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Ayla wore a bitter smile.
“I’ve become a commoner. I have nothing to do with the Blanche Noble house anymore.”
“……What are you talking about? The Princess Consort of the Blanche Noble house suddenly becoming a commoner.”
“It’s a long story. The Princess Consort of the Blanche Noble house you’re talking about is Rosia over there now.”
At Ayla’s words, Peony’s face gradually reddened. She realized that the other person wasn’t joking.
But Ayla wasn’t intimidated at all and looked straight into Peony’s eyes.
“I know you haven’t been able to come to the academy because you’ve been severely ill recently. I heard you barely recovered a few days ago, right?”
“…….”
“You probably haven’t heard much news from the outside, so I understand that you don’t know what happened to the Blanche Noble house.”
At Ayla’s words, the corners of Peony’s mouth hardened.
It was already widely known that her health wasn’t good.
But the fact that she had been so severely ill that she was on the verge of death recently was a secret she hadn’t even told her family.
‘But how does Ayla know that? Even though she’s a commoner now?’
While Peony was in confusion, Ayla wore an even deeper smile.
“And one more thing… I also know a way to cure your illness.”
“What?”
Peony frowned at the absurd remark.
If she were more hot-tempered, she would have immediately gotten angry and snapped at Ayla.
The Imperial family had been doing their best to cure her illness.
But it was a difficult problem that even the most renowned doctors and Mages in the empire couldn’t solve.
But Ayla dares to say she can cure me?
It was an incomprehensible statement.
“Are you making fun of me……”
“Don’t forget to take the Magical potion you made today.”
Ayla cut her off and abruptly handed over the Magical potion she had made in class.
The Magical potion was emitting a brilliant golden light, just as Professor Jacy had praised.
“We made it together, so we should share it.”
Peony glared at her with suspicious eyes, but Ayla just smiled leisurely.
“If you’re interested in my story, come to the west annex of the academy by evening three days from now.”
“…….”
“Oh, and you’ll have to come alone.”
Ayla left those words and disappeared without even hearing Peony’s answer.
The three days passed faster than expected.
During that time, Peony hadn’t decided what to do.
She tried to erase Ayla’s words from her mind.
‘How can a mere student cure my illness?’
Peony’s illness was incurable.
It was a rare disease with no known cause or cure, so a complete recovery was impossible.
Peony had also tried various efforts to overcome the pain that came unexpectedly.
But no matter how much she thought about it, there was no way. Her body ached often, and the intervals between the pain were getting shorter and shorter.
But there’s a way to cure my illness?
Peony couldn’t easily believe Ayla’s words.
‘She’s clearly trying to deceive me.’
Peony clenched her fists.
After the Magical potion class, she learned about what had happened to the Blanche Noble house through her maid.
The fact that she, who had been treated as a noble Princess Consort, was actually a fake who had been switched by a nanny.
‘She’s cornered, so she’s trying to do something about it.’
Remembering Ayla’s impudent behavior, not knowing her place even though she had become a commoner, made her feel even worse.
Even so, Ayla’s words kept popping up in her head.
“I also know a way to cure your illness.”
……It’s unlikely, but what if her words are true?
What if there really is a way to escape this terrible pain that comes from time to time?
Her gaze suddenly reached the bottle containing the golden liquid, sticking out from the gap in her bag.
Seeing it made one corner of her heart tremble coldly.
It was then that Peony was biting her lip.
The maid next to her spoke to her with a worried face.
“Your Highness, you look so pale today because you overdid it. I guess we should have rested more.”
Peony stared blankly at her.
She was Lona, the maid that her father had personally assigned to Peony, who was always sick and bedridden as a child.
She had some medical knowledge and always stayed by her side to take care of her.
So, with the Emperor’s special permission, she was able to enter the academy with her.
“Did that commoner named Ayla do something rude to Her Highness? No, it’s a problem that she hid that she was a commoner and spoke to Your Highness. I feel bad even thinking about it.”
“…….”
“On the other hand, I heard that the Princess Consort Rosia, who transferred to the academy, is already famous. They say she has amazing Magic skills, befitting the daughter of the Blanche Noble house. Have you met her?”
Peony wasn’t really paying attention to Lona’s words.
Most of what she said was slander about Ayla.
Of course, her feelings for Ayla had worsened through today’s events, but it wasn’t pleasant to hear gossip about others.
It was when Peony was about to stop Lona.
“But Ayla, that woman. She seems to have a pretty accurate eye for people. As soon as it was revealed that she was a commoner and her engagement was broken, she immediately started dating another commoner man. But that person recently defeated Rate in a Swordsmanship duel.”
“A commoner…… defeated the Rate Heir?”
Peony tilted her head as if she didn’t understand the story Lona told her.
Even someone who was ignorant of social circles would know who Rate was.
Kadin Rate. As the sole Heir of the Marquess Noble house, he was already showing his talent as a promising knight.
Although he wasn’t a person she personally thought very highly of.
“Yes, his name was Felix. Originally, he suffered from Mana insensitivity and his skills were terrible, but suddenly he got better. Isn’t that strange? So, he’s protecting Ayla now.”
Peony’s face hardened.
Felix was also someone she knew well.
She had never met him in person, but he was so eccentric that he was rumored to be an outcast in the Swordsmanship Department.
But Felix, who was close to Ayla, suddenly recovered from his Mana insensitivity.
‘Could it be that Ayla cured his illness too?’
But she knew that Mana insensitivity was rare and there was no proper treatment, so it was almost incurable.
“Well, maybe it was natural healing. It’s somewhat absurd that it happened after he became friends with Ayla, though.”
The moment she heard Lona’s words, Peony felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips.
Her pulse began to beat irregularly.
This was because Ayla’s proposal, which she had dismissed as nonsense until now, suddenly felt persuasive.
‘Certainly, Ayla, who was making the proposal to me, was strangely confident.’
The image of Ayla skillfully making Magical potions came to her mind again.
Her skill was so great that even Professor Jacy, a Mage who made a name for himself in the Magic Tower, couldn’t help but admire her.
‘Really, if Ayla is so good at making Magical potions that she can cure Felix’s Mana insensitivity…….’
Peony’s heart was pounding fast, as if it would jump out.
She knew she shouldn’t be tempted, but she kept hoping.
Even in the midst of all this, Lona continued to complain to Peony.
“Anyway, it doesn’t seem good to associate with that commoner any further. I heard that Ayla kept flirting with Her Highness in class. She doesn’t even know her place!”
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