Chapter 4
After that, everything happened quickly.
We had a bit of trouble removing Iverke’s armor and helmet. I was quite nervous, worried that the wig might accidentally come off.
Even though a few strands of silver hair peeked out, Fernando didn’t notice. He just commented that it was unfortunate someone so young already had gray hairs.
“I just mixed the ingredients randomly to start with,” he said.
“Won’t that cause side effects?”
“There’s no way his condition can get worse than it already is.”
And just as Fernando said, the symptoms worsened with time.
While he was working on the cure, the frost had already spread to the surrounding area. Even worse, it had taken on a foreboding black hue and emitted a choking smoke.
At a glance, it looked like a snake slithering in the shadows, constantly searching for prey.
“Most of all, I tested it roughly using the fire I lit on the candle earlier. The demonic energy didn’t disappear completely, but it did seem to subside a bit. At the very least, it should work as a palliative.”
“…Thank you.”
Hearing that, I didn’t hesitate any longer.
I went straight to Iverke. First, I placed a transparent crystal on his body, intending to melt it myself using fire.
But things didn’t go as I had planned.
At first, I intended only to place the crystal. But since it was about the size of a thumb, I naturally ended up touching his chest when trying to position it.
There wasn’t that same chilling sensation as before.
However, suddenly all strength drained from my body, and my legs began to tremble. Without my permission, all my mana rushed out at once.
‘What is happening?!’
Before I could even widen my eyes in surprise, flames burst from my hand of their own accord.
The blue fire, the hottest flame, engulfed Iverke in an instant. It didn’t spread anywhere else and burned only him. As if he had been the intended target from the very beginning.
Any normal person would react the same in such a situation.
“Kyaaa!”
I screamed while covering my mouth.
Fernando, on the other hand, sparkled with curiosity and stepped closer, even twitching his cheek in excitement.
“Oh ho, what’s this? How fascinating.”
“Is that really what you should be saying right now?!”
I had started this with good intentions, but the unbelievable result made me feel both frustrated and resentful.
So I nervously waved my hands several times.
“Why won’t it go away?!”
Normally, I could easily extinguish the flame.
But as if mocking me, the fire didn’t die down at all. Instead, it flared up even more violently.
Eventually, I collapsed helplessly to the ground in despair.
Could it be… I just killed the female lead’s brother?
“…Did I kill him?”
My mind went blank.
How would I face Seren from now on? What about Iverke and Seren?
Would I be arrested by the city guards and end up rotting in jail? Would I make front-page headlines as “The Murderous Lady”? All I could imagine were worst-case scenarios.
Slumped on the ground, my head gradually lowered.
But then, Fernando said something unexpected.
“He doesn’t look dead at all. Hmm, I should record this phenomenon right away.”
“He’s not dead?!”
At first, I thought it was nonsense.
I had seen the flames with my own eyes. But clinging to the tiniest hope, I forced myself up.
Looking at Iverke with a half-despairing expression…
“…His clothes aren’t even singed.”
Just as Fernando said.
The flames still surrounded Iverke like armor, but nothing had been burned.
Still, I couldn’t relax yet. Just looking wasn’t enough—I needed to confirm it properly.
So I carefully reached a finger to his nose.
“Thank goodness.”
I could feel his steady breathing clearly.
Even though he was engulfed in flames, Iverke’s expression looked serene. It was oddly peaceful, as though he were simply lost in sleep.
Only then could I truly relax. I wiped away the cold sweat dripping down my forehead.
“Haah… what a relief.”
“Hmm… He’s breathing normally. Maybe the fire is purifying the demonic energy to some extent. I’ll have to ask him how it felt when he wakes up.”
Fernando was now observing Iverke from so close he was practically nose-to-nose.
Meanwhile, I had been panicking, thinking I’d killed someone. But this guy was just grinning and blushing next to me.
What a creep.
I shot a covert glare at Fernando out of pure annoyance. Of course, he didn’t notice at all.
Or rather, he just didn’t care. He was already back to obsessively throwing himself into research.
‘Well, maybe being a madman makes him the top expert on demonic energy poisoning.’
I sat in a chair and looked down at Iverke for a while.
“Huh?”
Then I realized something. The flames had gradually begun to die down. At first, they were blazing so fiercely I thought they’d never go out.
But the blue fire didn’t last long.
“Wow…”
While I sat there blankly watching, the flames steadily dwindled. Even the acrid smoke and the black frost disappeared without a trace.
All that remained was the peacefully sleeping Iverke.
“Someone’s been through hell, and someone else is sleeping like a baby.”
Feeling oddly annoyed, I hesitated a moment, then reached a finger toward Iverke’s cheek.
Honestly, I hesitated a lot. But since the fire had nearly vanished, I figured it’d be okay to poke him and see how he reacted.
It was partly a cautious test, and partly… petty revenge.
‘Oh? It’s fine now?’
It was a bit embarrassing how long I hesitated. But now, there were no sparks. Just a cool touch.
So I quickly grew bold and poked Iverke’s cheek several times.
Even while dragging him all the way here, he hadn’t woken up. Even when he’d been engulfed in fire, his eyes remained tightly shut.
So there was no way a little cheek-poking would wake him.
‘Guess I should head out now.’
Ending my tiny act of revenge, I slowly turned around.
All I had said was I needed some fresh air before leaving the venue, so Seren and my family were surely worried. And at this hour, the ceremony must have ended.
I’d send a letter to Seren, who was probably the most confused right now, and then head home quickly—
“Ah!”
I let out a scream from the sudden shock.
Before I could even take a step, someone grabbed my wrist. The grip was so strong it twisted my whole body around.
There was only one person who could have done that from behind.
“You’re awake?”
It was Iverke, who had just been lying down moments ago.
When I looked back at him, the flames surrounding him had completely subsided.
His ash-gray eyes slowly began to open, the lashes trembling. The once-cloudy gaze gradually became clearer, and then, in a low, rough voice like clanging metal, he murmured near my ear:
“…Warm.”
I stared down at him in surprise.
“My lord?”
“……”
“Hello?”
“……”
I asked again, but Iverke didn’t respond.
Was he still half-asleep?
I leaned toward him slightly to check his condition.
“Can you see me?”
I examined him closely.
At a glance, he seemed okay, but his mind didn’t seem fully back yet. His quiet eyes stared blankly into the air, like someone still dreaming.
“Are you alright?”
I waved my hand in front of his eyes and asked again and again.
Still, there was no answer. His long lashes fluttered a few times, and then he slowly closed his eyes again.
‘Wow, talk about dramatic drowsiness.’
Still, seeing that he had at least woken up and spoken put me at ease. He wasn’t in critical danger, not if he could do that much.
But still…
“Would you please let go of my wrist now?”
I shook my arm as if jingling coins, trying to shake off his grip. But he was holding so tightly that my hand moved with his instead of escaping.
How long is he going to hold on like this?
With exhaustion weighing me down, my eyes began to sting.
* * *
I managed to free myself from Iverke’s grasp by prying each of his fingers off one by one.
Before leaving, I left him a letter, just in case he woke up confused in the unfamiliar place. It explained how he got here and that his illness was something called “demonic energy poisoning.”
And I had no doubt Fernando would explain the rest thoroughly.
“Dianta! Do you know how worried we were? Lady Raffaello had already disappeared from the engagement party, and you showed up later with your face all swollen… Haah. Never mind. We’ll talk later.”
As soon as I returned home, my parents scolded me just as I’d expected.
Of course, their scolding didn’t last long.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a maid rushed in. Her face had gone pale with fear, looking like she’d seen a ghost.
“M-My lord! The second-floor hall…!”
