Chapter 03
The winter social season of Hiboe, the capital of the Yuzraeni Empire, had fallen into an unusual silence.
Preparing for the coming winter by fastening the window latches was the same as in previous years. But this time, all the parties and outings—events that were lively every year regardless of the season—had been completely canceled.
A rumor spread beyond the capital and throughout the entire Yuzraeni Empire: Duke Haimenwar, who was all but destined to become the next emperor once the imperial marriage was held, had suddenly fallen ill and was bedridden.
Princess Astrid, who had originally been known as a madwoman and rarely appeared in public, had often gone unseen for long periods, so people simply assumed it was the usual. But when Duke Haimenwar, the man tacitly acknowledged as the next emperor, abruptly stopped all outside activities, the rumor naturally spread that he had fallen sick.
In truth, ever since the gates of the imperial castle were firmly shut last summer, the only people allowed to enter and leave the palace were those connected to illness—physicians, healers, priests, and mages.
“Sir Caleb.”
Standing in front of the bedroom, Caleb raised his head when he heard the attendant call him. Perhaps he had just been scolded by Duke Haimenwar, because his expression looked particularly sour.
“What is it?”
“A mage has arrived.”
“Hello?”
Before the attendant could introduce her, Tatiana stepped forward first and greeted them.
“My name is Tatiana Henesi, and I possess a magic artifact equivalent to an 8th Circle.”
“A magic artifact?”
Not an 8th Circle mage, but an artifact equivalent to one?
Caleb frowned as if he had just heard nonsense. Tatiana nodded confidently.
“Yes. I’m the mage who possesses the only method capable of saving Duke Haimenwar.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that I can cure Duke Haimenwar, who is suffering from a serious illness, using the power I possess.”
Caleb thought the young mage must be seriously mistaken about something.
Clutching his throbbing head, he asked,
“And how exactly do you intend to do that?”
“That can only be explained in front of His Grace.”
“Don’t try any tricks. Even if His Grace has been letting physicians and healers come and go freely, do you really think I’d bring someone with such questionable qualifications before him?”
The emperor was dead, and Astrid had fallen into a coma.
The next emperor. The true ruler of Yuzraeni. The usurper of the Golden Hawk.
Almost all the power within the imperial palace was now practically in the hands of Lindenel Haimenwar, the princess’s fiancé and the true authority of the Laquin Dynasty.
That is, if the man those titles referred to had not suddenly gone mad.
“Wasting time when the patient is critically ill is foolish. If she stops breathing, even I can’t guarantee a solution.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean I can make it as if her illness never existed. I can’t explain more than that.”
Caleb was about to shout at the insolent young girl who dared to cause trouble in front of the name of the House of Haimenwar, but he had to shut his mouth when a knight rushed in.
“Sir Caleb!”
“What is it?”
“His Grace has awakened. He’s asking for a new physician.”
Caleb groaned and frowned.
It had already been half a year since Princess Astrid had been left barely clinging to life.
Poison was a problem, but after even attempting suicide, Astrid was in a hopeless state—so hopeless that every renowned physician who came could only shake their heads.
The fragile spark of her life flickered as if it might go out at any moment. Yet as long as his master refused to accept it, she could not even rest in peace.
Until Astrid’s life completely faded away, days like these would repeat endlessly.
Just recently, the same thing had happened.
“What exactly is the problem? If you marry that woman after becoming engaged to the illegitimate daughter, the imperial throne will immediately become yours. So why are you obsessing over the dying Princess Astrid?”
“…Quiet.”
“Your actions right now are contradictory, Your Grace!”
“Shut up, Caleb.”
“Or… did you perhaps have other feelings for the princess?”
After hearing that, Duke Haimenwar had simply left the room with a cold face.
No matter how Caleb looked at it, the duke was failing to separate personal feelings from duty.
Had he perhaps grown attached to the princess during the long preparation for revenge?
Hopefully that faint, unnecessary sentiment wouldn’t ruin the ambition that was about to be realized.
With a tired expression, Caleb pressed his hand to his forehead and introduced Tatiana Henesi to the knight.
“She’s a new healing mage. Let His Grace see her.”
Tatiana stiffened her tense lips and left the room, following the knight.
Inside the castle, despite the bright daylight, the atmosphere felt cold and eerie. The unnatural suppression of noise made it even stranger.
Finding it odd, Tatiana continued walking until she entered the room the knight had guided her to.
The interior was barren and dark, without a single ray of light—like a giant coffin.
The atmosphere was made even more extreme by the lack of furniture, with only a large bed and a single chair placed in the empty room.
On the bed lay a woman, thin like a corpse, her eyes closed.
What the… Is she even alive?
Tatiana swallowed dryly as she examined the woman.
The black hair spread across the pillow had lost its shine and looked dry and brittle. Her body was so thin it seemed like it might break, and her pale complexion made her pitiful to behold.
Beside the woman sat a man with an expression as cold as ice.
Before Tatiana could admire his sculpted, chillingly handsome features, her gaze was drawn to his rigid face.
It was as if the woman lying on the bed had taken away all his emotions—leaving him lifeless in a completely different sense.
“Your Grace. A healing mage sent by Sir Caleb.”
“…A mage.”
The man’s voice was so low and ominous that it made people shiver without realizing it.
Tatiana swallowed nervously and gripped the strap of the bag slung diagonally across her chest.
That man was the famous Duke Lindenel Haimenwar.
She had never heard that the duke had a sister. Therefore, the woman lying there must be his fiancée—Princess Astrid Laquin.
The mad princess who had lost all the maternal relatives who would have supported her faction because of Duke Haimenwar, and who had fallen to the status of his puppet.
It was a pitiful life, if one thought about it. Yet the duke’s presence was so overwhelming that people had eventually forgotten the woman altogether.
But why is she the one lying here? Wasn’t it the duke who was supposed to be sick?
It seemed the rumor about the duke being ill had been false.
Realizing her mistake, Tatiana bit her lip lightly before quickly composing herself.
No… there must be an important reason he wants to save the princess. It’s not all ruined yet.
Lindenel glanced indifferently at Tatiana, then rose from the chair and stepped aside, revealing the princess lying on the bed.
His manner was inexplicably careful.
It made Tatiana feel as though she too had to be cautious with her actions.
“Can you wake her?”
“Uh… first, there’s something I need to say.”
Tatiana forced down her fear and answered as calmly as possible.
Pretending to be a healing mage had successfully gotten her this far.
However, neither Tatiana nor her grandmother—who had been a great archmage—had anything to do with healing magic.
She herself was only a beginner mage who had just begun learning magic, so if she wanted to avoid being killed by that terrifying man, there was something she had to clarify first.
“I asked if you can wake her.”
“Excuse me? Wake her?”
“I’m asking whether you can wake this woman.”
The man’s heavy, cold voice fell sharply into her ears.
Tatiana swallowed dryly and spoke with a trembling voice.
“What I’m proposing… isn’t healing. It’s turning back time.”
“…What?”
“I can make it so that Your Grace… no, so that she returns to the time before she became ill.”
