MLT l CH 2

Episode 2

Early in the morning, Ayla ran toward the clinic, her silvery-blue hair glinting under the sunlight.

She had received an urgent call through the special communication stone Dainhart had made just for the clinic.

Even though her body was exhausted, she had to treat patients. That was the professional ethic she had always lived by.

“Ah… lying down helps a little.”

After pouring out nearly thirty minutes’ worth of divine power on a patient in critical condition, she felt dizzy and lay down for a moment on a bed in the emergency room’s corner.

‘But what was that feeling just now?’

Now that her body was relaxed, her mind started to clear as well. Ayla thought back to the strange sense of déjà vu she’d felt earlier.

Normally, she would’ve ignored it. But ever since meeting the male lead, everything made her anxious. Somehow, she couldn’t help but feel she had to pay attention to it.

The patient she’d just treated—covered in blood from head to toe—had made her freeze the moment she saw him.

A strange familiarity had flashed before her eyes, as if some forgotten memory was brushing past.

It wasn’t disgust. It was more like… she was forgetting something crucial—like a missing key.

“Wait—what the hell?!”

Moments later, Ayla shot upright, her face pale.

She finally remembered what that strange feeling had been.

“No wonder my body felt weird that day…!”

Her heroine’s instinct—boosted by the “main character buff”—illuminated the blurry face in her memory.

“Oh my god. I already met Licht?!”

What made her even more frustrated was that, in her memory, Licht had looked like… a beggar.

It had been a week ago, near midnight, with rain drizzling down. That night, Ayla had been on duty at the clinic.

Knock, knock—

Hearing someone knock, Ayla quickly opened the door. At that hour, the only visitors were usually emergency patients.

A man stood there, soaked in rain, wearing an anxious expression.

“Is the patient’s condition very serious?”

From experience, Ayla knew that people who came to the clinic in the middle of the night were either desperate or crying.

She figured this man was probably the same, so she grabbed her raincoat hanging by the door and asked.

But instead of answering, he glanced inside the clinic.

Feeling uneasy, Ayla stepped in his way and asked again.

“What’s the patient’s condition?”

“…I need a healer who can use divine power.”

The man finally revealed his purpose, perhaps because of Ayla’s quick, professional tone.

To be honest, he hadn’t come here because he knew she could use divine power. It was just coincidence.

Normally, healers who could use divine power were found only in temples, not in ordinary clinics.

Still, he had come here on a desperate chance.

Because sometimes, divine healers disguised themselves as ordinary ones to hide their abilities. And in his situation, no one could find out about his patient’s condition.

If he had contacted the temple, the wrong ears would’ve heard—and disaster would’ve followed.

“I don’t know why you’re looking for someone like that here instead of the temple.”

“…Ah, I’m sorry.”

As she expected, the man turned away without hesitation and began walking back into the rain.

So why did she feel disappointed watching his back?

‘He’s the one who should be disappointed, not me.’

It was strange. For some reason, she wanted to help whoever he was trying to save. It just felt right.

Normally, she wouldn’t even have watched him go. She would’ve just gone back inside.

‘…It’s just the rain making me sentimental and soft-hearted, that’s all.’

Biting her lower lip, Ayla finally pulled on her raincoat properly and ran out into the rain.

“Wait—!”

Even though her voice was almost drowned out by the rain, the man stopped immediately and turned toward her.

“Is the patient in critical condition?”

“…It’s urgent. Please, treat them—money is no issue.”

“Fine, but don’t complain about the bill later.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled—a calm, warm smile that contrasted sharply with the gloomy weather—and began walking ahead of her.

They didn’t go far. The place was near the clinic, but isolated—an empty park people rarely visited, especially on rainy nights.

As they went deeper into the shadowed, tree-covered area, Ayla’s anxiety grew.

‘…Is this some kind of new kidnapping scheme?’

Given the situation, it wasn’t a ridiculous thought.

Just as she was weighing her chances of escaping, she saw a carriage.

“The patient is inside.”

“Ah… right.”

Feeling awkward for having suspected him, Ayla hurried toward the carriage.

“I’ll wait out here.”

“…Okay.”

She’d heard that priests and saints from temples never showed people how they used divine power.

It seemed this man understood that as well, giving her space out of courtesy.

But the moment she opened the carriage door, she realized how wrong she was.

‘Oh… he just didn’t care because the patient’s a beggar.’

Inside, a man was lying there—covered in blood and soaked from the rain.

His clothes were torn to rags; it was impossible to tell what he’d been wearing originally.

And his face—filthy and bruised, hair tangled beyond repair—looked like that of a man who had fallen hard in the mud.

“Sigh. And I thought he might be a criminal—turns out he’s just a kind noble helping a beggar.”

Clicking her tongue at herself, Ayla examined the patient.

Even a glance was enough to see he needed urgent treatment. She cleared her mind, placed her hand on the blood-soaked chest, and closed her eyes.

A soft white light began to spread from her palm, enveloping the man’s entire body.

Bzzzt—!

“Huh?”

Ayla flinched as a sudden current of energy ran through her hand.

She immediately pulled back and checked her palm. Despite the shock, there was no burn—only a smear of blood.

‘…Maybe it’s just because I haven’t used divine power in a while?’

It was over in an instant, and she couldn’t quite explain it.

Still, she shook off the doubt and continued healing.

‘Why does my power feel so… compatible with him?’

It was a strange sensation she’d never felt in her two years of using divine power.

But she didn’t stop.

Or rather—she couldn’t bring herself to stop.

She didn’t even notice that detail herself as she continued until the treatment was done.

“How is he?”

The man, who had been waiting outside, asked as she stepped out of the carriage.

“He’s past the critical point, but he’ll need several days of rest.”

The man exhaled in relief, clearly comforted by her words.

That look of concern warmed Ayla’s heart.

A nobleman who not only helped a random beggar but also worried for him—how admirable.

‘Now that’s true noblesse oblige.’

She decided right then she’d give him a discount.

“But what happened to him? If a healer like me hadn’t used divine power, he could’ve died.”

“Ah, that… well…”

The man hesitated, avoiding her gaze.

Ayla gave a small, bitter laugh.

She realized her question had been foolish.

‘How would he know how a beggar got hurt? Of course he wouldn’t.’

She waved her hand dismissively.

“If it’s hard to explain, don’t worry about it.”

The man smiled awkwardly, saying nothing more.

“Then I’ll head back. You can pick up the medicine at the clinic.”

The man nodded, and Ayla returned to her clinic.

But ten minutes passed, then an hour, then days—

And the man never came back for the medicine.

The discounted bill stayed abandoned on her desk ever since.

She’d been fuming about it ever since—ready to give that man a piece of her mind if she ever saw him again.

But now, after remembering everything, Ayla grabbed her hair in disbelief.

The beggar she treated that night was Licht, and the man who came for help had to be his aide.

‘And that weird shock I felt that day… that was the signal that he was the male lead!’

Finally, it all made sense.

That electric feeling while healing Licht meant one thing—

Her divine power was perfectly compatible with his body.

In other words—

‘That’s how the male and female leads fall in love.’

It was straight out of the original novel’s setup: their physical compatibility would start as mere attraction, then grow into genuine love.

And of course, the male lead, Licht Rune Leopold—the Crown Prince of the Nia Empire—had the classic trait every male lead needed: obsession.

But his obsession had a reason.

Because—

‘He has to break the curse his brother placed on him.’

Licht’s older brother, Prince Kedwin, had hated him since childhood.

Everyone had said Licht was more worthy of inheriting the throne than Kedwin.

But Kedwin refused to accept it.

Though he was first in line, deep down he must’ve known—he would never be the true heir.

Consumed by jealousy, Kedwin traded his own soul to cast a curse.

A curse that would kill Licht when he turned twenty-five.