Chapter 20
Empress Libel Estar did not openly say that it was because he was the Third Prince.
That meant there was another reason—something they could not reveal publicly—why all princes except Arzen Estar were being neglected.
‘Well… if Arzen dies, they would need a replacement.’
Emperor Pero knew better than anyone what would happen if the world found out he had abandoned his own son.
Perhaps irritated, Empress Libel called a maid.
“Hey, you. Go to Arpessian’s palace and check.”
“Yes? Ah, yes!”
Startled, the maid hesitated at the mention of illness.
But she could not disobey the Empress, so she left the hall like someone being dragged to slaughter.
A heavy silence fell.
Helicia waited while playing with Lato’s cloak.
After a while, the maid returned, pale and out of breath.
“Y-Your Majesty! P-Prince Arpessian…!”
Seeing her face, the Empress stood up.
“What happened?!”
The maid struggled to speak.
“P-Prince Arpessian… is coughing up blood… his condition is very critical…!”
Her words were shaky and disorganized.
The Empress couldn’t believe it.
“I will go myself.”
No one stopped her.
There was no one else who would go anyway.
Among the royal family, only she was not related by blood to Arpessian.
Still uneasy, she spoke more gently,
“If it’s alright, Saintess, could you come with me?”
“Yes!”
Helicia nodded and followed her.
Only the Empress, three maids, Helicia, and Lato headed toward Arpessian’s room.
A servant, who seemed suspiciously absent before, ran out.
“Y-Your Majesty, the Prince’s palace—”
Before she could finish, the Empress asked coldly,
“I heard Arpessian is unwell. Is that true?”
The servant trembled, unable to answer.
She hadn’t checked properly and didn’t know what answer the Empress wanted.
The Empress passed her without waiting.
Even until the door opened, she still doubted.
But the moment it opened—
“This… what is this?!”
Arpessian lay on the bed, coughing up blood.
Anyone could see his condition was serious.
Of course, his sharp eyes were glaring fiercely at Helicia.
But since he was breathing heavily, he didn’t look as scary.
Helicia raised her hand slightly in apology.
Before leaving earlier, she had cleaned the room with him.
There were no signs of intrusion.
Even the broken window had been replaced with a matching frame from another room.
Everything looked normal.
Helicia ran to the bed and grabbed his pale hand.
“Your Highness, are you alright? The god Kashei will surely help you.”
Arpessian, who had been hit earlier to make this act believable, just pretended to groan.
It couldn’t be helped.
You can’t fool a tyrant with something fake.
At least she had already healed his internal injuries.
Helicia shook her head sadly and poked his side.
“Ugh…”
As he groaned, the Empress’s shocked face hardened.
She stood at the door and said,
“Check carefully if this is truly a serious illness.”
The maids approached him slowly, trembling.
Helicia looked at the Empress and asked,
“Won’t you check yourself?”
“…Are you speaking to me?”
“You said you were worried about Prince Arzen, but you won’t even look at Prince Arpessian.”
Helicia smiled slightly as she wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“I suppose it’s for the patient’s stability, right?”
The Empress said nothing.
At that moment, Helicia understood.
No one cared about Arpessian.
Not the Emperor.
Not his brothers.
Not even the Empress.
Anger boiled inside her.
They wanted her to save a prince—
yet treated him like this.
“Then I’ll raise him myself. Strong, capable, and perfect in every way.”
Helicia reached out her hand.
Light burst from her palm, filling the dark room.
The brightness faded quickly.
Silence filled the room.
Only Arpessian’s steady breathing remained.
Helicia spoke gently,
“The temporary treatment is complete.”
“…Is he alright now?”
She poked his side again.
“…It hurts…”
His acting was terrible.
Even a student pretending to be sick could do better.
Helicia quickly pinched his thigh hard.
“Aaaah! Aaaah!”
She placed a hand on his chest and pretended to cry.
“What should we do? When this illness worsens, patients suddenly have seizures… their eyes even roll back…”
Arpessian twitched slightly from the pain.
The Empress’s face turned pale.
“After informing His Majesty, we should discuss treatment at the temple. Is that alright?”
“Yes!”
As soon as Helicia answered, the Empress hurried out.
After the door closed, Arpessian spoke coldly,
“…That really hurt.”
“You acted too badly. I thought we’d get caught.”
Helicia relaxed in her chair.
Arpessian checked his now-healed body.
“Is it done?”
“Yes! Now I’ll go and collect my lesson fee, labor cost, and everything else.”
After healing even the pain she caused, Helicia returned to the hall.
The Empress had already explained everything.
Emperor Pero immediately spoke,
“What do you think about the temple regularly visiting the palace to treat Arzen and Arpessian?”
‘Time to make a lot of money.’
Helicia blinked and answered slowly,
“Well… as you know, there has been a 20-year gap without a Saintess, so I am quite busy…”
The Empress quickly replied,
“We understand. We will compensate you with proper support.”
Helicia hesitated, twirling her hair.
“I would like to help, but the temple must remain fair to all donors…”
She spoke elegantly—
But her meaning was simple.
Give me money.
