#3
She walked in briskly, casting a sharp glance over me, who was on the verge of tears, and the maids who were stiff with tension.
“The princess is late, so I came to get her myself.”
The Empress must have been anxious about her sickly son and hoped he could get better, making her act impatient. So, I purposely delayed by arguing with the maids.
Knowing her personality, I was sure she would come to get me.
She glanced between the dress I was holding and the one the maids were holding, then spoke quietly.
“Do you like that dress?”
I hesitated before shaking my head gently.
“Then why did you pick it?”
“Last time, the maids said something like this would suit me, but they kept asking me to wear something else…”
“Last time?”
“The tea party His Majesty hosted.”
“Did you wear that dress then?”
“No, I wore this one.”
The dress I held was an unbelievably low-quality item, hard to believe it was even delivered.
“They said this one suited me…”
I avoided her gaze and looked at the trembling maids, who were avoiding eye contact.
I could tell what had happened without needing more explanation.
“I see.”
Hestia’s gaze turned back to me, as if I knew nothing. I was a small girl from the countryside, so I had no idea about high society and had only trusted the maids’ opinions.
But she too, had been neglectful and complicit in this.
In a moment of realization, Hestia’s cheeks flushed with anger. It was her carelessness that had caused me harm.
She took the dress from my hands, gently patted my head, and said kindly,
“Letās wear what you want to wear, not what you think suits you.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
With that, I hurried into the dressing room.
A few maids hesitated before following me.
Hestia turned to the head maid, who had been standing silently behind her.
“Head maid, after today, please take care of those maids.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Things that needed to be corrected should be corrected immediately.
After choosing a more appropriate dress, I went with Hestia to Ruslan’s room.
I stayed on the second floor, and Ruslan was on the third.
Only a single floor difference.
I had never gone up to the third floor in my past life.
Walking down an unfamiliar corridor, I stood in front of Ruslan’s room. For some reason, I felt nervous.
I was just about to meet a much younger child.
I wondered if he might reject me because of the wound I gave him on our wedding day.
“Your Highness, Ruslan’s condition… It will be quite shocking. I hope you can act as though you don’t know.”
“Is it that bad?”
The Empress nodded quietly, tightening her grip on my hand.
“Can you show that power from yesterday again?”
“Ah… Yes.”
I had practiced drawing out my holy power last night. Thankfully, using it wasn’t difficult.
“Thank you.”
Hestia took a deep breath and opened the door.
The room was filled with a hazy smoke.
“Don’t be too startled, it’s just an incense to reduce the pain.”
Seeing this, I realized that Ruslanās condition was worse than I thought.
One of the maids by his side opened a window to let the air out.
After a moment, the smoke cleared.
“Over here.”
In the middle of the large room, Ruslan was sleeping on a bed. His face was red from fever, and half of it was covered with black spots.
The last time I saw him, his skin just looked stained, but now the situation seemed worse. Some parts were swollen like blisters.
Despite that, he still had a cute face.
This curse was so frustrating.
“Ruslan.”
The Empress called his name with a pained voice, sitting next to the bed.
She wiped the sweat off his forehead with a damp cloth and kissed his cheek.
She must have known that her son didnāt have much time left.
“It seems the fever is keeping him from waking up.”
It was understandable.
His body was still burning with fever. I remembered the last moments he had.
Rashes spread over his body, and we had to use strong painkillers to ease the pain.
But even the painkillers couldnāt remove all his suffering. He died in unimaginable pain.
I kneeled beside him and took his hot hand in mine without hesitation.
I didnāt want him to feel worse. I couldnāt completely heal him, but at least I wanted to stop his condition from worsening.
“Wow.”
A maid gasped as holy power gathered at my fingertips.
The holy energy from my hand spread from his fingertips to his arm, and then to his whole body.
“Please.”
In the original story, both Ruslan and I were insignificant characters.
I wasnāt even mentioned in a single line, and Ruslan was only mentioned briefly.
“You must live, so I can live.”
Please, just hold on a little longer.
“My goodness.”
The holy power from my small hand spread, and the rash began to subside.
The black spots on his face didnāt disappear completely, but they lightened.
His breathing, which had been shallow, gradually slowed down.
The Empress silently watched the miracle unfold, her face full of tears.
“Ha.”
After a long while, my dress, now drenched in sweat, didnāt feel so uncomfortable.
Seeing Ruslanās improved condition, even I, who didnāt understand much about the curse, felt refreshed.
“You saved Ruslan.”
The Empress said, choking back tears as she hugged me tightly.
He wasnāt completely healed.
In the original story, even the saintess with immense holy power couldnāt heal him in one touch. With my power, which was less than half of hers, it would be impossible to fully cure him.
What I could do was make sure he didnāt die, and help him survive until the saintess came to heal him.
“But for now…”
I wanted to savor this happiness and relief.
Hoping Ruslan would rest well, we left the room. It was already lunchtime, and the Empress invited me to eat.
I thought it would be a simple meal, but it turned out to be a banquet. We sat at a small round table, where she served me dish after dish.
“Eat a lot.”
Hestia smiled as she filled my plate with food.
I had never imagined being treated so well, and I was left stunned.
“Yes, yes.”
“Using holy power doesnāt cause problems for your body, does it?”
“No. Iām fine.”
“Thatās a relief.”
She sighed with relief and continued,
“The priest and doctor say that the worst has passed. Itās all thanks to you.”
“Was it dangerous?”
“The fever lasted for days, and we were worried it might cause more damage.”
I didnāt know exactly how Ruslan had been after our wedding in my past life. We were both uncomfortable with each other. Maybe things could be different now?
I had helped ease his curse and make him healthier. I hoped Ruslan would forgive me for what I did on our wedding day.
“Your Majesty.”
While I was lost in thought about Ruslan, the head maid hurried over to the Empress and whispered something. Hestiaās face immediately hardened.
āWhat happened?ā
Hestia looked angry, and I could hear loud noises coming from outside the room.
The noise grew closer, and then the door burst open.
“Count! Stop!”
“Hestia LeBrant!”
A handsome man stormed into the room.
With soft blonde hair and mysterious gray-blue eyes, the tall, striking man walked in and slammed the table.
“How dare you hide Ruslanās condition from me?”
“I didnāt hide it.”
The Empress stammered, glancing at me for support. But the man didnāt care about me and continued shouting.
He stepped closer, as if ready to grab her by the collar.
His bright blonde hair and slightly drooping eyes reminded me of Ruslan.
“Donāt get worked up. Letās go outside and talk.”
“How can I not be worked up? You always do this. You hide it, avoid it, and ignore it for my sake!”
Oh, I remembered now.
Martin Orleans.
“Your Majestyās ex-husband?”
I gasped.
I covered my mouth with my hand, but before I could stop, the Count turned to look at me.
