As the nightmare-like past came back to me, my whole body went cold. Killian was the first to speak.
“Miss DL says she has something to tell Her Highness the Princess.”
“Ah…”
The Princess, realizing why I was here, sighed with a troubled look.
“I appreciate you coming to see me… but I still haven’t made up my mind. It’s not an easy decision…”
Seeing her hesitate, I spoke gently.
“Your Highness, have you spoken with His Holiness about this?”
She didn’t answer.
Judging by her face, she hadn't. I sighed at her stubborn beliefs.
“If you told Michel, he would definitely agree.”
Because she’d known him since childhood through divine healing, her tone was natural when she said his name.
“But I don’t want to live by putting someone else in danger.”
In the end, Princess Isabella shook her head. At that moment, I remembered someone’s voice:
‘Turning another’s crisis into your opportunity… impressive strategy.’
Ugh… That hit my conscience hard.
Especially since the Pope, Michel, was someone not easily approached by outsiders. He was the "Logos," a Saint born once in centuries.
‘She’s that firm in her beliefs…’
She was likely more desperate than I, facing death. Yet she still refused. What could I say to change her mind?
‘Maybe trying to persuade her is useless…’
That thought crossed my mind. As I stayed silent, the treatment room fell quiet too.
The one who finally broke the silence was Killian Orfeo.
“Then how about this?”
Both the Princess and I turned to him.
Was there another way?
I looked at him with a bit of hope. He smiled slightly.
“Magic can do quite a lot, you know.”
Magic?
I couldn’t guess what he meant. Neither could Princess Isabella—her eyes widened.
“If Her Highness can’t fully trust Miss DL, I could cast a spell on her.”
What? A spell on me?
Hope instantly turned to dread.
“What kind of spell?”
The Princess asked with a hesitant look.
“If something happens to the Pope, Miss DL would also suffer an equal penalty. But the spell will only last for two days.”
I flinched and looked at him. His amethyst-like eyes were calmly watching me.
“Of course, Miss DL can refuse if she’s uncomfortable.”
He wasn’t asking the Princess. He was asking me. Killian made it clear—he wanted to make sure she couldn’t sway my decision.
‘Thanks for the consideration, but…’
The terrifying part of what he’d said made it hard to appreciate the gesture. Still, I didn’t hesitate long.
There were no better options.
‘I’m just tied to Michel’s fate for two days, that’s all.’
It’s only two days.
Surely nothing bad would happen during that time.
I decided to trust the original story.
‘If I can just pull this off…’
I’d earn a massive fortune and fame. Then, true independence from Duke Adelheid would be close at hand.
“If it means saving Your Highness’s life, I’ll do it.”
I hid my greedy inner thoughts and answered with a confident look.
But Princess Isabella still hesitated.
“Even so, putting yourself at risk because of me… shouldn’t we think it over more?”
If we wait too long, you might die first…
I swallowed those words and shook my head.
“It’s fine. Oh, maybe you’re worried about casting the spell on His Holiness without his knowledge?”
The Princess closed her mouth, caught off guard.
‘Such rare, old-fashioned morality…’
She was the “salt and light” kind of person. Pure and kind.
Though I couldn’t forget that in the original story, her future child—the Crown Prince—grew up to be a little tyrant.
‘…Wait a minute.’
I realized something important I had forgotten.
If the Princess dies and the baby becomes the sole heir?
That would give the Empress complete control… and Duke Adelheid, who was always at her side, would definitely benefit.
‘No way. If that happens, I die too!’
I finally understood the source of my lingering unease.
I could not let the Princess die.
I quickly switched to full-on persuasion mode.
“If it really weighs on your conscience, you could mention the spell when you send a message to His Holiness.”
Step one: present a solution.
Though I knew this idea wouldn’t work.
Princess Isabella would never tell the Pope about the spell.
After all, the Holy Kingdom and the Empire were separate states.
If word got out that a noble from the Empire cast magic on the Holy Kingdom’s leader?
It could spark a massive conflict. The Princess wouldn’t want that on her shoulders.
So I moved to step two: an emotional, yet logical appeal.
“In a life-or-death situation like this, how else could we respect His Holiness more than this? I’m sure he’d understand if he knew everything.”
She thought in silence for a while… then finally opened her mouth.
“…You’re right. The Grand Duke wouldn’t use magic to hurt Michel.”
Her gaze turned to Killian. She looked uneasy—but there was trust in her eyes.
She remembered how Killian, even before becoming Master of the Mage Tower, had visited the palace often and built a strong bond with the royal family.
‘For a devil, he’s great at building relationships…’
In that sense, he was better than I.
Killian looked at me.
“Will you be alright?”“Yes, I really will.”
When I nodded, he slowly walked toward me. Then the Princess spoke again.
“Since the spell only lasts two days, you’ll need to meet Michel within that time. Is that okay?”
Two days—it was a bit tight, but I knew Michel wouldn’t say no.
‘He wants her to be healed more than anyone else.’
When I nodded, Killian took off his gloves and held out his hand.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
It was my first time seeing him without gloves. Curious, I placed my hand over his.
His hand was warmer than I expected.
Then—
-click.
With a sound like beads clinking, a strange light flowed from his hand. It spread into mine.
‘This is the devil’s magic…?’
I had seen the magical twins, the Cornellis, before—their spells looked dark and ominous.
But Killian’s magic?
‘It’s beautiful.’
It was stunning.
The Princess calmly sipped her tea as if she’d seen it many times before.
Purple light, like his eyes, twisted into the shape of a butterfly.
Mesmerized, I stared.
A faint crest—Orfeo’s mark—glowed briefly on the back of my hand and disappeared.
Killian stepped back and put his gloves on again.
“Is it done?”
“Yes, it’s done.”
He smiled gently. A charming smile—but it felt like he was hiding something.
‘He cast it that easily…?’
No materials, no rituals. Yet the magic was ill-linked to Michel. It was strange—but made sense.
‘He’s the one and only Archmage.’
A man who could change anything with magic—switch day and night, make it rain in deserts, or even reshape maps.
He once froze the entire central sea in ten seconds during a war, helping the Empire win easily.
‘To him, this spell is child’s play.’
The Princess, too, didn’t seem surprised at all. She’d clearly seen this many times.
“The Holy See will likely send a message soon. Please take care of everything… and thank you, Edith.”
The one who should be thankful is me, Your Highness.
If you die, I die too.
As I left the treatment room, I ran into a familiar face.
‘Richard Edmond.’
He was speaking with a royal guard in front of the room. I overheard—he’d just come from the Emperor.
I’d been wondering why the Princess’s guard wasn’t around.
But honestly, it was odd that the Captain of the Royal Knights had been guarding her to begin with.
‘His actual duty is guarding the Emperor.’
People even gossiped that Sir Edmond had feelings for the Princess.
But I knew the truth: he valued loyalty more than anything.
He had guarded her since he was just a knight trainee, and never left her side since.
‘I should’ve waited a few minutes longer before leaving…’
We weren’t exactly close, so running into him here was the last thing I wanted.
Richard, mid-conversation with the knight, suddenly noticed me.
