Helos’s body trembled, and she instinctively averted her gaze.
The wooden door swayed gently, as if shielding her momentary panic.
Silence spread, and even Julius tactfully refrained from speaking, simply standing quietly at the side to keep watch.
Eleanor took a few steps forward and stopped in front of Helos.
The two of them were very close—close enough to hear each other’s breathing.
“If you get too close to me, you might faint, you know?”
“I’m not afraid.”
“That day in the warehouse, for the first time, I felt that the distance between you and me might have grown so far that I could never reach you again.”
Eleanor spoke in a low voice, “But these past few days, I’ve thought about it a lot. I don’t want to go on like this anymore.”
Helos cleared her throat, stuffed her hands into her pockets, and turned her head aside.
“So are you here to admit your mistake? Or to settle old scores?”
Eleanor’s fingers trembled, but finally relaxed slowly.
“If admitting my mistake can make you forgive me, I’m willing.”
Helos blinked, not expecting the always-proud Eleanor to say something like that.
After a moment, Helos forced out a faint smile.
“Ah, you suddenly saying something like this… now I don’t even know how to respond.”
Eleanor bit her lip, her voice dropping even lower.
“Have you really… never hated me?”
Helos froze for a second, then shrugged lightly.
“To say I didn’t hate you at all—that would be a lie. After all, I almost died, you know.”
There was a trace of self-mockery in her smile.
“But in the end, we were just kids back then. In the heat of the moment, who hasn’t done something foolish?”
“Actually, you’re still just kids even now.”
Upon hearing this, Julius finally couldn’t hold back and interjected, only to be silenced by the sharp look in Helos’s eyes.
Eleanor suddenly looked up, disbelief flickering in her eyes.
“Then you… can you forgive my mistake?”
“Forgive you? I never held a grudge against you in the first place.”
Helos shrugged again. “It’s not like I’m a saint. What’s the point of bearing grudges every day? It’s all in the past. Besides, if I really let it get to me, I probably wouldn’t have survived until now.”
“Besides… all those things you did for me in secret, I saw them too.”
Eleanor’s chest rose and fell slightly. At last, she let out a long breath.
A hint of red rimmed her eyes. She blinked hard, forcing back her tears.
“Helos…”
Eleanor called softly, her trembling voice sounding like it had been suppressed for a long time.
***
The next moment, she suddenly rushed forward and pulled Helos into her arms.
“Hey—!?”
Helos froze, her whole body stiff, unsure where to put her hands and feet.
She could clearly feel the strength in her elder sister’s embrace—it was nothing like her usual refined, reserved noble-lady demeanor, but carried a desperate stubbornness, as if afraid to ever let go again.
“Honestly…”
Helos’s voice was barely audible, her gaze drifting, yet she didn’t push her away.
But soon, she noticed her sister’s body trembling slightly.
“…Sister?”
Eleanor’s face quickly turned pale, her breathing grew rapid, and cold sweat formed at her temples.
Helos’s eyes widened as she suddenly realized—her own curse that could affect Eleanor was still in place!
“Stupid sister! Didn’t I warn you already? Get too close and you’ll get dizzy!”
She hurriedly tried to push her away, only to find Eleanor’s arms clinging tighter, as if refusing to let go no matter what.
“It’s fine… Just a little longer… Let me hold you a while more…”
Eleanor murmured weakly, her voice growing faint, yet still tinged with stubbornness.
“Sigh.”
Helos turned her head gently, looking at her sister’s face growing paler and paler, and shook her head helplessly.
Good thing I was prepared in advance.
Her fingers moved slightly, and while Eleanor was still somewhat conscious, she quietly pointed toward the workbench.
Julius blinked, following the direction of her finger, and saw two bottles—one yellow, one blue—placed quietly on top.
The boy immediately understood, hurried over, and picked up the Vigor Potion and Focus Potion.
He returned to the two of them and lightly patted Eleanor’s shoulder.
“Miss, it’s time for your medicine.”
“Uh…? Wh-What… medicine…”
Eleanor’s voice was weak, her gaze unfocused.
Her body swayed, as if all her strength had drained away and she was about to collapse.
Julius steadied her by the shoulder with one hand so she wouldn’t fall, and handed the potion to Helos with the other.
“Of course, it’s the medicine that’ll make you feel as good as new!”
Helos took the potion, unhesitatingly pulled out the stopper, and while Eleanor was still unresponsive, pressed the Focus Potion to her lips and poured it down her throat.
“Mmph? Cough, cough, cough—what are you doing?!”
Eleanor was caught off guard and started coughing violently, her cheeks flushed red.
Fortunately, Helos hadn’t poured it in too quickly, and by the time Eleanor regained her senses, she’d already finished the whole Focus Potion.
She opened her mouth to protest further, but suddenly realized that the dizziness in her mind was rapidly fading, and her thoughts were snapping back into clarity.
“Haah…”
Eleanor let out a gentle breath, her eyes gradually focusing again.
Helos crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly.
“How is it? Feeling better?”
“Actually… yes? What did you make me drink?”
Eleanor, having recovered a bit, narrowed her eyes with suspicion at Helos.
“Focus Potion.”
Helos spread her hands, as if it were perfectly natural. “But we’re not done yet.”
Seeing Eleanor’s color return, Helos uncorked the other bottle and held out the pale golden liquid to her.
“Drink this one too. It’s a Vigor Potion. Restore some strength, or you’ll be collapsing again in a moment.”
Eleanor hesitated for a second, then accepted the Vigor Potion.
She tilted her head back and drank it all in one go.
In an instant, a warm surge of energy rushed from within, spreading throughout her limbs, slowly filling the emptiness that had sapped her strength.
“This taste… Is this also an ingredient in Dawn Dew?”
“Yep, it’s one of the ingredients for Dawn Dew.”
“It’s such a wondrous feeling…”
Seeing this, Julius quietly edged closer to Helos and lowered his voice.
“What’s going on? You seemed to expect all of this.”
“Of course.”
Helos replied quietly, her gaze fixed on Eleanor. “I wasn’t about to just sit and watch her pass out again.”
She paused, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
“Remember when we interrogated that black-robed man a while ago? I forced these two potions down him, and even after all the beatings and being within my curse’s range, he still managed to stay conscious.”
Julius blinked.
“So that’s why you thought…”
“Mm.”
Helos nodded lightly, lowering her voice further. “Maybe these two potions can be used to resist my curse. Looks like I guessed right.”
The two of them fell silent, their gazes naturally shifting to Eleanor.
Right now, she had her eyes closed, quietly savoring the sudden rush of energy inside her.
“Miss Eleanor is so pitiful, having to be your guinea pig in a situation like this.”
“Shh! Quiet, you!”
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Cheeky thing.