She could feel the texture of the grass square beneath her feet. The grass in the garden near the palace secret chamber was tough and firm.

The sounds of birds and the wind felt particularly different today.

Atia took a deep breath.

After the white light enveloped her body and the lingering feeling of exhaustion that always surrounded her disappeared, she felt a sense of relief.

‘I wonder if the dark magic that was on my body has really been lifted.’

Unexplained symptoms such as bleeding and even the doctors giving up.

Thinking about it, although it seemed easy now, it wasn’t that simple when she recalled the path she had taken.

How many twists and turns there were.

‘Well, I flew from the north to here. I can’t die empty-handed, even if it’s unfair.’

Recalling the determination of an elementary school student who wanted to break everything, Atia decided to do it properly this time.

“Alright. Let’s go!”

When Atia shouted loudly, Cascus and Owen looked at her in surprise.
Near the basement of the palace, tough and sturdy grass was growing.

Cascus couldn’t take his eyes off Atia, worried that something might go wrong.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m really okay. No problem.”

“Hmm…”

Squeeze!

Cascus grabbed Atia’s cheeks again to make sure nothing was wrong.

“What… What are you doing?”

Atia, with lips like a pouty fish, looked bewildered.

“Is this…?”

Cascus observed every corner of Atia’s face with a serious expression.

“I think we should call a doctor.”

“What?”

“Just in case. I’m too worried. Suddenly, the light. How do I know what the damn book did?”

“Ugh… Fine, then. If it makes the Duke feel more comfortable.”

Owen, looking at Cascus and Atia’s behavior, narrowed his eyes.

For the Duke and his wife, it seemed like the presence of the Crown Prince meant nothing to them.

Whether it was a natural charm or if they were intentionally behaving like that.

Owen cleared his throat and shifted his attention to me.

“I’m thinking of helping to confirm if the lady’s dark magic has been properly lifted.”

“Help?”

Atia, whose cheeks were held by Cascus, asked Owen.

“You seemed to enjoy using your body at that time.”

“Using my body is my specialty.”

“You’re very confident. Even if you won the hunting competition with your foresight ability, it won’t be easy to beat me in other competitions.”

The word ‘competition’ seemed to make Atia’s heart pound already.

“Oh? What competition is it?”

“Well, it’s boring if I tell you right away. Anyway, it’s not a big event, so don’t worry about it and just attend if you can.”

“Oh, really curious. What kind of event is it?”

“I haven’t decided yet. I’m thinking of various events. Since I might need a chance to redeem myself after the humiliation in the hunting competition.”

“Okay. It sounds fun.”

Atia readily accepted.

“Well, then, I’ll be going now. Call me if you need anything.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please take care.”

Cascus answered in a low voice.

Atia’s cheek was slightly raised by his hand.

As soon as they entered the room, Cascus called for a palace physician.

The physicians examined Atia.

“It seems that fatigue has accumulated, and your body seems a bit tired. If you rest well, you’ll recover.”

“Huh? I’m fine.”

The weather was nice, the wind was cool, and she was told to lie down on a day like this.

“Be quiet and lie down for a while.”

Cascus grabbed Atia’s shoulders as she tried to get up and gently laid her back down.

“No… Why are you restraining me? Not even a human rope.”

“As your husband, I have a duty to protect you. I haven’t properly fulfilled my husband’s duty for the past year, so I’m trying to do it now.”

Cascus was haunted by guilt over neglecting Atia for the past year.
Atia felt responsible for being caught in the black magic of unknown individuals, even though she had nothing to do with it.

However, Atia’s attitude was different.

“No need, being a husband. You don’t have to do this. Just stay still like a scarecrow. I hope you don’t get hurt, and try not to twist your posture too much.”

Atia tried to get up again, but she was stopped by Cascus’s arm.

Although it was annoying for Atia, who wanted to jump up like a mole, she had to lie on the bed and receive Cascus’s care.

“Ah… Another forced rest period. It’s torture.”

After the physicians left the room, only Cascus and Atia remained.

Cascus placed his hand on Atia’s forehead.

“Since a white light suddenly came from the book… The physicians said there’s no problem, but it won’t create another problem, right?”

“So far, everything seems fine, right?”

“…”

“If anything goes wrong, I guess it’s my destiny. Haha.”

“Don’t say such things. You are a precious existence to me.”

Cascus, who removed his hand from Atia’s forehead, narrowed his eyes and said, “Oh?”

“All day, you stay close to me. If you move even a little out of my sight, I get worried to the point of going crazy.”

If he now felt comfortable saying such affectionate things, was there something strange about him?

Atia couldn’t understand why Cascus poured his feelings onto her. Somewhere along the way, it seemed she had become precious to him.

What was certain was that, although Atia found this moment uncomfortable, she didn’t dislike it.

‘It’s strange, but nice. Goodness, have I changed?’

“Well, you’re always sticking around me.”

Atia found it strange that Cascus treated her like a child, but she thought it might be because he was a worrisome person.

“Honestly, it annoys me that the Crown Prince keeps calling for you.”

“Huh?”

“It feels like he’s always trying to see just the two of you together.”

Cascus, holding Atia’s thin wrist, looked into her black eyes and said, “The Crown Prince’s gaze.”

Suddenly, he was talking about the Crown Prince’s gaze.