Chapter 78

“You…”

– Aren’t you being a bit too disappointed?

“You went through all that trouble?”

– If it were that easy to find, I wouldn’t have had to go through the humiliation of forming a contract with a human…

“What was that?”

– Ahem. Anyway, you’re still far from done. Don’t get impatient. And don’t just gulp down the Yoshicho powder out of desperation.

While Gabbie went on with his long scolding, he suddenly flew right in front of my face when I just listened without responding.

– Are you sick?

“No, I’m not.”

– You’re acting so quiet, it’s strange.

I was about to say it was nothing, but then I remembered that Gabbie was connected to me. He’d probably be able to tell if I was lying.

“They said I only have three years left. I’m just worried if I can finish everything by then.”

– What?

Gabbie, who had been floating in the air all this time, suddenly dropped to the ground with a thud, then slowly rose back up.

– Hey, that was before the contract.

“So I’m not terminal anymore?”

– You’ve got about five years left, so I wouldn’t say that… But you’ve gotten a lot healthier, haven’t you?

That’s true. It’s such a joy not to cough up blood clots just from getting a little excited anymore.

But whether it’s three or five years, it was still a life with a deadline.

With the situation that Austin stirred up growing more and more chaotic, I wasn’t confident I could return Gabbie’s power within that time.

Of course, I don’t want to die. I want to live healthily until my pink hair turns to gray and pass away in my sleep without pain.

As I grew a little glum, Gabbie began spinning around in the air, tracing a horizontal figure-eight like a bee.

– Once I get all my power back, you’ll be able to live like a normal person too. No human who made a contract with a spirit has ever died of illness.

Seeing his flustered movements, I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

“Are you trying to comfort me? Doesn’t suit you at all.”

– Even when I do, you just…

Just as the sulky Gabbie was about to say something, I felt something wet touch my hand. Looking down, the dog whose name I still hadn’t decided on had come to sit beside me.

“Our Meommu, you’re still up?”

The dog was called ‘Meommu’ like a cute way of calling a puppy or kitty.*

[*T/N: 멍멍이 [meong-meong-i] is a cutesy way of calling a dog. Meommu is a baby talk or internet slang version of it]

Unlike with El, a proper name hadn’t come to me quickly, and more than anything, the dog rejected every name I tried. Still, “Meommu” was the only one he responded to, albeit half-heartedly.

‘I really need to give him a proper name before this one sticks.’

I stroked his trembling white fur, feeling his firm body beneath my palm.

To someone used to the feline flexibility of El, Meommu still felt stiff and unfamiliar.

There were many differences between Meommu and El besides that. His nose was wet, and his eyes looked like they were filled completely by his pupils…

“Woof!”

But then, Meommu, who rarely barked, started letting out short, urgent barks, tugging at my hem.

“Huh? What is it? You went out with El earlier…”

I thought they were out for a night walk, but why had Meommu returned alone?

Sensing my confusion, Meommu barked louder.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“Did something happen to El?”

“Woof!”

Surprised by my own intensity, I stood up in a rush.

“Gabbie—wait, huh?”

I was going to ask Gabbie to translate, since I’d seen him talk to El before, but he had disappeared. Must’ve returned to the spirit stone.

“You don’t even need to sleep, but you sleep more than El.”

No helping it.

Grumbling, I followed Meommu in search of El.

To others, the air might have felt biting cold, but to me, it was just cool.

The snow that had fallen in recent days reflected the moonlight, making it bright enough to see without a lamp.

It was a picturesque scene, but I had no time to admire it as I followed Meommu, who kept glancing back to check if I was keeping up.

As we neared the ancient tree at the center of the garden, Meommu let out a long, wailing sound and bolted ahead.

“Wait, hold on!”

His white fur made him blend into the snow like camouflage.

Just then, the moon was hidden by clouds, and I quickly lost sight of Meommu.

“Meommu? El! Are you this way?”

I couldn’t just stand there, so I kept walking in the same direction, scanning around.

“Ugh…”

Among the sound of snow crunching underfoot, I heard a faint groan.

I froze in place and strained to listen, but now, there was nothing. Not even a trace of Meommu.

“…”

I bit my lip and resumed walking.

How long did the crunching snow echo like that?

“Agh… Haah… Guh…”

‘I definitely heard it.’

It was a cry of pain. El, or someone, was hurt.

Panicking, I looked around when a glint of golden fur caught my eye under the boxwood hedge surrounding the ancient tree.

“El…!”

I was about to call his name but cut myself off, covering my mouth.

Just then, the clouds moved and the moonlight shone brightly—what I thought was just El’s fur began to shimmer like opal dust.

The symbol of the Roquate royal family!

I didn’t see my life flash before my eyes when I nearly died, but now, a dozen possibilities raced through my head.

I stood there blankly for a moment before clenching my fist and marching forward.

If it was Austin (and he was hurt), I was ready to finish him off.

‘What if it’s Esadien?’

That… I hadn’t decided yet.

Still unsure, I shoved through the hedge and crossed to the other side.

Sorry, gardener. I was in too much of a rush to think of walking around.

“Meommu, if you’re there, answer me!”

This time, I got a response.

“Whimper…”

The pained sound made my anxiety spike. Lifting my skirt above the knees, I crawled through the bushes, scraping my shins, until I reached the other side.

“Prince—huh?”

But instead of a prince, El was sprawled out, breath ragged, looking completely exhausted.

“…El.”

Relief and worry washed over me as I knelt beside Meommu, who was nuzzling El’s muzzle for comfort.

I grabbed a fistful of El’s short fur and examined it under the moonlight—it still gleamed with golden luster.

‘Must’ve been a trick of the light.’

Maybe the glint from ice crystals in the wind caused an illusion. I sighed and gently cradled El’s head on my lap, pouring potion into his mouth.

“Don’t be in pain, El.”

With no visible wounds, the only reason he could be suffering like this was because of the forced growth from the spirit’s power.

“If you’re hurting because of me, then I…”

I couldn’t help feeling guilty. El had only done this to protect me by asking Gabbie for help.

– Don’t say that.

I gasped. I held El close and turned around, but saw no shadow behind those glowing eyes.

Still, I had definitely heard Esadien’s voice just now. It wasn’t a dream.

“Meommu, did you hear that too?”

“Woof!”

Meommu barked in a small but high-pitched voice and wagged his tail, but sadly, I couldn’t understand what he meant.

El had finished the potion and passed out like he was knocked unconscious. I gently stroked his now-larger forehead and kissed it.

‘Surely not… El, it’s not you… right?’

A seed of doubt had been planted.

‘How curious.’

Lapheche stared blankly as Austin threw off his stifling robe. Catching her gaze, he sharply asked: “What is it?”

Since she had held his hand, Austin no longer used honorifics with Lapheche. That made her a little sad, but she knew she had to accept her new status.

“N-nothing.”

“I warned you.”

Unbuttoning his shirt, Austin walked toward her and lifted her chin with his fingers. His one raised eyebrow made him look arrogant—but in a way that suited him.

“If we’re to be together, don’t ever lie to me.”

“…”

“Don’t you remember?”

“…I do.”

“Then answer me again.”

Instead of her chin, Lapheche averted her eyes, making her face grow hot in embarrassment.

“It’s just… you’re amazing.”

Austin repeated her words slowly.

“Amazing?”

His face was expressionless, but Lapheche worried he might have taken it the wrong way, and quickly explained.

“I mean—it’s not a bad thing! I just meant you’re incredible… How can one person be in two places at once…”

Right before they arrived at Roquate, Austin had pulled her away from the others and used several teleportation scrolls to cross the land and desert in rapid succession.

He simply explained that it was better for her to start preparing to become a mage’s apprentice than waste time in high society.

It made sense, and Lapheche readily agreed. What worried her more was Austin himself.

‘Will you return to Roquate after dropping me off? You must be exhausted…’

‘What are you saying?’

‘Huh?’

‘I’m not leaving you.’

Hearing that made her heart feel like it would burst. There was no forced smile or calculated charm—it felt real.

Especially since he had even made a dummy that looked exactly like him for this.

Even though she’d heard it before, Lapheche kept asking:

“Which one is the real you?”

“This one, of course.”

“Then the one in the palace…”

She sounded worried. If the Emperor found out, Austin could be executed, and she’d be left with nothing.

Austin didn’t seem annoyed at all as he answered again:

“You’re more important.”

“But…”

“No buts. I won’t give you a reason to worry. All you need to do is focus on what’s ahead.”

Unlike Lapheche, who worried about everything, Austin was unwavering.

Running his fingers through her thick, curly hair, he pressed their foreheads together and spoke as if engraving the words into her mind.

“Understand? The only thing I expect from you… is that.”