WLYV 06

Chapter 6

 Thank You for the Good Medicine.
February 6, 2024

Luance was a man like a snake.
Whenever Lorençia heard him speak, one thought always came to mind:
“What should I do? I don’t know what to do.”

His words were always cunning—sounding kind, yet hiding something cruel underneath.
Even knowing that, Lorençia could neither escape from him nor run away.
Had there ever even been a place she could have run to in the first place?

<You will be abandoned.>
The words of Marquis Teyshar Spencer of the Polloyd Empire echoed again in her mind.
<A child of the goddess Ella could never be ordinary.>

The phrase “child of the goddess Ella” was something her late mother had often said to her.
That was why she had wanted to talk more with Teyshar—but Luance had appeared suddenly, cutting their conversation short.

“If only I could meet the Marquis of Spencer again…”
Lorençia thought perhaps her situation might improve a little if she did.
If that were the right path, perhaps she could even save the people doomed to die in the wars Luance was planning.

She clutched the amethyst pendant hanging from her neck tightly.

—Meow.
“Leo, I’m sorry, but could you please get off my lap?”

The cat’s name, Leo, meant “brave.”

—Mnyaong.
As if understanding her words, Leo flicked his tail and hopped down to the floor.

Normally, today would have been the day Lorençia discovered her ability to see the future—but that day no longer existed. The future had been twisted.
To find out how things had changed, she needed to gaze into the amethyst.

“It’s going to hurt.”

Seeing the future always came with searing pain in her eyes.
But she had already decided to endure it.

Lorençia’s hands trembled. Her heart pounded like that of a cornered animal.
For a brief moment, she thought biting her tongue might bring her relief.
But she had to endure.

When the terror in her heart reached its peak, she drew in a sharp breath.
Unfastening the necklace, she closed one eye and raised the amethyst to the light, tilting her head back.
The crystal caught the glow of the chandelier above, gleaming brilliantly.

Luance walked down the corridor of Count Paul Heredian’s mansion, with Brandt following beside him.

“Where’s Lorençia?”
“She’s in her room.”
“And the monster—she’s fine today as well, Count?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“You’re feeding her the potion properly?”
“Yes.”

Luance’s gaze swept across the paintings hanging on the long, elegant corridor walls. The ones from before had been replaced with new ones.

“Count Heredian, if you want to keep enjoying the comforts you have now, you’ll take good care of that monster.”

Stopping before Lorençia’s door, Luance spoke to Brandt.
“I understand.”

After bowing, Brandt turned and walked back to his office.
Watching him leave, Luance’s lips curled into a crooked smirk.

Then, standing before the door, he knocked lightly. His cold expression melted into a pleasant smile almost instantly.

“Lorençia.”
“Prince Luance.”

When Lorençia saw him enter, she smiled more brightly than anyone.

—Meow.
“What’s with the cat, Lorençia?”

As she lifted the kitten that had appeared from nowhere, Luance’s eyes flickered with displeasure.

“Isn’t he cute? Illina gave him to me as a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes.”

Luance looked unconvinced.

“She said he was the cutest kitten ever born and brought him to me. I was so happy.”
“Is that so? That’s good, Lorençia.”
“Yes. Since Illina gave me such a gift, it feels like she’s accepting me as her sister. I’m happier about that than the gift itself.”

She gently stroked the kitten’s head with the back of her hand.
“I named him Leo.”

“You’re not actually planning to raise that kitten, are you?”
“Yes. Illina—my younger sister—gave him to me. And Prince Luance… thank you so much.”
“For what?”

Lorençia looked at him with a cheerful expression.
“For the medicine you gave me for my health. I’ve been taking it every day, and I can really feel myself getting better.”

She smiled faintly as she recalled the time in the previous future when she had also taken the medicine he gave her.

<I’ve been taking the medicine Prince Luance told me to every morning. But it makes me so sick I want to vomit.>
<Even if it’s hard, I prepared it for your sake, Lorençia. Please endure it.>
<Can I skip it? It hurts so much when I drink it.>
<Everyone else takes it just fine. Why are you the only one complaining it’s hard? >
<Yesterday after drinking it, I coughed up blood.>
<Did you swallow it properly? You have to gulp it all down at once, or you’ll vomit. I’m only doing this to take care of your health, but if you keep saying it hurts, it makes me feel unappreciated.>
<I’m sorry. It just hurts so much every time I take it…>
<Then you should have drunk it properly. That way you wouldn’t have gotten sick—or had to tell me about it.>

The potion the maids left in her room every morning was officially called Digenne, though it was often whispered about as Digen.
Its name meant peace, yet ironically, it was a banned potion—never meant for humans.

Every person has a different capacity for holding magical power.
So when Digenne forcibly amplifies one’s magic, the vessel—the human body—cannot withstand it and collapses.

In the previous timeline, when Lorençia learned that the medicine Luance gave her was Digenne, she hadn’t known what it was.
She had been ignorant.
No one had told her, and she hadn’t tried to find out.
She had simply believed it was a “good medicine,” as Luance said.

But one day, she overheard people talking—and learned the truth.
After that, she couldn’t bring herself to drink it anymore.
When she refused, they made her drink it under watch.

Now, things were different.
No one was watching. She could pretend to drink it—and then pour it away.

What did Luance want by forcing her to take Digenne? She didn’t know.
Perhaps her short height and frail body were side effects of that very potion.

“Feeling better, you said?”
“Yes. I can feel myself getting stronger. Thank you for giving me such good medicine, Prince Luance.”

He looked visibly startled by her absurd words.
Just then, the cat meowed softly and jumped out of her arms.

“Thanks to you, I was able to become a count’s daughter and leave that attic—and with your medicine, I’m regaining my health.”
Her eyes curved gently.
“Thank you, Prince Luance.”

For a moment, Luance’s surprise showed—but he quickly masked it with a smirk.

“See? It paid off to listen to me, didn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Highness. From now on, I’ll obey only you.”

She smiled innocently.

“In fact, there was something I wanted to tell you today.”
“Something to tell me?”
“Last night… I had a dream.”

At the word dream, Luance’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
How had she not noticed before—how easily his mind could be read?

“What kind of dream?”
“In the dream…”

Lorençia approached and whispered softly in his ear.
When she told him she had dreamt of the Crown Prince Adrian being struck and killed by an arrow, Luance’s face slowly transformed into one of satisfaction.

“It’s shocking, isn’t it, even for a dream?”
Luance gently patted her head.
“It’s all right, Lorençia.”
“Why would I have such a dream?” she murmured, eyes downcast.

“Did you see who shot the arrow into my brother’s chest?”
“I saw many people in the dream…”
“Really?”
“I’m not certain, but they seemed to be from the Polloyd Empire.”
“The Polloyd Empire?”
“I don’t know much about it—does such an empire exist?”

Luance nodded, saying it did.

“I overheard their conversation. The one who shot the Crown Prince was a noble from the Polloyd Empire.”
“A noble? Do you remember what they said?”
“They said they had missed their target and accidentally hit Prince Ischther instead… that he was probably dead, and they needed to return to the Polloyd Empire quickly.”

From the many futures she had seen through the amethyst, Lorençia had found one where she could meet Teyshar soon.
Each vision came with unbearable pain—but if she could prevent Luance from becoming emperor and starting a terrible war, she could endure anything.

“They didn’t mention who the shooter was?”
“They called him Marquis Spencer. It felt so real. But I’m amazed—the empire from my dream actually exists. Do you think the Marquis Spencer I saw in my dream could be real, too?”

Soon, delegations from various empires would visit the Ischther Empire for the Emperor’s birthday celebration—including the Polloyd Empire.
There would be a grand banquet at night, and a royal hunt in the mountains the next day.

But Lorençia couldn’t wait until then.
Princess Charlotte of the Polloyd Empire would soon arrive to become engaged to Crown Prince Adrian—escorted by none other than Marquis Teyshar Spencer.

She had seen that future: the one where she could meet him face-to-face.
Though that path would bring pain and horror, she had to follow it.

“Lorençia, the Marquis Spencer you mentioned—he does exist.”
“Really?”
“From now on, whatever dreams you have, tell me everything. Better yet, before you sleep, think about things that might help me. Who knows? You might dream something useful.”
“I always go to sleep thinking about you, Prince Luance.”
“Even last night?”
“Of course. I prayed that your wish would come true and that you’d find happiness.”

“Lorençia…”

If Luance truly believed her dreams, then for now, Crown Prince Adrian’s life would be safe.
That alone was enough.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll tell you every dream I have from now on.”

Lorençia had already planned what to tell him next—how she would feed him her stories little by little each day.
She could already imagine him growing restless, obsessed with her dreams—and she was very much looking forward to it.