Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Hospital Visit
Tiana Filrn’s eyes widened in shock.
She wasn’t the only one. The students who had been hiding also stirred at the appearance of the Sword Saint.
Charlotte Allende.
The Empire’s greatest sword.
A master among masters.
That alone was enough to describe her.
The students relaxed.
If the Sword Saint was here, then this place was absolutely safe.
Charlotte turned to Ophelienne with a gentle smile.
“Lady Moretti. Are you unharmed?”
“A potion.”
Ophelienne spoke quickly.
“Yes?”
“If you have any medicine, please lend it to me. My brother is badly hurt.”
Ophelienne’s lips trembled faintly.
It didn’t matter to her that the person before her was a hero of the Empire or someone of her mentor’s generation.
Charlotte blinked at the urgency in her voice.
This was not the Ophelienne Vinna Moretti she knew.
Without a word, she handed over a potion she had on her. It was a high-grade item worth tens of millions. Its effects were exceptional.
To Ophelienne, that price meant nothing.
As soon as she received it, Ophelienne pulled Matios from Tiana’s arms almost as if snatching him and leaned him against her chest.
“Give him to me.”
“Ah… yes.”
Tiana let go of Matios.
Charlotte looked at the younger brother who had caused Ophelienne such distress.
The boy—no, the child—was small.
He looked frail at a glance and had a gentle, harmless air about him.
He didn’t carry much of the composed and elegant presence typical of the Moretti family.
‘He’s badly hurt.’
His chest was visibly caved in.
At that level, not only were his ribs broken, but they had likely pierced his organs.
It was a critical injury, but thanks to the blessing of that devout girl, it seemed they hadn’t been too late.
“Mother.”
A small girl called out from behind Charlotte.
Her snow-white hair and clear violet eyes stood out.
“It’s alright, Yuri. There are no enemies now.”
At those words, the girl sheathed the sword she had drawn and hugged it close.
Charlotte turned her gaze back to Ophelienne.
“Matios. It’s medicine. Open your mouth carefully.”
Supporting her brother’s head with one arm, she brought the potion to his lips with the other.
Her eyes, almost pleading, looked sorrowful.
Matios swallowed the potion with difficulty. The effect appeared immediately.
His pale complexion regained color.
“Thank goodness….”
Ophelienne let out a breath and murmured.
The attack was over.
The damage was minor.
At most, there were a few casualties. Nothing severe.
Not only were the people aboard the train influential, but the students had also performed remarkably.
Ophelienne had defeated Leopold, a lion-man executive of the Black Oath.
Huanna of Hispania had unleashed a fiery inferno upon the enemies. The entire carriage had burned down, but she brushed it off as unavoidable.
The train stopped at a mid-city to reorganize.
They repaired the damaged train, treated the injured, and added reinforcements.
The attackers were identified as the Black Oath.
An evil organization seeking to dominate the world. Their hostility was nothing new.
The command concluded that this had merely been a probing attack.
If it succeeded, it would be a jackpot. If it failed, nothing lost.
The command group consisted of high-ranking individuals aboard the train.
The conductor, the Sword Saint, the Crown Prince’s heir, Ophelienne, and Huanna.
After a brief meeting, Ophelienne returned to her room.
Matios was asleep on her bed.
After drinking the potion, he had fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep and had yet to wake.
Ophelienne pulled a chair with telekinesis and sat beside his head.
She crossed her legs and looked down at him quietly.
Then she uncrossed them, dragged the chair closer, and observed him from a nearer distance.
She watched him like that for a moment.
It wasn’t enough.
She stood up and simply sat on the bed beside his head instead.
From up close, she looked down at him again.
Only then was she satisfied.
Potions were not omnipotent.
They healed injuries instantly, but consumed the user’s energy. That was why deep sleep followed, to recover it.
He wouldn’t wake.
…Not by ordinary means.
“….”
Her fingers trembled slightly as they moved toward his cheek.
The moment her skin touched his, warmth seeped into her fingertips.
She pressed gently, then more firmly, into the soft flesh.
The sensation of his sunken cheek was elastic and unreal, like freshly baked bread.
‘…It’s been a while. This feeling.’
She used to do this often.
Matios’ cheeks were dangerously addictive. Warmer and softer than any doll, she used to keep him close and play with him.
She would hold him while sleeping, place him on her lap while reading.
But not anymore.
She brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen across his forehead.
The smooth texture against the back of her hand felt like silk.
Her fingers didn’t stop there. They traced past his temple and down along the curve of his cheek.
They eventually stopped at his lips.
She lightly pressed down on his lower lip with her index finger.
The red lips parted under the pressure, revealing white teeth.
Matios’ breath brushed against her fingers.
Ophelienne quietly rubbed his lips.
Even like this, he would not wake.
…Still.
‘This is irritating.’
Tiana Filrn.
The image of her holding Matios as if they were close lingered unpleasantly.
After the attack, she had looked into her background.
A girl from the central hills of the Empire who had done nothing but herd sheep.
Not a noble, no special abilities.
A theology student newly admitted.
Everything about her was ordinary.
If there was anything notable…
“….”
Ophelienne lowered her gaze.
Not small. Larger than average.
But compared to that girl…
‘…No. She’s the abnormal one. That’s practically livestock.’
She felt annoyed for no reason.
Matios was her younger brother.
Her only precious younger brother.
‘Who does she think she is, calling my brother like that.’
She didn’t like it.
Ophelienne’s brows furrowed slightly.
The fact that he had been in another woman’s arms bothered her.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
‘He’s your brother.’
The discomfort inside her grew, taking shape into a massive jealousy.
Normally, she would have suppressed such emotions with cold logic.
But the image of Matios lying helplessly in that country girl’s arms would not leave her mind.
She bent forward.
Ophelienne brought her face closer to Matios.
Just as her lips were about to touch his forehead—
Knock knock.
Someone knocked.
Her shoulders stiffened noticeably.
Her eyes turned cold as she froze.
She glanced toward the closed door.
“Um… is anyone there? I heard this is Matios’ room.”
The clear, almost foolishly bright voice from beyond the door made her fingers grip the bedsheet as if to tear it apart.
Step.
She walked over.
Grabbing the doorknob tightly, she flung the door open.
Standing there was the very face that had been irritating her to the core—Tiana Filrn.
Behind her was Tyburn Filrn.
“Ah, hello!”
Tiana smiled brightly, as if blooming like a flower, completely unfazed by Ophelienne’s fierce presence.
That smile was so pure that Ophelienne frowned as if she had seen something filthy.
Tiana clapped her hands lightly and stepped closer.
Ophelienne instinctively leaned against the wall, tensing her shoulders.
Her gaze didn’t land on Tiana’s face, but on the irritating chest that moved with each breath.
“We met earlier, but this is our first proper greeting. I’m Tiana Filrn…!”
“I-I’m Tyburn Filrn.”
Tyburn avoided her gaze, his face reddening.
For a simple country boy, Ophelienne’s elegant beauty was overwhelming.
“Ophelienne Vinna Moretti.”
“Ah, so you’re Matios’ older sister! I thought you looked alike. Hehe….”
Tiana smiled innocently.
As someone who knew exactly how to win people over, Ophelienne could tell.
Tiana was genuinely pure.
“I knew you two resembled each other.”
“Really?”
“Yes! By the way, how is Matios? Is he okay? He looked really hurt earlier….”
Tiana tilted her head and tried to look inside the room.
Ophelienne crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, blocking her view.
“He’s fine. But my brother needs rest right now. Sorry, could you leave?”
Tiana blinked in surprise.
Leaning against the doorframe, Ophelienne looked her up and down as if inspecting her.
“Ah… then I guess it can’t be helped.”
“…Tiana noona?”
Just as Tiana turned to leave—
A voice came from behind Ophelienne.
Her eyes widened.
“Matios! You’re awake.”
Tiana looked past Ophelienne.
Matios had woken up.