DED 09

Chapter 9

The servants were flustered when they saw Cecil approaching.

“Your Highness, please get up—!”

Before the servants could support Lucy, Cecil had already reached her.

He crouched down, grabbed Lucy’s arm as she dug into the muddy ground, and swiftly pulled her to her feet.

“What on earth are you doing?”

Cecil’s voice was sharp with anger. Lucy’s eyes widened in surprise.

Just as she was about to curve her lips into a smile, Cecil snapped at her.

“Why are you digging into the ground? Have you lost your mind?”

The rain from the previous day had turned the soil into mud.

Lucy’s appearance was a mess from digging into it with her bare hands.

Even her simple cloak was covered in mud, and her hands were no exception.

She looked every bit like a madwoman.

“If it’s a mental problem, your healing won’t help in the first place.”

“….”

“I could recommend a sanatorium instead. Wouldn’t that save us both time?”

Lucy still didn’t respond.

Seeing her innocent, blinking eyes made Cecil feel utterly exasperated.

“I can no longer tolerate your antics.”

Cecil, who wanted to declare an end to healing her, was ready to give up on both pride and patience.

Yet again, Lucy reached for him.

This time, her hand went for the one gripping her arm.

Only then did Cecil realize how roughly he had been holding her.

He released her arm, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them.

“I apologize. I got carried away just now…”

He was momentarily speechless as he looked at Lucy’s outstretched hand.

In her palm was a small gray pouch, caked in mud.

The precious item he had been desperately searching for.

Cecil, almost entranced, took the pouch and opened it.

Despite the mud clinging to the outside, the item inside was safe.

It was a hairpin crafted by his mother.

A simple hairpin, one of the few cherished belongings he had managed to save from being buried with his mother when he was a child.

Whenever it rained, he would always take out this memento.

It had been raining heavily the day his mother passed away.

At that time, he was merely an incapable boy.

Now, with his healing ability, he might even be able to cure the illness that had claimed his mother.

Whenever such thoughts crossed his mind, a severe headache would strike, leaving him helpless for some time.

“How did you… get this?”

Cecil’s words caught in his throat.

Looking around, he realized they were in the same spot where he and Lucy had met yesterday.

He had hurriedly placed the hairpin in the pouch upon seeing Lucy go out in the rain.

“Did I drop it then? And you saw it?”

Lucy nodded.

“Then why didn’t you say anything at the time? If you had, I wouldn’t have had to go through all this trouble…!”

Cecil’s initial scolding died in his throat.

‘This girl… she can’t properly express herself…’

He had forgotten that she usually communicated through actions.

She could have indicated it that day too, but couldn’t, because of him.

‘I forcibly dragged her into the temple.’

Cecil lowered his face in shame.

Lucy hadn’t gone mad or acted recklessly—she had dug through the mud with her weakened body to find his precious item.

Cecil hesitated for a moment, then took her hand.

This time, his touch was gentle.

He carefully brushed the mud off her hands with a handkerchief from his sleeve.

As expected, there were scratches and small cuts from pebbles and twigs, making her palms and fingers reddened.

Seeing that, Cecil felt a lump in his throat.

He had caused injury to the very person he was supposed to be healing.

“I’m sor—…”

He stopped mid-apology as he looked at Lucy.

She was smiling.

Her eyes were gentle, and her lips curved warmly, as if everything was okay.

She shook her head slightly, indicating she did not expect an apology.

“…Thank you.”

Cecil expressed gratitude instead of apologizing.

Lucy’s smile grew even brighter.

Seeing that first genuine smile, Cecil unconsciously swallowed and stared.

Snapping back to his senses, he cleared his throat.

“Let’s go inside. I’ll heal your wounds.”

Lucy nodded.

As she followed him, she couldn’t stop smiling at the sight of him walking ahead of her.

The moment he thanked her.

Ding!

[Affinity Change Detected!]

[Congratulations! Cecil’s daily maximum increase in affinity toward you has been reached.

Daily Maximum Increase: ??

Affinity: ??? → ??]

Despite all the question marks, Lucy almost squealed in joy.

Her affinity had gone from triple digits in the negative to double digits.

But her joy was short-lived.

Ding!

[“Health Status Abnormal” Warning!]

[Your body cannot withstand the consecutive strenuous actions.

You cannot regain consciousness until your body has sufficiently recovered.]

Before she could even finish reading the system warning, Lucy fainted.

“Your Highness? Your Highness!”

Panicked, Cecil shook her, but her limp body did not respond.

Without hesitation, he lifted her up.

As he headed back to the temple, someone appeared in his path.

Bartholomew Faraday.

A terminally ill patient who came to the temple for regular healing.

He stood leaning against a pillar at the temple entrance, arms crossed, staring intently at Cecil.

In a hurry, Cecil tried to give a brief nod and pass by, but Bartholomew stopped him.

“May I ask you one thing?”

Cecil felt a flicker of surprise.

They had met a few times before, but this was the first time Bartholomew had spoken to him.

“Is it true that the princess is really suffering from aftereffects?”

Bartholomew’s impudent question only increased Cecil’s curiosity.

He couldn’t understand why Bartholomew was taking an interest in Lucy.

Cecil studied him silently for a moment, then seemed to catch on.

It was probably because of the rumors surrounding Lucy.

Rumors that the abandoned princess had attempted to end her life to gain the emperor’s attention, and as a result, she now suffered severe aftereffects, unable to move or speak properly.

But also rumors that these aftereffects were feigned to attract the emperor’s attention.

Cecil had believed those rumors himself, so he understood Bartholomew’s curiosity.

He chose his words carefully before answering.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot answer that. The princess is in poor condition, so I must leave it at that.”

Bartholomew did not react much to his answer.

Cecil gave a brief bow and passed by quickly.

Due to her weak condition and reckless actions, Lucy was bedridden for three whole days.

Though she had inadvertently raised Cecil’s affection, it was likely still negative.

Moreover, because of overexertion, her stamina—slowly restored before—had dropped back to -50.

‘This won’t do.’

Lucy checked the date.

The royal banquet was only a week away.

Time was short, so she needed to prioritize and focus.

She knew exactly who she needed to focus on.

‘I need Bartholomew’s help.’

But could she get close enough to him in a week to gain his assistance?

Anxious, she rose from her bed.

Her head spun and her limbs trembled.

‘First, let’s find Bartholomew.’

Once she did, her body would miraculously feel fine.

Lucy struggled out of bed to find him.

Bartholomew was in the temple library.

This time, she had directly asked the servants for his location, making it easy to find him.

‘Does he like books?’

This confused Lucy.

The original male lead, Alexander, also liked reading.

‘Could Bartholomew be Alexander?’

Perhaps circumstances forced him to completely change his appearance.

‘Anyway, the last male lead to appear was Alexander.’

But very little was revealed about his past.

Even in the game, it was just that he went abroad for studies and returned.

Lucy soon realized her theory was far-fetched.

Appearance could change, but personality couldn’t be completely different.

“Master Bartholomew.”

Lucy called his name warmly as she approached.

His shoulder twitched, but that was all—no other response.

“Master Bartholomew?”

Lucy moved closer to the sofa where he sat.

When she faced him directly, her eyes widened.

Something was wrong with him.

He clutched his left chest as if in pain, breathing heavily.

“Master Bartholomew! Are you alright?”