The treatment sessions always took place in my mother’s bedroom. While I infused magic into her legs, a few maids stood by, attending to her with great care. They wiped the sweat from her forehead, created a gentle breeze with large fans, opened the windows for ventilation, and used scented candles to ease the tension. It was the most luxurious treatment environment I had ever seen, though for me, it was quite distracting.

“Mother, today will be the last treatment. Would it be alright if the maids stepped out for a moment? I think I could concentrate better on the treatment.”

Even though it wasn’t a surprising suggestion, she widened her eyes and let out a small, incredulous laugh.

“Oh my, Hazel! You should have mentioned this earlier. Have the maids been affecting your treatments?”

“Not at all. I just want to maximize my concentration, so please understand.”

With a slightly doubtful look, she tilted her head but soon dismissed the maids. As the surroundings grew quieter, I could feel the flow of energy more clearly.

“Alright, I’ll begin now.”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

With a relaxed smile, she familiarly pulled her right leg out from under the blanket. I carefully placed a cushion, which was at the foot of the bed, under her leg. Her skin, once pale to the point of transparency, now had a slight flush, no longer giving her the appearance of a doll.

“Did you see the ladies’ expressions yesterday? Even though it’s not perfect yet, they were astonished to hear that I could walk without a cane. They kept glancing at you, unable to hide their envious looks, saying you must never worry about being sick again.”

“There are others besides me who can easily receive treatment from a healer.”

“But you’re the best, aren’t you? You’re the one who has managed to heal my leg, which no one else could.”

Her voice was filled with satisfaction and laughter. There were so many things I wanted to say in response. However, the more I spoke, the more I would lose my composure, which would affect the treatment.

I kept my mouth shut and focused on the sensations in my hands. From the thigh to the ankle, I slowly moved down, spreading energy through my palms. Thanks to the previous two treatments, there was no feeling of the magic bouncing back. My mother, perhaps sensing something different from before, watched the treatment process in silence. After spending a considerable amount of time and completing the final check, I lifted my hands from her leg.

“Mother, please try walking now.”

She looked at me with a bit of nervousness, then twisted her body to lower her legs from the bed. Using her hands as support, she pushed herself up. With a mix of excitement and fear on her face, she looked down at her legs and eventually took a step forward. As I watched her carefully take one step after another, I slowly stepped back.

“This… this is… unbelievable…”

My mother murmured in a trembling voice as she moved to the window on her own. I quietly observed her progress. It would take some time for her to fully stabilize.

“My eyes weren’t wrong…! I knew you would eventually make my legs walk again!”

As she repeatedly walked back and forth in the same spot, she exclaimed to me with a face full of emotion. Then she came closer and grabbed my hands tightly.

“Hazel, thank you…! You’re truly the best healer. I’m so glad to have taken you in… Is there any illness you can’t cure?”

Looking down at our clasped hands, I impulsively spoke up.

“There are things I can’t heal.”

“There’s no need for humility, my dear.”

“It’s not humility. For example, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do anything about Leopold’s old scars.”

After learning about a new treatment method, I had persuaded him with difficulty to try treating his scars, but aside from a slight fading, there was no significant result. The disappointment was so great that Leopold had to comfort me…

“Did you just say Leopold’s scars?”

With a look of disbelief, my mother asked again. I tried my best to maintain my composure.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know about it, Mother? We are married, after all.”

Her face hardened instantly. All the feelings I had suppressed, the desire to blame, burst out of me.

“No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t erase the countless marks of cruel hatred left on his back and calves. Both Leopold and I have to live with them for the rest of our lives. It’s the memory of you abusing him.”

“Hazel, that was, that was because at the time I was sick and struggling—”

“You know very well that doesn’t excuse it, Mother.”

I wanted to ask her to stop hating Leopold, but could I really say such a thing? I didn’t truly understand what she had been through. In the end, I couldn’t speak and simply left the room.

I felt both relieved and bitter. It was hard to shake off the feeling that I had crossed a line. Indeed, it seemed best to return to the Lawrence estate where Leopold and I could quietly build our lives together…

“I’ve been waiting.”

When I returned to the room, Leopold stood up from the sofa to greet me. For some reason, I felt as if I had been caught doing something wrong, so I looked away.

“When did you get here?” I asked.

“A while ago,” he replied.

I couldn’t withstand his persistent gaze. Eventually, I looked up again, and he asked with a slightly displeased expression, “I heard you visited your mother. How are you feeling?”

“Better than I expected,” I said.

He didn’t seem to fully believe my answer, which was understandable since I was struggling to suppress a yawn. It seemed best to quickly share the good news with him and then ask for some rest.

“The treatment is all done. Mother can now walk perfectly on both legs. You can feel relieved.”

“…She can walk?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes. As if she was never injured. You don’t need to thank me. Instead, I’d like to return to the estate now. Is that okay?”

In the end, I couldn’t hold back the yawn and covered my mouth. Leopold looked at me in disbelief, but I was too dazed to share in the joy. Fortunately, he quickly assessed my condition.

“…I’ll make sure preparations are made for us to leave tomorrow. You should get some rest.”

“Thank you…” I mumbled almost sleepily and buried myself in the bed. Leopold didn’t leave right away; he held my hand until I fell into a deep sleep.

That evening, it was time for dinner, but Mother didn’t appear. I wondered if it was because she felt awkward about what I had said, and it weighed on my mind. But there was no taking back my words.

“You were just standing up for me. Don’t worry too much. Besides, she’s not someone who would be hurt by that,” Leopold reassured me.

Leopold seemed genuinely unfazed, but the distance between him and Mother was palpable, and that bothered me. However, I didn’t want to end our last meal in the capital on a gloomy note. Before dessert was served, I called a servant to bring the prepared document to Leopold, just as he had done for me shortly after our return.

“It’s the marriage certificate. I’m sorry for signing it so late. It was quite challenging to take the Lawrence name, wasn’t it?”

It was meant as a joke, but perhaps it sounded different to Leopold. He held the paper and stared at my signature. His eyes, which didn’t meet mine, seemed to glisten with a watery shine. Eventually, he slowly looked up.

“…Thank you for becoming Hazel Lawrence.”

His smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

***

We had announced our departure the day before, and in the morning, we waited for nearly an hour at the entrance for Mother to come out. But it seemed she had no intention of seeing us off.

“Hazel, let’s go. We’ve waited long enough,” he finally said, wearily taking my hand.

“…Alright,” I agreed.

Just as I reluctantly climbed into the carriage, it happened.

“Leo.”

I heard Mother’s voice from behind. I paused and turned around. Mother slowly looked over Leopold from head to toe without saying much. Then Leopold spoke first.

“Is there something you wish to say?”

All the staff around us held their breath, watching the two intently. Somehow, even I felt breathless. After a moment of silence passed, she spoke.

“…I’m sorry.”

That was all she said. She turned and slowly disappeared back into the mansion. But I could instinctively feel that even those words had been difficult for her to say. Leopold seemed so shocked that he didn’t move at all. I patiently waited for him, and eventually, we boarded the carriage again.

Leopold looked out the window with a complicated expression for a long time after we started moving. Somehow, I understood his feelings, so I quietly opened a book. At some point, he murmured to himself, “It feels strange.”

I placed a bookmark in the page I was reading and set the book down, meeting Leopold’s gaze. He seemed more at ease than before, as if his mind had settled somewhat.

“Is it because of your mother?” I asked.

“Yes. But it’s not bad. She never really thought of me as a proper son anyway, so that apology is enough.”

Seeing his faint, sincere smile made me feel a bit sorry for him. But since he seemed okay with it, what more could I say?

“If it’s enough for you, then I’m glad.”

Following Leopold’s lead, I lifted the corners of my mouth into a smile and turned my head to look out the window. Outside, the greenery was so lush that it seemed like summer could arrive at any moment. Perhaps because of last night’s dream, the scenery reminded me of D’Agnon…

“I dreamed of D’Agnon last night. Maybe because I met Rose. It was nice to see her again, even if only in a dream.”

I spoke as if reciting a memory from the past. However, the response I received was a bit unexpected, causing me to raise my eyebrows slightly.

“The Lawrence family is managing it now,” he said.

“D’Agnon, not Fojetta?” I asked, surprised.

Suddenly, I recalled Emily’s letter, which had slipped my mind. It turned out she had indeed acted without my knowledge. Leopold seemed to hesitate, as if he felt guilty for keeping it from me back then.

“Well, no noble wants to manage land that doesn’t bring in money. When I asked His Majesty, he gladly accepted. Honestly, I was uneasy about leaving you alone in such a remote place.”

He continued, explaining with a hint of embarrassment.

“I told the villagers to pretend they didn’t know, and instructed the knights I sent not to show themselves, thinking you wouldn’t like it if you found out.”

“You really are something…!”

How could I handle someone so meticulous? I couldn’t help but chuckle, which soon turned into a genuine smile.

“It was nice to quietly focus on my research. Thank you for looking out for me, even without me knowing. But from now on, you have to tell me everything, okay?”

“I will. For example, if you’re okay with it, how about spending winters in D’Agnon from now on? It’s a bit too cold in the north for the children.”

“Children?” I asked, furrowing my brows at the sudden mention.

Leopold handed me a book. It was an old, worn textbook for first-year academy students.

“Read the folded page,” he instructed.

Though I didn’t understand, I obediently opened the book. The fifth chapter, titled “The Healer’s Pregnancy and Childbirth,” caught my eye. It was a familiar subtitle, but strangely, the pages were filled with content I had never seen before.

As I continued reading, I found myself at a loss for words. I meticulously examined the front and back covers, but there was no mention of it being a “revised edition.” I vividly remembered asking what a revised edition was when I received the book, as I had never heard the term before…

“My copy didn’t have this content. It was a revised edition. It didn’t mention anything about pain-free childbirth or the disappearance of destructive magic…”

Unable to take my eyes off the book, I began rereading the page Leopold had marked.

“So that’s why you didn’t know,” he said, nodding as if everything finally made sense.

After reading the content several times, I added my own theory.

“The person who removed this content… It must have been my mentor. He was always worried about the healer’s power being misused.”

“If you could keep having children without pain, it could certainly lead to dangerous situations. Healers’ children often inherit their powers.”

“Exactly. The current revised edition only talks about how difficult and challenging pregnancy and childbirth are.”

Still, it would have been nice if my mentor had told me, especially since I was marrying Leopold… Though I suppose he couldn’t have fully understood Leopold’s feelings at the time… Unsure how to react, I absentmindedly fiddled with the book cover.

“I felt a bit deflated reading this,” Leopold admitted.

I felt exactly the same. If we had known this information, would we have needed to take such a long detour?

“But… I was also happy.”

Now that I thought about it, he did mention children… I thought I understood why he said he was happy, but was I just jumping to conclusions? Even as I speculated, I found it hard to believe his boldness.

“Leopold…” I began.

“Children who look like you would be the cutest and most beautiful in the world. I already want to see them,” he said.

How long did I stare at him in a daze?

Only after slowly digesting the meaning of his final words multiple times was I finally able to give him a bright smile.

The main story ends.