Aaron returned to the marquisate, consumed by anger. With the heir appointment ceremony just around the corner, what kind of catastrophe had unfolded?

He had put on a façade in front of the healer, trying to figure out what was happening, but he had gained little of significance.

“Dear, has Raphael really returned?”

The marquis’s wife gently asked, attempting to soothe her enraged husband.

“Yes. Just before leaving the palace, it was confirmed that he has the mark on his shoulder blade. Philip, who represented the nobility, told me. He was so excited, saying it would be announced soon… That brat, how dare he be so pleased in front of me after all the effort I’ve put in!”

“Don’t be too disheartened. No matter what, you have your own faction, so he won’t easily take the heir position now. If he had grown up normally, he wouldn’t have received any education in royal studies.”

His wife’s words were not wrong. Aaron had made every effort to turn his brother’s power to his side, and the result was the upcoming heir appointment ceremony. Moreover, education to become a king was not something that happened overnight.

However, direct bloodline, as history had proven, was a force stronger than anything else. A sigh continuously escaped his twisted lips.

Just then, a knight outside urgently called for Aaron.

“Marquis! An urgent message!”

He clutched his throbbing head. What could it be now, adding to his irritation?

“Speak.”

The knight, breathing heavily, knelt on one knee and reported.

“News from the border. The Empire has started deploying troops near the border. It seems to be quite a large force.”

“Troops, suddenly? Are you sure?”

“Yes, we’ve confirmed it multiple times; they are indeed Imperial soldiers.”

The news made no sense. Relations with the Empire had never been better.

But troops appearing just as the heir surfaced… If Raphael had caused trouble in the Empire… It wasn’t entirely impossible.

“Delay reporting to His Majesty as much as possible and find out the reasons in detail.”

“Understood!”

Deploying troops just to capture a single civilian was absurd, but the fact that Raphael, thought to be dead, had appeared was already a mind-boggling situation.

So perhaps this was an opportunity to turn things around.

***

Not long after Aaron left, another maid came to find me. She entered with a wide smile on her face.

“His Majesty has ordered that you be escorted to the guest room, healer.”

Was this anxious wait finally leading to the desired conclusion?

“Has the result come out?”

“Yes! The person who came with you is indeed the missing prince!”

As soon as I finished asking, she replied so loudly that the room seemed to echo. It was clear she was overjoyed and could hardly contain her excitement.

“Oh my goodness…”

I covered my mouth with both hands in astonishment. Who would have thought that my choice to turn back in fear to treat Derrick would lead to this?

“That’s really great! So when can I see Derrick? Oh, but can I just meet him because I want to? He’s a prince now.”

“Of course! You’re his benefactor. However, there are a few more procedures left, so they asked if you could comfortably stay at the palace until everything is completed.”

There was a hint of expectation in her eyes. Perhaps because it concerned her master, she seemed to view me as a benefactor as well.

“Sure.”

I willingly followed the maid to the guest room.

“Here we are. I’ve prepared a bath in advance. I’ll attend to you.”

“No need for assistance with the bath. I prefer to be alone.”

“Then call me anytime if you need anything!”

She left with an excited tone, her enthusiasm lingering until the end.

The room provided by the principality was so lavish that it felt overwhelming for a mere guest. My few belongings looked particularly shabby against the opulent interior.

It seemed they had just prepared it, as hot steam was rising from the bathtub. Since leaving Fojetta, I had been in a constant state of tension, and just seeing the white steam helped alleviate my fatigue.

I set my clothes aside and slowly immersed myself in the warm bathwater.

As soon as my heel touched the water, it stung. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a slight scrape from walking so much. I instinctively reached out to heal the wound, but suddenly, countless deep and vivid scars flooded my mind.

To avoid getting lost in unnecessary thoughts again, I focused on relieving my fatigue. I poured the scented oil from the side table into the bath and scattered dried petals. However, instead of feeling relaxed, my mind became even more restless. The misdeeds of Lady Lawrence, which I had been trying hard to ignore, kept resurfacing.

She, who was always kind, would look at me with gentle eyes and say,

‘I’m glad to have met you. I really want to walk on two legs again. I believe there’s a way, and only you can do it…’

I swore I never disliked those words. They were things Lady Lawrence could naturally say. Moreover, anyone could see that the way she treated me was more than how she treated her own child. No, looking back now, it was incomparable to how she treated her son, Leopold.

The cruel marks on the child’s legs were nothing like the minor scrape on my heel. They had been there for so many years, layered upon one another.

Watching his mother pour endless affection into the child she had taken in, what must he have thought? Naturally, he would have resented me, being merely an outlet for his mother’s frustrations.

Yes, naturally.

I realized the obvious too late.

From the start, I hadn’t really tried to understand or get to know what was happening between them. There must have been a way to find out, but everyone remained silent, and that was reason enough.

Yet, I had hoped for his love…

If only I had caught her eye a little sooner, if I had healed her leg even a day earlier, would he have suffered less?

The only conclusion I could draw from these pointless assumptions was this:

Even now, I should somehow heal Lady Lawrence’s leg to give Leopold more freedom…

Even though my heart was already twisted beyond repair, this seemed like the one thing I could and should do.

For the sake of poor young Leopold.

***

“Hazel, Hazel? Are you awake?”

I was in the midst of leisurely getting ready after a long, restful sleep when an urgent voice called from outside the door.

“…Derrick?”

I signaled to the maid helping me with my hair to open the door and stood up to greet him.

“Hazel!”

A man who seemed somewhat unfamiliar rushed in as soon as the door opened and hugged me tightly. I was so shocked that I couldn’t breathe and froze in place, but fortunately, he quickly let go. Instead, his large hands rested on my shoulders.

“You heard the news, right? This is all thanks to you, Hazel! Not only did I find my family, but my parents are the king and queen. It’s unbelievable. Can you believe it, Hazel?”

Derrick, incredibly excited, appeared ready to stand there talking to me forever.

“Um, how about we sit down and talk calmly?”

Realizing his excitement, Derrick withdrew his hands and gave an awkward laugh.

The maid, who had been watching us with a slightly surprised expression, tactfully withdrew after serving tea. We sat across from each other at the tea table.

“Derrick, you look like a completely different person. I was surprised.”

He had neatly combed his hair back and wore a white uniform adorned with gold epaulettes and intricately embossed buttons.

“Do I look a bit awkward? I dressed up like this just to show you, Hazel!”

He spread his arms slightly and puffed out his chest, as if seeking a compliment. His innocence made me chuckle.

Derrick, who had once been a prisoner and severely injured, had worn clothes that were practically rags, covered in blood. So, as soon as we arrived at the principality, we changed his clothes, and even then, he looked quite handsome. But now, in his uniform, he exuded a new elegance, one different from Leopold’s intimidating grace.

“So should I call you Raphael now?”

“Yes, it feels strange to me too, but I’ve found my real name.”

“The name suits you well, with your hair and eye color. Congratulations.”

I offered him a sincere smile.

Derrick—no, Raphael—looked at me with a slightly dazed expression before quickly turning his gaze away. Given how much effort I had put into keeping my distance, he might have been confused about how to respond to me now that I was lowering my guard.

“…Thank you.”

He finally replied, hastily sipping his tea, which must still have been hot.

As expected, Raphael quickly pulled the cup away from his mouth and stuck out his tongue slightly. Since he was still unfamiliar with etiquette, I pretended not to notice and asked something I had been curious about since last night.

“But how did they confirm the mark?”

“Oh, that… Do you want to see?”

He seemed to ponder for a moment before suddenly standing up and taking off his epaulette jacket. Then he undid his ivory vest and cravat and began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Ra-Raphael, what are you doing?”

As his skin began to show, I ended up covering my face with both hands and bowing my head.

“I’m showing you the mark! You’ve already seen my body before; why are you so shy now?”

His voice was clear and playful, full of mischief. From the moment he entered the room, I thought he really needed etiquette training.

“Seeing it for healing wounds and this are different, aren’t they?”

“Come on, just look. There’s still a faint mark.”

With a more serious tone, I finally opened my eyes. Reassuring myself that it was just like examining a patient, I turned my gaze to where his finger pointed.

Raphael, seemingly in anticipation, tugged down the left shoulder of his ruffled shirt.