Finally exhausted, I collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. I realized that this approach wouldn’t change his mind. ‘I’ decided to change tactics.

— It doesn’t matter anymore. I just want to stay here. That’s all I want.

I felt hot liquid streaming down my cheeks. I was crying. No wonder my vision had been blurry. I reached out with the hand I had been using to hit him and instead wrapped it around his neck. His firm shoulder flinched. I could feel his confusion. Sensing this, I clung to him even more.

— Please don’t abandon me. I’m begging you.

Eventually, his soft lips touched my forehead. He clumsily tried to comfort me. His gentle touch on my face and hair only made my anger flare up more.

— How could I ever abandon you?

He wasn’t lying. So, I wouldn’t be abandoned. But he still didn’t understand why I was sad. Nothing else mattered. Without me, he would be alone again. That thought was unbearably sad.

***

“Please don’t…”

A pitiful sob escaped my lips. Even in my half-conscious state, the pain was unbearable.

Thunk, thunk.

“Mate, wake up!”

When I opened my eyes, Shahar, back in stone form, was floating in the air, repeatedly dropping onto my face. Although Shahar was quite light for a stone, getting hit repeatedly still hurt. Tears welled up in my eyes again.

Thunk.

More than anything, the sound of Shahar hitting my head was strangely annoying.

“Please stop…”

Shahar, unaware that I had woken up, jumped into the air again.

“Stop it!”

I finally shouted. Shahar, about to drop onto my face again, awkwardly stopped mid-air. I reached out and grabbed him.

“I told you to stop. Why do you keep hitting me?”

“Sorry. I thought you were sleep-talking…”

“Well, I did wake up because it hurt, so I guess I should thank you. Anyway, thank you, Shahar.”

I wiped my tears with my sleeve and sat up. My whole body felt stiff.

“You woke up sooner than I expected.”

Gined was standing next to me. I hadn’t noticed him arrive.

“How long was I out?”

“About half a day. But I don’t know how much time has passed in reality.”

“It probably hasn’t been too long…”

I looked around slowly. The mist had completely cleared, and the knights were lying unconscious around the lake. The queen and the fairies were nowhere to be seen. I remembered that fairies didn’t leave bodies behind when they died; they just dispersed. Realizing I had contributed to the extermination of an entire tribe, even if they were intruders and of a different species, made me feel melancholic. Not wanting to show it, I changed the subject.

“What about His Highness?”

Gined pointed behind me. The Crown Prince was still lost in his dreams.

“What? He’s still like that?”

“He was almost married to the queen, so it will take a bit more time.”

Seeing him sleeping peacefully while everyone else had suffered made me furious. I vowed to make him pay once he woke up. Gined handed me something. It was a softly glowing orb.

“What is this?”

“It’s the queen’s essence. It has the power to dispel nightmares and bring happy dreams. Since you defeated her, it belongs to you.”

“Happy dreams…”

It seemed like a trivial ability, but as someone who often suffered from nightmares after becoming the protagonist, it sounded appealing. I put the essence in my pocket.

Speaking of which, what was that dream earlier? At first, I thought it was Enril, but the content was strange. Why would I cling to Enril and cry? Even if I was a hopeless fool, I wasn’t so shameless as to flirt with a taken man.

“Sir Roengreen.”

“Yes, lady?”

“Do fairies’ dreams ever show things that never happened?”

“That wouldn’t happen. If the illusion is too far from reality, it would be obvious.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

But I still couldn’t remember when I had experienced such a thing.

“Shall we head back?”

“Alright. And though I’m reluctant, let’s have Shahar carry His Highness.”

I pointed to the Crown Prince with a nod and tried to stand up. Moving too quickly, my legs gave out, and I stumbled. Gined caught me swiftly, preventing me from falling.

“Thank you.”

Our position was a bit awkward, like we were dancing. Gined’s strong arm was around my waist, and my hand was in his. Without his gauntlet and gloves, I could feel his warmth.

‘What a stroke of luck…’

Just as I thought that, I noticed the state he was in. His beautiful face and neck were covered in scratches, and his armor was dented and battered.

After scanning him from head to toe, I looked up to see Gined staring down at me. Suddenly, my face started to sting and ache. It wasn’t just my face; my entire body felt bruised and sore.

Meanwhile, Gined’s injuries had mysteriously vanished. His eyes gradually filled with shock as he looked at me.

I didn’t need to ask why he was reacting that way. His injuries had transferred to me. This was bad.

“Lady…?”

Instead of asking what had happened, he muttered in a dazed tone. Despite the pain, I forced myself to explain calmly.

“There’s something I didn’t tell you. I’m a healer. As you can see, the condition is that I have to touch the person I’m healing.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“They say a woman should have secrets to be attractive.”

Repeating the advice Janet had given me, Gined gritted his teeth.

“That’s ridiculous… Did you also take the scratch on my chin last time?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“If you’re not trying to make me angry, please tell me the truth.”

Intimidated by his stern voice, I confessed.

“Well, actually… I recently awakened my ability and needed someone to test it on…”

He stared at me blankly, then slowly released me and stepped back. Taking this chance, I called Shahar. Understanding my intention, Shahar spread himself wide, creating a place for me to lie down.

“Thank you. Oh, this hurts…”

‘Oops.’

I wanted to hold back in front of Gined, but the pain was too much, and I let out a groan. Glancing at Gined, I saw him looking very flustered, unsure of what to do.

“Just so you know, it’s my fault for not telling you sooner. It’s not your fault. And when someone else’s injuries transfer to me, the symptoms are much milder, so don’t worry too much.”

Seeing the usually stoic Gined flustered because of me wasn’t as satisfying as I had imagined. It made me feel uneasy.

“Even if it doesn’t help much, I’ll heal you a bit.”

Gined tried to channel his holy power. I pushed him away, shaking my head. Despite his healed wounds, he was exhausted from fighting the fairies and tending to the knights.

“If you leave it like this, it will be painful.”

“You endured more pain.”

“……”

“I’ll get treatment once we’re out of the mountain. If you know a good priest, introduce me.”

Despite my joke, Gined still looked confused. But I was reaching my limit. Too tired to speak, I curled up and stayed silent.

“Hold on a bit longer. Now that the mist has cleared, people will come soon.”

As he said, it wasn’t long before the rescue team arrived.

“Lou, Lou! My daughter…!”

Half-asleep, I was jolted awake by my father’s voice.

‘Am I still dreaming?’

“Lou! Lou!”

My father called my name again. It was too loud and clear to be a hallucination. I quickly lifted my head.

In the distance, my father was running toward me, with my mother following behind. I had expected a rescue team, but not my parents. I was stunned.

“Huh? Father, Mother? What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? We were so worried when we heard you were missing!”

If there were a competition for the most doting parents, mine would undoubtedly win first place. While I was genuinely relieved to reunite with my parents safely, their over-the-top reaction was quite embarrassing.