Chapter 5
The temple attendants hurriedly carried Lucy on a stretcher.
The maid accompanying her could only watch.
Since she was staying at the temple, she wasn’t allowed a personal servant.
Lucy herself didn’t have time to care whether the person checking her condition was a maid or a temple attendant.
She was too flustered.
‘Who on earth is that man?’
Where had Alexander gone, and why was some random man acting as the heir of the Paraday family?
Alexander had no siblings to compete for the succession.
The man she had seen earlier seemed to have dropped out of the sky.
‘I thought only my stats were messed up, but…’
Could other things have changed too?
If the male leads were different as well, what should she do next?
Just as Lucy was about to panic, someone entered the room.
Her eyes widened at the unexpected figure.
It was Cecil Auden.
‘I knew I would meet Cecil again at the temple, but…’
She hadn’t expected to meet him so soon, nor to see him expressing anger so openly with his entire body.
“I told you last time,” Cecil said in a low voice, without even trying to smooth the crease in his brow, “whatever you do, don’t cause harm to others.”
“What…?”
He ground his teeth as he spoke.
“Starting today, I will be in charge of your exclusive healing, Princess.”
“…….”
“The Emperor personally commanded me to do so.”
Lucy’s lips parted in surprise.
Finally, she would have regular one-on-one opportunities with Cecil.
For a player who needed to court the male leads, this was good news.
Well… was it really good news?
Lucy remembered that the fastest way to recover stamina in the temple was one: bathing in holy water prayed over by the Grand Master.
In the current method, recovery would be slower.
“It is the Emperor’s command. Please cooperate.”
Lucy felt an unexpectedly strong aura of resentment from him, which made her uneasy.
Her confusion was quickly resolved thanks to a cheerful system notification:
[Lucky Event Triggered!]
[You will receive close healing from Cecil Auden ♡]
[Use this opportunity to increase Cecil’s affection toward you.
Although he is currently very angry because his long-planned leave was canceled due to you.]
“Lucky event… really?”
Lucy thought.
Cecil didn’t seem like he was about to increase his affection; he seemed ready to pile on resentment instead.
Moreover, unlike their first meeting, Cecil didn’t ask her any questions.
He didn’t even expect an answer from her, treating her in a purely professional manner.
“First, I will examine your condition.”
Cecil sat on the chair beside her bed, adjusted his sleeves, and extended his hands toward her.
His palms hovered about half a hand above her body, moving slowly up and down.
Lucy felt a warm energy spreading throughout her body.
‘Receiving healing without being hurt… it feels like a spa.’
Her muscles relaxed as warmth spread, and she felt drowsy.
“As expected, there is no physical problem.”
Cecil’s cold voice snapped her back to attention.
“However, your internal energy is severely depleted. It seems fortunate that your inability to move or your mental issues after waking are not permanent.”
Cecil paused, then continued.
“In such cases, we should focus on rehabilitation therapy.”
He handed something to Lucy. She stared at it blankly.
‘It looks exactly like…’
Ding!
[Item Acquired!]
[You have obtained the ‘Sacred Dumbbell.’]
Lucy had seen correctly. It was indeed a dumbbell.
[A special item made with priestly power to aid in stamina recovery.
Use it daily to strengthen your body!]
Lucy was dumbfounded.
‘I just came here to soak in warm water.’
Recovering stamina through strength training? Was this a temple or a training ground?
“What are you waiting for? Take it.”
Cecil urged her seriously.
Lucy took the dumbbell hesitantly and widened her eyes.
It was about 1 kg.
Small and light, but Lucy’s arms felt limp, and her wrists bent slightly.
“Ugh!”
Momentarily stunned, the sharp ache in her wrist brought tears to her eyes.
Ding!
[Muscle Loss!]
[Muscle loss occurred due to crying.
Stamina decreased by 1.
Current stamina: -51]
Is this really a dating sim?
It felt more like a hardcore training game.
She couldn’t even cry freely for fear of losing stamina.
“Be careful.”
Cecil said, not a hint of softness in his voice.
He reached for her wrist.
“Your wrist is healed. I will instantly heal any injuries as they occur, so you can train without worry.”
“…….”
“For each arm, we will do 50 repetitions. I will help you rehabilitate until you can lift and lower it skillfully.”
Lucy noticed a faint lift at the corner of Cecil’s mouth.
Ding!
[‘Give pain, then healing’ route unlocked!]
[Due to low affection, the healer Cecil has become a sadistic healer limited to you.]
[Stamina recovery speed is slower.]
Sadistic healer? Lucy had never heard such a combination of words in her life.
Cecil’s healing occurred twice a day, morning and afternoon.
After the morning session, Lucy felt conflicted.
‘Cecil may be a bit harsh, but he’s one of the most selfless male leads…’
Now he had become a sadistic healer.
She probably had put the first step in the wrong place.
‘I can’t even make a new cloak for him.’
Lucy tugged at her hair and looked out the window.
The once-clear sky had grown overcast, reflecting her mood.
‘Now that I think about it…’
Her eyes widened slightly.
After a moment’s thought, she rose as if in a trance.
Without hesitation, she left her room.
‘Where could he be?’
The main building was large and grand, with high ceilings, intricately carved pillars, and paintings adorning the walls.
But Lucy had no time to admire them.
‘I ran out, but…’
Seeing the painting of the angel blowing a trumpet again sent a chill down her spine.
Yes.
Lucy wandered the wide, maze-like corridors and got lost.
She kept circling similar areas.
She could feel her stamina draining in real time.
‘I hope someone, anyone, shows up.’
She shouted for help down the silent corridor.
“Help!”
Ha… her words felt limited, but she kept calling, “Help! Help!”
Eventually, she found a corridor she hadn’t seen before.
Following it, she realized it led to the temple’s backyard.
The place she was looking for was there: the herbal medicine room.
She knocked and opened the door.
No one was inside.
‘Smaller than I imagined.’
Though the room felt a bit eerie, she found the herbal cabinets and felt reassured.
‘Cecil is a healer, so he must care about herbs.’
Giving him rare herbs could increase his affection.
But Lucy hadn’t come to give herbs.
She intended to make a medicinal tea from them.
‘Since it’s cloudy today…’
Cecil tended to feel unwell on cloudy days.
Lucy remembered from her previous life which tea Cecil preferred.
Each healer had a unique method for blending herbs, and Cecil was no exception.
She selected the herbs from memory, wrapping them in cloth.
‘Maybe this will cheer him up a little.’
Just as she was about to leave the herbal room, she heard splashing water.
‘Where’s that sound coming from?’
Curious, she headed toward the noise.
Passing shelves and desks with tools for preparing herbs, she came to a wall.
Her eyes narrowed.
‘It’s not a wall.’
A thick, dark curtain looked like a wall.
Light leaked faintly through a gap.
Lucy pulled the curtain aside and discovered a door.
‘What is this place?’
Through the glass in the door, she saw a large, round bathtub.
A man was soaking in the tub, his back turned to the door.
‘Why does this seem… familiar?’
Looking at his back, Lucy’s eyes widened.
‘The fake Alexander I saw today!’
As soon as she realized, the man glanced in Lucy’s direction.
