A little while earlier.
Immediately after Ai’er fainted, Elena had her moved into the mansion.
There were no doctors in the residence. While Sebas, the butler, sent someone to fetch one, Elena could only wait anxiously in the room.
The butler originally wanted to persuade Elena to rest first, but seeing his Young Lady’s somber expression, he found himself unable to speak for a moment.
He remembered that when the Madam was accidentally injured by the Young Lady’s mana years ago, she had stayed by her mother’s bedside in the exact same way.
Even though so many years had passed… seeing his Young Lady like this again filled his heart with a mix of emotions.
Earlier in the courtyard, when Elena mentioned that “she isn’t afraid of my mana,” Sebas saw a spark in her eyes that he hadn’t seen in a long time — a light that had only existed back when the Madam was still alive.
Sebas glanced at the silver-haired girl unconscious on the bed and realized that a certain expectation had grown in his heart without him knowing.
If this girl truly was as his Young Lady said, “not afraid of the Witch’s mana”…
He didn’t dare hope to see Elena freed from the “Witch’s” curse. But this silver-haired girl could at least bring a long-awaited smile to the Young Lady he served.
“The doctor is here!”
Sebas looked at the arriving doctor and was slightly taken aback.
He hadn’t expected someone so young.
Although this was the mansion of the late Grand Duke, it was also the home of the “Witch.” Unless someone had a personal connection to the late master and his wife, they usually didn’t dare approach this place.
Sebas looked at the maid who brought the doctor and pulled her aside.
“What is this doctor’s background?”
“He is a traveling doctor from the Empire. He showed me a medical license issued by the Empire.”
Even so, Sebas remained wary of the young man.
Recently, there seemed to be far too many outsiders visiting the Duchy of White.
The moment the young doctor saw Ai’er, he froze. A second later, he suddenly looked around at everyone in the room. His gaze swept over them repeatedly until it landed on the Mana Stone Ring on Elena’s pinky finger.
“May I ask a question? That ring on your finger, Young Lady — did the silver-haired girl on the bed give it to you?”
“Yes… why?”
The doctor didn’t reply immediately. He looked at Ai’er first, then shifted his gaze back to Elena.
“Forgive my rudeness, Young Lady. May I ask if your name is Elena White?”
The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room turned stagnant.
As a vassal state within the Empire, the name of the “Witch” of the Duchy of White had long since spread throughout the imperial borders.
But no one understood why this young doctor chose this moment to confirm Elena’s identity.
Seeing the hesitant expressions of Elena and the others, the doctor looked away. He gently placed his hand on Ai’er’s forehead, and after performing a simple check by channeling his mana, he looked back at Elena and the others, whose expressions were quite grim.
“I assume you have all heard that besides the human race, there are many other races outside the Empire. Among them is a race known as the Blood Clan — their common characteristics are silver hair and red eyes. However, while I was practicing medicine and studying abroad, I heard a different account.
“There is a special lineage within the Blood Clan whose eyes are not red, but a golden color like the sun. This specific lineage condenses a Magic Stone when they reach adulthood. This stone not only strengthens the holder’s control over mana, but it can also ward off a single fatal blow for the possessor. Because this stone is so alluring, very few members of this special lineage remain.”
At that moment, Elena’s grim expression was replaced by sheer shock.
She dazedly raised her hand, looking at the crystal that shared a striking resemblance to the color of Ai’er’s eyes, and then looked back at Ai’er lying on the bed.
For some reason, a sudden chill surged through Elena’s heart.
“Doctor, this Magic Stone you mentioned — what is its relationship to the member of the Blood Clan who condensed it?”
Elena clenched her fingertips. Suddenly, she didn’t dare to look at the silver-haired girl on the bed.
“This Magic Stone has another name — the Life Crystal. Any influence the crystal receives directly affects the Blood Clan member themselves. I just used my mana to sense the condition of this silver-haired girl’s body, and I discovered two types of mana within her. One of them should be yours, Lady Elena.
“However, please rest assured. The girl on the bed is fine. At least for now. She is likely just exhausted. After some rest, she should wake up.”
Having said his piece, the doctor stood up. He refused the gold coins offered by the servants and was guided out of the mansion by a maid.
“By the way, I will keep the identity of this girl a secret, so please do not worry. If there are any further issues, you can find me at the inn — the one in the city center. I will be staying here for a while.”
After leaving those words, the young doctor departed.
Following that, Elena remained by Ai’er’s bedside.
She didn’t understand why this silver-haired girl, a complete stranger, would save her or even give her a Life Crystal… Elena took off the ring and placed it to the side.
The next instant, Elena could feel mana beginning to leak slightly from her body, and the temperature of the surroundings dropped a bit.
But she could control it at this level.
What she couldn’t control right now was the intense desire for the silver-haired girl to wake up soon.
Elena wanted to gently hold Ai’er’s hand, but her hand stopped in mid-air halfway through the reach.
She didn’t want to hurt this girl who had suddenly burst into her life. She didn’t want to see her injured — she hadn’t even been able to say thank you yet. This girl named Ai’er had so easily entrusted her life to her, to someone who had wanted to die.
She remembered the nightmare Ai’er had mentioned this morning.
If the doctor was right, then Ai’er had escaped while being hunted.
Elena looked at Ai’er’s face again. It was calm now, without the twitching or contorted expressions of a nightmare. That was good.
“Ai’er. Can you… hear me? You said you believed I could find a way to control my mana. But so many years have passed… the only thing I ever found was the resolve to face death last night. But…”
Elena glanced at the ring beside her, looking at the pale gold Magic Stone.
“If you can open your eyes… I think… I’m willing to try one more time. The research on magic in the Imperial Capital is far more advanced than in the Duchy of White. I might be able to find new techniques or methods to control mana at the Imperial Magic Research Institute.
“Even if that fails… I can use my status as the daughter of the Grand Duke to force my enrollment into the Imperial Magic Academy. At that academy specifically for training Magic Users, I can learn to control my mana… I can ignore the stares of others and the hurtful things they say! But — but… I, I want you to be there with me. So… please, open your eyes.”
‘I don’t want the moonlight I saw last night, or those golden eyes that looked like the rising sun, to never return.’
‘God… please let her wake up.’
Closing her eyes, Elena — who had long since stopped believing in gods — prayed once more for the sake of a girl.
3, 2, 1 —
After a three-second countdown, Elena opened her eyes.
A pair of golden eyes appeared in Elena’s field of vision once more.
She was awake.
Slightly contracting pupils and a stinging sensation in the bridge of her nose brought the warmth of her heart to the corners of Elena’s eyes.
She… she’s awake…
Ai’er was awake.
At that moment, Elena wanted to hug the girl and say something — but she hesitated, she faltered. However, her rapidly beating heart gave her an emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time.
It was an emotion she had almost forgotten: joy.
Elena didn’t know what to say. There were too many things she wanted to say and ask; but after locking eyes with Ai’er, that Magic Stone that matched Ai’er’s eye color suddenly leaped into her mind.
She thought of what the doctor said, or perhaps she just wanted to confirm something. Elena felt her head was a mess, and so she blurted out —
“Ai’er, you… aren’t human?”
The moment she said it, seeing the confused look on Ai’er’s face, Elena realized what she had just said.
“No, that’s not what I meant! I wanted to ask if you were not human — no! Not a human? No! Ugh — “
With a cute cry of distress, Elena’s cheeks turned as red as a burning fire.
Ai’er blinked.
Even though she didn’t understand why Elena would suddenly say something so strange, it didn’t matter.
Since the lifespan of this body was limited and her goal was to win over Elena as quickly as possible, then at this moment…
The girl’s blush was worth more than a thousand words.
‘Besides… she’s quite cute like this, hehe~’
—
A young man dressed as a traveler walked into the inn in the city center.
The armband on his sleeve identified him as a doctor.
“Hello. Are you checking in, or would you like something to eat?”
“Two silver coins. A standard room will do. How long will that cover?”
The receptionist dithered, apparently not expecting such an amount. As if confirming something, her gaze flicked back and forth between the young doctor and the silver coins.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all! It’s just… are you sure you want to use two silver coins? If it’s a standard room, you could stay for one month.”
“That’s fine. One month is perfect.”
After taking the key handed over by the receptionist, the doctor didn’t leave immediately. He looked at the receptionist, who seemed to have something she wanted to ask, and offered a smile.
“You seem like you have something on your mind?”
The receptionist blinked, as if asking with her eyes — ‘Can I ask?’
The doctor nodded.
“It’s just… you came from the Grand Duke’s mansion recently, didn’t you? Did you see… that Witch? And using two silver coins to stay… did the Witch give you a massive reward?”
When the word “Witch” came out, the doctor frowned.
“Are you referring to Lady Elena? I’m afraid I cannot agree with such a title. She is, after all, the daughter of your Duchy’s Grand Duke. Just because the Grand Duke is no longer here doesn’t mean people can gossip about his only child. Furthermore, to this day, the Grand Duke is still regarded as a hero by the people of the capital.”
When he finished, the receptionist merely lowered her head. After a quiet “My apologies, I hope you have a pleasant stay,” she stopped talking.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
Leaving it at that, the doctor went upstairs.
Though it was just a standard room, this city was the heart of the Duchy, so even an ordinary room was quite decent.
Sitting at the desk in the room, the doctor took out a letter.
He thought back to the receptionist’s question: ‘Did the Witch give you a massive reward?’
“A reward… I certainly did receive a massive reward.”
The doctor muttered to himself, looking at the end of the letter — in the signature space, the name “Sirius White” was clearly written.
This person was Elena’s uncle, Marquis Sirius White, the current “Regent” of the Duchy of White.
The doctor chuckled. This “Regent” specifically sought him out now that Lady Elena had reached adulthood… Tsk, tsk.
However, he didn’t care about these aristocratic affairs. As long as he could conduct his research, he was completely indifferent to everything else.
“But I have to say… the reward for this trip is truly much greater than I imagined.”
In addition to the promise in the letter from Sirius to provide Magic Beasts for drug experimentation —
At that moment, the image of the silver-haired girl he saw in the mansion appeared in the doctor’s mind.
“A living royal of the Blood Clan… this truly is a bountiful reward.”