Roxiana, who had stopped beside Jewelry’s bed, looked down at the child for a moment before bowing to Hexten. Her platinum blonde hair fell gently, covering Hexten’s shoulders.
“I might be able to heal the child, Lord Renardo.”
Hearing hopeful words for the first time, light returned to Hexten’s eyes.
“You can heal her?”
“Nonsense!”
The one who shouted was Arsen, who had been quietly observing the situation until now.
“Do not deceive a grief-stricken father with useless words. False hope is rather poisonous!”
Roxiana turned her gaze to Arsen, who was sharply criticizing her.
“Are you certain about that?”
“What?”
“Are you certain that my words and actions are useless and false hope, that I can do nothing and cannot help these people?”
Roxiana was still thin and pale. Her posture was also unstable as she was bending to whisper to Hexten.
Nevertheless, something inexplicable silenced Arsen. He couldn’t believe he was overwhelmed by a small, thin, and fragile woman.
“Even if you can’t believe it, even if you can’t accept it, shouldn’t we try anything in a desperate situation? Are you trying to dismiss a father’s wish to grasp at straws just because you dislike my presence?”
“Let her try, my lord.”
Hexten said.
“My lord, please… Anything will do. Our Jewel… our child… our daughter, ah…”
Hexten roughly wiped his tears with both hands.
“Please let her do something.”
Floyd clenched his fist and stared at Roxiana.
He couldn’t believe that the woman who had been wishing for death until recently was now inserting herself into this scene and dealing with the knights. Moreover, he couldn’t understand why he felt an expectation that she would somehow be able to help.
‘Princess of Kanta.’
Roxiana, who had made a decision to do something, had a completely different atmosphere from the woman who had confined herself in the Lily Palace. It was like seeing a different person, even though she had the same face and wore the same clothes.
Although her voice was still small and thin, it had the power to capture the atmosphere.
“I understand, Princess. I don’t know what you’re planning to do, but go ahead and try.”
As soon as Floyd gave his permission, Roxiana visibly relaxed and said,
“Please leave only the patients and everyone else go out.”
“That’s not possible.”
Kirshan said firmly.
Kirshan knew how much Roxiana wanted to die, so he was worried she might attempt a group suicide with the patients.
Roxiana, without even glancing at Kirshan, looked up at Floyd and said,
“It will only take a moment. I won’t have time to kill everyone or myself. It might be a bit chaotic, but when the commotion ends, this will be over too. It might sound like an unrealistic dream, but since you’ve agreed to give me a chance, please trust me. If you’re the ruler of a country, shouldn’t you be bold in a gamble that’s already started? What will you do, Your Majesty?”
At that moment, Floyd recalled the words he had said about Roxiana possibly being an audacious seductress.
‘I thought she was a seductress in bed.’
But that wasn’t it. At this moment, each and every word of Roxiana penetrated Floyd’s heart like the whisper of a bewitching seductress.
Floyd felt as if he had seen a glimpse of Princess Franche, who was beloved by the people of Kanta Kingdom. The Roxiana he remembered was a young and cheerful girl who would get upset at her brothers’ teasing, but that girl had lived through times he didn’t know about and had become a quiet, gentle, but firm woman.
Lucas had shattered that woman, but Roxiana had gathered her broken shell and was standing here. To help a young child and employees who had nothing to do with her.
Floyd believed that she wouldn’t die here with the patients.
“Everyone except the patients, leave.”
“My lord!”
“Your Majesty…”
Surprised voices erupted from here and there, but Floyd was adamant.
“Leave now!”
People left the treatment room, throwing uneasy glances at Roxiana. Kirshan followed behind the doctors and pharmacists, and the knight commanders went next. As Floyd was turning to leave, Hexten said to Roxiana,
“I’m here…”
“Don’t worry, Lord Renardo.”
Roxiana met Hexten’s eyes and added in a voice so low only he could hear,
“Even if it costs me my life, I will save this child.”
+++
After everyone left, only the groaning patients remained in the treatment room. Those invaded by evil magic were in a state of unconsciousness.
Roxiana whispered to the vase she was holding.
“Now, what should I do?”
−Roti, it’s really dangerous. Accepting Lady Undine is difficult even for healthy spirit artists.
−Long ago, a spirit artist who accepted Lady Undine couldn’t wake up for a year, they say.
“Tell me quickly. How do I call Undine?”
A moment of silence made Roxiana anxious. Just as she was about to urge them again, an answer came.
−Just call her. If you think about wanting to meet her while calling, Lady Undine will come.
−Lady Undine is very fond of you.
Despite being told several times that she might die, Roxiana didn’t hesitate. She had more than enough desire to meet.
Roxiana hugged the vase and said,
“Undine.”
At first, she thought nothing was happening. But soon she realized that the air had changed. The humidity increased and it became difficult to breathe.
As moisture began to form on Roxiana’s skin, suddenly breathing became comfortable again, and a transparent figure appeared before her eyes.
A transparent human-like figure the size of two palms put together. An indistinct figure, neither male nor female, floating in the air.
−Roti!
The transparent figure called out in a clearer voice than the lower spirits.
−It’s been a while! How much time has passed? About a hundred years? You’ve grown a lot. Wow, you’ve grown up beautifully. How old are you? A hundred? A hundred and fifty? Your hair is exactly the same as before. Your skin is still as fair. You know what? Our children always make sure the water you wash with is clean to keep your skin nice. I told them to do that.
It was hard to keep up with the rapid stream of words. But Roxiana could tell that Undine held goodwill towards her.
Roxiana carefully reached out her hand. Though it looked transparent, her fingers didn’t pass through Undine. Something moist and watery was felt precisely at the tips of Roxiana’s fingers.
−Ahaha. That tickles. Yes, you did this when you first met me as a child too. A hundred years have passed, but nothing has changed.
Though it hadn’t been a hundred years, Roxiana didn’t bother to correct that. It wasn’t important right now.
“People are dying.”
At those words, Undine turned her transparent body to look around the treatment room.
−Yes. They’ve been affected by evil magic. But it’s not strong evil magic. The humans lying there are just too weak. Frail and troublesome things.
While Undine was unusually favorable towards Roxiana, her tone towards others was full of hostility.
“Can you heal the people?”
−I can! I just need to push out the evil magic from inside their bodies. There’s water in human bodies, so I can easily remove this level of evil magic with my power.
Fortunately.
Roxiana spoke urgently.
“Then please help.”
−No.
“What?”
−I don’t want to help. To intervene so directly in human affairs, I’d have to borrow your body, but if you accept me, you’ll die. You’re too weak right now.
“It’s okay if I die. So please…”
−I don’t want to. There aren’t many humans I can communicate with. I don’t want to see you die. If this is all you have to say, I’ll go back. Goodbye.
As Undine began to fade away as if to leave after finishing her words, Roxiana grabbed her arm. Undine looked down at the arm Roxiana had grabbed.
−Oh my…
Roxiana pulled Undine into her embrace. Something cold penetrated through her dress and touched Roxiana’s skin. She felt something damp entering her body.
−Don’t do this, Roti. Where did you learn such a method? To be so forceful… Ah, no! This isn’t right!
The transparent figure disappeared. At that moment, Roxiana felt as if her body was freezing. The voice that had been coming from outside was now echoing inside Roxiana’s head.
−This is absurd. How could you… Roti, you’re really going to die. Accepting me like this will freeze you to death!
Roxiana had never learned how to use spirit power. Most spirit artists had died long ago, so even her mother, Angelia, didn’t know the method.
Nevertheless, Roxiana could feel how to use Undine who had entered her. Her green eyes shining brightly, she looked around at the patients in the treatment room and said,
“It doesn’t matter, even if I die.”
+++
The people chased out into the corridor were staring at the treatment room door with stern expressions. For a while, no sound came from inside.
Adrian was dissatisfied with this situation, but he didn’t dare complain to Floyd, who stood with his arms crossed and eyes glaring like a tiger. So he whispered to Cain, who seemed more approachable.
“Our lord has gone mad.”
Cain shrugged his shoulders.
Cain had seen Roxiana for the first and last time when they rescued her from the merchant ship. Since then, he had only heard stories about her, so he only felt pity for her.
A princess betrayed by her fiancé, who lost her family and country, and became a slave. A pitiful woman considered an eyesore even by the employees of the Grand Duchy.
For Cain, who was helplessly weak towards the weak, Roxiana was more than worthy of sympathy.
‘Sympathy, huh…’
The Roxiana he saw again today was completely different from Cain’s memory. She was tall and thin, but despite her frailty, she had dignity.
‘To silence even that Arsen.’
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
