Chapter 22
22
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After that, Gabi asked about Rosa's recent academic achievements.
"Oh, Gabi, does Rosa know her numbers well?"
"Numbers?"
Gabriella gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
"She definitely knows up to five. From six onwards, she seems a bit confused. What about Your Highness? Would you like to try counting from one?"
Unlike in front of Beatrice, I confidently counted the numbers.
"One, two, three, four, five, six!"
"That's right! You got it, Your Highness."
I pondered for a moment about how far to go, and a wicked smile crept onto my lips.
"Seven, eight, nine, ten!"
Gabriella started clapping.
I puffed out my chest and said,
"But... I'll just be as good as Rosa, um, so I'll only know up to six. Is that okay?"
Tears of emotion welled up in Gabriella's eyes.
"Thank you, and thank you again, kind Your Highness..."
I had only been pretending to study half-heartedly recently, but now I didn't even need to do that.
As I closed the book and took out the pastels, Gabriella smiled warmly.
"Since you don't have anything to study... please draw and relax, Your Highness."
I pretended to play by drawing for a while, then secretly took out the hidden schedule and glanced at it again.
The content written on the top line was...
'Save Gabi.'
Come to think of it, Gabriella's coughing has decreased lately.
I glanced at Gabriella, and she was preparing to write a letter to her mother.
"Gabi, are you not sick anymore?"
I asked carefully, and Gabriella, holding a pen, looked at me and smiled.
"Were you still worried about me? I'm fine. Your Highness needs to be healthier."
Gabriella was only worried about me, but I couldn't believe it.
"The medicine? Are you taking it?"
"Oh, Your Highness."
Gabriella waved her hand.
"I took it for a long time. Now I've finished it all, and I'm all better, so don't worry about it. Okay?"
Really?
'It's too early to conclude, so I need to watch her carefully for a while.'
I stared at Gabriella for a moment before turning my gaze to the schedule.
'Receive the oracle, get revenge on Rosa, recruit Dad, test Healing Power. Protect Yan.'
Sadly, I hadn't accomplished anything yet.
'No, it's only been ten days since I became young again.'
I patted my shrinking heart and underlined one thing on the schedule.
'Test Healing Power'
It had become vague because I picked up Yan, but I still needed to prioritize the Healing Power test.
'If I fail, to avoid being noticed by others...'
I should take the opportunity when my father goes to Nigel.
Since he became very sensitive because I collapsed, it would be a big problem if I got hurt in front of my father again.
'Ah, I wish I could be old enough to see the calendar soon.'
I reluctantly thought as I drew letters like pictures on the scattered paper.
* * *
"Yan, there's something..."
While Gabriella went out to deliver a letter for a while, I spoke to Yan.
Then Yan flapped his wings unusually and answered in a hushed voice.
"I told you not to keep talking to me, why!"
I pouted at his grumpy voice and asked.
"No, are you really a Magical creature? Like the Celestial Steed in Nigel?"
Yan immediately retorted.
"Do you think I look like a Celestial Steed? They are riding animals!"
Calling a Celestial Steed a riding animal.
If they heard it in Nigel, they might arrest Yan for blasphemy.
I flinched and asked again.
"W, well, you're not as big as a Celestial Steed... so you're not a Magical creature...?"
Yan sighed, looking at me with pity.
"Magical creature or whatever is just what humans say, how would I know?"
"Is that so...?"
I asked again, feeling doubtful.
"But, won't my dad look for you today? Won't he think it's strange if you're not there...?"
"...I think so too. So, about that."
Yan scurried closer.
Thinking he had come up with a good idea, I leaned in, but he sighed again.
"Heal my wound here."
"What...?"
I asked, dumbfounded, and Yan burst into anger.
"It's not healing because you don't care! I need to heal so I can fly to your dad or not!"
"I don't care!"
I was about to get angry because I prayed every night, but Yan just said what he wanted as usual.
"Hurry up and heal me!"
"Ugh!"
What is he?
He's like Victory!
'He said he wasn't a baby!'
I was indignant, but I grabbed Peep-peep and put him on my palm.
I gently laid him down and looked at his stomach, and the unhealed wound was revealed.
The black stitches that had been sewn made the wound even more prominent.
'It does look painful...'
In the end, my heart softened quickly, and I blew on it.
"Hoo... heal quickly, Yan."
Yan demanded shamelessly while lying down.
"More, do it more."
"Hoo... Hoo..."
Now that I looked at it, Yan seemed to be in a lot of pain.
He flinched every time my breath touched him, so I had to put my lips very close and blow gently.
"Phew..."
It was me who was having a hard time blowing, but Yan made a groaning sound as if he was having a harder time.
"Why? Does it hurt too much?"
When I asked, he grumbled.
"No, I'm just wondering when it will heal like this."
I shook my head and soothed Yan like a baby.
"Our cute Yan..."
Then I gently stroked his round head to comfort him.
"Hoo, doesn't mean it heals right away when I hoo... I'm not a Healer like my mom..."
Not yet.
'I thought he would get angry if I said that...'
Yan just kept groaning.
"Yan, does it really hurt a lot...?"
Then, he said weakly.
"...It hurts so much. I feel like crying."
Do birds cry...?
Anyway, it was a pity that it hurt so much.
"What should I do?"
He whined.
"I don't know. Hoo me a lot. Kiss me too."
"Yan, our cute one..."
I repeated once again.
"Hoo and kiss doesn't mean it heals in a day... Yan doesn't know yet."
That's what I said, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for the palm-sized guy shivering in pain.
"Hoo..."
As Yan wished, I blew on the wound and gently kissed him so it wouldn't hurt.
I did it a lot.
After a while, Gabriella came back.
"Oh my, Your Highness. What are you doing?"
"Uung, I'm healing Yan."
Gabriella laughed, not knowing the situation.
"Goodness, really..."
Then she came over and hugged me tightly.
"Your Highness is Ruelle's angel."
―Beeeep…….
Yan was still whining and pretending to be in pain.
While Gabriella was watching with amusement, I had no choice but to spend the morning healing (?) Yan.
* * *
In the afternoon, Yan suddenly jumped up.
"...Yan?"
Suspicious, I called out, and he turned his head from side to side and spread his wings wide.
"What are you doing...?"
Then, as soon as I asked, he fluttered up to the ceiling.
Then he circled around the room once.
Gabriella was preparing Yan's share along with my snacks, and she was surprised to see Yan suddenly become energetic.
"Oh my, it looks like he's almost healed? Your Highness's healing skills are extraordinary?"
Gabriella was joking, but I was so surprised that I couldn't close my open mouth.
'Just yesterday, he could barely fly up to the chandelier...'
No, was he pretending to be sick all along?
While I was wondering, Yan went to the window and pecked at it with his beak.
"Do you want me to open it...?"
I looked up at the window that I couldn't reach and asked, and Gabriella came over.
"He seems to want to go out. Peep... no, if Yan is a Magical creature, we shouldn't let him go like this, should we?"
Gabriella's guess was reasonable, but I spontaneously made up an excuse.
"No, Dad said I have to let Yan do whatever he wants."
Of course, it was a lie, but Gabriella wouldn't know.
The innocent nanny was quickly swayed by my words.
"Ah, did Grand Duke say that?"
Yan was busily pecking at the window while Gabriella hesitated.
In the end, Gabriella asked with an unsure voice.
"Then, should I open the window?"
"Ung!"
As if waiting for it, I answered, and Gabriella flinched a little.
When she finally opened the window after hesitating, Yan flew towards the Main Palace in a picturesque arc.
The small bird quickly became a small dot and disappeared from view.
"Wow..."
I was held in Gabriella's arms and admired the sight.
Gabriella said belatedly.
"...Your Highness will be disappointed if he doesn't come back."
Of course.
I would be very disappointed if he didn't come back, but Yan will come back.
He's also very afraid of cats, and he likes to sleep in my hand.
"He'll come back."
Gabriella sighed softly as if my conviction was pitiful.
I firmly told her.
"Don't ever close the window?"
