Chapter 41
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Unchanging True Heart
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Click.*
Carefully pushing open the door and stepping inside, the first thing to brush my nose wasn't the fishy stench of blood, but a sweet and tangy fruit aroma.
"Aaah~ Say ahh~!"
"Pfft, got it. Roselia, I'm not a child..."
"Patients are allowed to act like kids! Here, eat this peeled apple quick. You need those vitamins to get your blood flowing right?"
The scene in the hospital room was nothing like what I'd imagined.
I'd pictured Leonie pale and teetering on the edge of death, but there she was, comfortably propped against the bed's headboard, accepting apple slices from Roselia's hand.
Her complexion still lacked a bit of color, but the near-corpse I'd seen in the panic room was nowhere to be found.
Seria, too, stood by the bed, gently wiping Leonie's forehead with a damp cloth and a soft smile.
"Milady, your fever's gone down quite a bit. What a relief."
"Thank you, Seria. I owe my life to you all."
The three women shared a peaceful bloom of smiles.
Seeing them like that, it felt like the tightness in my chest suddenly eased.
The crushing pain in my heart, the tangled hypotheses swirling in my head—they all melted away like snow in an instant.
Thank goodness...
Relief flooded me, my legs nearly buckling.
I lingered by the door for a moment, watching them, then announced my presence and stepped in.
"How's your body holding up?"
"Ah, Your Grace!"
"Excellency!"
Roselia and Seria spotted me and rose with bright faces.
Leonie looked up at me, eyes wide with surprise.
As she started to sit up, I quickly raised a hand to stop her.
"Please, don't get up. You need more rest."
"Ah... yes."
I approached the bedside and gazed down at her.
Up close, her lips were still a little chapped, but her eyes brimmed with life.
And those eyes trembled toward me with affection.
"Noxion... no, Your Grace."
She nearly said my name before hastily correcting herself.
I offered a wry smile and bowed my head.
"I am deeply ashamed."
"...Pardon?"
"I boasted of guaranteeing your safety, only to let a precious guest fall into such peril. It was my failing. Forgive me, Lady."
It was sincere.
Even if she was a possessor, even if a regressor who'd been with the old me—this current me was entirely separate from that past self.
The fact that a guest I'd invited to my territory nearly died without my protection was an inexcusable lapse on my part.
But Leonie, hearing my apology, blinked in startled confusion instead.
"No! Why should you apologize, Your Grace? You're the one who saved me."
"But..."
"You arrived just in time, and that's why I'm alive. And..."
She paused, her cheeks flushing shyly as she whispered.
"You kept your promise. You... protected me."
"..."
Her words sent my heart thudding heavily once more.
This time, it wasn't pain.
Something thick and warm filled the core of my chest.
Even so, I couldn't meet her gaze.
I simply clasped her hand gently, tangled in guilt, relief, and some indefinable emotion.
Seria, oblivious to the truth, flinched at the sight, staring openly at our joined hands.
Roselia covered her mouth beside us, murmuring "Oh my goodness."
Why's she the one getting all excited...
A strange tension hung in the hospital room.
With my thoughts in turmoil, I glanced at Seria once more.
Someday—truly someday—I might have to confess everything to that woman, too.
Because she was the one who trusted and followed me blindly, the woman I loved.
Letting misunderstandings build like this under the excuse of personal matters... it wouldn't be good for her, for me, or for the lady who might yet forge deep bonds with us in this life.
But not now.
I swallowed my regret and slowly, carefully released Leonie's hand.
The warmth faded, leaving my palm feeling empty.
"..."
I stared at my hand for a moment, wrestling inwardly, then steeled myself and made a polite request of the two women.
"Forgive me, but may I have a moment alone?"
"Pardon?"
"There's something I'd like to discuss privately with the Lady. Could you step out briefly?"
"...!"
Seria's shoulders twitched visibly.
Her eyes wavered with hurt and unease.
Normally, she'd withdraw without a word, but today it must have felt like I was pushing her away.
"...Ah, understood. If that's what Your Grace wishes..."
Seria's lips trembled, her face on the verge of crumpling into near-tears.
Thud.
Roselia swiftly hooked her arm through Seria's and intervened.
"Of course! We wouldn't dream of intruding. Come on, Seria. We'll step out and enjoy another cup of tea."
"But, Your Highness, I..."
"It's fine, really? You trust the Duke, don't you?"
Roselia leaned close to the anxious Seria and whispered in her ear.
"Remember what we talked about before? What I told you."
"Yes...? Ah...!"
Her words worked like a magic spell.
Seria's face, moments ago full of grievance, flushed red as a ripe apple in an instant.
She hurriedly averted her gaze and bowed her head in fluster.
"Uh... um. Th-then... I'll take my leave! Please converse freely, Your Grace!"
Seria bolted from the room like she was fleeing.
It was utterly unlike her usual poised self as chief maid.
...What was that? What on earth did those two discuss to get her like that?
Ignoring my puzzled expression, Roselia clenched a fist toward me just before shutting the door.
Fighting!
She mouthed the energetic cheer, shot me a wink, and scurried off.
*Click.*
The door closed, and heavy silence settled over the room once more.
Only Leonie, clutching the bedsheets tightly, and I, standing awkwardly by the bed— just the two of us.
Now alone, a different flavor of tension thickly filled the air.
She seemed to anticipate what I might say, gazing up at me with eyes mingled expectation and dread.
"..."
I licked my dry lips.
Countless phrases flickered through my mind and vanished.
Where to even begin?
First, I should ask if she knew anything more about the attackers on Kaltstein.
Then, having somewhat sorted my thoughts, question her about our shared past regression?
Or raise the possibility that her regression was for my sake, and speak of my own curse?
After long hesitation, I finally opened my mouth, pouring in my most honest feelings.
"...First off, are you truly alright?"
"...Ah, yes... really fine. The doctor said Roselia's quick first aid prevented any major issues."
"I see."
"..."
Silence returned.
Why was starting so difficult...?
Haa... whatever.
Beating around the bush wasn't my style anyway.
Besides, the woman before me knew the deepest truth I'd hidden most.
No reason to hold back.
I took a deep breath and cut to the chase.
"First, I have a question. About those who attacked Kaltstein today."
"Ah... yes."
"Roselia told me the man you faced is Kairok, master of an assassin guild. And that he's a fairly significant figure in this world. But I didn't hear the exact details of how. Do you know anything?"
"Mm..."
Leonie sank into thought for a moment, then spoke calmly.
"Kairok... in the original novel, he was a sub-male lead who lurked in the shadows, protecting the heroine Elina. And a friend who met a tragic end."
"A protector of the original heroine..."
"Yes. But this time around, something's off. He mentioned trading with the crown prince for an Elixir."
"Elixir—the legendary potion said to revive even the dead?"
"Exactly. It seems he needs it for someone important to him... Elina's the most likely, but honestly, I doubt it."
"...I see. Got it for now."
Intriguing information.
The original guardian allying with the black crown prince over an Elixir.
As Roselia suggested, if we played it right—or offered a lead on treating whoever he sought—we might sway him to our side.
"Then... what about the other man, who nearly killed you?"
Her expression subtly hardened at my follow-up.
She unconsciously clutched the bandaged spot on her side.
"That one... Garneon. Captain of the imperial direct intelligence unit, the Black Wings."
"Black Wings..."
"Crown Prince Damian's shadow. The empire's most dangerous assassin weapon. One of the most vile villains in the original, too."
Her voice began to tremble faintly as she continued.
"For him to move personally... it means the crown prince has no intention of letting this end as a mere warning. Likely targeting Kaltstein... and me..."
She trailed off, biting her lip.
The terror of brushing death must have surged back.
I didn't press further, simply nodding as I sorted the details.
...Complicated.
The situation was graver than I'd thought.
The crown prince had drawn his blade.
The sharpest one ruling the empire's darkness.
Yet defiance surged more than fear.
Daring to trespass my domain? They'll pay dearly.
"Thank you for the information. The picture's much clearer now."
"Glad I could help."
"And..."
I paused to meet her eyes before pressing on with the last question.
Now for the most crucial one.
The first step to untangling this knot of clashing reason and emotion, past and present.
I sat in the chair by the bed, locking eyes with her.
"...The one thing I most want to ask."
"...Go ahead."
"You're a regressor. The Noxion in your memories and the me standing before you now... we're strictly different beings."
"..."
Her eyes wavered.
"Of course, from personality to habits, looks, even soul—I'm unchanged from the Noxion you knew. But the Noxion you loved... wasn't he the man who saved you, who loved you?"
I finished as gravely as I could.
"This me—same as your past regression yet undeniably another person—can you truly accept him?"
"......"
Heavy silence blanketed the room.
Our relationship would be defined by her answer.
A tragic love haunted by past phantoms... or facing new reality to begin another love.
I waited quietly for her lips to part.