Arsen, who had briefly gone outside and returned, approached Floyd and whispered.
“There’s no damage outside the Grand Duke’s palace yet. Considering only the Lily Palace within the Grand Duke’s palace was affected, it seems only the water in the Lily Palace was contaminated.”
“How could such a thing happen?”
“This is speculation, but it seems the demon beast is quite clever. I believe it snuck into the most splendid place in this capital, contaminated only the water, and then fled.”
“For what purpose?”
“For a moment like this.”
Floyd took a deep breath and looked around. Not only himself, but all the knight captains were shaken by this unexpected attack. The courtiers and employees outside the treatment room were likely in even greater confusion.
If they didn’t stay sharp, it would become increasingly difficult to stop the demon beast’s actions.
Floyd irritably ran his hand through his hair.
“If it snuck in last night, it couldn’t have gone far. Select those who are good at tracking and form a subjugation team. We need to burn that damned demon beast to death right now.”
+++
It was always they who spoke to her. Roxiana had never tried to speak to them first.
Because of that, she didn’t know how to call out to them.
“Please.”
Roxiana pleaded desperately.
“Please answer me. Please let me hear your voices.”
The voices that chattered endlessly when she didn’t want them were quiet today.
Had they left because the water was contaminated? Was it too late? Was there nothing I could do this time either?
Come to think of it, Jewelry had no connection to Roxiana. No one had asked Roxiana to ensure the child’s safety, and the child likely had no expectations of Roxiana either.
There would be no one to blame Roxiana even if she couldn’t provide any help.
−”There’s nothing the princess can do.”
Because no one expected Roxiana to be able to do anything.
Yet Roxiana couldn’t give up. She couldn’t abandon Jewelry who smiled brightly at her, or Dennis who looked up at her with blinking eyes.
If Jewelry were to die, Dennis, unable to protect his sister, would fall into despair with no way out. Just as Roxiana was now, he would live consumed by guilt, despair, sorrow, and a sense of defeat for failing to protect family.
‘You chatted so well usually!’
Roxiana cried out internally.
‘You used to chatter to the point of annoyance! Why are you saying nothing now? Why? Why!’
−Because we can’t give you what you want, Roxy.
Unlike usual, a very faint and thin voice was heard. Roxiana’s hands gripping the vase tightened.
‘A child… a child is dying. Please help me. You can help me, can’t you?’
−We can’t. The demon beast snuck into the Lily Palace last night.
−Before we could do anything, the demon beast contaminated the water. It’s small and quick.
−All our friends living in the pond have left. Only we remain. We have no strength.
−Even if we borrowed your body, we couldn’t do anything with our power. Our power can’t reach water that’s entered a human body.
Roxiana’s hands went limp at the hopeless explanation. She quickly regained her senses and firmly grasped the vase before it could fall.
‘So there’s nothing I can do? Am I unable to do anything this time too? Is it because you dislike humans? You’re gods, aren’t you? Yet you say you can’t do it?’
−We’re not gods, Roxy. We’re just low-level spirits born where there’s water, drifting along with it.
Spirits.
People living on the continent became unable to speak that name, and the unmentioned name was gradually forgotten. But no matter how persecuted, spirit users with the power to communicate with spirits continued to be born.
Roxiana’s mother, Angelia, was one, and her daughter Roxiana was one as well.
−We can keep this flower alive for you for a long time.
−We can make the water you drink taste better.
−We can help make the bathwater you enter soften your skin more.
−But treating a human affected by demonic energy is beyond our power. We’re just low-level spirits.
−But if it were Lady Undine…
−No, Roxy is weak. If she receives Lady Undine, Roxy’s body will be greatly damaged. She might even die.
Undine.
A very long time ago, Roxiana felt like she had heard such a name. But that wasn’t important right now.
‘How can I call her? How can I receive her?’
The spirits stirred. They whispered something among themselves for a while, seemingly displeased and worried. Roxiana waited for their answer with a prayer-like mindset.
−We’re worried you might die, Roxy.
Roxiana hugged the vase tightly and whispered.
“It’s okay. I originally wanted to die anyway.”
So if she could save the child and then die, that would be fine.
+++
When Roxiana visited the treatment room with Petria and stood in front of that door catching her breath, the treatment room door suddenly opened and Floyd and the knight captains came out.
The heat surrounding Floyd disappeared in an instant. Only then did Floyd notice Roxiana standing in the hallway.
The knight captains, who found it strange that the sweltering heat had subsided, also noticed Roxiana standing in the hallway, tightly hugging a vase.
‘What, did she come to visit the sick? Does this woman not understand the current situation?’
Adrian felt even more irritated by Roxiana, who seemed to have come unaware with flowers.
‘She looks like she might collapse… Come to think of it, she was by the pond, is she alright? She didn’t get splashed with water, did she?’
Cain was worried about the pale Roxiana, while Arsen just wanted to leave quickly to subjugate the demon beast.
Then Floyd asked in a rough voice.
“Why are you here? I told you to stay in your room.”
“I want to help.”
“There’s nothing the princess can do here. We don’t need help, so go back. Don’t get affected by the demonic energy too.”
Cain couldn’t understand why Floyd was using such an angry tone.
‘That princess seems to have come with good intentions, couldn’t he just soothe her with kind words and send her back? Besides, our lord is so angry, why isn’t it hot?’
When Floyd used rough words and actions, most people were usually afraid, but Roxiana showed no sign of fear at all. Roxiana, wearing a white dress, looked up at Floyd with a face whiter than her dress and said.
“A child is dying. I heard many employees have collapsed too. Shouldn’t we try something? Please let me try to do something.”
Floyd frowned deeply and strode up to Roxiana, roughly grabbing her arm. In that moment, a sharp pain like an electric shock struck Floyd’s palm.
Floyd removed his hand from Roxiana and looked down at her, then growled.
“You’ll try something. Is that the excuse you came up with this time? Do you think I don’t know your intentions? You’re trying to go in there and die together, aren’t you? There are no Adelia flowers in the treatment room, so it would be perfect for dying, wouldn’t it?”
Roxiana stared at Floyd’s angry face and then gently moved. Her movement was so smooth, like flowing water, that Floyd didn’t realize she had slipped past him.
By the time he assessed the situation, Roxiana had already entered the treatment room.
Inside the treatment room was bustling. Though they could do nothing for the patients groaning in pain, the doctors and pharmacists were moving busily because they had to try something.
Roxiana spotted Jewelry lying on the bed. Even in her unconscious state, Jewelry’s face was contorted in pain. Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes.
The rash had worsened since the beginning, making her face look red and swollen. She seemed to have difficulty breathing, occasionally gasping and sometimes letting out small coughs.
And by the side of his dying daughter, Hexten kept watch. With gloved hands, Hexten carefully held his daughter’s hand, repeatedly calling her name, “Jewelry. Jewelry.”
He hunched over, making his broad back appear small, repeating the child’s name as if in prayer.
“If you’ve seen enough, leave. There’s nothing the princess can do to help.”
Floyd, who had placed his hand on Roxiana’s shoulder, felt a sharp pain again and removed his hand.
‘What on earth is this?’
Once could be dismissed as coincidence, but twice is not. Something inside Roxiana was rejecting Floyd’s approach.
No, rather than rejecting, it felt more like a reprimand. Like a slap on the palm.
‘It happened before too.’
When he had cornered her in Roxiana’s bedroom, a wind that seemed to strike Floyd had blown several times. Even though the door had been closed.
“Stop being stubborn now. Can’t you see everyone’s busy?”
As Floyd stood still, looking at his palm, Adrian stepped in instead. Seeing Adrian roughly grabbing Roxiana’s arm, Floyd’s eyes widened.
“Take your hands off her!”
His voice was so loud that even Hexten, who had been immersed in sorrow, turned around startled. Adrian blinked a few times and quickly raised both hands.
“Ah, yes. I apologize, my lord.”
The only one who wasn’t surprised was Roxiana.
While even the doctors paused their work and looked at Floyd with uneasy eyes, only Roxiana moved quietly as if nothing had happened, approaching Hexten.
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
