I took a deep breath, tensing my entire body. Everything was different now, and even if he treated me poorly, it was never my problem. Therefore, there was no reason to make myself unhappy.

“I have something to say.”

Determined not to back down, I looked directly at him. Leopold twisted his face and asked in a distorted voice, “Do you really need to hear harsher words from me?”

“Say whatever you want. I’ve heard so much already that it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

He let out a short breath, as if exasperated, then leaned in close to my face and murmured coldly, “Don’t put on a brave front. You are utterly weak, making foolish… choices again—. Hmph.”

Suddenly, he stopped speaking. He let out a short groan and lowered his head. His right hand was gripping his chest tightly.

“Leopold…!”

Instantly, I turned pale and reached out to him. My hand trembled violently, as if it weren’t my own.

“Your Grace!”

“My lord!”

The knights who had been standing by rushed over. Leopold remained completely still.

Finally, when my hand fully touched his shoulder, he collapsed forward. Like a tree felled by an axe, he fell without any resistance.

My heart raced for a different reason. The knights said something to me, then carried him inside the mansion, while Roscoe clung to my clothes, his mouth opening and closing silently.

Though I knew I needed to treat him immediately, my body wouldn’t move, as if I were in a daze, and a ringing filled my ears.

I had never imagined such a situation.

Had I provoked him to the point of collapse?

Perhaps he lost consciousness because I pushed him too hard when he shouldn’t have been overexerted. Leopold, who was said to be stronger than anyone else…

As a healer, I only managed to agitate the patient further…

I wasn’t even qualified to treat Leopold—

“Madam! Madam!”

Someone grabbed me and shook me vigorously.

“Get a hold of yourself!”

Jayden shouted urgently.

“You came here to treat my lord, didn’t you? You must hurry. If not you, who will take care of him?”

“Jayden…”

If not me, then who would treat Leopold…

Repeating his words, I blankly looked at Jayden. His eyes were filled with concern.

“Hurry. There’s only you, Madam.”

That’s right… Only I could treat him…

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to calm myself. I needed to regain my composure.

“Whew.”

“I’ll take you there.”

As soon as I opened my eyes after taking a deep breath, Jayden spoke as if he had been waiting. But I shook my head and glanced at Roscoe.

“No. You take him to his room.”

Roscoe, frightened by the unfamiliar situation, hesitated and asked, “Hazel… Are you okay?”

“Yes. Roscoe, I’ll see you later.”

Forcing a smile, I bid him farewell and lifted my skirt. By now, the servants would have laid Leopold down and changed him into comfortable clothes.

Heart disease was often caused by congenital defects. However, it was relatively easy to treat because, like healing external wounds, the heart could be reorganized with magic.

The problem was acquired heart disease. Not only was it difficult to determine the cause, but the treatment direction and outcome varied greatly depending on whether it was an issue with the heart itself or if surrounding tissues were affecting it. Unfortunately, cases with poor prognosis were slightly more common.

However, I had never failed to treat a patient before. I had more than enough magical power. I needed to quickly shake off negative thoughts…

The door to Leopold’s bedroom was wide open. The servants were bustling about, placing basins of hot water and clean towels by his side, and filling the fireplace with logs to warm the room.

Peter approached me with a worried expression.

“From now on, I’ll handle things. Please, take everyone out.”

“Understood.”

With a single clap, he dismissed the staff. He then gave a brief bow and exited the room, the sound of the door closing echoing shortly after. I slowly approached the bed.

The long curtain cast a shadow over Leopold’s face, making his pale complexion appear even darker. I untied the curtain cord and secured it tightly against the wall, but his beautiful face remained in shadow, leaving me with a sense of regret for my futile effort.

I cautiously pulled back the blanket covering his chest. The slow rise and fall of his breathing seemed incredibly peaceful. As I leaned closer and pressed my ear to his chest, even his heartbeat sounded normal.

Hope surged within me that perhaps it wasn’t a serious issue. Maybe it could be treated more easily than expected…

I placed my right hand over his chest. A blue light began to glow between the slightly parted space. Concentrating all my energy in one direction, I poured out my magical power. First, I protected his body with immense power, then searched for the problem…

“What…?”

But I had to withdraw my power almost immediately, startled by a sensation I had never experienced before.

The principle of a healer treating a patient with magic is essentially to ‘inject’ power. However, the power I poured into Leopold felt as if it was being… ‘extracted.’

I had treated many patients before, but this was the first time I encountered such a case. Was it because he possessed extraordinary magical power? I attempted to infuse my power again. Yet, the result was the same. It felt as if Leopold’s destructive power was relentlessly absorbing mine.

I hesitated, unsure if I should continue the treatment. Using my power wasn’t the issue, but I had no idea how long or how much I would need to use it. If I couldn’t determine this, I might collapse during the treatment. Life force, magical power, and physical strength are interconnected, and unfortunately, my stamina had its limits.

If I were to lose consciousness during the treatment and Leopold’s condition worsened… If I couldn’t provide emergency care in time…

Even though I tried not to imagine the worst-case scenario, the suffocating picture vividly formed in my mind.

Despite the luxury of time, I found myself unable to act, letting precious moments slip away. If only I understood how his magical power functioned, I could set a clear treatment direction.

If this were the academy, I would have gathered my mentors and peers to brainstorm together. Or I could have searched through dusty old books in the library for any clues about destructive power.

A clue…

There was one method.

Reading memories.

For physical injuries, healers typically briefly connect with the patient’s moment of trauma. In that process, they often find the optimal treatment method. However, for all other ailments, reading a patient’s memories required their consent by principle. And of course, I needed Leopold’s consent now.

I quietly looked down at him. The reason I was so determined to treat him, even if it meant going this far, was because my feelings for him were selfish.

Because I wanted him to live, so he wouldn’t cause me pain, a selfishness disguised as affection…

“I don’t want to violate the healer’s ethics, but saving you is more important right now. I won’t ask for your understanding. I’m sorry.”

I whispered softly to him and refined my magical power once more. Unlike before, Leopold’s power remained calm, as if aware it wasn’t for treatment.

With tension and fear, I slowly traced his past with my fingertips. Since the heart is an organ that governs the body’s blood flow from the moment a person is born, I could potentially read an entire lifetime if I wished.

However, what mattered now was identifying the nature of Leopold’s power, so I prioritized tracking memories where his power was used.

“What is… this…?”

I had expected the first memory to be when his mother’s leg was injured. But instead, a pitch-black darkness unfolded in my mind. The occasional screams and sobs were pitiful and sorrowful.

‘No, please… not the child… Please, save the child… Please…’

‘I will save the child, so focus on Sarah.’

With urgent instructions, the blue light symbolizing the healer’s power appeared before me. But it was soon engulfed by a bright red light.

‘Your Grace, the lady’s complexion is returning!’

The voice filled with joy quickly turned into a horrifying scream. Many people cried out, repeating the word “Your Grace.”

What had I just seen?

Could I take what I saw at face value?

Was this really Leopold’s power…?

My body trembled slightly.

Struggling to regain my composure, I moved on to the next trace.

‘…There is nothing for me to be happy about because of you. You’re just… a substitute for my husband. You should use the life you took from him meaningfully.’

As the gentle voice faded, the room was suddenly filled with light. The mother, who had threatened her son with a kind voice, collapsed weakly, and the young boy whimpered in terror.

I finally withdrew my power completely.

I thought I understood now.

Why he didn’t want to have children, and why he couldn’t bring himself to tell me the truth.

What on earth had I been forcing upon him?