Chapter 62

Seeing my sulky expression, Elga let out a quiet sigh.

“If I couldn’t save you, then I would’ve accepted that that’s the limit of my abilities. Luckily, there’s still Juela, so the family’s succession wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Elga! Is that supposed to be a comment or a warning sign?”

She has a husband she loves dearly, too!  

I ended up snapping at her. But for once, Elga’s response was stern and resolute.

“If you ever find yourself about to rush into danger again, I want you to remember what I’m about to say.”

“What?”

“You came back safely, which must mean you struck some kind of deal with the spirit.”

She looked like one of those people from an old commercial—You don’t have to say it, I already know.

“You’re reckless, even though you’re weak. And now that reckless girl suddenly has power—raw and unstable power at that.”

“Elga, I…”

“Mother must’ve told you too—we never intended to lock you away. But if you end up never returning to us…”

She paused and looked down.  

The tension in her jaw made her profile sharp—it was the face of someone desperately holding something back.

“Then no one in the Karnian family will ever try to protect it again.”

I inhaled sharply and froze.  

‘In the original, the family collapsed because of Minuelle too…’  

But now she’s saying they won’t even try to carry on the name? Because of me?

“Get some rest.”

Elga patted my head, now drained of all color, and walked away.

I couldn’t even respond. I didn’t pet El. I just sat there, stiff and silent, until Ramande came over and gently patted my shoulder.

“Why are you acting all shocked like it’s news? Sister Elga and Sister Juela, your father, your mother—they all care about you most of all. And you know it too.”

“Well, yes, but…”

The problem was that I couldn’t promise I’d stay out of danger.  

I had this ominous feeling that one day, I’d have to face the Cult of Fire head-on.

“Wait, don’t tell me—did the spirit demand your life or something?”

Ramande’s gaze sharpened in an instant.  

Even El, who had been quietly nestled in their arms, suddenly perked up and shouted.

“Mya?!”

“N-no! Nothing like that.”

It hadn’t asked for my life—but it had nearly eaten me whole, sure.  

I waved my hands in denial, but I must’ve looked unconvinced. Ramande and El kept pressing me.

“Are you absolutely sure? Call it out, now. I’ll use every ounce of my holy power to seal it if I have to!”

“Mya! Myamyang!”

When in doubt, deny, deny, deny.

“I told you—it’s not like that! Geez, you two…”

But Ramande had a way of seeing right through me.  

If I wasn’t careful, I might end up blurting out everything that happened inside.  

I panicked and changed the subject.

“By the way, Ramande—when did you start calling my sisters ‘sister’?”

Come to think of it, he’d gotten unusually close with the Karnian family lately.

“Oh… I guess it just happened naturally.”

There was a faint scoff at the end of his reply.  

He was clearly letting it slide for now, but I just smiled innocently and took his hand.

“Good jo—huh?!”

What I’d meant to say was: Good job. It makes me happy—you really feel like family now.

But the shockingly cold temperature of Ramande’s skin froze the words in my mouth.

“I must’ve kept you too long. You should get some rest.”

Noticing my flinch, Ramande smiled awkwardly—something he rarely did—and tried to stand up.

But I didn’t let go. Instead, I pulled his hand back firmly.

“M-Minuelle?”

“Stay right there, Ramande.”

In the glow of the magic lamp, it was more obvious than it would’ve been beside the fire—there were bluish shadows under Ramande’s eyes.

“You overdid it, didn’t you?”

Even though we weren’t a large group, he must’ve burned through a massive amount of holy power just to keep everyone warm in this cold.

‘And he’s not even good with cold to begin with…’

“I’m sorry. I should’ve noticed sooner.”

“What are you talking about? I’m totally fine.”

This time, I was the one scoffing.  

His hand was still ice cold, and now I could even feel a faint tremble in it.

I looked him straight in the eyes and tugged on his arm a little harder.

“Come here.”

Ramande’s arm, which had resisted just a little, finally lost all strength. As if bewitched, he sat obediently next to me. I grinned triumphantly.

“Leave it to this big sis!”

I’d warm him up in no time.

But after blinking a couple of times, Ramande only let out a hollow laugh and shot back with a dry quip.

“‘Big sis,’ seriously?”

“If I’m cool, that makes me a big sis!”

I mean, come on! I made a pact with a spirit, made it cry—did it all!

“Now, into the arms of your awesome big sis!”

Smiling brightly, I opened my arms wide.  

Just like how Ramande had wrapped himself around me when I was feverish and shivering, I wanted to hug him and warm him up now that he was the one trembling from the cold.

Of course, there was also the matter of efficiency. It’d be much faster to warm him with as much surface contact as possible.  

I was still too much of a novice to try healing like Ramande did—just by placing a hand on someone.

‘What if I accidentally burned the poor guy after everything he did for us?’

Even though I’d been so thoughtful, Ramande just scrubbed at his face like he was washing away three years’ worth of grime and then gently pushed my arms back down.

“I’m fine. Just go to sleep.”

His cheeks were flushed red—either from all the scrubbing or from the cold.  

His voice was raspy too, the kind of voice that sounded one step away from a full-blown cold.

‘What is going on with him?’

We were just relying on and comforting each other a few days ago.  

Narrowing my eyes, I stared at Ramande… and suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

“Ramande. Don’t tell me you… things worked out with that person?”

“That person?”

“The one you like. Did you confess before we left?”

“Why are we talking about this now—ah.”

His wide purple eyes, filled with confusion at first, slowly twisted into something much darker.

“You really…”

He clicked his tongue.  

In the next moment, I found myself suddenly pulled into his arms, smacking my forehead against his shoulder.

“Ugh!”

I wasn’t the only one caught up in it.  

El, who had been trying to swat Ramande away with feeble paw slaps as if saying “stay away,” let out a startled cry as he got squished between us.

“Miyak!”

And then—flash!  

A crimson line appeared right next to Ramande’s lips, and droplets of blood began to bead along it. Alarmed, I pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it to the wound.

“Ramande, you’re bleeding!”

But Ramande, as if he hadn’t even grimaced, remained completely calm.  

His hand pressed down gently over mine, reinforcing the pressure on the cloth.

“It’s fine.”

“Fine, my foot! El, you little—!”

One cruel truth about divine power: using it on yourself is highly inefficient.  

He’d probably have to use as much divine energy as he did warming up all the knights just to heal this small cut.

I was furious, but El either didn’t understand that or was pretending not to.  

He growled and headbutted the arm holding the handkerchief.

‘Is he trying to push me away?’

No way I was going to let that slide.

He must’ve stayed with Ramande the whole time I was gone, but suddenly now he’s acting territorial.  

If I kept letting it slide, what if he attacked one of the maids later just for touching me?

‘He’s expected to grow way bigger than a normal cat. If he doesn’t get properly trained, we can’t live together safely.’

Then, seeing that pushing didn’t work, El finally—

“Muuu!”

—bit my arm.

I was wearing several thick layers, so his fangs didn’t pierce skin, but still—I spoke in a cool, quiet tone.

“You won’t learn until it hurts, huh?”

He must’ve been separated from his mother and siblings too young to learn how painful biting and scratching can be.

So I decided to teach him myself.

“Wahh!”

I chomped down on the scruff of his neck.

El froze like someone had hit the pause button.

“……!”

“See? Hurts, doesn’t it? That’s why you don’t bite or claw people… Achoo! Pfft, blegh.”

With all that fur flying into my mouth and nose, there’s no way I’d be doing that again.

While I sneezed mid-scolding, El snuggled against my side.  

He looked a little more cheerful now, so I patted his head. He purred, his throat vibrating.

And in the middle of that cozy moment—

Ramande, momentarily forgotten, swayed and nearly toppled over.

“Ah… Minuelle, I think I’m getting dizzy…”

It was truly rare for Ramande to sound so weak.  

Startled, I shoved El aside and wrapped my arms around him tightly.

“Gosh, I’m sorry. I should’ve checked on you first!”

“No, it’s fine… I think…maybe it’s the blood loss. Suddenly feels even colder.”

Ramande didn’t even have the strength to hug me back—he simply slumped against me like a puppet with its strings cut.

This was a real emergency.

Without a second thought, I squeezed my eyes shut and focused entirely on transferring warmth into him.

I hadn’t been taught how—but strangely, I knew what to do.  

Maybe this was the effect of the contract with the spirit.

I could feel the tendrils of warmth unfurling from me, coiling gently around Ramande before slowly seeping into his body.

“Haa…”

A languid breath brushed against my ear—Ramande’s.

“Feeling better now?”

“Yeah… Thanks, Minuelle. It’s warm and feels nice.”

He sounded as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his voice melting with drowsy comfort.  

Hearing it filled me with a mix of pride and something oddly ticklish in my chest.

‘Ramande’s being honest…? For once?’

Must’ve been a bad fever.

“Here. Lie down properly.”

I tried to shift and make space for him to lie down, but Ramande made no move to lift himself off me.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I’ll sleep on the other side.”

“It’s still cold, though.”

“Gasp, really?”

Even though Ramande’s body temperature had returned to normal, he’d been exposed to the cold for a long time.  

Without complaint, I wrapped him in warmth again.

“How’s that? Better? Want to lie down?”

“Mmhm.”

To be the one caring for the person who had always taken care of me—it left me a little giddy.  

I even tucked the blanket around him with great care. Ramande gave a soft smile as he watched.

On the other hand, El seemed visibly displeased.  

Ears flat and tail smacking the floor with loud thwacks.

“El, if you attack again, you’re really going to get scolded, okay?”

I gently coaxed him, but he turned his head away sharply without a word.  

His tail was still flicking, but since he didn’t look like he was going to pounce, I breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled as I turned off the light.

“Good night, everyone.”

“You too—mmph.”

Ramande’s reply, so naturally offered, suddenly turned into a muffled grunt.  

Startled, I switched the light back on—only to burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Pffft—hahaha!”

“Mya.”

El was calmly washing his face with his front paw…  

…while casually sitting on Ramande’s face like it was a cushion.