Chapter 76

The only good thing was that I no longer had to see that annoying Austin. But it was disappointing that Lapheche ultimately didn’t respond to my proposal and went over to Austin’s side.

Watching me pick at my food, Ramande clicked his tongue.

“Aren’t you hungry? You should eat well too, like those guys.”

Following Ramande’s gesture, I looked down to where El—now massive in size—and a dog with fur so white it almost looked silver were happily munching on meat.

El had been by my side even when I occasionally woke up in between, so I hadn’t been surprised by the fact he had grown larger—somehow, I had a strong feeling it was still El.

But a dog? I still hadn’t gotten used to it, and Ramande noticed that, chuckling mischievously.

“Apparently, that dog helped find you.”

So they brought it back, and while I was unconscious, it somehow became close with people and ended up staying.

“At first, that dog was practically black. No matter how much they washed it, the water wouldn’t run clear. The maids were wondering if it had spilled hair dye on itself or something.”

“Oh my. They must’ve had a hard time. I should give them some sort of bonus.”

And by the way, the new addition to the household wasn’t just the dog.

When I turned my head to the window, three little birds, no bigger than sparrows, were pecking at their feed.

“My bedroom is slowly turning into a petting zoo.”

“Those guys…”

“I know, I know. I was just saying it feels like I’ve become Snow White or something.”

“Who’s Snow White?”

This is not the time to panic.

“Oh, just a fairy tale. There’s a princess in it, and all the animals like her.”

And then, swiftly, I changed the subject.

“Anyway, Ramande, didn’t you return later than I did? How do you know that dog helped me?”

“I heard it from the knights who came back with you.”

“But they said El had arrived before them.”

Ramande gave me a serene “priestly smile” and folded his hands together.

“When a priest reaches a certain level of enlightenment, they can understand animals.”

Like Dr. Dolittle?

I was just about to ask him to ask El why he suddenly grew when Ramande turned his gaze away.

“But look at that El. He’s eating so well now. He wouldn’t even touch water before you woke up.”

“Really…?”

I knew El liked me, but to the point of suppressing his instincts and going on a hunger strike?

My heart ached at the thought. Then a thought popped into my mind.

‘This feels… familiar.’

So he was avoiding my gaze! Ramande’s pious attitude had almost fooled me.

“Hey, you were messing with me, weren’t you? How much of it was a joke?”

“Dunno. Why don’t you ask El?”

Ugh. I couldn’t even pinch that smirking face.

“But El really did starve, right?”

“Yep.”

“So that’s why he fell off the bed…”

I muttered, worried. Ramande furrowed his brow and asked,

“He fell off the bed?”

“Yeah. When I woke up, I heard a loud thump—it scared me.”

“Minuelle, are you sure you didn’t get squashed in your sleep and just didn’t notice?”

“Squashed? I mean, I know I’m not the most sensitive person, but—”

Wouldn’t I have suffocated if something that big had been sitting on me?

But just then, Esadien’s voice echoed again in my head:

“It’s a relief you don’t have a fever.”

‘Wait a minute.’

I was sure. I’d felt someone touch my forehead.

You know that feeling when your eyes are closed, but you can sense someone’s presence? Like something broad was hovering over me?

Those sensations connected in my mind and conjured up an image of Esadien lying on my bed.

‘Oh my god, Minuelle, you’re losing it!’

I shook my head to dispel the nonsense.

“Minuelle?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just thinking maybe El was super well-behaved, since I didn’t feel anything pressing down on me.”

“Hmmm.”

What do you mean, hmmm?

“Anyway, how did that Prince get back to the castle before me?”

Even if it was a dagger, the wound was deep enough for the hilt to touch. Gabbie might’ve managed to pour a potion over it, but it was only enough to stop the bleeding—barely.

Which means the knights must have found me pretty quickly for me to have survived.

I looked toward the fireplace.

Gabbie was still asleep. Even though no logs were added, the fire continued to burn, flickering between blue and violet—proof that Gabbie was still inside.

I decided I’d wait for Gabbie to wake up before asking what happened between the time I was stabbed and when the knights arrived.

“I’ve heard the story multiple times, but the timeline never matches.”

“Honestly, I find it strange too.”

Once we started talking about Austin, Ramande stopped teasing and straightened his posture.

“They say he took a public carriage, and that you got mad and left first.”

It was hard to believe he’d used a teleport scroll, like the time he disguised himself as an assassin. The knights found me after he had already returned.

Which meant he must’ve arrived way earlier.

‘This is insane.’

What is he, a clone?

I completely lost my appetite. I set down my utensils and cradled my face in my hands.

A warm hand came to rest on my head.

“What’s wrong, Minuelle?”

“I feel suffocated.”

And I was irritated.

Not even because of how stuck I felt— But because I’d had a thought like: Maybe I should’ve pretended to go along with Austin and seduced him to get information out of him.

Just thinking it disgusted me.

When I confessed that honestly, Ramande gave a wry chuckle.

“You, do that? You’re terrible at acting.”

“I’m not! I can be a proper noblewoman when I want to.”

“You behave around adults, sure—like this much.”

Ramande held his fingers two millimeters apart right in front of my face.

“How harsh.”

“I’m being generous because it’s you.”

I laughed incredulously, but deep inside I still felt unsettled by Austin’s powers.

This year must be cursed or something.

My motto of “no looking back, no regrets” was constantly being shattered.

If there was one good thing that came out of that encounter with Austin, it was that I’d gotten more used to the power of the elemental.

I’d felt purified when I made the contract with Gabbie—but this time, it was different.

Maybe because I absorbed a lot of power and actually used it. Like how strained muscles come back stronger after rest, I felt like my control over magic had grown.

At the same time, my fear of fire disappeared, and my connection to Gabbie felt more vivid.

So when the fire in the hearth suddenly extinguished while I was reading and Gabbie stepped out, I wasn’t even surprised.

“Did you sleep well, lazybones?”

— I didn’t want to wake up, honestly.

Gabbie stretched unnecessarily and looked at least ten years old now.

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

— Thanks to someone’s reckless behavior.

“Watch your tone.”

— Thanks to someone, I said!

We exchanged grins.

We’d fought all the time before, but now we felt closer. We’d been through a lot—and after visiting Gabbie’s world in my dreams, elementals didn’t feel so foreign anymore.

Gabbie looked over at El and let out a long hum.

— Hmmm, so his body really hasn’t reverted, huh.

“Yeah. El’s definitely bigger. What happened after I passed out?”

— Don’t you remember anything?

“Nope. Like someone sliced away my memory. All I remember is waking up back here.”

— Geez, humans…

“……”

I gave him a long stare, and Gabbie cleared his throat.

— That guy begged me to grow. He’s the one who took down the Prince after you collapsed. I figured his body would eventually revert, but he’s still unstable.

“Oh…”

That was a lot to take in. I had a million questions, but I asked the biggest one first.

“You mean… he killed Austin?”

— Yeah. I saw him burn to death myself. Even then, something felt off.

If anything, it made the clone theory more believable.

“What do you mean El’s unstable?”

— Just what it sounds like. I forced his growth too suddenly—he’s not fine. He’s not a bamboo sprout, you know.

Even though Gabbie was answering smoothly, I sensed hesitation.

“What’s wrong?”

— What do you mean?

“Feels like you’re hiding something.”

— Huh…?

I’d asked on a hunch, but a small spark rolled down Gabbie’s nose.

“……”

— ……

“You are hiding something—”

— N-no, it’s just the way you said it! I didn’t know what you were referring to!

“Excuses! Gabbie, get over here. Where’s my broom?”

Time for a rainstorm of ash and fire.

But Gabbie jumped away, using the moment I glanced around to flee.

I rolled up my sleeves to chase him—but El bumped me gently with his nose.

“Ahh!”

Even though I was healthier now, my body still felt like paper.

Caught off guard, I tumbled onto the sofa, and El immediately sat up and placed his paw beside my face.

‘Ah, it’s that feeling again.’

That same sensation from the night before returned.

So it really was El?

Logic said yes, but my gut said something else, and it left me confused.

El rubbed his face against me like an apology.

“Grrr…”

“El, don’t surprise me like that.”

He must be having trouble adjusting to his new size.

It was a little heartbreaking, but I still scolded him gently. Then I wrapped my arms around his now enormous neck and whispered, “Thank you. You saved my life.”

Since I woke up, Karnian Castle has slowly returned to peaceful daily life.

…At least, that’s how it appeared. Behind the scenes, preparations were being made for a new conflict.

“We’ll have to go back to Roquate.”

It was to prepare for whatever Austin had planned.

My mother’s words made Elga and I nod silently.

“He openly told Minuelle he would inherit the throne. Now that his plans have been disrupted and he failed to silence her, he’s probably just waiting for us to move our forces first.”

“I also suspect he’s receiving aid from Chitrum. That’s why I find Prince Gunnar volunteering to be a royal consort suspicious.”

Mother must have anticipated our thoughts—she smiled slightly and asked Elga, “So. What do you think we should do?”

It felt more like witnessing a lesson for a future family head than receiving an order.

‘Wow, so cool…!’

I covered my mouth slightly, swooning inwardly.

Not just my mother, but my sister answering without hesitation—they were both just too cool.