Chapter 76
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of not remembering what I’d done, but there was something I needed to confirm immediately. I pulled away from Reynard, who was still clinging to me, and told Hestia and Clovis I’d see them later. Then, I went straight to find Lumiere. The timing was unfortunate; his room was empty.
I asked a passing maid, a pretty young woman, who informed me that Lumiere had gone to the royal library. He’d been secluded from the world for so long, yet he was quite passionate about absorbing knowledge. When he wasn’t with Nana, Clovis, or me, Lumiere usually spent his time in the royal library, and it seemed today was no different.
“He left just a moment ago, so if you go now, you should be able to find him,” the kind maid added. I thanked her with a nod and headed towards the library. At the entrance, I found Lumiere talking to the guard stationed there. His hands were empty, suggesting he hadn’t gone inside yet.
“Lumiere.”
“Miss Adelina. You’re back quickly.”
“Yes. Come with me for a moment.”
I led him inside, opening the library door. Ever since I’d saved Hestia, the royal library had become a free-pass zone for me, so the guard let us in without a word. Inside the space filled with confidential materials, accessible only to royalty and a select few with royal permission, I held out my hand to Lumiere.
“Here, take a look.”
“At what? Your body? Didn’t we already do that?”
“Yes, we did. So, please tell me if my body is any different now than it was before.”
The wound Reynard had inflicted was only a graze, so the amount of blood he’d lost wasn’t much. However, the amount of blood I’d drawn from Clovis’s bite probably wasn’t much either. If the blood from Clovis had indeed affected me, then Reynard’s blood should have, too.
Lumiere tilted his head at my request, then clasped his hands together. With a nervous heart, I watched his long, dark blue lashes against his closed eyelids. After a silence that felt like an eternity, Lumiere, whose delicate features held a serious expression, opened his eyes.
“There’s no change whatsoever.”
My legs almost gave way from the disappointment. Good heavens. Did that mean my body had healed because I’d somehow run to them of my own volition while I was unconscious? Considering Clovis’s expression, his words, and the state of my body, there was no other explanation.
“What were you doing outside? Why did you suddenly ask me to look at your body… Miss Adelina? Are you crying?”
“I’m not crying, but I want to. Lumiere, it seems my body didn’t heal because I drank blood.”
“Did you drink blood?”
“…The way you ask makes the whole conversation sound bizarre. A little. Just a few drops.”
“Is that so?” Lumiere’s expression became thoughtful. I grabbed his arm.
“What am I going to do, Lumiere? I think I made a huge mistake last night while I was drunk. I’d decided to let loose since I don’t have much time left, but I didn’t realize I was that far gone.”
“M-Miss Adelina…”
I tightened my grip on his arm. “Are my drinking habits really that bad? Or, since I’m dying soon unless I sleep with them, did my body move on its own out of a survival instinct? There’s no other way to explain how my body, which was supposed to die in a week, suddenly gained a few more weeks to live.”
“…Miss Adelina, perhaps this isn’t the place to discuss such things…”
“But my body hasn’t changed at all… There are no marks, no pain… nothing like that. So, what is it? Ugh, the embarrassment is worse than the fact that I’m dying soon. What am I going to do?”
“W-Well, um…”
I still had so much more to lament about, but the one person, no, the one elf I could confide in suddenly started sweating. As if he’d been caught with a secret he couldn’t afford to reveal. This was a place where only direct royal family members or those with permission could enter. Besides, Hestia and Clovis were elsewhere, and the Empress used her private study, never coming here. So why was he acting like this…?
“What’s this about?”
My grip on Lumiere’s arm tightened.
“Dying? Not having much time left?”
“.…”
I turned around with a jerky movement so unnatural that it wouldn’t have been surprising to hear a creaking sound. Lumiere, looking flustered and sweating, stood beside me. Behind him, holding a book about demonic beasts, stood Seikan, his face like a grim reaper freshly risen from hell, staring at me.
***
“So, to summarize, you’re saying you only have about three weeks left to live?”
“.…”
“And the only way to cleanse the twisted demonic energy is to sleep with me, Reynard, Helion, and the Crown Prince.”
“….”
“…And the reason you’re in this state in the first place is because of us.”
“Yes, you idiot! It’s because of you! Especially you! You, more than anyone, should be reflecting on your actions!”
I glared at Seikan, who sighed deeply enough to make the ground cave in. His handsome face was contorted with indescribable emotions—guilt, regret, and self-loathing. Staring at me, he finally lowered his head and covered his face with his hands.
“I… I didn’t even know… Ha.”
Leaving Seikan to wallow in his self-pity, Lumiere nudged me.
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