Chapter 133
Delphinia was unable to attend Daniel’s funeral.
Her maids had carefully advised against it.
It would be inappropriate, they said, for her to appear at the funeral of a man who had once been her fiancé.
On top of that, her parents also urged her not to go.
[As Crown Princess, Your Highness must fulfill your duties.]
Delphinia wanted to know—at the very least—how Daniel had died.
…but no reply ever came from her parents.
Even the maids, who seemed to know something, kept their mouths shut.
In the end, Delphinia went to the Empress and pleaded.
She knew it was improper—but if she didn’t, she felt like she would lose her mind.
“Your Majesty the Empress, I beg of you.”
“Delphin….”
The Empress was a gentle, kind-hearted woman.
Delphinia knew that if she wept and pleaded like this, the Empress would eventually give in.
After clinging to her for days, the Empress finally spoke.
“Sir Daniel Framber… six months ago, volunteered to join the defense against magical beasts in the Territory of Artica.”
At those words, Delphinia’s eyes shook violently.
The County of Artica bordered the vast contaminated lands to the northwest.
A place crawling with dangerous magical beasts.
The Marquess of Artica had long established a firm defensive line to prevent the beasts from invading the Empire.
The battlefield there was brutal—dozens died every single day.
To step into that carnage of one’s own will was little different from suicide.
‘Why…?’
Delphinia’s heart pounded as if it would burst.
Daniel, a knight of House Ernel—why would he volunteer for a battlefield that was all but certain death?
Unless he wished to die, such recklessness made no sense—
“Sir Framber fell in the fiercest fighting. It seems the other knights recovered his body.”
“……”
“As for how he died… no one appears to know….”
The Empress, deeply sorrowful, tried to comfort Delphinia.
But her gentle words brought no solace.
Half out of her senses, Delphinia gave her farewell and stepped outside.
Staggering down the corridor, she halted—and found herself staring at her reflection in the windowpane.
For a moment, Daniel’s face seemed to overlap her own.
And then realization struck.
‘He killed himself.’
Daniel had thrown himself onto that battlefield to die.
If he must lose his life, better to fall fighting magical beasts—an honorable death for a knight—than to take his own.
‘Like me… because he couldn’t find any hope….’
Her vision blurred.
‘Because he had nothing left to live for….’
The despair pressing down on her chest robbed her of strength, and she collapsed where she stood.
“…Riel! Muriel!”
A voice rang in her ears, reverberating like a dull echo.
I jolted awake, gasping for breath.
Tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Ah….”
“Muriel, are you okay? Are you conscious?”
My lips moved blankly before I managed a weak murmur.
“Lycian….”
“Yeah. It’s me.”
“H-How long was I out?”
“About a minute…. When you fainted again, I thought I was going to lose my mind….”
Lycian let out a heavy sigh, looking like he’d aged a hundred years.
Feeling guilty for worrying him like this every time, I reached up and cupped his cheek.
“Sorry…. I suddenly had something like a revelation.”
“You don’t need to apologize. I’m just overly worried.”
“Still….”
I let out a long sigh of my own.
Glancing around, I realized we were still inside the banquet hall.
Delphinia remained in the Crown Prince’s arms.
And the Crown Prince, staring down at her without blinking, looked as though the sky had collapsed.
‘…This feels strange.’
Until now, the past between the Crown Prince and his wife had been nothing more than someone else’s story to me.
But perhaps because I’d momentarily synchronized with Delphinia’s emotions—
I found it difficult to look at the Crown Prince as indifferently as before.
‘I’ll need to watch my expression around him from now on….’
Closing my eyes briefly, I buried my face in Lycian’s chest.
Before long, the royal physician arrived. After carefully examining Delphinia, he delivered his diagnosis.
“Her body is severely weakened. Her organ functions have declined, making it difficult for her to digest food, which leaves her lacking strength—and naturally, her recovery is slow…. Above all, she has suffered from heart disease for a long time, which has caused issues with blood circulation….”
Her condition was far worse than I’d imagined.
The physician wiped the cold sweat from his brow, tilting his head slightly before continuing in a puzzled tone.
“However… her current state seems better than before. Her heart had been especially poor recently… It is remarkable how she has recovered to this extent….”
His words trailed off as he cast a timid sidelong glance at me.
At the same time, everyone’s gaze—including the Crown Prince’s—snapped toward me.
With all eyes waiting for an answer, I smiled awkwardly.
“It seems my divine power alleviated Her Highness’s symptoms. …Though it doesn’t appear to be a fundamental cure.”
“Oh, I see…! As expected of the Purifier…!”
The physician looked at me with shining eyes. The others were clearly impressed as well.
The Empress approached and clasped my hands tightly.
“It truly is fortunate we have you, Muriel.”
Behind her, the Emperor nodded gravely.
And the Crown Prince, finally regaining some composure, looked at me and spoke.
“…I don’t know how to express my gratitude. Thank you is all I can say….”
“It’s nothing. I only did what I should. More importantly, wouldn’t it be best to take Her Highness back to her chambers?”
“Ah, yes. …Then please excuse me.”
With a small nod, the Crown Prince carefully lifted Delphinia and left the banquet hall.
I wanted to follow and check on her myself, but as the host of the reception, I couldn’t leave.
Instead, I did my best to smooth over the unsettled atmosphere.
Lycian insisted that since I had fainted, I should go rest as well—
“Don’t worry. I’m totally fine.”
And I meant it. I genuinely felt fine.
Lycian studied me for a long moment before finally nodding in reluctant agreement.
Though he still looked concerned.
I smiled faintly and slipped my hand around his arm.
“Come on, let’s head over there next. Her Majesty said it would be good to stay on friendly terms with the Duke and Duchess of Officina.”
A few hours later, at ten in the evening—
The reception finally ended.
At last freed, I returned to the Second Prince’s Palace with Lycian.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted….”
After bathing in hot water, I flopped onto the bed. Lycian slipped his arms around my waist from behind.
Lying on the soft mattress, wrapped in his warm embrace, drowsiness began to creep in—but my thoughts remained tangled.
‘Is Delphinia okay…?’
The Delphinia in the memory had looked healthy—nothing like now.
‘How did she end up so frail?’
And the Husbandry skill….
…Damn it, this time I have to undo it no matter what…!
‘It feels like a much bigger problem than when I tamed Lycian…!’
Is it because she’s my in-law?
Probably.
I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes.
The next day.
Fortunately, the unfortunate incident of having tamed Delphinia was resolved easily.
As soon as morning came, the system told me how.
‘Delphinia Alpen Grastea, release Husbandry skill.’
Just thinking it inwardly like this—
[The Husbandry skill applied to the target (human), ‘Delphinia Alpen Grastea,’ has been released.]
Solved in one go!
‘Why didn’t you tell me it was this easy sooner, you little—!’
I threw a punch into the air. The system responded with its usual infuriating emoticon.
[( ‘ 3’)~♪]
Ugh, seriously.
If physical force worked on it, I’d have smacked it already….
Anyway, I was currently at the Crown Princess’s Palace.
Delphinia was still asleep, and the disheveled Crown Prince remained faithfully at her side.
Gazing at her, I asked inwardly.
‘System, can I heal Delphinia with my own power?’
Of course.
Have you forgotten ‘that item’ in your inventory?
That item… don’t tell me—
‘…The Elixir?’
YES! (^0^)/
I knew it.
The Elixir was a panacea, after all.
‘…Right. There’s no other way. My healing divine power couldn’t address the root problem.’
How on earth had Delphinia’s body deteriorated to this extent?
Questions rose endlessly, but it wasn’t something I could go around asking about carelessly.
The cause of her ruined health… seemed to be a forbidden matter within the imperial family.
‘Even Lycian won’t tell me. That says it all.’
Sighing deeply, I retrieved the Elixir from my inventory.
As I approached Delphinia’s bedside, the Crown Prince lifted his head and looked at me.
Meeting his puzzled gaze, I spoke clearly.
“This is an Elixir.”
“…An Elixir?”
“The legendary medicine. The most perfect substance in the world. A cure-all…. You’ve heard of it, haven’t you?”
His eyes flickered like a candle in the wind.
To be honest, I had intended to save the Elixir for a worst-case scenario.
There was no knowing when the Witch of the Crescent Moon might awaken from her slumber and unleash the magical beasts.
But for now… saving Delphinia came first.
I couldn’t bear to watch her like this.
‘Is it because I saw her memories…?’
For some reason, I felt deeply attached to her.
“If she takes this, Her Highness’s illness will vanish as if it were washed away.”
“…!”
“But… it only works if she drinks every last drop. You’ll have to wait until she regains consciousness.”
“…I see.”
I placed the Elixir into the Crown Prince’s hand.
“The royal physician said her condition has improved significantly since yesterday. He expects she may wake today or tomorrow. Once she’s able to sit up on her own, then….”
Staring blankly at the red liquid tinged with gold, the Crown Prince nodded.
Stepping back, I gave him a respectful bow and left the Crown Princess’s bedchamber.
Thinking that the day I learned the truth of how Delphinia came to be so ill… would likely be far in the future.
Meanwhile, at the Duke Tierney’s estate.
“Muriel is engaged to the Second Prince of the Grastea Empire…?”
Upon hearing the unbelievable news, Juliet’s legs gave out and she collapsed onto the floor.
Clutching the hem of her dress tightly, she stared downward, her eyes filling with venom.
‘Why…?!’
How could someone like Muriel—?!
“This is ridiculous…. It makes no sense!”
Juliet slammed her fist against the floor—thud!—and bit her lip until it bled.
‘When I was the one who got my engagement to Crown Prince Fabian broken off!’