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‘So, let’s not get our hopes up too high that door will open like a miracle.’
She shouldn’t harbor vain hopes that someone would notice her plight and come to rescue her at any moment.
It was at that moment that Ayla tried to repeat those words to herself.
Thump!
Suddenly, dust poured down from the ceiling, and the warehouse door, which had been firmly closed, shook violently as if it would break.
Ayla slowly blinked her eyes.
Just a moment ago, she thought it was foolish to expect the door to open.
But after several more sharp metallic sounds echoed, the anticipation she had tried to suppress slowly raised its head.
Even as she repeated that it couldn’t be, her heart began to beat uncontrollably fast.
‘Could it be, could it really be…….’
Bang-!
And finally, as if in response to her earnest wish, the door shattered with a tremendous noise.
A ray of light pierced through the darkness and brightly illuminated the warehouse.
A man and a woman walked in, silhouetted against the bright background.
Ayla felt as if this whole situation was like a dream.
She blankly muttered the names of the people entering the warehouse.
“Felix, Peony.”
“Ayla, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
Felix knelt down on one knee and began to check on Ayla’s condition.
A moment later, relief crossed his face when he realized that Ayla was safe.
Peony also rushed to Ayla’s side.
“Oh my god, Ayla. What happened? Why does your face look half its size in just one night!”
Ayla gave a small smile at Peony’s words.
‘I wasn’t trapped for that long to be so worried.’
Strangely, her chest fluttered.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Except for being hungry after being trapped for half a day……”
“That’s quite a big deal, though.”
Peony nodded vigorously in agreement with Felix’s words.
“That’s right. There’s nothing as big a deal as being hungry. Let’s get her something to eat right away.”
The two of them helped her up amicably.
Felix took off his coat and draped it over her trembling shoulders.
Only then did Ayla come to her senses and ask Felix.
“How did you find me?”
“Ayla left a trail.”
“You found it?”
“Didn’t you leave it for us to find?”
“Well, yes, but I didn’t really think you’d find it……”
Felix said with a sulky expression.
“Did you have so little faith in me?”
A dumbfounded smile appeared on Ayla’s lips.
Although he was feigning a disappointed expression, it was clear to everyone that it was a joke.
Felix continued nonchalantly.
“I just believed in Ayla, just like Ayla believed in me.”
“Believed?”
“You left a trail believing I would find you. So, of course, I thought you’d be waiting for me.”
As soon as she heard those words, Ayla’s nose tingled.
Until now, Ayla had always thought of Felix as someone she had to take care of.
The tragic end he suffered in the original story still lingered in her mind.
Besides, he was ten years younger than her in her previous life, so she sometimes felt like he was a younger brother.
But now, at this moment, it was different.
His attentiveness, believing in her in a situation with no clues and not missing even the smallest trace, moved her heart.
Today, for the first time, he felt like a true comrade, not someone she had to take care of.
Soon after, Felix turned to his side and said.
“Above all, Peony sunbae was a great help. I don’t know what method she used, though.”
Peony crossed her arms and replied as if it were nothing.
“It’s thanks to you narrowing down the search area. And I happened to sense a very strong magical energy here.”
After looking around for a moment, she lowered her voice and added.
“This is a secret, but the Imperial Family are born with the ability to sense Mana.”
Ayla’s eyes widened at those words.
No wonder the two of them found her more easily than she had expected.
There was no way Rosia would have locked her up alone without any safety measures.
“Really…… it’s all thanks to you two. Thank you.”
Ayla bowed her head towards Felix and Peony with sincerity.
A warm atmosphere flowed between the three of them for a moment.
The fact that there were people who could rely on each other even in difficult situations somehow made her feel relieved.
But that peace was only temporary.
As soon as they stepped out of the warehouse, Ayla’s legs faltered in the face of the rushing wind.
As the tension was released, it felt as if all the strength was draining from her body.
“Ayla!”
Felix and Peony approached in surprise at the same time.
Peony quickly grabbed Ayla’s arm and supported her.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I think it’s just because the tension’s been released.”
Ayla forced a smile and replied, but her body was limp and she couldn’t muster any strength, perhaps because she had been left in the cold all night.
Inevitably, Ayla glanced at Felix, who was next to her.
“Felix, can you help me? I can’t seem to put any strength in my legs……”
Before she could finish speaking, Felix turned around without hesitation and offered his back.
“Of course. Here, get on.”
Ayla hesitated for a moment.
She had asked him, but she felt embarrassed because he had accepted so readily.
‘I wonder if he thinks I’m taking advantage of Felix too much, like when we climbed over the wall last time……?’
But there was no time to worry for long.
Time was very tight.
Originally, she should have completed the Magical potion by now and be waiting for it to mature.
In the end, Ayla squeezed her eyes shut and climbed onto his back.
Today, Felix’s back felt particularly broad and reliable.
‘It’s really…… hard.’
To be honest, Felix’s back wasn’t very comfortable. His trained muscles felt like armor.
But from behind his back, Ayla felt an indescribable sense of relief.
She wanted to lean comfortably on his back like this, but unfortunately, there was no time to indulge in sentimentality.
Clinging to Felix’s shoulders, she opened her mouth resolutely.
“Take me straight to the dormitory. I have to make the Mana Insensitivity Cure from now on.”
After returning to the dormitory, Ayla immediately began to make the Cure.
Felix and Peony were sent back to their respective dormitories. Because the exam was tomorrow.
‘I probably won’t be able to sleep.’
It was already too late to get a good night’s sleep before the exam.
Rather, completing the Cure was the priority.
Frankly, even if she made the Cure in the shortest amount of time, it would be a close call.
This Magical potion had to be aged for more than a day after completion to have its proper effect.
‘But what can I do? I have no choice but to do it.’
Fortunately, the first day of the exam consisted only of written tests.
Since there was still some time, Ayla decided to move quickly instead of fidgeting.
‘To think that both Felix and Peony would try so hard to find me.’
Again, the area around her chest tingled.
She was no longer alone.
There were other people who were stepping forward for Ayla alone.
According to Felix, Peony had even tried to send people to the Imperial Palace.
Just to find Ayla, who had become a commoner.
Now, doing well on this exam was no longer just her problem.
‘I want to live up to the expectations of the people who worked hard for me.’
Ayla’s hands began to move busily. The beautiful blue color of the potion changed to silver.
Ayla’s rapidly moving hands were without any excess.
Each time her touch reached it, the Magical potion emitted a subtle light.
Soon after, Ayla put the herbs she had placed in a crystal bottle into the potion.
Then, the color of the silver potion began to change. This time, it was a light cherry blossom color.
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