“A-Achoo!”
Lying on her bed, Milin wrapped herself tightly in the quilt. Beside her, the maid Feiyin was attending to her with care.
“You’ll feel better soon, Lady. Once you drink this, your body will feel much lighter.”
A porcelain bottle sat on the small table. Feiyin stirred the liquid inside with a spoon. The pungent smell filled the whole room, making Milin on the bed look terrified.
“Do I… have to drink it? It smells like rotten bananas…”
“No. And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to smell—this is the Southern Country’s most famous Fever Medicine.”
“But the taste is really disgusting… Can’t you use Healing Magic instead?”
“Healing Magic can only treat external injuries. For a cold like yours, it won’t help. Did you slack off again in Lord Sephy’s class?”
“Sorry… It’s all my fault.”
Vera’s voice sounded full of guilt. Since entering the room, she had been standing in the corner with her head bowed—though no one had told her to.
“I’m fine, Teacher…”
“That’s hardly fine. The Lady’s entire body is frozen. Just what kind of training leaves someone like this?”
“Vera-teacher was demonstrating the secret skill she wanted to teach me…”
“I wasn’t asking you, Lady.”
Feiyin stopped stirring the medicine. She turned her gaze to Vera, her face and voice both completely devoid of warmth.
“What kind of training would leave the Lady frozen? Please, Lord Vera, explain yourself.”
“…Sorry. I wanted to teach her Chillblade. But when I demonstrated, I couldn’t hold back my power.”
“If I remember right, that’s your signature technique, isn’t it? A sword skill that can freeze even rivers and lakes… Certainly impressive, but you should know a technique that requires unleashing all one’s magic is far too soon for the Lady to learn.”
“I know… but…”
“And lessons about magic should be Lord Sephy’s responsibility. Why did you suddenly take it upon yourself? For a Sword Saint like you to lose control even in a demonstration, it’s rather ridiculous. Even if the Lady somehow learned your secret skill, I doubt it would be meaningful.”
“I’m sorry…”
Faced with Feiyin’s barrage of criticism, Vera only bowed her head and kept apologizing.
Sensing the atmosphere in the room was turning increasingly dangerous, Milin hurried to gather her strength and shouted loudly:
“Enough, enough, stop arguing already! I feel terrible, I want my medicine! Teacher, if you don’t have anything else, please leave!”
“Th-then have a good rest. I’ll check on you again later…”
As if receiving a pardon, Vera quickly left the room, almost fleeing after closing the door behind her.
What is wrong with me? At my age, how can I still not control my emotions?
She knew Milin was trying to help her out of a tough spot. But this girl’s kindness and consideration only made Vera feel more ashamed and pained.
The moment the Chillblade descended, she realized—she had been gripped by some obsession.
As Feiyin said, it was not a skill to be taught to that child, let alone demonstrated so recklessly.
Though she managed to stop in time, the magic that spilled out still covered the entire Training Ground in a thin layer of ice.
No matter how many times she failed, she never lost heart… In that moment when Milin charged forward with her sword, who did Vera see in her eyes?
And when she looked at that girl named Lian, who did she see then?
The answer was already clear. It was a man who had been weak at first, but later grew incredibly strong.
She had been his Teacher too, and had once passed down all her skills to him.
After that, she traveled with him on the grandest journey, defeated unmatched foes, and became known to the world as the Savior.
And she had already sparred countless times with that man. She had won many times, and lost just as many.
By now, there should have been nothing left between them but broken oaths and promises…
So this stubborn desire in her heart, this urge to have Milin surpass that child no matter what—where did it come from?
No matter how Vera pondered, she could not find an answer.
…
……
………
Even as chills ran through her body, Milin could not suppress the joy in her heart.
“Here you go… good girl. Ah~”
“Ahm!”
Like a little puppy, she bit off the apple slice offered to her, eyes filled with longing for the next piece and affection for her mother.
Meliya sat beside her bed, peeling apples for her. After peeling the skin, she carefully removed the core and cut the apple into slices.
Just watching her do this, Milin felt as if the sweetness of the apple seeped straight into her heart—whether it was being frozen solid by Teacher, or being forced by Feiyin to drink that weird banana-smelling medicine… none of it seemed to matter anymore.
“~!”
“Hehehe… Is it really that tasty?”
Milin’s radiant expression made Meliya laugh dotingly.
“Of course! Mother’s apples are the best in the world! Here, why don’t you have a piece too?”
Milin held out a freshly cut slice to Meliya. Meliya started to take it, but Milin shook her head:
“Mother, ah~”
“You little rascal, even sick you can’t sit still… Ah. Hmm… it doesn’t taste as sweet as I imagined?”
“That’s because you just happened to get a less sweet piece. Have another—”
“Alright, alright. Enough with the fuss for now.” Meliya ruffled Milin’s hair, then turned to Feiyin standing nearby and asked, “So, what happened? She was perfectly fine before, how did she suddenly fall ill?”
Feiyin… Feiyin! You promised me you wouldn’t say!
Milin shot Feiyin a meaningful look from the bed.
Feiyin glanced at her, then replied, “The Lady went to the kitchen’s ice cellar to sneak a cold treat and accidentally locked herself inside.”
That excuse is way too embarrassing!
When Milin glared at her in protest, this time Feiyin pretended not to notice.
“Oh dear… she’s burning up!” Meliya said, touching Milin’s forehead. “Is that right, Milin?”
“Y-yes… Ow, ow!”
“Liar.” Meliya pinched Milin’s cheek. “If you really got locked in the ice cellar, you would’ve punched the door open and run out before freezing like this. Tell me, what really happened?”
“I-it’s just like Feiyin said…”
“Still not telling the truth? If you won’t say, I’m leaving.”
Meliya stood and pretended to go. Milin hurriedly grabbed her sleeve.
“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you! During training today, I begged Vera-teacher to teach me her special move. When I tried to do it myself, I lost control… so I ended up like this.”
“Is that right, Feiyin?”
“I wasn’t with the Lady at the time, so I’m not sure about the exact details. But I don’t think the Lady has any reason to tell you such a clumsy lie after that.”
“You’re the one who made up the lie!”
What a momma’s girls.