𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕𝟎
The Saint detailed the riddles within the magic sphere left by her teacher.
That the teacher, knowing of the Saint’s existence, had orchestrated all of this, and therefore, there was no chance of Lurik, the Second Prince, becoming the host of the magic sword in the first place. And the fact that Louise was the first to recognize the Saint.
Among them, there was only one fact Ren couldn’t comprehend.
“How could Her Highness Princess Louise……”
Lurik, for once, opened his lips to answer.
Every word uttered by the taciturn man was imbued with pride for his younger sister.
“Who knows? But Louise wanted to bring Helena to the Imperial Palace from the very beginning. I should have listened to her sooner.”
As Ren was leaving the Prince’s room, still unable to resolve his doubts,
Helena spoke to the Prince in a sweet voice.
“I have something I’d like to convey to Her Highness personally…… I’ll see the Tower Master out for a moment.”
Ren’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
‘See me out and ‘come back’? At this hour?’
Ren thought the Second Prince was hiding Helena’s existence because she was the Saint.
‘If the Saint steps forward, she can heal the Crown Prince.’
So he could understand why she was kept hidden.
But the fact that the place was the Prince’s room was a bit strange.
However, Lurik only nodded kindly towards Helena.
In the Prince’s eyes, there was the trust and affection that he occasionally showed towards Louise.
‘Did I ever think His Highness would have such a look in his eyes for someone else?’
Anyway, Helena followed Ren out into the hallway.
But she didn’t say anything the whole time they walked together.
“……Didn’t you say you had something to tell Her Highness?”
When Ren asked, Helena smiled brightly and opened the door to the room across the hall.
It was Louise’s room.
Although it was obvious that it would be empty since Louise was in Edessa, he was secretly annoyed by her attitude of opening the ownerless room without permission.
As soon as Ren followed her inside, Helena closed the door tightly.
“Why are we here……”
“Could you cast a soundproof barrier?”
Ren was bewildered, but it wasn’t a difficult task, so he granted her request.
Then Helena spoke.
“You’re wondering how Her Highness figured out my ability, right? I thought it would be better to tell you the truth. I feel like…… it’s okay to reveal the truth to you, Ren-nim.”
Ren felt burdened by the fact that the nun, no, the Saint, whom he wasn’t even close to, was treating him specially.
“……It sounds like you can’t tell His Highness. Are you sure you won’t regret revealing it to me?”
So he asked bluntly, but Helena’s eyes sparkled with amusement.
“I happened to hold Her Highness’s hand at the monastery, and I realized that she wasn’t alone.”
“……What?”
“Don’t worry. I promised Her Highness I’d keep her secret, and I’ve kept it until now.”
Ren sighed.
“How on earth……”
“Just like I could see the magic of the Tower Master and Master Moghald, I could feel the energy of two people from Her Highness.”
Ren finally understood.
‘A Saint who can see magic and feel the inherent energy.’
He had only read about such abilities in books, never encountered them in reality.
Since he had already cast the soundproof barrier, he asked,
“What about my teacher? Can you see if the magic of the magic sword has been absorbed by him as well?”
Ren asked, grasping at straws, but Helena shook her head.
“I already checked while you were visiting the Crown Prince, Ren-nim. In Master Moghald’s case, the magic he possessed has significantly decreased, but he’s not in a state of being consumed by another energy.”
Ren cautiously opened his mouth.
“Then, is the Crown Prince really……”
Helena smiled knowingly, as if she knew what he was trying to say.
“But it wasn’t just Master Moghald’s advice that kept me from healing the Crown Prince.”
“Then……?”
Although he didn’t wish for the Crown Prince to be healed, Ren lowered his voice as if accusing her.
But Helena was confident.
“On the night I received my powers, God showed me an unfortunate future. I have a responsibility to prevent that future, and I will do what is necessary, step by step.”
In other words, saving the Crown Prince was not her priority.
“Also, if someone has to pay for their sins, it should rightfully be the villain.”
The momentum of the Second Prince Lurik that he saw in the training ground was unusual.
If Helena, who even received a revelation about the future, helped him, it was easy to guess where Lurik’s sword would be pointed.
‘I shouldn’t get involved.’
The Imperial Tower Master is bound to the Emperor.
If he intervened carelessly, he would either ruin their plan or be threatened like his teacher.
Ren lifted the soundproof barrier at that point.
“Thank you for telling me. If you want to go see Louise, I’ll help you.”
Helena shook her head.
“Just send her my regards. I don’t have an excuse to give the Prince, and the task Louise entrusted to me is here in the Imperial Palace.”
Ren nodded.
‘Lou……’
As he had been all along, he missed Louise terribly.
🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹
A week later, the artisan who had agreed to make the triple curtains returned and finished the installation.
She proudly explained,
“When the sun is strong during the day, just use this single layer curtain.”
And over the fluttering sheer curtain, she drew a thick white curtain.
“This is for when it’s cold in winter, or when you want a more cozy feeling.”
The dark gray curtain she revealed last looked very heavy.
“You can use this when the baby is sleeping. Look.”
When the gray curtain was tightly drawn, the surroundings became dark even though it was broad daylight.
Sunlight only seeped in white around the curtain rod.
It was similar to the blackout curtains used in the modern era, so I involuntarily clapped my hands.
“Wonderful. I like it.”
After she left, Mesh came to visit and showed me a sample of a small slide, about calf-high.
“Oh, is it finished?”
“No. I will round the edges, sand it down, and apply a coating for a smooth surface. I brought it to show you the general shape.”
I pressed the slide with my fist to check its sturdiness and nodded.
“Good. Make it like this.”
“Oh, and this……”
Mesh shyly held out a small pouch.
I thought I knew what was inside, but I pretended not to and asked,
“What is it?”
“Actually, while I was making the slide for my children as you requested, a customer who came to the workshop showed interest and placed the first order. This is the deposit I received, and I wanted to give it to you, Madam.”
“You haven’t even received the full payment yet, have you?”
When I asked with a smile, Mesh scratched his head.
“To be honest, I’m small, so I lack the strength to make beds, and my fingers are too thick to carve delicate details for cabinets. I was worried that my family business, passed down from my grandfather, might crumble in my generation.”
He rambled on, his face flushing red, about things I hadn’t asked.
“It’s been a while since a customer was so impressed with my work that they placed an order immediately. It may be a small amount to you, Madam, but I wanted to express my gratitude.”
As the artisan said, it might be a meaningless amount to me, but it must have been a significant sum to him.
I considered refusing, but I accepted the pouch, considering his sincerity.
“Alright. Then, how about trying to make this kind of product?”
I picked up a pen nearby and drew a small rocking chair on the back of the swing blueprint Mesh had brought.
“What is this?”
He asked with curious eyes.
“Well, I thought of it while ordering the rocking chair this time.”
Pretending to have a sudden idea, I explained another childcare item I had seen in the hospital’s playroom.
“It’s making a rocking chair as small and low as a baby. Then, the caregiver could sit on a chair and rock it with their feet, wouldn’t they?”
Mesh gulped.
“It would be good for commoners who work while carrying their babies.”
“But you won’t become rich just by selling it to commoners.”
I added one more idea.
“If you make it well, I’ll connect you with the Magic Tower. Try developing a self-rocking chair.”
His eyes widened.
“Yes?”
“If word gets out, the nobles of the capital who love to show off will be scrambling to place orders.”
He gulped again.
“I, I’ll try to make it! I’ll make it with all my heart!”
I smiled at Mesh.
“Good, good. Then let’s see each other again.”
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