Chapter 25
“Celine, wouldn’t it be better if you stayed in bed a little longer? What if something goes wrong with the treated areas……”
“Dad, my legs are already perfectly healed with holy power, and it’s been three whole days stuck in this bed. Am I a corpse or a person?”
“B-but……”
Celine couldn’t help but think her always-respectable dad seemed like such a doting fool in moments like this. He always put her and her sister first, caring for them tenderly and showering them with love—but sometimes he overdid it. Ever since their mother passed away, leaving him with his only remaining family, he treated Celine and her sister like newborns. It was embarrassing when others saw it.
“The holy power took care of the urgent issues, and the expert medical staff said there’s nothing wrong anymore, so I’m discharging tomorrow.”
“B-but……”
If she gave in to her pitiful, cowed dad, he’d carry her on his back all the way to the classroom and even feed her at the cafeteria. She felt a little guilty, but sometimes she had to be firm.
“Just handle the discharge paperwork already.”
“Ugh…… Fine.”
The Euse Duke finally surrendered. As the saying goes, no parent can win against their child—he drooped his shoulders and put on a dejected face at Celine’s firm words.
“Oh, right, Celine. Do you happen to know young master Polo Helios from the Helios Count family?”
“Polo Helios?”
Celine was a bit startled by the sudden name but quickly composed herself and replied casually.
“Yeah, we ended up in the same club by chance, so we’re acquaintances. But why him all of a sudden?”
“Well, when you were kidnapped, he came all the way to the ducal residence to deliver the news. At first, I thought it was just him acting on urgency, but the more I think about it, the stranger it seems.”
“W-what’s so strange……?”
“For him to know about your kidnapping means you two were together. And it just so happened to be during the academy festival. Plus, it’s the festival where tons of couples form between guys and girls.”
The duke narrowed his eyes at her as he spoke.
“Ho, ho, ho, don’t tell me you two are da—”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Right? Of course not?! Phew~ Good, a man’s gotta have that reliable vibe. Guys who look like pretty-boy parasites are 99% players. I was worried my daughter got hooked by some bad guy and something awful happened~”
The duke sighed in relief, as if a weight had been lifted now that they weren’t dating. But Celine’s attention wasn’t on his rambling about perfect husband material—it was on the memory of Mars’s embrace when he came to rescue her.
‘Reliable…… was he?’
The man who pulled her out of that cold, dark basement. He usually exuded a lazy, annoyed aura, but he had broad shoulders and a chest wide enough to envelop her completely. And unlike his icy, chilly demeanor, he’d smelled warm…… and faintly nice too—
Bang!
“C-Celine?! What’s wrong all of a sudden? Is somewhere hurting—?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. I just almost dozed off!”
‘Am I crazy? I must be crazy! Just because he saved me once?! Are you that easy, Celine Euse!?’
Celine slammed her head against the headboard to snap herself out of her weird train of thought. She fanned her face with her hands to cool the faint heat rising from her cheeks, which were starting to redden.
‘What do I lack that I’d go for a guy like that! Sure, I’m super grateful he saved me…… but his looks aren’t even that—hmm…… he’s not ugly or anything……’
In truth, Mars’s appearance was quite handsome. But in this world where most people leaned toward the exotic features of his previous life’s America or Europe, Mars’s mixed Eastern-Western vibe—probably from his reincarnation—made it hard for people to categorize his appeal, leading to a clash in tastes. Plus, he hated standing out and always minimized his presence, so no one remembered his face clearly. And hanging around with Polo created a contrast effect, making most people perceive him as average regardless.
‘Black hair is rare, but it suits him surprisingly well and gives him a serious vibe. His usual sleepy, listless eyes turn sharp when he’s angry—that’s kinda wild and sexy or— No, stop!!’
She shook her head side to side to dispel the intrusive thoughts creeping in.
“Miss. Some of your classmates are here to see you. Shall I bring them in?”
Betty, her dedicated maid who’d been tending to her, approached quietly and asked.
“Classmates? I didn’t have plans with anyone today…… What are their names?”
“Yes. Sir Polo Helios and Sir Mars Noctus.”
“……! L-let them in!”
At the names of her visitors, Celine bolted upright and checked herself in the mirror, fixing her appearance. Betty sensed something off in her mistress’s behavior but dismissed it as her imagination and went to fetch the guests.
* * *
The lady’s hospital room was ridiculously luxurious. Compared to that cramped corner of the infirmary I’d been shoved into last time, it was on another level.
‘Now that I think about it, that was kinda pathetic.’
Money…… yeah, money really is king, huh.
“Come on in. Sorry to drag you here when you’re busy—thanks for coming.”
The lady, propped up against the bed, looked much better than on the day of the kidnapping, but her gaunt cheeks and overall frail build suggested lingering mental trauma. Makes sense—after something like that, nightmares would haunt her, sleep would terrify her, and even eating might feel impossible. Her expression and speech carried her usual poise, but the faint tremble at the corners of her eyes and knuckles betrayed that she hadn’t fully escaped the nightmare of the abduction.
‘But she’s still impeccably put-together despite being hospitalized.’
I’d expected her to look a bit disheveled after days in the hospital since the incident, but her hair, the bed, everything was spotless and orderly. It really drove home how elite the ducal household’s servants were. My maid Luna, meanwhile, grumbled every time I asked her to make the bed, taking forever while I trained, and even then it was sloppy—full of wrinkles, with drool stains because she’d nap on it under the pretense of cleaning. Geez. She could learn a thing or two from these folks.
“Lady, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. They poured high priests and top-grade potions into me—I’m more than healthy at this point.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Thanks to her doting duke dad and swift treatment, she seemed to have recovered a lot. She’d looked so fragile, on the verge of tears when we left her behind, but now she’d regained her dignified self—relieving, to say the least.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Well…… we’re in the same club, and Polo and I asked you to join us for the festival when it all went down. Feels like our fault you got caught up in that mess, so we came to check on you.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.”
“Phew, good. Oh, right—heard Polo caught on quick and alerted the duke’s place? In a way, he’s the one who saved you, huh?”
“Hmmm……”
Her sharp glare aside, I averted my eyes and played dumb. I hadn’t told Polo that she’d figured out my identity, so we’d agreed to shove all the credit his way. It’d boost her favor toward him and leave a good impression on the duke too.
“Yeah…… maybe, I guess……”
‘Huh?’
Was it my imagination? Her response felt a bit lackluster. As I picked up on the odd tone unlike her usual self, she called over Polo, who’d been standing there like a folding screen.
“Hold on, Polo. I need a favor.”
“Pardon?”
Polo sounded surprised, clearly not expecting to be singled out.
“M-me?”
“Yes, you. It’s simple, so no need to worry.”
With that, she beckoned him closer. He hesitated at first, glancing around, but eventually sidled up to her side.
Slap.
“L-Lady?”
“Stay still. Don’t look away.”
Without a word, she just stared piercingly into Polo’s eyes. Neither Polo nor I, watching from the side, could make sense of it—question marks practically floated over our heads.
“……Nothing at all, huh. Neither you nor I……”
She muttered softly to herself, then turned away as if satisfied.
“W-well…… we’ve confirmed you’re okay, so we’ll be—”
“Wait.”
Ugh, why now. I grimaced in exasperation, and she actually snorted at me.
“Oh, Polo can go. I need to talk to this guy alone.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
She’d singled me out explicitly—no escape now. Not getting why she wanted me behind, I asked again.
“Why me, specifically?”
“You’re in the same class, so you know the academy situation well, and we have club stuff to discuss. You against it?”
“……Of course not. It’s an honor.”
Judging by her side-eye at Polo, it meant say yes before I spill your secret to him. Polo already knew everything about me anyway, but her effort to keep it under wraps was kinda funny, so I accepted. Polo shot me a worried look about being left alone with her, but when I signaled it was fine, he said we’d meet at the dorm later and left first.
“So…… what is it you want to hear?”
“Well, less ‘hear’ and more ‘ask a favor.’”
A favor? She couldn’t know about my power and want me to use it for the duke’s house or something dumb like that, right?
“See those fruits over there?”
“Yes.”
“Peel them for me.”
“Sure. ……Huh?”
What the hell kind of favor is this?