Chapter 51
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That was how she justified it to herself.
A wedding grand enough to tempt even royalty.
Stepping onto such a stage, just once, didn't seem so bad.
After finishing her nail care, Odelia quietly watched Freya reviewing the invitation drafts.
Her hair was tied up tightly, not reaching above her neckline, the Head Maid's uniform was without a single wrinkle, and her fingertips moved like a pen nib as she stood ramrod straight.
She felt intimidated by the sight, but…
"What if… we changed the arrangement like this?"
Odelia pointed to the placement of the decorations on the invitation sample.
"If we reduce the gold leaf here a bit and add blue thread on this side, wouldn't it look cleaner?"
Freya stated without a moment's hesitation.
"It lacks dignity."
"...I see."
Odelia, cut off so decisively, closed her mouth with a sullen look.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand…
"...The Princess's opinion wasn't bad either."
Freya added unexpectedly.
Judging by her expression, she seemed surprised by her own reaction.
"However, the Grand Duchess must only handle the 'best'."
A somewhat clumsy explanation.
Soothing, yet still driving the point home with the tone of a stickler for rules.
Odelia found that tone subtly amusing.
When a chuckle involuntarily escaped Odelia's lips, Freya finally became serious.
"What's so funny?"
"No, it's nothing."
Odelia tried her best to compose her expression, but the corners of her mouth were still lifted.
The wedding day was slowly approaching.
* * *
The entire castle was running breathlessly every day.
The days left until the wedding could now be counted on one hand.
The color of the curtains was newly changed, and even the angle of the silver candlesticks was different.
Even the smallest decoration was subjected to dozens of revisions, and servants bustled about in the hallways.
A tension like the eve of battle hung in the air.
At first, she found it burdensome, but now she was slowly getting used to it.
Odelia recalled a short conversation she had with Ludville a while ago.
"Is there really a reason to go this far?"
"Many eyes are watching."
"You didn't seem like someone who cared about such things."
"...If people start to look down on the Princess, it will make me uncomfortable."
Because of Cardel.
Odelia quickly understood the meaning behind his words, even without him saying it directly.
Ludville was trying to send a blatant warning through the wedding.
That she was now a member of the Excepcion Family, and anyone who dared to touch her would pay the price.
'Come to think of it, this is the first time I've directly confronted the Cardel Family like this.'
In her past life, she was the one who ran away.
Always.
But this life was different.
She didn't avoid it and faced it head-on.
Odelia didn't regret her choice.
Ludville, too… was standing by her side in the most unwavering way.
With actions instead of words.
Quietly, from behind.
"……."
"Princess, your face seems a little red. Do you have a fever?"
"……No."
Odelia answered hastily when Leona asked worriedly.
After cooling her cheeks with the back of her cold hand for a moment, she fixed her gaze back on the documents she was holding.
She was memorizing the route and ceremonial phrases for the wedding day.
'It's a bit quiet today…'
She should be hearing nagging around this time.
Odelia suddenly felt strange.
Because the person who was always at the center of the commotion was nowhere to be seen.
"…Where's the Head Maid?"
Odelia turned her head and asked.
Leona, who was arranging the hem of the dress beside her, paused and raised her head.
"Come to think of it… I think she said she was going to the dress room earlier, but she hasn't come back yet."
At those words, the servants began to murmur quietly.
"She didn't even do the decoration inspection today."
"Until yesterday, she was telling us to treat the rehearsal like the actual wedding."
"Did something urgent suddenly come up?"
"Isn't this the first time the Head Maid has been absent?"
Listening to their conversation, an ominous premonition began to creep in.
'Could it be…'
Memories of her past life came to mind.
Freya wasn't originally in good health.
She never complained even amidst the heavy workload, but she quickly turned pale when she overdid it.
Even so, she never showed it and always pushed through with her work.
And whenever that happened, she would disappear without a word.
And then, a few hours later, she would reappear with an indifferent face, acting as if nothing had happened.
Making excuses that she had other urgent matters to attend to.
'…That habit, it must still be the same.'
Odelia slowly rose from her seat.
"Leona. I'm going out for a bit."
"Yes? Princess, where are you going…"
Instead of answering, Odelia quickly walked down the hallway.
To a remote place that ordinary maids didn't know about.
A place that was once used as a laundry room, but was now old and closed off.
It was Freya's only secret space where she could remain as a 'weak person'.
'Please be safe…'
Odelia anxiously hurried her steps, and as soon as she arrived, she hurriedly opened the door.
And she gasped.
"…Freya!"
Freya was leaning against the wall, hugging her knees, slowly lowering her upper body.
Her skin was almost as white as paper, and her breathing was shallow and irregular.
Her pulse was weak, and there was almost no warmth in her fingertips.
Cardiac Syncope.
It was Freya's chronic illness that she had learned about in her past life.
Back then, it had ended with a simple fainting spell, but this time, her condition seemed much more serious.
Continued overwork, pressure from the wedding preparations, and even past trauma…
This wasn't just simple exhaustion.
If she missed the treatment window, it could be really dangerous.
Odelia knelt down without hesitation.
"It's okay, I'll make sure you don't have to be in pain anymore."
She reached out and placed her palm near Freya's chest.
A golden aura quietly bloomed at her fingertips.
But this time, the method was different.
She focused on the irregular vibrations of the heart that she felt through her fingertips.
She could feel the dark, old remnants of pain clinging deep within the blood vessels connected to the heart, beneath the skin.
Odelia slowly began to absorb it into her own body and eliminate it.
She tried to maintain calmness without rushing.
She had to manifest her ability much more slowly and very delicately than usual.
She could feel the energy of Purification slowly spreading as if enveloping the heart and blood vessels.
Then, a soft and warm pulse began to flow anew in that place.
As if worn and damaged gears were being replaced with new ones.
It was a fleeting moment, but it felt long as if time had stopped.
And finally—
Freya's chest quietly heaved.
"Haa……."
Only then did Odelia let out a sigh of relief, and carefully took her hand.
She had poured quite a bit of magic power into eliminating the chronic disease at its root.
Cold sweat formed on her forehead, and her whole body began to ache.
As she gradually lost strength in her whole body, the terms of her contract with Ludville came to mind, but…
'I kept my promise of once.'
Besides, she didn't vomit blood this time, and her consciousness was clear.
In her own way, wasn't she doing well?
…Odelia quietly rationalized to herself.
