Translator: Nox
(24) The Golden Lion's Treasure and Contaminated Water (8)
The doctors, after thoroughly examining the Magical Energy victims who had awakened, confirmed that there were no further issues with them. Jackie, a kitchen apprentice at Lily Palace, blinked her eyes and got out of bed.
When she first opened her eyes, she didn't know what had happened to her. She was in a daze, as if she had just woken up from a nap, but as she was examined, her memories slowly returned.
She had been caught slacking off while washing dishes by a senior chef and scolded. Grumbling, she put her hands back in the basin, and then an extreme pain washed over her. It was a pain she had never experienced before, so she groaned and seemed to have fainted.
'I think I had a really scary dream...'
Darkness with a form. A terror with crimson teeth. It seemed she had a nightmare where such things swarmed and crushed Jackie.
She didn't know how long she endured in a place where everything was dark and the only thing that came to mind was 'death'. Just when she thought she was really going to die, she found a figure surrounded by a faint light.
Jackie ran frantically towards the figure, but she woke up on the bed just before she reached her. And she saw her standing drenched in the middle of the treatment room.
'She was so beautiful...'
The doctor who examined Jackie said, "You would have died if it weren't for the Lily Palace Princess."
Jackie left the treatment room in a daze and returned to Lily Palace. Jackie smiled brightly and said to the chefs who greeted her with teary eyes.
"You know, the Princess saved me. Can you believe it? I've never seen the Princess before, but she came into that terrible nightmare to save me!"
+++
When Kirshan was turned away and returned, only the captains of the royal guard remained in the treatment room. Adrian said.
"Hexter took the kid home."
"Ah, is that so."
Kirshan still looked up at the ceiling of the treatment room, where water was dripping.
"The maids will be here soon to clean up the treatment room. Let's go."
"Ah, is that so."
Kirshan, who had always been in charge of calmly appeasing Floyd's anger, found it difficult to keep his mind focused this time.
'What happened?'
"What happened?"
Adrian voiced Kirshan's thoughts.
"What on earth did that Princess do?"
Kirshan realized that Adrian had elevated her from 'that woman' to 'Princess'.
"At first, I thought that if our lord was fire, then that Princess was water. But do you know what Jewelry said?"
"What did she say?"
"She said that monsters were chasing her, and the Princess was there. So she ran to the Princess and woke up."
"A nightmare..."
"It's not a nightmare. It's the same for everyone else. Everyone saw the Princess in their nightmares. Our lord can't do that."
No one spoke as they walked down the hallway. When they left the main palace, Arsene said.
"Our lord may have already known about her abilities. That's why he took her in."
Kirshan glanced at Arsene. He still looked displeased with her existence.
No matter how great Roxana's abilities were, it was unacceptable for him to house her in Lily Palace, a slave branded with a mark.
But Kirshan didn't care about Arsene's rigid thoughts. Kirshan knew that the treatment towards Roxana would change in this Grand Duke's residence from now on. At least the knights who valued ability would treat Roxana, who had the talent to drive out Magical Energy, with respect.
The ability to drive out Magical Energy in a different way, which could only be washed away with blessed holy water obtained from the Great Temple, was a talent that not everyone could have. A talent worth protecting Gania Kingdom against.
In fact, Adrian no longer frowned when talking about her.
"Our lord didn't seem to know about the Princess's abilities. He looked more surprised than anyone else when he opened the door to the treatment room."
"That's right. He even looked a little foolish. By the way..."
Cain, who didn't know that Floyd had taken Roxana to his room, turned his gaze towards Lily Palace.
"Is the Princess okay? She looked like she was about to die..."
+++
She had a nostalgic dream. Even in the dream, she knew it was a dream. Such a peaceful scene would no longer be given to her.
Knowing it was a fleeting dream, the young Roxana smiled. If her family was watching her somewhere in this dream, it would be better to show them her smiling face.
In front of Roxana, something transparent was changing its shape into various animals. Young Lotty watched it and giggled.
From time to time, a breeze of just the right temperature blew, wiping the dust off Lotty's cheeks. As if not to be outdone, the ground vibrated, causing the flowers densely blooming on the trees to shake and scatter their petals like snow.
Lotty looked up at the petals falling above her. The petals swirling like they were embroidering the bright blue sky were beautiful.
Lotty, standing in the middle of the swirling petals, looked like a fairy. Her platinum blonde hair also fluttered beautifully along with the petals.
-My lovely Lotty. How can you be so pretty?
-Do you know? We saved you when you were about to die in your mother's womb.
-Our Kings gathered their strength to save your life. The Kings hate humans, but your mother has been good to us since she was young. So our Kings listened to your mother's prayers.
-So you are also our child. We will always protect you.
Lotty liked listening to the kind voices. They were very affectionate, cheerful, noisy, and merry. Because of them, Lotty wasn't scared even when she had to sleep alone at night.
"Lotty!"
Then, a voice she missed so much was heard. Lotty turned around and stared at the person running towards her, waving her hand wildly.
Young Lotty was smiling, but Roxana inside was shedding tears of blood.
'Echion, Brother...'
She wanted to see her family even in a dream. She desperately hoped that even if it was a fleeting, futile dream, someone would come to her.
And that prayer was answered.
Roxana stared at her brother, who was younger than she was now. Bright blue eyes, radiant blonde hair, and a slightly stubborn-looking mouth.
Echion, Brother, looked this stubborn even when he was young.
As she was thinking that, Echion, who had come close before she knew it, hugged Lotty from behind.
"Spirits. This is troubling."
Echion said, looking at Undine, who had drawn water and created a shape.
-What's troubling. More nagging.
Undine grumbled, but Echion couldn't hear the voice. Ordinary people could see the shapes created by the Spirits, but they couldn't hear their voices.
Only Roxana had the talent to hear and communicate with the Spirits' voices so clearly. Even Roxana's mother, who was born with the blood of a Spirit User, couldn't hear their voices this clearly.
"There are people everywhere in the palace. If you get noticed like this, we'll be in big trouble. And please don't talk to Lotty where there are people. People are whispering that Lotty might have a mental problem."
-He's rigid.
-Echion is stupid.
-Not pretty. Annoying guy.
-Lotty is our child!
The Spirits grumbled, but Echion, who couldn't hear the sound, held Lotty's hand tightly and turned around. Lotty turned around and waved her hand at the remaining Spirits.
And she looked up at her brother and asked.
"Brother, are you angry with me?"
Echion, who had been stiff, smiled brightly when he met his sister's eyes. The stubbornness at the corners of his mouth disappeared, and a gentle affection was engraved.
"Lotty, I will never be angry with you. You are my one and only sister."
"Ranian?"
When Lotty asked, recalling her younger brother, Echion frowned.
"That kid is too reckless and a boy. No more younger brothers. I don't even want to think about it."
Echion, the eldest son, sighed as he recalled his boisterous younger brothers. Lotty thought that her eldest brother, who didn't raise his voice even once while suffering from the pranks of her second and third older brothers and her younger brother, was amazing.
To Lotty, who was constantly tormented by the pranks of her second and third brothers, Echion felt like the coolest man in the world.
"When I grow up, I'm going to marry Brother!"
At Lotty's words, Echion's eyes widened before he laughed loudly. Roxana thought that her brother's clear laughter was good to hear, and she woke up from her dream.
Even though she knew it was a dream, there was no way to stop the emptiness and sadness of the moment she woke up. She felt a tearing pain in her heart at the sight she would never face again. Just as the pain was rising through her heart and about to turn into sobs, Roxana noticed the anomaly.
'What is it?'
Something heavy was wrapping around Roxana's body and pressing down on her. Only then did Roxana open her eyes and find the man's face right in front of her face.
Tanned skin and thick eyebrows, long eyelashes hanging down under closed eyes, and a high nose, firmly closed lips. Perfectly balanced features like a perfectly finished sculpture.
Roxana's eyes widened even more.
'This is...?'
What she realized next was her condition. Roxana was being held tightly in his arms.
One of his firm arms was under Roxana's head, and the other arm was over Roxana's waist. His thighs were intertwined as if binding Roxana's thighs.
