I ran, leaving him behind. Through the wide-open gate, carts were lined up, entering one after another. Everyone seemed busy from dawn, likely because they needed to procure fresh ingredients.
I approached a guard near the gate, identified myself, and showed my bracelet. He seemed a bit surprised, but when I explained that I was leaving due to an urgent patient, he allowed me to pass immediately.
I bid farewell to the now-familiar scenery and urged the horse forward with all my might, like someone fleeing, afraid that someone might actually chase after me.
While conversing with the stable manager and focusing on the treatment, I hadn’t thought of Leopold. But now, he slowly began to occupy my mind. I wondered if I had been too emotional, yet it was still hard to shake off the feeling that he had played me.
If he, with all his past memories, had even slightly shared my feelings, and if he had wanted to become a normal couple this time, he should have confessed everything to me first and begged for forgiveness. Why did he make a fool of me, leaving the easy path behind?
Ultimately, I became convinced that the reason Leopold seemed different after the regression was solely due to guilt. He wanted to somehow take back the harsh words he had said… Even though I no longer desired his heart, the truth I faced was a bit sad.
Running alongside the rising sun in the distance, I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Once I reached D’Agnon, I planned to keep myself so busy with work and research that I wouldn’t have a moment to think of him.
So, by the time I truly stopped thinking about Leopold Lawrence, I would lightly reminisce all these memories as nothing more than the painful first love of a naive youth.
***
Except for a brief stop just before leaving the principality, I rode almost non-stop for half a day. My whole body ached, but all I could think about was that I mustn’t stop.
At the principality’s border, the inspector I had met while traveling with Raphael was still there. Unlike our first encounter, he was fussing, repeatedly apologizing for not knowing the patient was a prince and for being rude. At the time, no one knew Raphael’s identity, so he had nothing to apologize for, but I pretended not to know and asked him to let me pass quickly. Thanks to that, I was able to leave the principality without any issues.
After passing through several villages along the forest path under the Whitia Mountains, I finally reached my destination when the sun was well past its zenith. In the north, even in summer, it starts to cool down in the afternoon, but D’Agnon, true to its southern location, still had hot air.
The saving grace was that a stream flowing down from the mountains ran through the center of the village, making it cooler than other places.
I paused at the village entrance located below the stream and dismounted from my horse. I didn’t know how long I would stay, but I wanted to greet the people I would be interacting with closely.
Holding the reins and entering the village with a nervous heart, a boy suddenly came running at an incredible speed, shouting from afar.
“Wow! Silver hair!”
“Huh, what?”
Startled, I froze as the boy clung to me with all his might. At the same time, the horse, startled, reared back, creating a dangerous situation, so I quickly embraced the boy.
“Careful!”
“Ahh!”
I worried that the horse might be further startled by the loud noise, but fortunately, it calmed down quickly. Once I set the boy down, I saw other people rushing over in a fluster.
“Theo!”
“You little troublemaker!”
“Oh my, are you okay?”
“You, come here right now!”
There was a cute blonde girl, a middle-aged woman, a woman my age whom I instantly recognized, and a young man with the same reddish-brown hair as the boy.
The boy glanced at the young man, who was frowning, stuck out his tongue, and then clung to me again. It was awkward, but seeing that he might get scolded, I quickly spoke up.
“I’m fine. I’m more worried that the boy might have been scared.”
“Scared? That brat is probably laughing right now!”
“Matt, that’s enough. Stop it. Theo, come here. Now!”
The middle-aged woman, wearing an apron, scolded him harshly, and the boy hesitantly moved and ran to her.
“You’re the healer, right? I’m really sorry for causing such a commotion at our first meeting.”
The young woman, who had her hair neatly tied up, stepped forward and spoke with an embarrassed expression.
“No, it’s alright. But are you by any chance Alisa…?”
“Yes. I thought you’d recognize me right away.”
She replied with a smile. Her red hair, hazel eyes, and the cute freckles scattered across her cheeks were a perfect match for Emily’s.
“I’ve been waiting ever since I heard you were coming, but I got worried when there was no news.”
“I was delayed because something came up along the way.”
I felt a bit guilty for causing unnecessary concern. As I responded with an awkward expression, Alisa cheerfully reassured me that it was fine.
“Oh, I see! Actually, the kids were more excited than I was. In a small village like this, it’s rare to meet someone important. This little troublemaker is Theo, and this is Rose.”
The children were about waist-high, appearing to be around six or seven years old. When her name was mentioned, Rose shyly hid behind Alisa. I found her so adorable that I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Meanwhile, the other two introduced themselves.
“I’m Theo’s older brother, Matt.”
“I’m Helena, the mother of Theo and Matt. I apologize for what just happened.”
“I’m Hazel, a healer from the northeastern Lawrence estate.”
I bowed politely to them, and a flicker of surprise crossed their faces, as if they already knew my identity.
“I heard you’re the Duchess, but we’re not sure how we should address you…”
Helena hesitated, trailing off nervously.
“Forget about titles and just call me by my name. This isn’t the Lawrence estate, and I’m here as a healer for research.”
“Oh? Here is now Lawrence—ugh!”
“What?”
Matt tilted his head, starting to say ‘Lawrence,’ when Alisa abruptly hit his back with an awkward motion.
“Matt must feel a sense of closeness with the Lawrence family now. My sister works there, you know!”
Her smile seemed forced, but it wasn’t something I wanted to press further, so I pretended to understand.
“…Yes. Alisa, where’s your house? I think I should rest the horse first. After riding at full speed without stopping, it’s quite exhausted. So am I.”
“Oh dear, look at me. Keeping a guest standing here like this. Let’s go. I’ll introduce you to the village later. Matt, could you take care of the horse?”
“Uh, okay.”
She clapped her hands together in excitement. Matt, still looking bewildered, nodded and took the reins.
“Auntie, I’ll come back tomorrow!”
“Sure. Rest well, Hazel.”
Theo and Matt’s mother seemed unable to relax, maintaining a tense expression, as if she found me intimidating.
“Please, drop the ‘Miss,’ Helena. If you treat me comfortably, it’ll be easier for me too.”
I asked playfully, trying to lighten the mood, and she seemed a bit surprised before giving a faint smile.
“Alright, Hazel. See you again.”
Feeling much better, I waved to the children and followed Alisa.
The village was cleaner than I had expected. Although the houses were old, they were well-maintained, and the roads were straight and easy to walk on. It was a rural village like Fojetta, but in much better condition.
Alisa’s house was located deep within the village, close to the mountains, which I particularly liked. The mountains always had herbs growing, and I planned to spend a lot of time there during my stay.
The villagers we met along the way were surprisingly friendly, greeting me and welcoming me warmly, which was a bit overwhelming.
“They have high expectations of you as a healer. Many of them have aches and pains from farming or carpentry work. They may be transparent, but they’re not bad people.”
Alisa clicked her tongue briefly, but added a defensive comment, showing her affection for the village. I didn’t think it was bad at all, as it’s natural for people in pain to hope for relief from a healer.
“That’s the two-story house over there.”
Following her pointing finger, I saw a charming brick house. The exterior was painted white, and the roof retained its natural wood color, giving it a clean and warm atmosphere. There was a chimney at each end of the triangular roof, and while there was no terrace, a wooden bench sat above a low flowerbed in front of the house.
As we approached along the path, a small barn came into view first, and past the front door, there was a small one-story building attached.
“Alisa, should I tie the horse in the barn?”
“Yes. Thanks, Matt.”
“No problem. Healer, uh, can I call you Healer? Alisa calls you that. Have a good rest!”
“Thanks for bringing the horse here. Take care.”
As Matt cheerfully bid farewell and turned away, Alisa began introducing the house.
“The place where Matt tied the horse is the barn, but since we don’t have livestock right now, we use it to store firewood and hay. This door in front is the main entrance, and the side door leads to the annex. There’s a well and a clothesline behind the house. There’s no garden, but if you want, you can cultivate one side of that wooden bench over there.”
“It’s much bigger and nicer than I expected! I’m impressed.”
I couldn’t help but express genuine admiration, seeing the love and care evident in every part of the house.
“My parents built this house with great care over many years, though they’re not here now.”
She smiled broadly, clearly proud. I had heard she was shy, but her outgoing personality was a pleasant surprise.
With a smile that could brighten anyone’s day, Alisa opened the front door wide.
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Vk.alves
But in her past life she was also completely obtuse. Since you have the power to heal, you know that someone is taking time off work for health reasons of a family member and you don’t help?