~Chapter 15~
There was someone watching Kaire and Pico as they left the palace.
Once their figures disappeared from sight, the woman immediately ran toward the detached palace. Without even catching her breath, she knocked urgently on the door of Angel’s room.
When the door opened, she hurried inside.
Angel, already in her nightclothes as if she had been preparing for bed, looked visibly annoyed.
“Canna, what is it?”
“Princess! His Highness—he left the palace again today!”
“What?”
Angel, who had been about to lie down, abruptly sat up and walked toward Canna.
“I told you I saw him leave a few days ago as well. He went out again today!”
“And the one who went with him was Pico?”
“Yes.”
The head maid, Kurti, stepped forward with a worried expression.
“At this hour, it can’t be a hunting trip… What if His Highness has a secret lover outside the palace?”
Smack!
Angel’s face turned cold in an instant as she struck Kurti sharply across the cheek.
The crisp sound echoed through the room, and the maids and attendants froze in shock, covering their mouths.
Kurti’s head snapped to the side from the force. She clutched her cheek with both hands, eyes welling up.
“P-Princess…”
“Are you out of your mind? What nonsense are you spouting?”
“I-I’m sorry… I was just worried…”
The oldest maid, Illei, quickly signaled for a servant to bring tea while pulling Kurti aside, lowering her voice but scolding her nonetheless.
“I told you not to speak thoughtlessly. Do not provoke the Princess further—go.”
“Yes…”
Turning back to Angel, Illei softened her tone.
“Please don’t take it to heart, Your Highness. She only said it because she was worried.”
“Hah!”
Still fuming, Angel collapsed onto the bed.
Kaire having a lover outside the palace—someone he showed more interest in than her—just imagining it made her breath uneven with anger and anxiety.
She had to know why he was going out at night. If it was connected to the reason he kept pushing her away, she couldn’t simply sit back and do nothing.
“Canna, find someone who can follow him without being noticed. It must be someone skilled enough that even sharp-witted Kaire won’t realize.”
Meanwhile—
Lorienne, who had stopped by the market to purchase missing magical ingredients, carefully checked her list.
With her steps quickening at the thought of returning to craft her potions, she hurried along.
“Please, my husband will bring the money soon! He’s a merchant sailor! He went to get funds—please just watch my child first!”
“If you don’t have money, we can’t treat the child! Do you think you’re the only one like this? Come back when your husband arrives!”
A woman holding a baby tried to enter the clinic, but the man blocked her ruthlessly.
The baby’s faint cries could be heard, barely audible.
As the woman tried desperately to push forward, she was shoved back. She fell hard to the ground with the infant still in her arms.
But the clinic door closed without hesitation.
“Are you alright?!”
Startled, Lorienne rushed forward and helped the woman up.
“T-thank you…”
The woman, despite her fall, seemed more concerned for the child than herself, stroking its small face as it struggled to breathe.
The baby’s complexion was already turning pale.
Lorienne clicked her tongue softly.
‘…Even if they examine him now, it’s already too late.’
Pulling her hood over her head, Lorienne said,
“Is your home far from here?”
“W-what?”
“I’ll take a look at the baby. If it’s not too far…”
“It’s close! Very close!”
The woman clung to her words desperately, not even asking who Lorienne was.
To her, Lorienne was nothing less than a lifeline dropped from heaven.
They hurried to the woman’s home.
The baby was placed on a bed, its face even more bluish than before.
“It started last night… it started last night…”
The mother was gripped by fear, unable to think straight.
Lorienne gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’ll help. Could you bring me a warm cup of tea?”
“Yes!”
Once the woman left the room, Lorienne removed her hood and took a deep breath.
Then she placed her hand on the baby’s body.
A gentle healing power flowed from her into the infant.
She had been storing her healing magic for a long time without using it, and this was her first time using it on such a small child. She was tense.
“Phew…”
Carefully controlling the flow of her power, she focused intently.
Gradually, warmth returned to the baby’s body.
The faint breathing grew steadier, and color slowly returned to its face.
The baby, who had been completely still, began to move its fingers and blink up at her.
Meeting those sparkling eyes, Lorienne found herself smiling without realizing it.
‘…This feels good.’
It had been a long time since she felt this kind of warmth in her chest.
Since arriving in Astum, she had never used her healing power.
Her brother had once told her never to reveal that she possessed such ability—but more than that, she had always intended to save it all for him. For the brother she might one day meet again.
He had been living as a slave for over six years now—his body could not possibly be the same anymore.
But the child today had been moments away from death. If she had ignored it, she wouldn’t have been able to live with herself.
And now, seeing the baby alive and breathing again filled her with quiet joy.
“Oh my… oh my goodness!”
The mother returned with tea, bursting into tears as she held her now-revived child.
Lorienne quietly left the house, leaving the emotional scene behind.
Just then, the father rushed through the gate.
He froze when he saw the unfamiliar woman leaving his home.
“The child is fine. Please go inside.”
At her words, he hurried into the house.
Lorienne smiled softly and turned back toward the market. Her steps felt lighter than ever.
“Wait! Please wait a moment!!”
She turned around to see the father of the baby running toward her.
Out of breath, he grabbed her hand.
“Th-thank you… thank you so much! My wife told me everything… that you saved our child…”
Tears welled in his eyes as he pressed something into her hand.
“I’m sorry… this is all we have right now…”
Lorienne looked down.
It was a wrapped, prepared chicken.
“My child hasn’t been able to eat… we bought this to make soup for him… but this is all we can offer you…”
“No, really, you don’t need to give me anything. Please give it to the child.”
She gently pushed it back toward him.
“I didn’t help expecting anything. I’m just glad the child is healthy.”
“Then… at least your name. Please, tell us your name so we can tell our child who saved him…”
Lorienne hesitated.
No one in Astum had ever been told her real name before.
People simply called her “the mage,” or assumed the name on her shop sign—Loftis—was her name.
But she couldn’t say “Loftis.” That name was already becoming well known, and rumors of healing magic beyond potions would cause trouble.
“…Lorienne.”
“Lorienne…”
“I should get going now.”
She left quickly, leaving the man murmuring her name behind her.
Though she had lost more time than planned, her heart felt strangely full.
By the time she returned to the market, the afternoon had already passed.
“I’m hungry…”
For the first time in a while, she felt a strong desire for real food.
The joy from saving the baby had awakened her appetite.
“I should buy some chicken too. It’s been a while.”
Coincidentally remembering the chicken she had just refused, she decided without hesitation to buy one for herself.
Though the walk home was long, she felt unexpectedly energized.
She had no idea she would soon be devouring that chicken like a beast.
