Chapter 12

Luciella obtained Cain’s permission to keep observing Bael.

Officially, she was introduced as Bael’s personal chef, and in practice, she spent her days feeding him all sorts of things.

Partly because she found it difficult to completely trust food prepared by others, but more importantly because she wanted to personally make sure he was receiving proper nutrition.

Using the kitchen was no longer a problem.

“Oh my! Our genius chef has arrived! Here, this way—you should use the biggest workstation!”

Every time she appeared, Jerome would come rushing over at lightning speed, organize all the ingredients she might need, and then stick close to her side while concentrating with all his might on memorizing her recipes.

At the same time every day, Luciella would carefully prepare a meal and head to Bael’s room.

The first time she offered him roasted whole potatoes, asparagus, and several slices of juicy beef, Bael coldly shook his head.

“I don’t need it, so leave. What, are you planning to faint in someone else’s room again…?”

His refusal was absolute.

At least, until Aila, who had finally grown tired of waiting, reached across Bael’s tray, speared a piece of beef, and popped it straight into her mouth.

Bael’s eyes immediately widened in alarm.

“W-What are you doing? You came here to see a patient, and now you’re—”

“I’m sorry. I skipped every meal today while brewing your medicine, Lord Bael… Oh my, this is delicious! The seasoning is incredible! So that’s why Sir Cain praised it so highly!”

As Aila’s eyes sparkled and she continued emptying the plate, Bael could only stare at her speechlessly.

The second day, Luciella delivered gnocchi covered in rich truffle cream sauce.

This time, Bael reluctantly picked up his fork while cautiously checking whether anyone else had come into the room with her.

“Well… if I don’t eat it, Aila will probably force herself to eat it again, won’t she?”

“Lady Aila actually gave me extra spending money and asked me to make additional portions for her too…”

Luciella said.

Bael immediately shook his head as if refusing to listen.

“Anyway, I’ll eat it, so stop bothering other people.”

He finished the entire plate of gnocchi in no time.

The same happened with the meat pie she brought the next day.

And the sandwich after that, stuffed with cheese and ham, with honey spread on one side of the bread and sauce on the other.

Every time he complained and grumbled, but not once did he leave behind a single bite.

He ate everything Luciella brought him.

Seven days later.

“It’s lunchtime.”

At Luciella’s words, Bael sat up from where he had been lying down.

His large blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He glanced back and forth between the tray in her hands and her face before speaking quietly.

“…You didn’t put that stuff in it, did you? You look tired.”

He was asking whether she had infused the food with magic.

Ever since learning that her collapse had been caused by the buff effect, Bael frequently interrogated her like this.

Luciella chuckled and shook her head firmly.

“I told you already. This is just a normal lunch.”

“You’re not going to collapse?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Are you worried about me?”

The question slipped out before she could stop herself.

Bael’s lips immediately pressed together.

A brief silence followed before he snapped irritably.

“If you collapse on top of me, you’re heavy. Of course I’m worried.”

Even as he said that, his hand was already reaching toward the tray.

Herb-roasted chicken.

Fluffy baby potatoes.

Fresh vegetable salad.

And freshly baked rye bread.

Bael still looked suspicious as he started eating slowly.

Though somehow, the clinking of his utensils seemed to grow faster and faster the more he ate.

“When are you leaving today?”

After finishing his meal, Bael pushed the empty plate aside and asked.

“Who knows.”

Luciella answered while scanning the room.

The source of the poison was still a complete mystery.

It wasn’t the bedding.

It wasn’t the utensils.

It wasn’t the furniture Cain had replaced countless times.

Even magical tools specifically designed to detect toxins found nothing.

It was frustrating.

Especially because among the handful of people entering and leaving Bael’s room, no one besides Bael himself showed any signs of poisoning.

The only positive development was that Bael’s complexion had noticeably improved.

As Luciella sank into thought, Bael reached beneath the bed and picked up a sword.

It was the same sword she had seen there since the first day.

The keepsake he had inherited from his father.

The moment his hand touched the hilt, the jewel-encrusted rapier gleamed and began absorbing mana.

“You can stay if you want. It’s just the training I always do.”

“…”

Normally, people learned to control mana through a medium before eventually advancing to using it directly with their own bodies.

Even then, they still trained using a medium because it allowed them to visually observe the flow of power in the air.

Bael was exceptional.

At only fourteen years old, he could already manipulate enormous amounts of mana with his bare body.

Yet he still kept a training sword nearby.

But Luciella frowned.

“I told you your body can’t handle it.”

“What?”

Bael immediately turned his gaze toward her.

“Why should I listen to you?”

he replied sharply.

“My body has finally started cooperating a little lately. Don’t even think about stopping me.”

Luciella’s frown deepened.

Cain had gone to the Imperial Palace under an imperial summons.

Aila had gone out to visit a medicinal herb merchant.

The Duke still had not returned from his territory.

Meaning there was nobody else here to stop him.

“If you don’t listen, I’ll only cook foods you hate.”

“Hah. As if you even know what I hate.”

“I’ll make fresh bitter melon juice, grind butterbur roots into it, mix in unripe astringent persimmons, and serve gentian tea afterward. Sound familiar?”

“…!”

Bael’s face immediately filled with horror.

Just hearing the menu seemed enough to give him chills.

“…I’m still doing it.”

“I’ll also confiscate the honey Aila sprinkles on your medicine.”

“…Am I a child?”

He flinched again before hurriedly regaining his composure.

You are a child.

“How ridiculous. Neither my uncle nor my grandfather interferes. What gives you the right to stop me?”

Bael sharply turned away and began putting strength into his legs while gripping the sword.

“Stop.”

Bael ignored her.

His legs trembled slightly.

Luciella’s eyes widened in shock.

Is he insane?

His legs were partially paralyzed from poison.

And yet he had actually succeeded in moving them, even if only slightly.

After experiencing movement in his leg muscles while under the effects of her buffed soup, he had probably spent every day desperately trying to recreate that sensation through muscle memory.

It was an absurd level of progress.

The kind that should have been impossible for a human being.

The problem was that he was burning through his remaining strength to achieve it.

Flash—

The blade shone silver.

A matching silver pattern appeared on the back of Bael’s hand.

“…!”

Before Luciella could fully grasp what was happening, Bael gathered mana and forced it into his legs.

His knees bent slightly.

“Ugh…!”

“Stop!”

Luciella shouted.

But Bael continued drawing in mana.

This time, his ankle twitched.

“Gah—! Cough!”

“I said stop!”

Seeing his face turn pale from pain, Luciella rushed forward, snatched the sword from his hands, and threw it to the floor.

“Haa… huff…”

Bael gasped for breath.

His bloodless face looked almost ghostlike.

“I think… if I tried just a little longer… I could have supported my weight…”

“…”

Supporting him by the arm, Luciella stared at him.

Cold anger rose from the pit of her stomach.

“…Why?”

“What?”

“Do you actually want to get better?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I—”

“Then do you refuse to listen because you don’t trust me? Or Sir Cain? Or Lady Aila?”

“…”

Only then did Bael slowly raise his head and meet her gaze directly.

The look in Luciella’s eyes was ice-cold.

“You know, none of this effort means anything if you don’t have the will to recover.”

For a moment, Bael’s face twisted with humiliation.

“You think I lack willpower? Me?”

“If you truly had the will, you’d know how to be patient.”

“…”

“You’d know how to trust the people trying to help you recover and follow their advice. Instead of recklessly destroying your body like this.”

“…!”

“I’ll be direct. Decide right now whether you trust me or not.”

She spoke without the slightest trace of a smile.

“I’m telling you clearly. If you don’t trust me, I’m not coming back.”

Bael bit down hard on his lip.

“…What do you know?”

he muttered.

“What do you know about why I have to do this? You…”

Whether from frustration or anger, color returned to his previously pale face.

“Because this is the only thing I can do.”

“…”

His eyes shook violently.

She had hit the mark.

“I know. Because I used to be like that too.”

Back when she was little.

Whenever the Red Moon appeared and her mother disappeared for months at a time.

Whenever the neighbors paid to care for her took the money and ran away in the middle of the night.

Luciella had practiced using mana exactly as her mother taught her.

Because convincing herself she was becoming stronger—even a little stronger—was the only thing that eased the anxiety threatening to swallow her whole.

“Because if you don’t do something, it feels like your very existence is being denied.”

Her voice softened.

“Like you’ll be left completely alone in this world and simply disappear.”

“…”

“That’s why you keep pushing yourself so hard.”