Chapter 54
You’re My Savior! (3)
“…Isn’t this a bit much? I mean, the amount.”
“Pardon? Ah…! Y-yes, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
She was going to apply it across the whole cheek, but even so, it was clearly too much.
‘Well, even for the Grand Duchy of Sestain, getting unlimited quantities of an ointment sold only to the elite wouldn’t be easy.’
And yet she had nearly wasted that precious stuff—it was no wonder the Grand Duke was surprised.
She’d simply overlooked the fact that this magical ointment worked far better than anything the temple supplied.
Eluciana quickly returned the excess to the container, leaving out only what she needed.
Only then did Aster visibly relax, a slight smile easing across his face. Eluciana smiled back at him.
“Just bear with it for a moment. The pain will go away soon.”
I know because I’ve used it myself before. I even gave it to a particularly stubborn kid as a gift once.
‘I don’t even know if he still has it…’
Eluciana unknowingly looked down at the blue jar, her expression a little downcast.
“Ahem. Eluciana?”
“Ah! I’ll apply it now!”
“…Alright.”
Eluciana spread the thick white ointment over Aster’s reddened cheek.
‘Hmm, still feels like a bit too much…’
Glancing at Aster’s expression, she made sure to evenly spread the ointment using the stick and then pretended not to notice as she pulled her hand away.
“How is it?”
“Feels g—hrm. Good…”
“Sorry?”
“Guh… uhh…”
Aster moved his mouth a few times, then furrowed his brows in frustration.
“Your Grace?”
“Guh… guh…”
“Sorry, what was that?”
“Good—Guhd…”
“…Ah, you meant to say it’s okay, right?”
Eluciana gave an awkward smile and quickly closed the jar. His cheek must have swollen so much that his words came out garbled.
In times like this, it was best to tactfully step away. Just from how red his ears were, it was obvious he was utterly embarrassed.
‘If I pretend to know more, His Grace might faint from shame. But is he going to be alright? His cheek’s going to bruise like crazy by tomorrow…’
Feeling guilty, Eluciana rose from her seat, feigning ignorance.
“Your Grace, I’ll go get some ice. There’s nothing better to reduce swelling.”
“…”
Aster opened his mouth as if to protest but then simply nodded, seeming displeased.
With his permission, Eluciana placed the blue jar gently in front of him and quietly exited the office.
As soon as she was gone, Aster let out a frustrated sigh and ruffled his bangs.
“Ith’s too good… damn it.”
He stared at the blue jar like he wanted to burn a hole through it.
If it hadn’t been a gift from her, he would’ve thrown it into a fire without hesitation. Instead, it gleamed mockingly at him.
‘To think this was made by the temple…’
The ointment was laced with a significant amount of paralytic poison. And not just any poison—rare and difficult-to-obtain herbs had been used. In excessive amounts, it could be deadly.
The ointment, once absorbed through the skin, could stiffen internal organs and even the heart.
“It’s been so long I almost forgot…”
Aster muttered as he rubbed the surface of the blue jar.
‘Come to think of it, that physician was suspicious too.’
Back when he had lived with Eluciana, Aster had passed out from the side effects of the ointment. But the Wires family’s physician had brushed it off, saying he was simply asleep.
Anyone could’ve seen it was paralysis—he couldn’t move at all.
Not long after, the physician returned to his hometown, and since Aster hadn’t used the ointment again, he didn’t give it much thought.
“I should… look into this again.”
The temple’s ointment. The physician of House Wires.
And… the Wires viscounty itself.
Aster now suspected there was something he’d missed—something linking all three.
Meanwhile…
“What about Lucy?”
“She’s boarded the carriage.”
“…Well done.”
Aster glanced down at his now-empty teacup, letting out a bitter smile. If Lewis hadn’t prepared him a detoxifying tea, his speech would still be slurred.
Though, knowing his monstrous regeneration, he would’ve healed in no time anyway.
‘Haa. Nothing’s going my way lately.’
He’d barely reunited with Eluciana before having to send her away again—it irked him more than he expected.
Pushing the blue jar toward Lewis, Aster said:
“Look into where this came from.”
“This is the temple’s special ointment, isn’t it?”
“I got it back when I was with the Wires family. Lucy gave it to me. It’s laced with paralytic poison. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now it feels off.”
“Paralytic poison, you say?”
“Yes.”
Lewis widened his eyes in mild shock.
“If the temple’s ointment had such side effects, it would’ve been a huge issue.”
“Exactly—so check it.”
“You want to verify whether the ointments the temple distributes are the same as this one.”
“Right. If they only tampered with the supply sent to House Wires, then someone else is behind this.”
Lewis glanced briefly at Aster’s still-slightly-swollen cheek and nodded.
“Understood. I’ll look into it discreetly.”
After Lewis left, Aster gently touched his nearly-healed cheek.
“Healing this fast is going to raise suspicion…”
Even though he looked different now, his unique ability was too conspicuous to ignore.
Limitless regeneration.
No matter how effective the temple’s ointment was, healing the swelling overnight was simply unbelievable.
Back when he’d bruised both of Eluciana’s eyes as a child, it had taken over two weeks to heal.
He pulled a Lisianthus necklace from his pocket and muttered:
“I can’t exactly punch myself in the face to fake it… Or maybe I should?”
Aster raked a hand through his silvery hair tinged with blue and sank into deep thought.
At that moment…
Shoved out of the Grand Duchy of Sestain, Eluciana still felt dazed. But that feeling quickly vanished the moment she remembered the pouch of 1,000 gold coins in her arms.
“First, I need to deal with that guy.”
She was going straight to Paradise for Lost Dreams to pay off her debt.
Debt was like a curse—it grew over time, eventually suffocating people entirely.
Keeping a calm expression, Eluciana hurried through the capital streets.
Soon, she arrived at Paradise for Lost Dreams, but as she stepped inside, she tilted her head.
“No one’s here?”
The female clerk she’d seen last time was gone, and the place had an oddly cold and empty air.
Just then, she heard someone moving upstairs. A man came down the stairs—and somehow, he looked familiar.
‘Familiar? I’ve never seen him before… so why does he feel familiar?’
While she stood frozen in thought, the man approached with a warm smile.
“Oh? A guest? But may I ask who you are…?”
“Ah, I…”
“Wait—are you Lady Wires?”
The man with neatly tied ash-gray hair asked with confident curiosity.
Eluciana’s expression quickly turned cold.
“You know me?”
“Heh. How could I not? Those ruby-red eyes are rare. Everyone knows that.”
She forced down her discomfort and asked flatly:
“I came to see the proprietor, Painen. Where is he?”
The man’s icy-blue eyes sparkled with interest as he replied,
“Ah, so you haven’t heard. Painen’s no longer in charge here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve acquired the business.”
“…!”
Eluciana gasped. The debtor changed in just a few days?
‘Then what about my contract? What happens to my guarantee?’
She looked anxiously at the man.
“You… you’re the new owner of this place?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ethan, and I’m the new owner of Paradise for Lost Dreams. Oh, don’t worry—the transition was done properly. Your contract is still valid. Now, shall we head upstairs, beautiful Lady Wires?”
Following Ethan to the office, Eluciana still felt dazed.
Just in case, she checked the original contract—but nothing had changed.
‘Right. It was sealed with magic. You can’t tamper with that.’
Unless they forced her to sign a new one under the excuse of a business handover.
Only then did she begin to feel some relief.
“This is rosemary tea. Please, enjoy.”
Ethan smiled, his eyes curling like a cat’s. Strangely, seeing his soft ash-gray hair made her want to run her fingers through it.
And those piercing blue eyes that met hers head-on—they didn’t feel unpleasant. If anything, she wanted to keep looking and smile back.
‘What the hell is wrong with me? Am I… a pervert?’
She snapped out of it and quickly turned her head, downing the tea he offered.
‘You’ve gone crazy, Lucy.’
Fidgeting with her free hand, she placed a black satin pouch on the table.
“One thousand gold.”
But Ethan merely glanced at it and said,
“Looks like your math’s off.”
“…Excuse me?”
Ethan smiled sweetly and ran his tongue across his lips.
‘Even his lips… they’re adorable!’
Eluciana clenched her hands tight, trying to hold herself together, and bit the inside of her cheek.
“Ahem. What do you mean by that…?”
“It’s been three days since the contract was signed. You should calculate the daily interest properly.”
“Ah.”
At the mention of more payment, Eluciana’s eyes twitched violently.
“…How much more?”
