Edan, who had been twirling his fork with disinterest, immediately put down the utensil on the empty plate upon hearing the words.

The sharp sound of metal hitting porcelain rang out particularly loudly.

“Stop with the useless talk and get to the point.”

Dante abruptly stopped fiddling with his glass.

“I would like Lady Latieana to share her healing power with me as well.”

This was probably what Dante had wanted to say to me.

If our conversation from this morning had continued, that’s surely what would have happened.

He would have promised to keep my secret, and in exchange, asked me to share my healing power.

“Doesn’t the duke not really need it? I thought the potions provided by the temple were sufficient. As much as possible, you fight with your innate physical abilities rather than special powers, right?”

“No. It has become necessary.”

And the reason was not for himself, but…

“My younger sibling has manifested the ability.”

Dante explained the situation of continuing the family line and about Noah, just as he had told me before.

“I want to protect my family, and I don’t want to crush Noah’s dreams. I don’t want him to live the same life as me. You understand, don’t you, Your Highness?”

“Well. I’m not sure.”

“I know you understand better than anyone. How much an ability that manifests at a young age can torment one’s life.”

Edan kept his mouth shut.

“Although he’s suffering from extreme pain, Noah is a child who originally shouldn’t have manifested any power. So that power will soon disappear or end up being neither here nor there. But if the imperial family finds out he’s an ability user, he might have to go out to subjugate monsters no matter what. He would have to continue suffering in pain. I absolutely don’t want to make that happen.”

Edan, who had been sitting up straight the whole time, leaned back against the chair.

“Anyway, this guy and that guy.”

Dante planned to continuously pour healing power into Noah to prevent ability side effects from occurring at all. If possible, in secret without notifying the imperial family.

There was no guarantee that the secret would be kept if he told Ivy, but he had no other choice, so he went to her.

He had to heal Noah first, after all.

But now it’s different. If I have my healing power, I don’t need to tell Ivy, and naturally, the risk is reduced.

A quiet silence fell over the room.

What was Edan thinking? Perhaps reminded of his own past by Noah’s story, he said nothing.

Dante stood up from his seat and fell to his knees in front of me. His large body bowed before me.

“Lady Latieana, please, I beg you.”

A voice filled with calm and deep gravity.

A gentle yet strong and firm plea.

My gaze inadvertently went to the nape of his neck as he lowered his head.

The cloth covering his body had slipped down, revealing a tan, muscular back.

It was covered in numerous scars from sword cuts and what looked like monster claw marks.

He is a man with innate physical conditions superior to anyone else. This man, who lacks nothing, unhesitatingly knelt down solely for the sake of his younger sibling.

He was a kind person who cared for his family more than his own desires.

“I told you to apologize, but you seem terribly unable to understand what you’re told.”

Edan ran his hand through his hair with an expression of genuine annoyance.

“Why should I show such consideration to the duke? Isn’t it too despicable for someone who tried to kidnap and offer you to the temple to now know about your ability and try to use it?”

“…”

“Do you think you’ve paid enough with just damaging some walls and lightly injuring a few subordinates?”

“…”

“You’re delusional beyond measure.”

Dante’s broad shoulders remained motionless, as if ready to accept whatever Edan had to say.

“Yes. It was my fault. If you allow it, I will apologize as many times as you wish, and I will give you any compensation you desire to your satisfaction. So…”

Edan looked at me.

“You’re going to do whatever you want anyway.”

I rolled my eyes and then stopped.

“Alright.”

Having made my decision, I stood up to grant his request.

Edan frowned as if asking if I was serious, but I was going to help anyway. At least he won’t be taken to the temple now, and if I cooperate with Noah, Dante will no longer be on Ivy’s side. I won’t have to worry about being kidnapped anymore.

“It’s because of Noah. He’s still just a child.”

“That’s not the issue.”

No. For me, that is the issue.

As Dante said, since Noah wasn’t supposed to manifest an ability, it could be a temporary phenomenon, or he might end up struggling with an insignificant power.

Either way, it’s not good for Noah.

Part of why I decided to help Noah last night was because I thought of Edan. Thinking of him as a child made me more sympathetic towards Noah.

If I can do it with my healing power anyway, I might as well help.

It’s not direct healing after all.

“Are you really, truly going to help?”

Even though I helped last night too, Dante seemed even happier now.

His reddened tan cheeks looked slightly excited.

“Where’s the kitchen here?”

I deliberately left Edan and Dante behind and exited the reception room.

“Lady Latieana?”

“Lord Ruben.”

“Where are you going?”

“To the kitchen.”

Ruben furrowed his brow as if to ask what that meant. Then he naturally followed behind me as if to escort me.

I headed to the kitchen along with the servant assigned by Dante.

After circling a few rounds of maze-like stairs, we could quickly reach the kitchen. The chef, wearing a tall chef’s hat as long as the doctor’s from last night, blinked at me in confusion.

Then, as the servant whispered something in his ear, he quickly took off his hat and bowed in greeting.

“Yes! Young lady. What can I get for you?”

Young lady…

Ah, my nose stung a little. What a normal form of address this is.

I looked around the kitchen and spotted a storage cabinet full of spices.

“Among these, which spice is used the most in the duke’s food?”

“Spices, you say?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded, the chef quickly picked up one spice container.

“Here it is.”

As I received the container, I hesitated for a moment.

“Pepper, is it?”

“Yes. We use pepper the most.”

“…”

Even here it’s pepper.

It must be a coincidence, right? Anyway, I infused my healing power into the pepper, just like I first did for Edan.

Now that I know the extent of my power, I put in quite a lot.

The chef and all the cooks around had their eyes wide open, but since they knew I was an honored guest of Dante’s, they didn’t seem to stop me much. Rather, the atmosphere was one of understanding that I must be an honored guest because I have healing power.

“Thank you.”

As I left the kitchen holding the pepper container, I felt a bit dizzy.

It seems the healing power taken by Ivy hasn’t fully returned yet.

“Are you alright?”

“Ruben. The sun seems too hot. Can I rest for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Ruben grasped my shoulder and turned to the servant.

“Please guide us to a place where we can sit for a while.”

Supported by them, I headed to a nearby terrace indicated by the servant.

It was an open space with palm trees swaying in the breeze and a view of the desert stretching out before us.

There was a wide, plush sofa where I rested my body for a moment.

Clutching the pepper container tightly in my hand.

I feel dizzy.

How much power did Ivy take from me? Anyway, I was able to heal Noah last night, so it doesn’t seem like she took too much…

Still, it seems like a time when I need to recover my condition.

As I gazed at the desert filled with sizzling heat from the burning sun for a while, my physical state seemed to improve a bit.

Below the castle walls, people were bustling about busily.

They were busy dealing with the broken walls, and a little farther in the desert, the shattered portal was flickering with blue light.

‘Should I be grateful it ended with just that much?’

Now that I know Edan’s obsession with me is neither coincidence nor possessiveness, yes. That much is fine. From Edan’s perspective, he’s been quite lenient. Originally, he might have blown up that entire wall.

But, I really want to take off this robe. It’s too hot. However, if I take it off, my skin will show, and it will further provoke Edan’s anger.

That’s when it happened.

“Um…”

An adorably chilling voice came from behind me.

What kind of cute voice is this in such a desolate place?

Thinking I might have misheard, I looked around and saw two pretty maids standing in the corridor.

“Did you call me?”

The maids shook their heads with a smile and pointed to the corner of the wall with their neatly folded hands.

As I shifted my gaze, I saw dark blue hair peeking out from there.

No way.

“Noah… Ian?”

The hair fluttered about in panic, then froze in place.

And then, peeking out, one cheek and a small shoulder appeared from behind the wall.

What, what is this? You called out first, and now what! How cute!

Noah seemed to be shy around strangers.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be shy, you can come out.”

Then Noah took two light jumps and revealed himself.

Though he was thin from being severely ill, he was a beautifully cute child like a doll.

His dark blue, silky hair was cut neatly in a bob, and short bangs swayed over his round white face. His tan skin, resembling Dante’s, was also moderately tanned.

He was a pretty girl with a more delicate and androgynous beauty than Dante’s face full of masculinity.

As the child’s lips moved, his soft-looking chubby cheeks followed suit.

Noah, blinking his large eyes, bowed politely.

“Thank you.”

Wow. His voice is the cutest.

“Are you talking to me?”

Noah nodded vigorously.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes!”

The shy child from earlier was nowhere to be seen as he smiled brightly once we started talking face to face.

However, on his cute face, there were scratch marks around his eyes, on the bridge of his nose, and down to his neck. These were traces of his painful struggle.