.

‘It feels like being evaluated by a judge…’

Is this how idol trainees feel during auditions?

Though she could quickly heal this level of muscle pain using Holy Power, that would have to wait until after the instructor left.

It wouldn’t be polite to use Holy Power here.

“Still, you’ve improved from before.”

The instructor spoke with a stiff but kind tone after finishing her notes.

“Really?!”

Merrien was so happy she jerked upright. But she immediately collapsed back down with an “Ow!” as her muscles protested.

“Yes. A little, just a tiny bit.”

“….”

Should she be grateful for even that tiny improvement in dance skills? Unfortunately, the instructor spoke the cold reality.

Still, she wasn’t so cold as to just watch Merrien collapse in pain. As always, those red lips curved into a smile as she approached.

“Ah, thank y- Eep!”

The moment Merrien took her offered hand, she was pulled upright in an instant.

‘W-what?’

There wasn’t even time to be surprised. She was lifted up as if she weighed no more than a feather.

Merrien blinked slowly as she stared at the instructor’s face. Noticing this, the dance instructor properly adjusted her black veil over her lips.

“You’re putting too much tension in your waist and shoulders. Rather than trying too hard, try to dance more lightly.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

“Then I’ll be going now, Saint. I’ll see you at the next lesson.”

“Yes, Teacher. Take care on your way back today as well.”

The instructor’s usually composed back view somehow seemed hurried today.

Merrien saw her off and briefly recalled the sensation of being lifted so easily before shaking it off.

“…Well, Ariel’s brother is the Tower Master too. It could happen.”

Whatever the dance instructor’s true identity was, she didn’t particularly need to know. Since she was said to be close to Ariel, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Meanwhile, the hurriedly departing dance instructor was stopped by the butler waiting outside the drawing room.

“The master has called for you.”

“….”

The butler whispered very quietly, worried Merrien might hear.

A slight crack appeared in the dance instructor’s smile, which had maintained its composure even during her hurried steps.