Why the Frame Jobs? Arios Gets Stickier
Why the constant frame jobs? Arios's attitude had grown even stickier. It had been a while since I'd healed her subordinates, but she kept visiting me steadily afterward, and her demeanor had definitely changed.
"Seres, a gift for you."
Arios came to my room and handed me something while I was lying in bed. She'd brought little trinkets as gifts during her previous visits too, but the quality had skyrocketed now.
"Seres, this is clothing made from the pelt of a white wolf that only lives in the snow-covered north."
"Isn't that super expensive? They don't sell it to outsiders lightly up there."
"It's fine. I can buy it without any burden. Oh, and this is a snowflower that only grows in the north too."
"I heard snowflowers are the symbol of the family that rules those lands. Not something they sell."
"It was sent to my family as a gift, but I'll give it to you, Seres. This pure white suits you better than anyone else."
She said something so sappy while handing me the snowflower that I nearly yelled, Are you insane?! Why give me a gift exchanged between noble houses?! I remembered the snowflower from the original story. Seres had received it as a gift there too, and the powerful family it originally belonged to was seriously pissed off about it. Though in the original, it was some other male lead who gave it without permission. Are these damn yanderes all thinking alike?
Anyway, every time she visited like this, she brought burdensome gifts, but I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't like I'd healed her the way it happened in the original. I'd healed her subordinates, sure, but I'd vented my anger on her in return. So why was she acting like her love for me had deepened? At some point, she'd even started calling my name more intimately, gazing at me like I was the cutest thing ever.
I was staring at her in bewilderment when...
"Don't do this!"
"Leave at once!"
Suddenly, things got noisy outside.
"What's going on?"
"Wait, don't walk alone!"
Arios hurriedly supported me as I stood to check. I really hated it, but what could I do? Leaning on her, I stepped outside and saw unfamiliar people kneeling in the front yard.
"Countess, please help us just this once."
"I said no!"
"We desperately need your aid. At the very least, let us meet Young Master Seres!"
"These people, really!"
The strangers were pleading with Ares, who faced them with an irritated expression.
"What's happening?"
The moment I appeared, all eyes turned to me.
"Seres, go back inside."
Ares tried to shoo me away urgently, but the people rushed toward me faster.
"That face!"
"As beautiful as the rumors say."
"You must be Seres, the empire's greatest beauty!"
These were total strangers, yet they treated me like some savior. Wait a sec. Don't tell me...
"Young Master Seres, we've heard the rumors about you."
"They say you possess holy power as immense as the legendary saint. Please, bestow that power upon us!"
Oh, right, I remember this. When Seres absentmindedly used divine power to heal Arios, word got out. Ares had tried to hush it up, but with Arios's knights and Huferion household servants witnessing it, too many people knew, and eventually, it leaked outside. Then folks who heard the rumors started showing up begging for healing...
Why three of them, though? I remembered it being just one person originally. Had the number of people I healed increased, dragging in more supplicants?
"Enough. Stop forcing it."
Ares shouted as I pondered if some variable had cropped up.
"Go to a temple if you need priests. Why beg my son to heal you?"
"My daughter's wounds are too severe for ordinary priests to treat."
"Then call a high priest."
"That's impossible. How could commoners like us summon a high priest?"
"Does begging the countess's household's sole heir make any more sense?"
Ares sneered coldly at the pleading commoners.
"You thought he'd be a soft touch and heal you if you asked nicely? As long as I'm here, that won't happen."
"We've heard Young Master Seres is kindhearted. Please, Countess, show some mercy!"
"What are you waiting for? Drag them out!"
Ares summoned the servants to eject the commoners from the estate. That's when...
"No!!!"
I screamed reflexively. Everyone stared at me after my sudden outburst. Even Ares, with her ruthless expression, switched to one of shock.
"Seres?"
"Kuh, cough! D-don't... send those people away!"
I choked back a cough from yelling so abruptly and forced the words out. Because if I let those people leave like this, they'd spread rumors that I'm a witch! In the original plotline "Heaven's Seres," Ares drives away the pleading commoner harshly in the end. Seres wanted to help but couldn't because of his father's stance and his own frailty, so he just watched. Shockingly, the rejected commoner harbors a grudge and starts the witch rumor about Seres. He has the power to heal but won't, so he's evil-hearted. He must be using witchcraft to deceive everyone, not a saint at all! That rumor draws the temple-working male lead to investigate, and later, when Seres gets suspected as a fake saint, the guy reappears as a witness spewing bullshit. What kind of nonsense plot is that? But it makes sense—this world exists basically to frame Seres at every turn!
"Don't worry. I'll heal you."
And now it wasn't just one, but three. If I wasn't careful, things could blow up three times worse than the original. I had to nip this in the bud completely.
"Ooh, Lord Seres! Really? As expected, your radiant heart matches your beauty!"
"Who needs healing? Show me."
"Follow us!"
The commoners hurriedly moved to guide me.
"Seres, are you in your right mind?"
Ares blocked my path in horror as I tried to follow them.
"If you want to heal them, tell those people to bring the patient here."
"Countess, my daughter can't move right now."
"Neither can my son!"
Ares glared ferociously at the one who objected, silencing her, then placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going when you can't even move on your own? Outside is dangerous."
"Then I'll just go with someone reliable."
I side-eyed Arios, who was still supporting me.
"Follow."
"Gladly."
Yeah, I figured. Since it's come to this, might as well use her.
"The empire's top knight should be fine as an escort, right?"
"You're really set on going."
"Yes."
"...Take some servants too."
Ares reluctantly agreed after my firm declaration.
-----------------------------------------------
"This way, please."
I followed the commoners with Arios and the servants in tow. These people were from the Huferion County territory we ruled—not far from home, but a grueling march for me.
"Seres, anywhere uncomfortable?"
"Being cradled in your arms like this is uncomfortable enough."
I grumbled while being princess-carried in Arios's embrace like some damsel. She insisted she couldn't let frail me walk alone and just scooped me up.
"Here we are."
"Put me down."
But I couldn't show up looking this ridiculous inside someone's home. I hopped down from Arios's arms the moment we arrived at the first house.
"You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. It's just standing briefly while I heal."
I put on a stubborn front, enduring the pain in front of her worried gaze and the servants'.
"This is my daughter."
Once inside, I checked the patient—it was dire. She lay bandaged head to toe on the bed like a corpse, one leg completely gone.
"My daughter is a hunter. She ran into a beast while out hunting and met with disaster. She hasn't even regained consciousness!"
In this world with reversed gender roles, the father was nursing her in place of the mother. He grabbed my hand and pleaded.
"Please, show mercy."
"I've already done that."
"Pardon?"
He stared blankly at me as I touched his daughter with my free hand—she was already fully healed.
"Wh-where...?"
Her regenerated leg was back, her body fully recovered. She blinked awake and looked around.
Divine power was a double-edged sword, but its effects were undeniably flawless.
"Where's the next house?"
I urged the stunned onlookers—it had ended too quickly for them.
That's when...
"Ah!"
"Seres!"
My trembling legs finally gave out. Arios caught me from behind as I started to fall.
"Thank... you."
I tried to express my gratitude, but chills ran down my spine.
"Hoo..."
Arios, holding me, buried her face in my hair and sniffed.