Chapter 43

#043 Living Twice (1)

"It feels so empty without the children in the palace."

Aurelie Boutier said softly.

She held a cup of coffee in one hand, savoring its aroma quietly.

Sitting casually on the opposite sofa, Emperor Frederick, who had been tending to state affairs, snorted at the Cardinal's words.

"Just because they're gone for a little while, you feel empty?"

"For more than ten days, we won't see them."

"If we had gone to the 'Great Beast Purge,' it would have been the same."

"Hmm, that's true."

The Cardinal smiled gently and took a sip from her cup.

A comfortable silence filled the Emperor's office once again.

She would occasionally click her tongue or mutter a curse as she reviewed documents, while the Cardinal would occasionally respond and turn the pages of a book.

Outside the large window, the sunset, resembling the eyes of their beloved child, spread across the sky.

It was a peaceful May.

Every year around this time, they would be busy traveling to the Marquis de Lume's territory via portal, but it was a pleasant change to have a quiet spring.

"They should have arrived at that small village by now."

The Cardinal spoke again.

The Emperor, without lifting his eyes from the paper, replied a beat later.

"What village?"

"The one where the innkeeper loves gambling and the villagers are kind."

Frederick frowned slightly.

At such times, she reminded him of Prince Cedric.

Or rather, Cedric had inherited his mother's temperament.

"Is there only one such village?"

"Remember when a portal had a crack and we had to travel by carriage for a few days? The place we stayed during the storm."

The Cardinal added with a smile.

Only then did the Emperor lift his cherry-colored eyes to look at his contractor.

His narrowed eyes seemed to be recalling a point in the past.

"If you're talking about the place I'm thinking of, the innkeeper was probably dragged to the castle's dungeon."

"Oh, that's right. I forgot it was so long ago."

‘Has it been ten years already?’ Aurelie Boutier sipped her coffee again.

It was a light topic, so Frederick lowered his gaze back to the document in his hand.

Silence fell over the room once more.

For a moment, only the rustling of clothes and paper filled the space between them.

"I'm going to open a new wine this evening."

"Then who's running that inn now?"

Suddenly, both of them spoke at the same time.

Frederick, who had intended to call the butler to bring the wine list and tasting notes, looked at Aurelie with a displeased expression.

The Cardinal, with her beige eyes twinkling, spoke soothingly.

"It's where the children will stay. I'm worried."

"The family of the one who was taken is probably running it. Since there haven't been any complaints, there must have been no problems since then."

"That's true."

"Sadi and Elizabeth will soon become Swordmasters. The prince is a bishop-level cleric, and little Sarnez is a squire. You're worrying unnecessarily."

"Alright. I'm in the mood for fish tonight."

Only then did the Emperor nod and call the butler.

News came that a good white wine had been presented from the west.

The Cardinal knew that the Emperor's reaction was not because he didn't think about the children, but because he trusted them.

She tried to think like the Emperor.

The two children, or rather, the four children including Elizabeth and Cristel, would surely return safely.

Even if something happened, they would handle it cleanly.

Cristel, the eldest, was not a child anymore.

Feeling the guilt of a noble parent who had entrusted their unruly children to a single tutor, the Cardinal finished the last sip of her coffee.

*

"That was really delicious."

"Yes, it was delicious!"

"I also found it not bad."

*Clank!*

Wu, Ganael, Bénguillaume, and Demi each expressed their satisfaction after a satisfying dinner.

In fact, Demi had only eaten the flower heads that the prince had given me, but it was good, so it was fortunate.

Requesting room service was one of the best decisions of the day.

Sitting comfortably with familiar people, eating a meal made the heart calm even far from the palace.

*Knock knock*

"Come in."

Bénguillaume answered the knock instead of me.

I watched as a well-built inn employee entered to clear the dishes.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties and had a gentle appearance.

He had carried my luggage to the third floor and brought me meals.

Two guards with stern faces followed him to provide security.

"I ate well."

"I, I am honored, Your Highness."

Feeling a bit awkward just sitting there, I greeted him, and the employee was startled, bowing his head.

He couldn't hide his flustered expression but quickly and accurately cleared the table, showing a skilled hand.

Then, dessert appeared on the table.

It was a crepe suzette with a sweet and tangy orange flavor.

"Just looking at it makes it delicious."

Ganael burst into laughter at my words.

"Ten years ago, we also ate crepe suzette here. Your Highness will like it too."

Bénguillaume answered kindly.

He said he had accompanied the Emperor and the Cardinal here in the past.

I picked up a new knife and listened to his words.

"There was a bit of an unpleasant incident back then, if I recall."

*Clang!*

Everyone jumped and turned their gaze.

The employee who had broken a large plate stood there, at a loss.

As the guards took a few steps closer, he trembled like he had been electrocuted and quickly knelt on the floor.

He seemed to be thinking of clearing the plate with his bare hands.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm, I'm fine. I'm really sorry, Your Highness."

"Use a broom first, you might hurt yourself."

"Ah!"

Red blood dripped onto the floor. I stopped speaking and approached him.

Bénguillaume and Ganael also stood up and followed me.

The guards pushed the glass shards away with their feet.

They seemed to be preparing for any unpleasant situation.

The man's right palm was deeply cut.

"The wound looks deep. Should we call another employee?"

"No, it's fine. I can stop the bleeding."

"Then I'll ask for medicine to be brought to the room."

"No, no, Your Highness. Medicine is expensive..."

I tilted my head.

"I'll pay for the medicine."

"That's..."

The man hesitated. He seemed to be wondering if he should talk about it.

I calmly waited for his explanation.

"The medicine I use, I have to pay for it myself. That's the rule of 'Le Cifre.'"

"...You mean, if you get hurt at work, you have to pay for the medicine yourself?"

"Yes."

I was speechless and looked at Bénguillaume and Ganael.

Their immediate headshakes in response to my questioning gaze meant the innkeeper was an odd person.

"Then, I guess you'll just have to heal without medicine."

"Yes, yes?"

"Show me your palm. I'll use my healing power."

At my suggestion, the man jumped up from his seat.

"How can someone like me...?"

"I've only learned it, and this is my first time using it. Just relax and let me try it on you."

I calmed him down. It was also true.

When a cleric uses healing power, they must open a special healing circle, which requires memorizing the exact shape.

It was completely different from the 'sanctuary,' which reflects a cleric's character and divine power and allows for drawing arbitrary patterns.

There was a reason why there were separate healing clerics on the continent.

Becoming a doctor was difficult in this world and the other world.

So, I had been memorizing and drawing circles on paper based on the Cardinal's advice for a while.

There were quite a few types, and the one I had memorized was a basic circle for treating light cuts and lacerations.

"Don't be too nervous. You're actually helping me."

I added.

The man looked at Ganael, Bénguillaume, and the guards, then slowly nodded.

He cautiously extended his blood-soaked palm.

"Then I'll start."

I closed my eyes immediately.

Kneeling, I took a deep breath, circulated ether from my head to my toes, and drew the precise healing circle in my mind.

I didn't forget to recite the activation phrase.

[With the tears of the deity, I will stop your bleeding.]

As I said this and lifted my eyelids,

*Whirr...*

A sky-blue circle softly rose from the floor, enveloping the employee and me.

It was a clear color, as described in books.

The healing circle slowly rotated clockwise, as if searching for something,

*Swish...*

and performed a small miracle on the man's injured palm.

The blue ether particles seeping into the rather long wound looked like a scene from a TV commercial.

The blood that had been flowing stopped instantly, and the torn flesh slowly closed.

It was a scene that even I, who had used the healing power, couldn't help but gape at.

"Ah... "

The employee blinked.

He clenched and unclenched his fist, as if not believing what had happened to his hand, then quickly bowed before me.

"Thank you so much, Your Highness! To bless a commoner like me... Thank you so much."

"I'm the one who's grateful for your cooperation."

I smiled wryly.

He showed a bright face for the first time since entering my room and said he