The two people’s gazes, which had been directed at the map, were quickly withdrawn.
Although it was brief, an uncomfortable silence swept over them. It felt like someone needed to say something. Ertel, feeling awkward, kept rubbing her arm.

“How was your first lesson with the tutor today? Was it alright?”

Icarus was the first to break the silence and ask how she was doing. Perhaps he found it hard to endure the awkwardness as well. Whatever the reason, Ertel was glad that the heavy silence had been broken.

“It was fine. I liked the curriculum too. It was an enjoyable time.”

“I’m glad to hear it wasn’t boring and that you enjoyed it. Sarah is quite a skilled master. Through her, you’ll be able to acquire various kinds of knowledge that will prove useful in many situations. No matter where you go with me, you’ll have the dignity of a duchess without any shortcomings.”

Ertel forced a smile at his formal words but was mentally preoccupied. She couldn’t get the passage she had just read in the book out of her mind.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ah…”

At Icarus’s sharp and perceptive question, Ertel’s face momentarily flushed. The more she hesitated, the more suspicious he would become.

“It’s just… I suddenly became curious about what your life would be like after obtaining the gemstone.”

“…What?”

“I mean, after I die and your ambition is realized.”

Even she didn’t know why she suddenly brought up such a question. In fact, Ertel regretted saying it the moment it left her lips.

“Will you then marry a woman you truly love instead of someone you meet for your goals?”

At that moment, Icarus’s straight eyebrows twitched. He leaned his body against the wall with a slant.

In truth, such conversations were meaningless between the two of them. But Icarus didn’t want to respond with a joke. So, he spoke with sincerity.

“No.”

“…What?”

“You will be the first and last wife in my life.”

“…!”

“There will be no one after you.”

For a moment, Ertel’s heart sank. Her eyes, which had been dull and weary moments ago, widened like a full moon. Against her will, she became deeply unsettled.

It was a statement that love, in his life, neither existed now nor would ever exist in the future. So, she thought she shouldn’t misunderstand… and yet…

Her gaze turned to Icarus’s right hand. Now that she knew what was written in the book,

‘I want to test it.’

She wanted to see if she truly possessed that ability. If she could use it right away.

“Give me your hand.”

Ertel naturally took Icarus’s right hand and spread it open. Her sudden action made his body flinch. Although they had already shared physical contact before, from hugs to kisses, this unexpected touch left Icarus frozen.

“What are you doing?”

On the palm of his right hand was a scar that looked like a badge of honor, left from being stabbed by a knife. It was so deeply carved that it seemed it would never disappear.

Icarus tilted his head as he looked at her, staring intently at his scar.

“Are you feeling guilty about it now?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

Ertel placed her hands on his scar and muttered to herself.

‘I want to heal this man’s wound.’

At that moment, she prayed with all her heart.

From between the bookshelves came the sound of golden-winged fairies fluttering in flight. Soon, a tingling sensation spread through her chest.

Had it been about five seconds?

“…!”

A miracle occurred. The skin on Icarus’s right hand began to regenerate. The deep knife wound faded, and in an instant, the scar disappeared.

Icarus, unable to believe what he was seeing, opened his mouth in shock. It was nothing short of magic.

The two of them looked at each other, astonished. The words in the book had been true.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze, and the two of them stood as if turned to ice. His hand, as if reborn, returned to normal, and Ertel belatedly let go of it.

“Ah…”

What had started as a simple experiment turned into certainty.

‘I really do have healing powers.’

It was a moment when she could truly feel that a gemstone was embedded in her heart.

Ertel, snapping back to her senses, found her mind blank as she tried to figure out what to say to him.

‘What should I do?’

Icarus stared at her with an intense gaze, as if urging her to say something.

“Ertel, just now… What was that?”

“The scar… It’s healed.”

“That’s what I’m asking.”

Ertel, realizing she had uncovered her hidden power, felt a rush of dopamine. It felt like she had found a glimmer of hope in the uncertain future that had felt so bleak.

But hope was hope, and she needed to deal with what had just happened. The duke was staring at her strangely, speechless like a mute who had swallowed honey.

“Your Grace, I… just remembered something I forgot to do.”

“…What?”

“I’ll see you at dinner, then!”

“Ertel!”

Ignoring his urgent voice, Ertel pretended not to hear and quickly left the room. Holding up the hem of her dress, she climbed the stairs briskly, her movements swift.

Icarus could only stare blankly at her retreating figure as she disappeared in haste.

“This is unbelievable. I can’t believe it.”

The mysterious event that had just occurred still made his heart race. It wasn’t simply the joy of having his scar healed.

Feeling bewildered, he looked around the bookshelves.

‘She must have read something here.’

He recalled having studied the Kaiya Stone in the past. The legends and information were so vast and condensed that he couldn’t memorize it all, but he vaguely remembered one thing.

“Could it be…?”

Ertel had healed him right before his eyes. In history, there were cases where kingdoms, upon discovering someone who possessed a gemstone, designated them as cultural assets rather than killing them. They were made to live as royal healers.

Icarus belatedly began to wonder.

“Why did she heal my wound?”

As he stared at his now unscarred right hand, his thoughts grew complicated. Whenever he had seen the scar, it had reminded him of Ertel running away from their wedding. It had become a nightmare that appeared even in his dreams.

Now that the scar was gone, perhaps the pain of that memory would also fade.

‘Surely, she must want to kill me.’

No matter how much he tried to reason it out, he couldn’t find an answer. It was impossible to see her action as mere flattery because he couldn’t grasp her true intentions.

Icarus was suddenly overwhelmed with confusion. A storm of emotions, intangible and chaotic, swirled within him.

He wanted to run to her immediately, grab her arm, and ask.

‘Why did you do this to me?’

Icarus remained in the library, frozen in place for a long time.

***

Amar was summoned to the study. Due to the incident, the two men were having a serious conversation.

Icarus, still stuck in his thoughts, kept replaying the moment Ertel healed his wound—her expression and gestures. Ertel had looked at him with gentle eyes, like a healer treating a patient.

He couldn’t forget that fleeting warmth.

“She healed my wound.”

The more he questioned it, the more questions arose. He reflected on her words during their arranged marriage discussions in the sealed room.

While living in the mansion, she had pretended to love the duke. And she had reluctantly agreed to the arranged marriage.

“She must have been dying to kill me, so why did she heal me? Did my scar look that serious to her? Serious enough to bother her?”

While Icarus was deeply troubled, Amar seemed indifferent. He wondered why he had been urgently summoned for something so trivial.

“My lord, don’t you understand?”

“Understand what?”

“She looked just as surprised as you when she used her power, didn’t she?”

“She did.”

“Then she probably just wanted to try using it! She was merely experimenting on you.”

“Experimenting… That’s all it was?”

“What else could it be? Why are you giving it so much meaning?”

“…Giving it meaning.”

“You’re not seriously softening up because of this, are you?”

From Amar’s perspective, Icarus’s current state was incomprehensible. It was already an established fact that the two of them wanted to kill each other. There was no way emotions could exist just because she healed his wound.

“I was treated like a lab rat.”

“Still, you should be grateful, my lord. It’s fortunate that her ability turned out to be healing. What if she had some kind of lethal assassination skill? Then your life would have been as fragile as a fly’s.”

Amar’s nagging felt especially sharp today, further irritating Icarus. Icarus decided he would rather be alone.

“Amar, I think I’ll refrain from discussing my wife in front of you from now on.”

Amar found the duke’s use of the term “wife” bothersome. It was nothing more than an empty marriage, so why use such affectionate language? He worried that the duke might be developing feelings for his prey.

“You seem unusually indecisive when it comes to Ertel, my lord.”

“Hmm.”

Perhaps because they felt they couldn’t understand each other, the air grew tense. Icarus slumped into his chair, gesturing for his aide to leave.

“My lord.”

Amar didn’t budge.

“What is it?”

“My lord, I have a request.”