The Younger Sister's Resolve
The girl made it safely into Princess Canaby's hospital room. The knight standing guard nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw her, which told me she was the last person he ever expected to appear here.
"What happened to that young lady?"
"I sent her back to her guardian without incident."
"So she did have one! What a relief."
Even in the temple's healing ward—where bizarre events were practically routine—the girl's extraordinary behavior quickly became the talk of the place. Her striking beauty, so at odds with her bold and unfiltered speech, had left the priests utterly spellbound. Everyone seemed relieved to hear that the girl they'd been watching with concern had safely reunited with her guardian.
They're all so kind, aren't they?
They could easily have taken offense at her rude manner, especially since they had no idea who she really was, yet none of them showed the slightest hint of irritation.
I wonder how the princess is taking it.
The one small mercy was that I'd found the girl shortly after treating the princess and brought her along myself. Given that she carried the imperial bloodline, even family would hesitate to show any sign of weakness. That went double for a younger sister who had shown up without warning.
It was time to head home. The other priests had finished their duties and were leaving with light hearts, calling out farewells as they went. I made my way to Princess Canaby's room to wrap up my final task of the day.
"Is she still inside?" I asked the knight standing watch.
He nodded. "Yes."
"Should I come back later?"
"No need. Her Highness said to let you in if you arrived."
That's the last thing I wanted to hear...
With no choice but to follow the knight's words, I stepped into the room. The moment I entered, the familiar girl spotted me and her eyes widened.
"Isn't that the man treating my sister?"
"It is. It seems he's come to provide healing."
The girl's face twisted with clear displeasure. "Can't you have someone else treat you instead of him?"
She'd been hostile from the first meeting, questioning why I was the one treating her sister. It seemed that resentment still lingered.
"Don't speak that way. The only reason I've survived this long is thanks to this priest."
"!!"
The girl looked stunned by Canaby's words. Her voice grew sharp with emotion. "You told me it wasn't that serious!"
Oh dear. So the princess had lied, and now she'd been caught. The fact that Canaby—a woman who rarely made mistakes—had slipped up like this suggested the girl was someone she trusted completely.
"I meant that I stopped hurting thanks to the priest's efforts."
"Liar! Do you think I'm still a clueless little child? I know plenty now! You always make excuses about protecting me and then lie to my face!"
The girl suddenly burst into action. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, shot to her feet, and stormed out of the room.
"Ah, I seem to have misspoken. Follow her. There's no telling what trouble she might cause."
Canaby spoke to the knight visible through the open doorway. He snapped to attention. "Yes, Your Highness!"
Once the knight hurried after the girl, I found myself alone with Princess Canaby by sheer accident.
......
......
The silence was heavy. Just as I was about to speak and break it, the princess spoke first. The topic was the girl.
"As you might have guessed, she is Our younger sister."
"She resembles Your Highness so closely that I recognized the connection immediately."
"Our sisterly bond is rather unique. We're quite devoted to each other. It seems she heard news of me and came rushing here in a panic. I wanted to reassure her and send her back, but that plan has completely fallen apart."
I could understand not wanting to burden someone you cherished with worry. At the same time, it was only natural that her sister would feel hurt by being kept in the dark.
"She must be at a sensitive age. It can't be easy for you."
"If anyone is suffering, it's that child for having someone as inadequate as me for a sister."
Every word carried deep affection.
"I was only able to endure because she was there. If something were to happen to me, how could that child face the imperial family alone? That must never be allowed to happen."
"So that's why you've held on so strongly—because of her."
It was a sense of responsibility, the determination not to leave her sister behind in the dangerous imperial palace.
"Which is why I must ask you to help ensure she doesn't do anything reckless."
I had a fairly good idea what she meant by reckless.
"We'll need to keep any information about the labyrinth from reaching her."
"I'm not sure that will be possible, no matter how hard we try to hide it. Once that child sets her mind on something, she pursues it with relentless determination."
Knowing her sister's temperament, Canaby seemed convinced the truth would come out sooner or later.
"I'm tired. Can you begin the treatment right away?"
"Of course, Your Highness."
Princess Canaby pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed, unable to hide her exhaustion. I performed the healing without hesitation.
Knowing she wouldn't want to show any sign of pain in front of her sister, I poured divine power throughout her body, pressing it deep into every muscle before leaving the room.
Just the evening prayers left, and then I'm done.
Having used so much divine power at the end, my body felt heavy. Even a priest was only human, and the prospect of rest after a long day's work brought undeniable relief.
Tap!
"You there, wait a moment!"
......
In other words, I couldn't possibly be happy to see an uninvited guest blocking my path home. The small-statured girl standing in front of me was none other than Princess Canaby's younger sister.
"Did you wish to speak with me, Lady Janna?"
I couldn't let my fatigue or irritation show, so I forced a polite smile. Young or not, she was still a princess—an existence I couldn't treat carelessly.
"Shh! People might hear! I slipped out secretly, so I mustn't be recognized. Um... that's right! Call me Lady Janna from now on."
"...Understood, Lady Janna."
What difference did changing her name and title make? If she truly didn't want her imperial identity revealed, she should have changed her entire manner of speaking first. But she didn't seem to realize that.
"Ahem. I called you over because I have a few questions."
I cut in before the girl—no, before Lady Janna—could continue. "I'm afraid I cannot disclose private information about a patient to a third party."
"I'm her sister! Her full-blooded sister! It makes no sense that I wouldn't be allowed to know."
Unfortunately, just days ago Princess Canaby had suffered an assassination attempt from someone of her own blood. Moreover, the princess had specifically said she didn't want her sister learning the details of her situation. As her primary healer, I couldn't ignore her wishes.
"Without the patient's explicit consent, I'm not at liberty to speak. She didn't grant permission, likely anticipating a situation like this."
"She told you not to tell me?"
Lady Janna pouted, her lips pushed out in clear frustration as she began to grumble. "Then at least answer me this one thing. There is a way to cure my sister, isn't there?"
There was indeed a way to cure Princess Canaby. The problem was that the easiest window for treatment had passed, making the difficulty skyrocket. She looked ready to burst into tears if I didn't answer, so I had no choice but to respond.
"There is."
"!!"
"So please don't worry too much and return for now. Your sister is very concerned about you."
"It's fine for my sister to worry about me, but I'm not allowed to worry about her?"
"I'm sorry. Without permission, there is nothing more I can say."
"I see. It seems my sister doesn't choose just anyone to be her priest."
Lady Janna's eyes sparkled with fierce intensity. "I'll get permission from her. Without fail. You'll tell me then, won't you?"
"Yes. If permission is granted, there would be no reason to hide anything."
It didn't seem like Princess Canaby's sister would back down easily.
But there's no way the princess would tell her.
The solution lay inside the labyrinth. There was no chance she would reveal the truth to a sister at the age most prone to causing accidents. What if she rushed off and did something reckless?
The hospital room is going to get very noisy for a while.
A headache washed over me, as if the princess's own had somehow transferred to my skull.
Lady Janna had declared war with absolute conviction before vanishing. Yet, contrary to expectations, she didn't come looking for me in the days that followed. It would have been better if she were in plain sight—at least then I'd know what mischief she was up to and could prepare myself. Her absence only filled me with growing anxiety.
Then, several days later, she appeared before me with a rigidly set expression. The moment I saw her face, I instinctively knew—she had learned everything.
"I heard it all."
"Pardon?"
"Why my sister is sick. What the solution is. Everything."
There was no way Princess Canaby would have told her. I was curious how she'd found out, but learning the source wouldn't change anything, so I kept my mouth shut. Surprisingly, Lady Janna offered the information without being asked.
"I tracked down the people who knew why she was suffering and threatened them. Those fools who fled with a monster that had cursed my sister right before their eyes turned out to have very loose lips."
Ah—that's right, those people existed. They'd already earned her ire by running from the monster in plain sight; I hadn't realized they'd also be so quick to talk. I couldn't imagine how they planned to handle the consequences of revealing what should have stayed hidden. The princess cherished her sister dearly. After handing over information that could lead to disaster, she wouldn't let them off easily.
"You discovered it after all. I expected you to come demanding I tell you, but this is unexpected."
"One look at you told me you'd never disobey your sister's wishes. I'm not as good at reading people as she is, but I'm decent enough."
"Now that you know everything we were hiding, what do you intend to do?"
"I understand completely why my sister didn't want to tell me. Even so, I won't stand by idly. I plan to do exactly what she feared I might. Before that, I came to hear it from you directly. Is it true that the only way to heal her is to enter the labyrinth and kill the monster?"
Since she already knew everything, hiding it now seemed pointless. I decided to answer honestly.
"As things stand now, yes."
"Is that because you're incompetent?"
"It could be."
"How boring, answering so obediently. I already know you're the most capable priest in this entire temple!"
She'd even investigated my background? I'd suspected she was a walking disaster, and it seemed Princess Canaby's worries had been entirely justified.