Your Highness, No... Lian.
Now the strategy was completely revised.
My original plan had been a protracted war of attrition—suppressing the chain of transmission through modern-style quarantine measures and getting through the crisis with stockpiled medicine.
But the variable called my "miracle" was more than enough to overturn all of that. No, it had to be overturned.
The reality on the ground was far more horrific than the reports had suggested.
To these people, telling them "isolate for the next few days" was no different from saying "sit around and wait to die."
In the end, Be ti accepted my opinion and redeployed Winterfell's personnel.
Following my instructions, they assessed the patients' conditions and lined them up. The critically ill, those gasping their last breaths, went to the front of the line; those who could still hold on, to the back.
We sorted the patients by the severity of their illness, and the first village shook off the shadow of death under my light.
And now, two days later, we were racing toward the end in the square of the final village.
"...Thank you. Truly, thank you, Your Highness. I'll engrave this grace of saving my life in my heart forever."
I watched the old man bow repeatedly as he left the square, then let out the ragged breath I'd been holding.
My fingertips trembled faintly. It had been two straight days of relentless work. Hunger and fatigue had come and gone, but I'd clung to that beam of light through sheer willpower.
"...How many are left now?"
Be ti, who had been at my side, flipped through her papers and gave a curt reply.
"Four remaining. Your Highness, your lips are pale. Rest for a bit."
Her voice carried an odd note of concern instead of her usual chill. But I shook my head.
"No need. Just four left—what's the big deal? Thanks, Be ti. This hellish ordeal's almost over."
I took a bite of the bread beside me and flashed a grin.
But Be ti's gaze wasn't on the patients—it stayed fixed on my profile. Her blood-red eyes held a complex doubt I couldn't quite pin down, mingled with something even more inscrutable.
"Your Highness."
"Yes, Be ti."
"I have a question. Where on earth did you get that power? I've never heard of anyone in the imperial family possessing such an ability."
It had been coming. Since I'd decided to be honest, I began calmly.
"Oh, this? After coming to Winterfell, I looked through a bunch of books in the library. One of them was an ancient tome mentioning that the imperial bloodline once wielded this power. A record from about two hundred years ago, I think? Never thought it'd actually work, but I got lucky finding it and gave it a try."
"...So Your Highness rediscovered a power the imperial family lost two hundred years ago?"
"Come on, Be ti. I'm sneakily talented, you know. And when you're desperate enough, the path appears."
I wrapped it up with a sly smile. Be ti still looked like she had more to say, but she fell silent as the last patients approached.
The moment the final four were cleansed by the miracle's light, the square filled with joy and tears.
The people prostrated themselves before me, calling me "saint," and I rose with a sigh of relief.
Phew, wrapping this up in just two days. What a relief.
But that was the moment.
The tension that had filled my bones to the marrow snapped loose, and forgotten physiological sensations crashed over me like a tidal wave. The price of pouring out power without proper food or sleep for two days. Ravenous hunger and crushing fatigue slammed into my brain at once.
"Huh...?"
The world tilted ninety degrees. Sensation vanished from under my feet, and gravity dragged me down. In that brief instant before I could even scream, my vision went black.
"Your Highness!"
The last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Be ti's desperate face, reaching out for me. Her usual poker face was gone, twisted in a terror I'd never seen before.
Oh. That's a new expression on her.
With Be ti rushing toward me in a panic, my vision faded to black, and I collapsed.
"...Mm."
I barely pried open my heavy eyelids.
The first things I sensed were the familiar winter scent tickling my nose and the pleasant crackle of the fireplace's warmth.
But compared to the blankets at the duke's residence, this one felt lower quality. Probably Viscount Hertos's manor.
I blankly turned my head to look out the window.
"Huh... why's it so dark out?"
Thick darkness blanketed the world outside.
In the quiet stillness, only Be ti sat in the chair by the bed, arms crossed, gazing down at me. Even in the shadows, her red eyes gleamed coldly.
Whoa! Why's she just sitting there silently when I woke up?
I calmed my startled heart and spoke to her.
"Be ti? How much time has passed? Don't tell me I was out for three days?"
My voice came out raspier than expected. As I panicked and tried to sit up, Be ti rose and firmly pressed my shoulder down.
"No. Four hours."
"...What? Just four hours?"
What? I thought it'd been at least three days. My body felt like a thousand pounds, and it was only four hours?
Embarrassment brought a hollow laugh.
"Where are we, anyway?"
"Viscount Hestos's manor. We came straight here after you collapsed—the closest place."
As I'd thought, it was Viscount Hestos's manor.
"What happened to Viscount Hestos?"
"Your Highness. Viscount Hestos no longer exists."
She said it flatly, like it was no big deal.
"Did you... kill him?"
"Not yet."
Not 'yet'? That means he will be!
No matter how incompetent and irresponsible Viscount Hestos seemed, actually killing him made her scary again.
"Be ti, um..."
"Enough questions from Your Highness. My turn now."
Be ti cut me off.
I was just gonna ask for food 'cause I'm starving...
But as I looked closely at Be ti, her vibe felt off—dangerous, even.
"Is your body all right now?"
"Yeah, aside from my throat being dry, I think so."
"......"
Why steal my question time if you're just gonna ask once and stop?
Be ti seemed to ponder for a moment.
"By the way, Be ti, why'd you stay here the whole time? Were you worried about me?"
Seemed like I had to steer the conversation, so I tossed in my usual playful line.
I expected her standard icy retort: "Don't flatter yourself" or "It'd be politically inconvenient if my fiancé died."
But Be ti's next words shattered all expectations.
"Yes. Very much so."
"...Pardon?"
Her unexpected frankness—no, her obsessive intensity—left me flustered instead.
"R-Really? Well, that's an honor. Haha..."
I tried to play it cool despite my fluster.
Be ti watched me for a moment, then rose from the chair and slowly climbed onto the bed where I lay, knee first.
"W-What? Be ti? What's this all of a sudden?"
The mattress sank distinctly under her weight.
I panicked at Be ti suddenly on the bed and approaching me, scrambling back—only to hit the headboard.
Be ti leaned in slowly, planting her hands on either side of me, trapping me as she loomed above.
Close enough for our breaths to mingle. Her black hair brushed my cheek, her face so near my reflection shone in her eyes.
She tilted her head, staring down.
What the hell is this situation? Am I dreaming?
Is this an H-scene? Oh my gosh, are you two already this close? Epic! Finally gonna see the Ice Duchess and your steamy love scene? Super excited. Btw, no worries—I'm a girl lol
Fuck. That damn status window means this isn't a dream...
"Your Highness."
Be ti's voice filled the room, low and chilling. I halted my whirlwind of thoughts, swallowed dryly, and barely managed a reply.
"Y-Yes......"
"No, Lian."
She called my real name.
Until now, she'd always used "Your Highness." This was the first time.
Be ti gently lifted my chin with cool fingers, her voice piercing my heart as she asked,
"Just what are you?"
Her eyes swirled with a sticky, dangerous curiosity I could never explain.