Episode 12

“…”

Of course.

Ian still didn’t fully trust me.

No—actually, it’s more like he didn’t trust me at all.

I pushed him into water, told others about his powers, forced a marriage, and even made him drink unknown herbs.

If you listed the crimes, it would include minor assault, secret leaks, and false actions.

I was lucky I was only ten years old. That was the only thing protecting me.

Feeling ashamed, I covered my face with both hands and looked down.

Then—

“Okay.”

That answer surprised me so much I quickly lifted my head.

“Huh?”

“Let’s do it.”

Ian said this while turning his head, avoiding my eyes.

Then, for a moment, our eyes met.

Even with half of his face covered by a handkerchief, I could see his cheeks were red. I started to worry.

Were his eyes red too? Was he sick?

“But,” he added.

As I looked up at him with concern, Ian turned his head away again—and then turned his whole body around.

Aww, I wanted to see more of his handsome face.

“Don’t do anything dangerous. If you do anything strange again, I’ll really scold you.”

“Yes!”

I smiled brightly at his words.

Ian glanced at me and then gave a small cough.

Was he really okay?

Worried, I decided to give him another clue to help fight the plague.

“Thank you! Oh, and Your Highness, please try this.”

I handed Ian two small cups I had prepared.

He looked confused, took a cup, and sniffed it—then frowned at the strong smell.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Nope!”

“It’s alcohol! And how do you even have it? What are your maids doing?!”

Ian looked very strict like he would scold the maids any second.

If this was the old me, I would have thought he was angry.

But now I know—his strict voice and sharp eyes meant he was worried about me.

That made my heart feel warm.

But I had to stick to my plan!

To avoid trouble, I spoke in a trembling voice.

“I-It’s not the maids’ fault.”

Ian sighed and asked gently, “Then what happened?”

“I heard the maids say this was really rare these days.”

“You… Did you sneak it from them?”

“I just wanted to give it to you because it’s precious! Hehe.”

I laughed, trying to act cute. Ian rubbed his forehead.

“You’re really something… Yeah, alcohol is rare these days… Wait.”

Suddenly, Ian’s eyes widened.

“Oh right! There’s been a shortage of alcohol in the territory.”

That’s it!

I tilted my head and pretended I didn’t know.

“Ah, so that’s why the maids said it was rare!”

When plagues spread, alcohol can help disinfect things.

It can clean infected objects and help stop the disease from spreading.

But Vesford had suffered years of poor harvests.

Even cheap local alcohol was hard to find, not just fancy wine.

And because of the plague, the Empire banned trade in our land. So no more alcohol came in.

In short, Vesford had no alcohol for disinfection.

The Empire was clearly trying to hurt us—spreading bad rumors, stopping trade.

It made me angry.

“I have somewhere to go. Stay here and don’t get hurt!”

Ian warned me again and again as he left.

Was he always this naggy?

I remembered the time when the plague hit in my past life.

Ian didn’t even speak to me back then.

In fact, we didn’t even eat together. Everyone in the ducal family stayed apart to avoid infection.

“His Highness asked about your well-being again today.”

That was all the maids ever told me.

As a child, I believed they were lying to make me feel better.

But thinking back now… Ian’s words today felt so different.

I rubbed my cheeks and watched his back until he was gone.

My heart felt full.

This Ian wasn’t the same as the one who silently suffered in the past.

His red eyes glowed strongly in my memory.

If we keep changing things like this, maybe our future will change too.

I started to feel a small hope.

Later…

“Your Highness! The Young Duke gave a special order!”

Serri came running in with news from Ian.

I acted surprised even though I’d been waiting.

“What kind of order?”

“He said to make and give out handkerchiefs to everyone in the duchy!”

“Handkerchiefs?”

“Yes! And he’s going to make it a rule that everyone must wear one over their face!”

I knew it…

Just from seeing it once, young Ian had figured it out on his own.

I tried not to smile proudly, but then Serri continued.

“That’s not all! He also announced a ban on drinking so more alcohol could be used for disinfection. And he said anyone caught stealing it would be punished!”

“He said that?”

“Yes!”

I was shocked.

Giving out handkerchiefs was easy. Ian could pay for that himself.

But banning alcohol and punishing thieves? That was different.

He couldn’t do that alone—those were official laws.

He must have convinced the Duke.

I didn’t expect Ian to discuss the plague with his father already.

From his powers awakening to our marriage, it had only been six months.

In my past life, it took two and a half years.

Even if I forced things earlier this time, Ian must have been hurt by how his father treated his older brother.

As the youngest child, Ian had once received only love.

His father’s sudden coldness must have felt like a deep betrayal.

That’s why he avoided the Duke before.

But now, Ian chose duty over his feelings. He faced the Duke for the people’s sake.

Seeing how much Ian cared about the people made me emotional.

And it made me decide again:

Yes. I must help Ian with everything I’ve got. I won’t let the past repeat.

“Serri, what about news from May?”

“She says she needs a little more time.”

“Tell her to hurry, please.”

I was running out of time.

Something terrible was about to happen—something that would hurt Ian deeply.

As I nervously played with my fingers, a bad feeling crept up.

“Y-Your Highness!!”

A maid rushed in, knocking loudly.

No way…

The look on her face made my heart sink.

Even with cleaning and disinfecting, was it still not enough?

“How dare you enter without manners—”

“It’s okay. It sounds urgent. What is it?”

I waited for what I already guessed was coming.

“Th-The Duchess…!”

The maid started crying and couldn’t finish.

“She’s showing signs of the plague. S-She has high fever and trouble breathing!”

I bit my lip hard.

It’s begun… The moment of fate is here.

“So… what’s wrong with Her Grace? What happened?”

Even though the maid was older than me, because of my past life memories, she looked like a child to me.

I couldn’t reach her shoulder, so I held her hand and asked gently.

“Where does it hurt?”

First, I had to check if the symptoms matched the past.

In my past life, the Duchess was already close to death from the start.

Please, let it be less serious this time.

“She suddenly got a high fever… and her breathing is uneven…”

I sank into a chair in despair.

“Your Highness!”

Some fates don’t change easily.

It hurt terribly… but I gripped the armrest tightly.

The cure: Astrin.

It was the only way to save the Duchess now.