“……No need for that?”

Cardien’s questioning voice was chilling.

To his ears, it sounded as though there was no need to save Livia.

Normally, he wouldn’t be this irrational, but currently,y he was like a time bomb that could explode at the slightest touch.

Clear judgment was difficult.

Lewid flinched at the murderous intent rippling around him and tried to shield Teresa, but Teresa stopped his action with a slight nod.

She spoke quietly with a calm expression and tone.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying we shouldn’t save her. Rather……”

Teresa’s thin eyelashes lowered.

The eyes beyond them were firmer and resolute than anything.

Holding her head straight, Teresa looked directly at Cardien and said.

“I want to save her just as much as you do.”

“Yet, you’re stopping me?”

“I’m not stopping you. As I said, there’s no need for that.”

“Are you playing word games?”

Cardien’s demeanor grew fiercer.

In the tense atmosphere that seemed about to snap, Lewid was continuously anxious, but Teresa looked at Cardien without wavering.

After a moment of silence, just as Cardien was about to turn to leave the room, having deemed her not worth dealing with.

“My family home, ‘House Lapas,’ is a small family on the outskirts that wasn’t well-known, but they once researched alchemy long ago.”

Cardien stopped his movement and turned back to her.

“No one studies alchemy now, but the inventions from that time have been passed down as family treasures.”

“Wife, what does that……”

Lewid called out to Teresa with a bewildered face, as if this was the first time he’d heard of it, too, but Teresa’s gaze remained fixed solely on Cardien.

After a brief silence, Cardien parted his lips.

“So, are you saying this treasure can help save the Tutor? If so, why didn’t you use it to treat your own illness?”

Despite the sharp question, Teresa’s smile didn’t fade.

She turned to her husband, Lewid, and said.

“This treasure cannot be used on oneself. It can only be used when someone another sacrifices for you. I couldn’t ask others to sacrifice for my survival.”

At those words, Lewid stepped forward in alarm.

“W-wait, wife! If that’s true, then I…!!”

But Teresa gently yet firmly shook her head.

“I don’t have much time left anyway. Even if we used the treasure, it would only extend my time a little. But you have more to protect than just me.”

“What do you……”

“Aspul. Your territory.”

“……”

At the word ‘Aspul,’ Lewid couldn’t continue.

Quietly smiling, Teresa turned to Cardien and continued.

“If it weren’t for her, I would still be wandering in darkness. So I don’t regret this at all.”

“B-but wife……”

Lewid appeared to have difficulty accepting this, but Teresa was more resolute than ever.

“That’s not all. When she wakes up, there’s something I must tell her. So please don’t try to stop me anymore.”

“……”

Unable to break Teresa’s will, Lewid’s head dropped.

Teresa gently patted Lewid’s shoulder.

Then, turning to Cardien, she said.

“It won’t take long. Don’t worry. She will definitely wake up.”

“……”

Cardien stared at Teresa, then quietly left the room.

Teresa didn’t take her eyes off Cardien’s retreating figure.

“So that’s him. The person you’ve been longing for so much.”

She murmured quietly.

***

It wasn’t long after that when Teresa brought the vial.

After briefly examining Livia, who had her eyes tightly closed, Teresa handed the vial to Cardien.

Inside the vial, a transparent liquid that sparkled with blue light like an aurora was half-filled, swishing around.

“You need to feed this to Lady Livia.”

Looking down at the vial, Cardien frowned slightly.

“You’re saying this will save the Tutor.”

“I can’t answer with complete certainty, but it should be effective.”

Cardien doesn’t trust the power of others.

But at this moment, if it could wake Livia Pellington, he would gladly trust not just others, but even a passing dog.

“I wish you luck.”

After Teresa left, Cardien, now alone, turned to look at Livia.

Livia was peaceful, as if she were just in a deep sleep.

To the point where one might worry if it was right to disturb that sleep…

But…

“I’m sick of sleep now, Tutor.”

Turning his steps toward Livia’s side, he slowly bent his knee.

Up close, Livia’s complexion was pale. Her breathing was as quiet as the deep night.

Opening the vial, Cardien carefully parted Livia’s lips.

He poured the liquid into her mouth, but it didn’t go down her throat and leaked out.

“……”

Cardien’s fingertips twitched.

After a brief silence, Cardien’s hand moved again.

This time, toward himself.

Glug, glug, glug…

The sound of liquid flowing from the vial filled the room.

Holding the liquid in his mouth, Cardien bent down and pressed his lips to Livia’s parted ones.

Sealing their lips tightly together, he let the liquid flow through the gap.

So that Livia couldn’t push the liquid away.

“Hah……”

Even unconsciously, Livia flinched as her breath was blocked.

Holding her head with both hands so it wouldn’t bend, Cardien poured the liquid again.

Gulp, gulp.

The liquid in his mouth began to decrease.

There was no leakage.

By now, all the liquid had been poured into Livia, but Cardien’s head didn’t pull away.

Like savoring a fruit he would never taste again, he held Livia.

Livia’s body, which had been cold, gradually regained its warmth.

The night of the two, neither in their right mind, passed quietly like that.

***

The bright sunlight was dazzling, so I slowly opened my eyes.

Immediately, a tremendous headache hit me as if I’d been struck with a blunt object.

“Ugh, my head……”

What happened?

As I held my throbbing head and tried to sit up, I suddenly realized someone was beside me.

My vision was blurry from not being fully awake, but even with blurry vision, I could immediately recognize who that person was.

“Cardien?”

Why is this man here?

Only then did past memories flash by like a panorama.

So, I had successfully awakened the Countess, and while talking in the corridor, my vision suddenly became dizzy, and then.

‘I collapsed right there.’

I remember Cardien’s hardened face being the last thing I saw before losing consciousness.

‘……How much time has passed since then?’

I looked around, but there was nothing to indicate how much time had passed.

To find out, I would need to wake the man in front of me…

Since when had he been watching over me?

Cardien, who was leaning roughly against the bed, had his eyes tightly closed with a frowning expression.

…Is he sleeping?

He seems to be sleeping, but he doesn’t look well at all.

Well, I have no choice. I’ll have to take action.

I carefully extended my hand toward Cardien.

I was going to use my power to help him sleep comfortably.

Grab.

My hand was caught in mid-air.

Cardien slowly opened his eyes. Pale purple eyes turned toward me.

“……Tutor.”

His deeply sunken voice was as depressed as his eyes.

Unnecessarily flustered, I hurriedly said.

“Were you not sleeping? I, I wasn’t trying to do anything strange, it just seemed like you weren’t sleeping properly, so I wanted to help-”

But I couldn’t continue speaking.

Cardien pulled on the wrist he was holding.

Suddenly trapped in his arms in an awkward posture, I froze and could only blink.

What is…

It was as if my thoughts had momentarily stopped.

Meanwhile, the sound of his heartbeat beyond his chest, where my ear was pressed, was so loud that I worried it might burst.

“……Never again.”

However, as if none of that mattered, Cardien quietly said.

The arms holding me tightened.

Burying his head in my shoulder, he murmured with difficulty.

“Never again… will I lose you.”

“……”

Cardien looked so precarious as he said this.

“……I’m sorry.”

That was all I could say.