Charles looked at the blue light that had risen in Iana's hand and said,
“It’s a phenomenon called magical flare. It occurs when the inherent magical power increases and spills out of the body.”
He had often seen magic trainees struggling with the magical flare phenomenon.
Iana, struggling to sit up, asked,
“Magical flare, you say?”
“The appearance of this phenomenon means that the binding magic has been released. The problem is that until you can control your magical power, the blue light will appear and disappear frequently.”
The face of the senior knight at Charles's words darkened.
“If the binding magic has been released, doesn’t that mean that dark wizards or other great magicians can sense your magical power?”
Charles fell into thought for a moment.
He had said that it would hurt a lot when the binding magic was released. If that was the case, someone needed to watch over Iana’s condition throughout the night.
Since it was crucial that her magical power not be discovered, he planned to assign one of the female knights who had come with him.
At that moment, Iana spoke up with difficulty.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke, it’s not going to hurt again like before, right?”
Her eyes were filled with a pitiful amount of anxiety.
It seemed she was frightened by the unfamiliar changes in her body in a strange place. If a stranger was added to that, her anxiety would surely increase.
Charles, as if making a vow, gave an order.
“I will take care of the Countess, so control access to this place.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I will guard the door, so please let me know if you need anything.”
The senior knight briefly bowed and went outside.
Iana trembled pitifully, as if feeling a severe chill.
Charles approached the fireplace.
It was late spring, but fortunately, there was firewood prepared, so he lit a fire.
“It will be warm soon. Please lie down.”
Despite Charles's urging, Iana did not lie down and only wrapped herself in a blanket, smiling faintly.
“……I won.”
As Charles added more firewood, he asked,
“What do you mean you won?”
“The great magician said the binding magic would last for a month, but it was released in less than 20 days.”
“Are you happy to have won?”
“Yes. It’s as good as getting divorced. It means my magical power is that strong.”
At Iana's overly honest words, Charles shook his head and smiled.
“Please lie down. Doesn’t it hurt a lot?”
“This much isn’t, isn’t painful at all.”
“……”
“But I can still breathe.”
Charles quietly looked at her.
It seemed she couldn’t lie down comfortably in front of the Grand Duke.
“Please lie down. You need to get better so that when the Krikan appears in the outer castle, you can chase it away, right?”
“Then, I’m sorry, but I will lie down.”
Iana quietly laid down on the bed.
After Charles approached and carefully covered her with the blanket, he placed his hand on her forehead, which was abnormally hot.
With the binding magic released and her body in pain, she couldn’t take any medicine.
There was no choice but to endure it all alone.
Charles's eyes caught sight of the kettle placed on the fireplace. Just as he was about to head to the fireplace to boil some warm water,
Iana slowly opened her eyes and spoke slowly.
“I’m not good with words, and my insight isn’t deep.”
At Iana's sudden words, Charles looked at her.
It seemed like a sleep talk or perhaps words that came out of a muddled mind.
Iana took a moment to catch her breath and continued to speak with difficulty.
“I don’t know exactly what is happening to you, Your Highness. But one thing is clear.”
‘That word….’
Charles recalled the words he had spoken in the Dietrian Count's warehouse.
“I don’t know exactly what is happening to you. But I can say one thing clearly.”
“It’s not your fault, Your Highness.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Iana sincerely returned the comfort she had received from him.
Their eyes met.
Crackle, crackle.
The sound of the firewood burning echoed in the room.
“……”
Charles was silent.
His eyes contained countless words and deep emotions.
When conflicts arose with the Emperor, it began with blaming the Emperor and ended with self-reproach.
That was the way to blame someone you couldn’t hate to the core.
Perhaps she understood that feeling.
The heart she had when she declared she would sever ties with her brother, watching him leave from behind the curtain with a blank stare.
At that moment, Iana looked at him and smiled faintly again, a cute smile that didn’t seem fitting for someone who had conveyed deep comfort.
Seeing that, Charles couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
Only then did Iana seem to feel relieved and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
Charles stood for a while, gazing at her as she slept.
The light from the fireplace flickered, adding warmth to the room.
* * *
In the dim dawn, Iana slowly opened her eyes in bed.
But she felt so refreshed that she wondered if she had really been in pain yesterday.
She slowly sat up and looked at her right hand.
“The light is gone.”
The intense blue light that had surged last night had completely vanished.
As Iana thought for a moment and unconsciously turned her head toward the door,
“Oh my!”
She was about to scream but quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
Charles was sitting awkwardly on the sofa next to the door, arms crossed, asleep uncomfortably.
Looking around, she noticed a small basin and a wet towel placed on the bedside table.
‘The Grand Duke stayed up all night to take care of me.’
She got out of bed, tidied her disheveled hair, and put on a thin outer garment. Then she quietly approached Charles.
‘He must have been very tired; I should tell him to rest a little.’
As she got closer, she noticed a wound on his left neck.
The red cut was quite deep.
Iana looked at Charles with pity.
He must have been in pain, both physically and mentally, yet he hadn’t rested and had taken care of her.
“Um, Your Highness…”
“……”
Iana called out, but there was no response.
“Your Highness.”
“……”
When she called Charles again, this time a bit louder, he didn’t react, as if he were deeply asleep.
‘This won’t do.’
She slowly reached out her arm to shake him awake.
At that moment.
Tap-.
Charles reflexively grabbed her wrist.
“……!”
Iana, startled, met Charles's gaze as he lifted his head.
Did he think she was an enemy attacking? The bloodshot look in his eyes, visible through his gray hair, was sharp.
Iana’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.
But somehow, he looked different from usual.
Charles always neatly swept his hair back, but now his gray hair was tousled like fluffy clouds.
Iana thought that he looked cute in that state.
Then she suddenly snapped back to reality.
‘How can I think the Grand Duke looks cute in a disrespectful way! What am I thinking!’
Charles, seemingly lost in thought, didn’t let go of her hand and continued to look at her.
Unable to bear the awkwardness, she spoke first.
“My wrist hurts…”
Charles released her wrist and slowly reached his hand toward her face.
Iana froze like a statue at his sudden action.
Thump, thump, thump.
Iana’s heart raced.
His large hand touched her forehead.
“Your fever has gone down.”
“Really? Ah, thank you.”
Iana, flustered, blurted out her thanks.
Charles, who had been quietly watching her, smiled playfully, which seemed out of character.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
Whether it was from embarrassment or awkwardness, she didn’t know the exact reason, but Iana’s heart raced violently for a while.
* * *
At that moment, in the annex of the Marquess of Retchels.
Tension filled the annex, which was being used as the accommodation for the magic legion.
Marcel walked down the corridor with a face full of anger. Behind him, an informant hurriedly followed, reporting.
“Since I told Zion to find out the Marquess's movements, I couldn’t just sit back and watch.”
“……”
“So I sent Zion in first, and when he opened the door, I planned to ambush him, but…”
Marcel suddenly stopped in his tracks. He then slapped the informant hard across the face.
“How could you let a mere maid’s trick fool you and lose him right in front of you!”
“I’m sorry, Marquess.”
The informant briefly bowed his head to Marcel and opened the door to the treatment room.
Creak-.
The door to the treatment room opened.
Zion, lying on the bed with his leg bandaged, hurriedly sat up.
It was clear at a glance that he had been seriously injured, as his leg was wrapped in a wide bandage.
Zion, trembling with fear, opened his mouth in a shaky voice.
“Y-Your Grace.”
“Ha…!”
Marcel let out a laugh of disbelief at Zion’s appearance.
At that moment, Iana’s words flashed through his mind.
“That maid will read your brother’s true intentions from the top of her head.”
Only then did Marcel understand why Iana had reacted so sensitively to Riel.
‘This was my blunder. I underestimated Riel too much.’
He felt as if Riel was completely different from the person he had known until now.
Marcel asked the informant with a fierce gaze.
“So are you currently searching for Riel?”
“I’ve sent an informant to the Dietrian Count’s residence and am investigating mainly those who had close ties with Riel. I instructed them to capture her as soon as she is found.”
Marcel thought for a moment and coldly commanded.
“Send informants to Brantela.”
“Brantela, the port city at the southernmost tip of the Empire?”
Marcel had not followed Iana’s words until now.
He had been confident that dealing with a maid like Riel would be easy.
“Yes. That’s where Riel was a slave in the marble quarry.”
“……”
“Not just Brantela, find out everything about Riel!”
Marcel continued speaking while watching Zion’s wound from the knife.
“Find out everything about the life she has lived while deceiving us, without missing a single detail.”
Marcel vowed with a furious expression.
‘There will be only one mistake. I will make sure to put Riel on the execution stand.’