Chapter 12 - It’s Only In Fairy Tales

Chapter 12 – It’s Only In Fairy Tales

I heard the sound of water by my bedside. I barely opened my stiff eyelids and my view was blurry. I somehow knew that someone was here, as I dimly saw someone.

“… Sister?”

Verna, who was wetting the towel, responded to Ashia’s call.

“Are you awake?”

Verna walked straight to Ashia, wiping the water off her hands on her apron.

“What the hell is going on with you?”

Verna’s worriedly touched Ashia’s forehead and cheeks. Ashia, who had been staring at her for a moment, raised her upper body. Verna helped her up and said, “Lie down a little longer.”

“No, I want to sit up.”

She leaned her back against the headboard and tucked her flowing hair behind her ears. Looking at her like that, Verna nagged her.

“Why didn’t you ask for help when you were sick enough to the point of losing consciousness?”

“… It’s like an annual event.”

“Then you should have prepared more!”

“I usually have my medicine ready, but I forgot because I was so busy this year.”

“There’s something else you always forget and it hurts me this much.”

Ashia burst into laughter at Verna’s worried tone.

“I’m worried about you.”

Sigh.

Verna, who had been sighing for a long time, sat next to Ashia and made eye contact.

“…… Are you alright now?”

“Yeah, I’m feeling better. Somehow, my head feels refreshed.”

“I can’t believe you’re okay with all this cold sweat…”

“No, it’s really okay. I used to feel worse for a few days after I got sick, but now I feel really refreshed.”

Then, suddenly, I felt that my condition was really quite different from what it used to be. Never before did I experience this… Verna wiped her face with the wet towel while Ashia was murmuring.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Umhm.”

Ashia uttered, not moving her face from Verna’s touch.

“But how did you know?”

“Oh, I was worried because the store was closed for three days.”

“Three days, huh…”

She had been out of her mind for three days. Well, she’s never closed the store for three days without telling Verna.

Ashia nodded her head. Then, suddenly, another memory came to her mind and Ashia uttered something while looking at Verna.

“Oh, Sis.”

“Hmm?”

“Uhm,” Ashia paused briefly and went on. “Was there anyone else who came besides you?”

“…….. Huh?!”

Verna’s touch halted due to her question. Ashia’s head tilted, recalling the hazy memories for a while.

“I thought I heard a man’s voice.”

“Ah…..”

Verna sighed shortly and got up from her bed. While slowly walking to the table, Verna soaked the towel in hot water again.

Ashia’s gaze followed Verna.

“….”

For a moment, there was only the rippling sound of water in Ashia’s room. Verna fixed her eyes on the wet towel and spoke in a nonchalant way.

“… The medic came and went. Maybe you heard that.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Sister.”

“No… There was no trouble.”

At the end of her distant memory, there was a voice calling for her. It was blurry but also clear in another sense.

Ashia looked at Verna, who was fiddling with a wet towel, and turned to look out the window.

‘Medical staff, huh…’

Ashia looked out of the window and let out a low sigh.

Verna repeatedly wetted and squeezed the wet towel several times while she examined Ashia’s expression.

She doesn’t remember anything, does she?

She was a little worried that she might have acted unnaturally in front of Ashia, who was faster than Verna thought in detecting lies. She was even more anxious because she knew she had no talent for lying.

-Lena, Lena.

He called Ashia Lena. It was the first time she had heard that name.

“Does she even have a pet name like that?”

The stoic man’s face, which had a daunting atmosphere that would even cause fear, collapsed at the moment he found Ashia.

Ashia was curled up in one corner of the room, and not in bed. She shivered convulsively without covering herself with a blanket. Without even knowing if she had a simple cold or a seizure.

Verna found Ashia, but she was stuck outside, unable to reach her easily.

It was the man who approached her first. There was no hesitation in his actions.

“Lena…”

“Ugh…”

He called Ashia and hugged her carefully. His touch on her forehead and cheeks, and his simple caresses towards her were very careful. Ashia’s face, which was exposed from the blanket, was white as a sheet and so pale it looked like it lacked blood.

“It’s cold…. So cold.”

Ashia moaned softly, and continued saying that it’s so cold. Perhaps, because of the cold, she wriggled into the man’s arms in search of warmth.

Ashia unconsciously found a person and reached for it. It was the same person who hugged and stroked her silently.

At that time, the two looked like a loving couple.

The more Ashia suffered, the more he hugged Ashia. Ashia’s face continued to cool down and he called her nonstop. He didn’t forget to pat the whining Ashia either.

Then, the man’s large hand stayed in the air for a while, and carefully covered Ashia’s forehead.

Soon, a red energy began to radiate from his large hand and sank into Ashia’s body.

“Uh…”

Asha, who showed signs of discomfort to the point where she frowned, soon regained her peacefulness. Her bluish face returned to a reddish colour and her cheeks blossomed and became vibrant.

The fire filled the cool room with warmth.

Looking down at Ashia, who had regained stability, he turned his head and said to Verna.

“Call the medic, please.”

“Oh, yes, yes!”

Verna jumped out of the store and went to the nearest medic. When she hurriedly returned with the medic, the man had returned to his true self.

Verna, who entered the room, felt his indifferent and cold atmosphere and trembled.

Asha, who suffered from groaning and was on the brink of death a while ago, was now fast asleep, breathing softly.

The man had even lit the stove again in the meantime. He lifted himself up after putting the broken firewood into the stove.

“Don’t tell her that I came here today.”

“… Ah.”

The man turned his head toward Ashia.

“I don’t want her to know that I was here.”

“Oh, yes. I will.”

He gazed briefly at Ashia’s sleeping face and walked out of the room.

That was only half a day ago. Half a day ago, the man was in this space with her.

Why didn’t he want to tell Asha? What is the story between the two of them?

She had a lot of questions, but she’d rather not ask them.

“I don’t think Ashia should know…”

By any stretch of the imagination, the man looked extremely noble. She overcame the difference in status and said, ‘And they lived happily ever after.’

That’s the story that only existed in fairy tales.

The reality is really different. A few people may have overcome their differences in status and even married. But no, she’s never seen those kinds of scenarios before.

Most of them would end up being abandoned by people with high status. No matter how capable and determined Ashia is, she may be the one who is abandoned.

In addition, nobles who had that kind of appearance and status often indulge in promiscuous private lives.

“I wish it was just prejudice…”

Unfortunately, that was the case with most nobles so Verna just dismissed it as prejudice. She didn’t know what the status of the man was, but she could see how chaotic the privacy of the high-ranking aristocrats was just by listening to the Grand Duke, who was always mentioned at the center of gossip.

How can she guarantee that he’s not a promiscuous guy like she thought?

That man, if not the Grand Duke, may be a man of high rank enough to play with Ashia like a toy. Unexpectedly, Ashia seemed naive in dating.

‘…… You’re going to have a hard time. A man like that would play with a lot of women too.’

Verna shook her head firmly. It bothered her to lie to Ashia, but she didn’t want her to get entangled with such a man.

Moreover, it was the man who told her not to let Ashia know first.

Verna glanced at Ashia. She was still looking out the window. Perhaps, because of the pain, Ashia’s expression looked worse and more lonely than ever.

-Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? I can stay with you until tomorrow morning.

-No, Sister. It’s totally fine. It’s okay.

She then sent Verna back before the night grew deeper. It’s not a serious disease. Once a year, she would lie down in pain as her whole body was freezing after sealing her magic.

For several years, she bought ingredients for fire, made potions, and drank them every time, but this year, she was busy with the emergence of the requests that flooded her and Kalligo.

After seeing Verna off, she returned to her room and slumped over the edge of the bed.

「Ms. Ashia…」

The necklace on her neck vibrated shortly and talked.

“Hmm?”

Luke let out a mirage of colors while he had a quivering voice.

“You don’t know how worried I was…”

“I’m so sorry for surprising you.”

“I should have taken care of it…”

She vaguely heard Luke’s voice while she was shivering all alone in the corner just before she fell unconscious.

In fact, Luke doesn’t volunteer to do human work even if she’s in a critical situation.

Without Ashia’s orders, he just watched and waited. She didn’t really like it. It may be considered, but if the implicit rules of those beings are like that, Ashia did not intend to feel upset or force him either.

Luke must have been one of the few friends she cared about.

Asha fiddled with the necklace and smiled faintly.

“No, I’m sorry I didn’t prepare for it ahead of time.”

Luke has always been playful, but he seems to have been very worried when he saw Ashia fall unconscious after a long time.

「By the way, Ms. Ashia…”」

“Yes?”

「About… earlier.」

Returning to the bedroom, Ashia landed on the bed and leaned her head against the pillow. She said that it was okay, but she couldn’t help but feel tired.

“A while ago? When?”

「…….. That.」

Luke hesitated, unable to easily confide in Ashia.

The time when Kalligo came. Ashia lost her mind, but Luke didn’t.

He had been watching and listening to everything.

-Don’t tell her that I came here today.

-I don’t want her to know I was here.

Luke remembered what Kalligo had said. He didn’t know the reason.

“Luke?”

「Oh, well… That is.」

When she called Luke again, Luke hesitated for a moment and continued, vibrating softly.

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