Chapter 7 – Blessing or Curse (Part 3)

Meanwhile, Ennen, left alone in the central hall on the first floor, tried to figure out what had happened.

He had come to fetch the lady on the Marquis’s orders, waited briefly in the hall, then heard several footsteps. Soon, it became chaotic. Everyone was running around as if their feet were on fire, and the Crown Prince carried an unconscious woman upstairs.

‘Why is the Crown Prince here? More importantly, why was he carrying a woman?’

The latter puzzled him more than the former, causing him to frown slightly. The name of the lady he had heard earlier crossed his mind.

‘No way.’

Thinking he might be on to something, Ennen walked towards the corridor where the commotion had occurred. Everyone was too preoccupied to stop him.

The spot where Ria had bled was already cleaned with no traces left, but Ennen scanned the area as if it didn’t matter.

‘The cries of “Ria,” the maid sweeping broken glass, the doctor mentioning a potion.’

All the conversations from that spot had reached him due to their raised voices mixed with panic, excitement, anxiety, and impatience.

‘And then there was the Crown Prince, who was carrying a dark-haired woman I had never seen before, the restless Duke Carlisle, the frozen Duke Astina, and lastly, the hurriedly departing Sir Fernon.’

With a colorful past and a profession sensitive to fads and changes, Ennen was quick to notice.

‘What if the lady had been taking a potion to change her black hair? To avoid the attention of nobles and people?’

He had figured it all out in an instant.

***

The four men used their status, power, and wealth. They called not only the doctors in the capital but also those in the most remote villages and even obtained rare, legendary medicinal herbs.

All this happened in just two days.

However, they all shook their heads, apologizing without discovering the cause. Without knowing the cause, even rare herbs were useless.

Even the palace doctor, reputed to be the best in the empire, shook his head, so it was only natural that they couldn’t solve it. The only thing they learned was that the potion didn’t contain any poison. Despite this, they didn’t give up. They couldn’t afford to.

Thus, another hellish day ended.

Only after the moon rose high to light up the darkness did the sound of people’s footsteps, constantly coming and going, finally cease, and a quiet silence fell. A calm voice broke the silence much later.

“Ria.”

Just calling her name choked him up. Rune bit his lower lip hard and pressed his forehead against her tightly held hand.

“…Ria.”

Whenever he called her name, she would always respond with a bright smile, whispering his name back in a sweet voice. But no matter how much he called, only the air, always warm for her, brushed his cheek in reply.

Knowing she couldn’t hear him, Rune kept calling her name, his head dropping low in despair.

The day Ria collapsed, coughing up blood, he could do nothing. Once again, the nightmare, the darkness, engulfed him. The red blood soaking her, her tightly shut eyes, her limp arm—all these traumatic images resurfaced, tormenting him.

All the days he kept telling himself he had to overcome it, that it wouldn’t happen again, disappeared in an instant.

“I want to sleep, okay?”

His blue eyes, wet as if tears were about to pour, closed tightly. Rune rubbed his cheek against her hand, trying to lift his trembling lips into a smile.

“You always came to me then. You held me and stayed with me until I fell asleep.”

But he couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice. His voice, muffled as if swallowed by tears, came out, and Rune bit his lip hard once more. Blood oozed from his already messed-up lips.

“…You can say it was a joke, that you just couldn’t wake up in time. I won’t get mad.”

Even knowing it was absurd, he wished it was a joke. He wished it was a joke for him, after being reunited after so long.

“So please…, please don’t try to leave my side again. Please.”

The tears flowing down his cheek carried all the indescribable emotions.

***

As morning broke again, the busy footsteps of people coming and going filled the room. This time, a skilled doctor from a certain territory, personally brought by Kahin, started the examination. As soon as he finished, they demanded an answer.

“Speak.”

“Well, that is….”

The doctor stammered, unable to speak easily, then fell to his knees and begged, sensing the fierce gaze and the threat to his life.

“I don’t know! I’m sorry! Please, spare me!”

“…….”

“Th-The lady has an unknown illness. It’s something that Imperial medicine cannot figure out, hick!”

“Seems your mouth is unnecessary.”

The doctor, scared and babbling the truth without reading the room, trembled and shut his mouth as a cold sword reached his nose.

Cherta bit his lip and withdrew the sword.

‘This is where Ria is.’

If Ria hadn’t been in this room, the doctor would have been killed with his mouth torn apart.

“Get out. Everyone, leave.”

“Th-Thank you!”

The doctor fled immediately, and the attendants quickly left the room, fearing the fire would spread to them. Only three men remained in the room.

“Where’s Rune?”

“He muttered something at dawn and went to the underground secret chamber.”

“The one with the first Duchess’s items? I remember we found nothing useful there a few days ago.”

“Seems he thought of something.”

Eden, soaking a towel in warm water, squeezed it out and wiped Ria’s face as he answered. Cherta, sitting on the floor with no improvement, leaned against the bed and ran his fingers through his hair.

Just then, Kahin, leaning against the window frame, straightened up.

“He’s coming.”

Soon, the door opened, and Rune entered, bringing slightly hopeful news.

“I think I found it.”

“Really?”

“To be precise, I found a way to find out how to wake her up.”

“Tell us.”

In this stagnant situation, even that was a glimmer of hope, so Cherta urged him.

“Do you remember I mentioned the journal that told me how to bring Ria here?”

“Yes. Was it written there?”

“No. It wasn’t.”

“Then?”

“After Ria met the first Duchess, the journal disappeared, and instead, a red orb was left. The book I found in the secret chamber explained how to use the orb.”

Rune showed a black book entwined with red cloth and opened a specific page to read.

“The only ones who can use the orb are me and children like me. However, there is an exception. ‘A child who shares my blood can possess this right once.’”

As he finished speaking and put down the book, he grasped the red orb he had brought with one hand and held a sword in the other.

“I will begin immediately.”

“Wait, what if it doesn’t work?”

“…At the very least, it should allow me to meet the first Duchess like it did for Ria. Even if it doesn’t help, it’s worth a try.”

‘Better than doing nothing.’ 

At these added words, Cherta nodded in agreement. Rune glanced at the bed where Ria lay, then cut his hand with the sword, letting the blood drip onto the red orb.

As soon as the blood touched it, a red light burst from the orb.

“Ugh.”

The moment the dazzling light disappeared, Rune found himself in an unfamiliar place and grimaced at the sudden headache. Clutching his head, he looked around to see a strange mirror in the dark space.