IEGM 07

Chapter 7

‘I’ve always known I wasn’t someone who would be welcomed.’

Every action of theirs felt like a wound tearing through his heart, but Enlirian knew that if he lingered here any longer, his nurse’s condition would worsen even further. He could not return to the palace.

So he grabbed onto whoever was nearby, without caring how they saw him.

The man he grabbed clearly hid his annoyance poorly, but perhaps because Enlirian was of royal blood, he did not completely ignore him.

“Where do I go to meet a priest?”

“To the prayer hall, of course.”

“Where is the prayer hall?”

“Haah… Follow this corridor straight. You’ll see a small fountain, and across from it is a building made of red bricks. That’s it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

The man let out an exaggerated sigh, answered briefly, and walked away as if he didn’t want anything more to do with him.

In the empire, anyone would normally bow and offer greetings to royalty, but neither the man nor Enlirian cared.

Rather than blaming the man’s rudeness, finding the red brick building was more important.

‘God, please… let me meet the priest.’

Enlirian moved his short legs quickly while praying continuously.

Perhaps his prayer was answered, because a middle-aged man in pure white priest robes soon appeared from the building, wearing a gentle expression.

“My nurse is sick. Please help her.”

Unable to contain his urgency, Enlirian spoke immediately upon meeting the priest.

He had assumed that those who served the gods would show kindness equally, so he spoke without hesitation.

But that was a grave misunderstanding.

The priest’s smile remained gentle, but his voice was cold, and his actions were firm.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m too busy right now to help the young prince.”

Before the words even finished, the priest shut the door with a loud bang.

At that moment, Enlirian’s heart, which had been clinging to hope, plummeted into despair.

He stood in front of the tightly closed door, unable to move, when something suddenly came to mind.

‘Right. A doctor is supposed to treat illness.’

Finding new hope, he moved again without delay.

This time, the woman he grabbed wore similar clothes to his nurse, but she looked at him with the most contempt he had ever seen.

Her deeply furrowed brow and sharp eyes made her frightening, but perhaps he had already become used to this after trying once—so he spoke without hesitation.

“Where can I find a doctor?”

“You need to go to the west wing.”

The answer came quickly.

However, Enlirian did not know the layout of the palace, so he had no idea where she meant.

Her contemptuous gaze was overwhelming, but if this continued, he would likely have to grab yet another person and ask again.

“Guide me.”

Deciding it was better to be guided, he spoke without hesitation.

“…Very well.”

Her face twisted in annoyance, but she did not refuse.

After walking for quite a while, the scenery changed. The once dazzling golden palace was replaced by a calmer building.

Without checking whether Enlirian was following, the woman walked ahead briskly, then stopped.

“We’re here.”

Having finished her task, she turned away without even a greeting.

Enlirian did not even look at her as she left. He simply knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

A man with messy hair and glasses appeared.

He opened the door and looked around before noticing Enlirian standing below. His expression turned awkward.

“Greetings, little sky of the empire.”

He was the most polite person Enlirian had met so far.

Because of that, hope swelled within him.

“My nurse is sick. Please help her.”

But the man scratched the back of his head and apologized.

“Prince, I’m sorry. I’ve been ordered directly by Her Majesty the Empress today, so I cannot leave my post.”

He bowed deeply, hesitated for a moment, then slowly closed the door.

Enlirian stared blankly at the closed door and clenched his fists.

‘So this is the Empress’s doing.’

Though he had never stepped outside the palace, he knew better than anyone that the Empress despised him.

He had met her only once before—and she had left a wound he could never forget.

“Even if you were born incomplete, you should have never been born at all.”

Those were the words the Empress, who had come all the way to his neglected palace, had thrown at him.

After she left, Enlirian cried in his nurse’s arms.

Because he could not refute it.

‘I wouldn’t have been born… then Mother wouldn’t have died… and the nurse wouldn’t have had to suffer in this ruined palace.’

He knew it too well.

That he was the source of all misfortune.

And worse, Enlirian hated himself just as much as the Empress did.

He loathed his own disgusting selfishness.

‘Even though my mother is gone and my nurse is now in danger because of me… what I fear most is being left alone in this vast, cruel world.’

He found himself ridiculous.

And yet he couldn’t deny it—he wished he could die together with his nurse rather than face that loneliness.

As he resigned himself to giving up on everything and turned back toward the palace—

He met eyes with a girl holding a strange animal.

Her silver-gray eyes held no emotion at all.

It was the first time.

Someone had truly met his gaze.

Perhaps that was why.

The nearly extinguished flame in his heart flickered back to life.

‘Maybe… this time, someone will help me.’

Enlirian approached the stranger without hesitation.

He didn’t even have time to wonder who she was or whether she could help him.

“Please… help me.”

The words came out weak and strained, his voice barely audible.

He wanted to repeat himself, but fear slowly crept up his throat.

‘What if she ignores me and leaves because I can’t even speak properly?’

Then, like warm spring sunlight, the girl smiled and spoke first.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Could you say that again?”

Her voice was gentle, filled with concern.

Tears welled up instantly.

For the first time, someone still offered him warmth.

‘Except for the nurse… this is the first time.’

And she even granted his wish.

She did not refuse to help—and even treated his nurse.

After the urgent crisis passed, peace returned to his world, which had felt on the verge of collapse.

It was all because of her.

‘If there is a god… it must be someone like her.’

Or perhaps the god Anu, who took pity on him, had sent her.

Without thinking, Enlirian gently tugged her sleeve.

He wanted her warm smile directed at him.

The silver-gray eyes turned toward him.

His body froze.

At the same time, he could not speak.

Not because he had nothing to say—but because he had too much.

So many questions, so many words, all tangled together.

‘First… I should thank her.’

After sorting through his thoughts, he finally reached a conclusion.

He opened his mouth slowly.

“Thank you… for saving my nurse.”

“It was nothing.”

A calm, sincere reply.

“Nothing…?”

Did she know?

That what she called “nothing” had been refused by so many others?

And that this was the first kindness he had ever received?

To him, she was the only light in this cold, cruel world beyond his small shelter.

Enlirian stared at her silver-gray eyes, like the sun seen at midday.

Too bright to look at directly.

That was why he couldn’t stop himself from watching her leave after she said it was an honor to help and returned home.

He couldn’t reach that light even if he stretched out his hand.

All he could do was watch.

Even if it blinded him, he wanted to engrave her light into himself.

As he wished, even after closing his eyes, her afterimage did not fade easily.

By the time the sun set, I arrived at the viscount’s estate and immediately changed clothes before starting training again.

After finishing everything, it was already deep into the night.

“I’m exhausted…”

“Kyiiing!”

Dragging my heavy body into the room, I found Lira curled up on the sofa waiting for me.

“Even on social event days, I still have to do the same amount of training. This is basically child abuse.”

Well, technically, the fact that they implanted mental magic in their real daughter already counts as child abuse.

Anyway.

I collapsed next to Lira.

Magical training wasn’t physically exhausting since it was mostly sitting still, but it drained mental energy heavily.

‘Especially since I met an unexpected person today.’

As I recalled my encounter with Enlirian, I absentmindedly stroked Lira’s back.

“Lira, thanks for today.”

“Kyung…”

Lira yawned and responded lazily.

“I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Not only did she help save Enlirian’s nurse, but I also used her as an excuse when explaining my delay to Kaine.

I told him I got delayed because Lira suddenly escaped from my arms on the way back from the bathroom, so I had to search for her for a long time.