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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Rainbow After the Rain
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“Well, you see…”
Even if I was half-asleep, how could I?
To slap Karayan’s butt, of all people.
So hard that my palm was still stinging.
The sleepiness vanished completely.
Given Karayan’s temper, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to yell at me.
Lumina braced herself to apologize profusely, her heart pounding as she watched him.
“Did you just break a bone?”
“…Pardon?”
“You just grazed it. A moment ago.”
It wasn’t a ‘graze,’ it was a ‘thwack.’
Anyone could see that Lumina was the one who had hit him.
But Karayan was treating Lumina like someone who had been injured by colliding with a giant boulder.
“If you don’t want to sound like an old woman at your age, drink this. Your voice has gotten raspy again.”
Lumina gulped down the warm ginger tea Karayan handed her.
Then she stared blankly at Karayan as he threatened the doctor to examine her.
Was his butt really okay?
Even if it was in her sleep, she had been angry, so she had put quite a bit of force into the slap.
But he was acting so nonchalant that it was a little bewildering.
‘I guess Legions’ butts are usually harder than my head…’
Lumina was inwardly marveling.
“Are you hungry?”
“Huh? What? No.”
Karayan, who had stopped harassing the doctor, suddenly asked Lumina.
“For someone who isn’t, you’re chugging that tea. Isn’t it because you’re hungry?”
“No. It’s just because the tea is warm and delicious.”
Really?
Karayan doubted Lumina’s sincerity.
Even though it had honey in it, ginger tea was still ginger tea. It was a taste that was bound to be divisive.
Karayan was only giving it to her because it was good for her; he would have understood even if Lumina had spat it out with a ‘blegh.’
Although, it suited Lumina’s taste so perfectly that she was drinking it down eagerly enough to be suspected of being hungry.
“Get examined, and as soon as we confirm your condition, eat immediately. In the meantime, don’t go picking up and eating flowers somewhere just because you’re hungry.”
Lumina felt it was unfair.
She was constantly being strangely misunderstood.
She herself couldn’t believe that she had spat out a flower she had never even eaten.
‘And it was even perfectly intact. Usually, you chew when you eat, which means that wasn’t it. No, of course it wasn’t, since I never ate it in the first place, right?’
The more she thought about it, the less she understood.
Having finished the ginger tea, Lumina was examined in front of Karayan.
“Then I will begin the examination, my lady. Could you please extend your hand?”
The first doctor took Lumina’s wrist to check her pulse.
It was a common occurrence, so Lumina didn’t mind.
But Karayan, who was watching with a displeased look, interrupted.
“Your hand.”
Karayan tapped the back of the doctor’s hand.
Neither the doctor nor Lumina knew what he meant, so they both looked at Karayan at the same time.
“You’re gripping it like you’re going to crush it. What are you going to do if it gets squashed?”
“…”
“Can’t you see her palm is already red from hitting it earlier?”
“Haha. Yes.”
This level of nagging was practically child’s play. The doctor laughed it off.
Lumina couldn’t help but seriously wonder just how Karayan saw her.
To be squashed just from a light grip on her wrist. Even a cotton doll wouldn’t be that fragile.
“She is much better than yesterday. Her wounds have healed considerably since I last saw them. I believe she can focus on recovering with a peaceful mind.”
“You believe so?”
“She can!”
When Karayan pointed out the ambiguous wording, the doctor immediately corrected himself.
In fact, Lumina’s recovery rate was remarkable, even in the doctor’s eyes.
Examining her external injuries, new skin had already formed, and her fever had dropped so much that she no longer needed to take medicine.
But Karayan couldn’t believe it.
After that, a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth…
The doctors flooded in like the tide and receded just as quickly.
They all left after giving their opinion that Lumina was healthy.
“They all say I’m healthy.”
“For someone who’s healthy, you were unconscious for too long.”
“I’ve always been a heavy sleeper.”
Hehe.
Lumina gave a carefree smile.
She was starting to get tired from being examined so much.
She was rather desperate, afraid Karayan might call another doctor under the pretext of it being the last one.
“She might even pick and eat flowers because she’s hungry, so prepare a meal quickly. Ah, it’s hard for her to walk, so she’ll eat here.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The people of the Heart dukedom were all like this. They treated a person like some porcelain doll.
Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Lumina spoke up once even the waiting maids had left, leaving her alone with Karayan.
“Karayan.”
“What? Are you uncomfortable somewhere? As I thought, those old geezers are just quacks who gobble up money…”
“No. It’s not that. I have another favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Could you please keep the fact that I’m a Legion a secret?”
Karayan’s expression, which had been full of complaints, turned serious.
“Even if you didn’t say it, I have enough sense for that.”
Lumina, like Brandon, was a Legion with a unique ability never seen before. It wasn’t something to be spread around carelessly.
“The fact that I’m a Legion is a secret even the imperial family doesn’t know.”
“What were you thinking? What are you going to do if someone finds out about your ability and captures you, walking around unregistered like that?”
“You’ll help me, Karayan!”
To be precise, the Duke of Heart.
But we’re part of the same Heart family, aren’t we?
Lumina looked at Karayan, beaming.
“You, you…!”
“What is it?”
“You…! How can you say something like that?!”
“Did I say something I shouldn’t have? It’s true, isn’t it? If I were captured by the imperial family or another country because I’m a Legion with a unique ability, you would help me, Karayan.”
“W-why would I! I don’t like you at all, you know?”
“?”
Lumina tilted her head.
Something about the conversation was off-kilter.
Moreover, Karayan’s ears, seen in the bright daylight, were stained an even more vivid shade of red.
“I’m your wife, Karayan. Isn’t it natural for you to help since the Young Duchess is in trouble?”
“…”
“What on earth were you thinking all by yourself?”
Lumina narrowed her eyes, then gave a quick double eyebrow raise as she asked.
It was an expression Karayan might have described as ‘sly.’
Hearing the question, Karayan’s lips moved several times as if he were malfunctioning.
Then, finding himself at a disadvantage, he subtly changed the subject.
“…By the way, does *that person* know that your ability isn’t simply healing wounds?”
“Uhm…”
“Don’t even think about lying.”
“Okay…”
“So he does know.”
It was difficult to deny.
Because lying would only make the aftermath harder to handle.
“No matter how unique the ability is. If he knew you get hurt every time you use it, he should have refused when you came to him. And yet he approved the marriage?”
Karayan cursed his father, Lucius.
He even said, “As expected of the greatest Legion of all Legions.”
The level of profanity towards his father was no joke.
Karayan, who already hated his father, found his hatred and distrust deepening with this opportunity.
Leaving the mumbling Karayan behind, Lumina carefully slid off the bed.
It was as if he had eyes on the side of his head; the moment Lumina’s feet touched the floor, Karayan whipped around.
“What are you going to do if you break your ankle, getting up so recklessly.”
“I have to get up to eat anyway. You’ll get sick if you eat lying down!”
Slipping on her slippers, Lumina trotted over to the window.
“And I’ve been feeling this for a while, but it’s stuffy in here. Even if it’s raining. Let’s get some air.”
“That’s something I can…”
*Shwwwk-.*
Quick to act, Lumina pulled back the curtains before Karayan could stop her.
“I guess it kept raining while I was asleep. But it looks like it’ll stop soon. The rain has gotten much lighter.”
The afternoon sky, with the rain clouds having somewhat dissipated, was bright.
The light that had been blocked by the curtains seeped onto Lumina’s pale face.
*Heave.*
Lumina opened the window.
At the same time, a cool breeze rushed in as if clamoring to be the first to enter.
The cool air that filled her lungs with every breath felt fresh.
Lumina savored the unique smell that only comes after it rains, sticking her head out the window.
“Oh?”
“What is it? Is there something outside?”
Karayan, who was standing a little away from Lumina as if he hated the sight of rain, asked in surprise.
“Yes! Karayan. Karayan. Come look.”
Reaching an arm back, Lumina waved her hand quickly, urging Karayan over.
What on earth had she seen to get so excited like a child?
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t curious, so Karayan stood next to Lumina.
“Look over there. There. It’s small, but there’s a rainbow, pretty as a picture.”
Following Lumina’s dainty finger, he saw a rainbow hanging in the sky like a patch of fabric.
“You were surprised by just that?”
“Just that? Rainbows only appear after it rains. You can *only* see it right now!”
Lumina emphasized the ‘right now.’
“With the rain clouds gone, it feels like a black curtain has been pulled back.”
Lumina murmured, looking up at the sky.
“Even if it’s covered in dark clouds, the fact that the sky is blue doesn’t change. The darkness is only a fleeting moment.”
“…”
“But isn’t it so pretty?”
Lumina’s wheat-colored hair fluttered along with the incoming breeze.
Her faintly shining, delicate hair resembled the warm sunlight.
Annoyed by her hair blowing about, Lumina casually tucked it behind her ear.
Then, her pink eyes, sparkling a lighter shade than usual, could be seen clearly.
“Yeah. It’s pretty.”
The budding spring had taken a large step forward.
Karayan, unable to tear his eyes from Lumina, said without realizing, his lips moving on their own.
“Right?”
Lumina, still looking at the rainbow, agreed.
To think they’d have the same thought while looking at a rainbow.
Even a heartless Legion must have some sense of aesthetics.
she thought.
