Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

I suddenly woke up with a start and sat up in bed.

As always, the first place my hand went to was the nape of my neck.

The only medium connecting Luka and me.

Though I had never taken it off for even a moment, now I felt like I needed to check something.

“Is it still there?”

The necklace was there.

But, would Luka be alright?

On the morning starting a new week, Garnett would bring a letter sent by Luka that day, so I would know then.

The letter I had sent last time was written so cringey that I was afraid to see the reply when I thought about it again.

“I shouldn’t have written it at dawn…”

I remembered writing what seemed like song lyrics full of dawn emotions.

Imagining how much Luka would have laughed after receiving that made me want to jump out the window right away.

Just then, Garnett lightly knocked and entered the room.

“Oh my, Miss. You’re already awake?”

Garnett was surprised at this rare sight she hadn’t seen in almost two years.

“Good morning, Garnett. The letter?”

I waited for the letter Garnett would habitually hand over.

However, Garnett smiled awkwardly and said:

“About that… There wasn’t one today, Miss.”

“What, really?”

I couldn’t believe it.

This had never happened once in the past two years.

Luka, who would write and send a short letter even when busy…

‘Was my love serenade too shocking?’

It was a very reasonable suspicion.

What if his hands cramped up so much he couldn’t hold a sword?

“I hope nothing happened.”

The last thing that came to mind was worry.

On the battlefield where life and death were at stake, anything could happen…

“I’m anxious.”

I curled up into a ball, bringing my knees up to my chest.

“Miss… His Highness will be fine. We think he’s just a bit late because he’s busy as the war is reaching its final stages.”

Garnett said, hugging me warmly.

“Is that so?”

“Of course. You know Matilda’s husband who works in the kitchen also went to war, right? I asked her what was in the letter she received today, and she said he’s very busy preparing to end the war now.”

Preparing to end it…

Then could I see him again? Before I leave the Empire?

I lifted my lowered head and felt my cheeks flushing.

Garnett chuckled as if finding my appearance cute and brought out my mage uniform.

“Come on, let’s get you changed and ready to go to the Magic Tower.”

“Ah… Let me sleep five more minutes.”

“No, miss.”

“Then fifteen minutes.”

“Why did the time increase?!”

* * *

I headed to the Tower Master’s study on the 80th floor before the 79th floor.

The Tower Master was just about to open his mouth wide with a fork holding cake.

“Ah, Master. You’re eating alone again!”

“I waited! You’re the one who’s late.”

As expected, I shouldn’t have gone back to sleep.

As I plopped down in front of him, the Tower Master snapped his fingers and arranged a plate and fork in front of me too.

Soon, cakes endlessly sprang up on the desk.

If Lihid saw this, he would definitely have something to say.

The Tower Master spoke to me as I was munching on cake:

“I heard you went to the temple and did well with the paternity test.”

“Ah, yes. I am indeed Dad’s daughter. Though it’s obvious.”

“Hoho, of course you’re a direct descendant of Rayes if you’re a healing mage. Those dull-witted fellows only understand when you show them.”

“Don’t even mention it. Those dull-witted fellows are probably drying up their blood with the defamation lawsuit filed by the Rayes ducal family right now.”

I thought of the three, father and sons, having frenzied conversations with the lawyers and thought how fortunate it was to be on their side.

“Yes, the fact that you were proven to be the real child was even in the newspapers. Now no one will doubt your abilities.”

I heard that the Sole Saintess Faction, which had given the temple a headache, was almost disbanded as of that day.

Some even had expressions as if they had attained enlightenment.

Or should I say confused expressions?

They probably couldn’t tell which saintess they should serve.

Revealing that I was the real child was just a small beginning.

I planned to reveal that it was Duke Kablos who kidnapped me, and that Senia was able to awaken as a healing mage because they extracted and injected my magic power when I was young, as soon as the evidence was gathered.

“More importantly, about your pet snake, Master.”

“Pet snake…? Would I keep such a hideous thing as a pet?”

I turned around and saw a cage so distorted its shape was unrecognizable.

“It escaped while I was away for a moment. It was unimaginable. To break through that seal…”

The Tower Master looked at me with worried eyes.

“I’m implementing tracking magic to catch it again, so don’t worry.”

“No, you don’t need to do that.”

He looked at me questioningly at my words.

“It appeared when I was having the paternity test at the temple.”

“That thing came to find you?!”

“Yes… It tried to manipulate my paternity test to show false results. But it failed. And Dad killed the snake. That’s why I said you don’t need to worry.”

“Killed the snake…”

The Tower Master smiled subtly and said:

“That thing doesn’t die. It probably just had its form destroyed…”

“But it died emitting purple flames.”

“Yes, it was close to a demonic beast. But according to my research, it might be… the incarnation of Belkin, the worst black mage of the ancient magic kingdom.”

“Belkin…?”

“Yes, the magic kingdom ended with his death. But there are records that he left his incarnation before dying. If those records are correct, it has only lost its shell and will appear again, lying low and waiting for the right time.”

I looked at him with anxious eyes.

It felt like the delicious cake I had eaten was getting stuck in my throat.

What broke that atmosphere was the Tower Master’s smile.

“But don’t worry too much. A transcendent’s sword energy would have dealt a great blow to its main body, so you don’t need to mind it for a while.”

“Is that so…”

“Yes. If it appears again, I’ll seal it in an even stronger prison, so tell me if you sense even the slightest sign.”

I could munch on cake again.

“Thank you, Master.”

I smiled sincerely and conveyed my gratitude to him.

“You’re my disciple, it’s only natural, hoho. The day you quit is not far off now. But even if you quit being a Magic Tower mage, you’ll always be my disciple. I hope you’ll come visit whenever you want to eat cake.”

At his words, I felt my eyes stinging for some reason.

Leaving words that I would do so, I headed back to the 79th floor.

“Wah!”

“Aah! You startled me! Lihid, I really won’t let you off today!”

The moment the magic circle transported me to the 79th floor, I heard a voice surprising me from behind.

I’m also honest for being genuinely surprised, but still.

Giggling and running away quickly, he made me run around the research room trying to catch him until I was out of breath.

“Huff, hah. Now, even if I die and come back to life, I won’t call you brother…”

“That’s not fair! How cheap to bring that up!”

“Want to bet on who’s cheaper?”

Larisha, who was watching us bicker, said:

“You two play so well together. Were you siblings in a past life?”

“I was…!”

To her, who was downing dozens of nutritional supplements from the morning, I almost shouted, ‘I was an only child!’

If I did that, she might uncover my identity with her sharp intuition and turn me into an experimental subject.

Just then, Jen, who seemed to have just woken up and come out of the research room, greeted me with a big yawn and messy hair.

“Miss, you’re here.”

“Jen, come here. I’ll fix your hair for you.”

Jen came to me like an obedient puppy and lowered his head.

While I was neatly arranging his water-colored hair, Lihid tormented Jen like an angry cat.

Jen didn’t mind and just closed his eyes to doze off again.

I smiled faintly as I looked around, trying to engrave this daily life deeply in my memory.

It was such an ordinary but precious time.

* * *

The morning of the Founding Day dawned.

The Tower Master was generous about the events I had to attend as a noble lady.

‘I wish he wasn’t so generous…’

Then I could at least make excuses about the Magic Tower and not go.

I didn’t know at the time.

That I would see the third mark on the back of my hand after two years.

The final medium. It meant that forgotten memories would return.