Diana, who quickly organized the situation in her head, brazenly raised her head and feigned ignorance.

“What do you mean by surveillance? I’ve never done such a thing.”

The moment those words ended, even the faint smile on Cedar’s face vanished like evaporation.

Diana’s arms began to tremble at the cold face that was completely different from before.

“Our contract is clear. If Nelly doesn’t wake up until the day the inheritance is transferred, I’ll receive it on her behalf and pass it to you. If Nelly wakes up before that, the contract is void.”

Cedar glared at Diana like a tiger eyeing its prey and spoke each word distinctly.

“I’ll keep the contract, so don’t get on my nerves with nonsense like surveillance. Understood?”

It felt like being a cornered mouse.

Diana forgot that she had just been feigning ignorance and answered in a voice as loud as a scream.

“Ah, I understand! I got it!”

Cedar glared at Diana once more and then turned away abruptly.

The boutique staff who had been watching the argument nervously followed behind Cedar.

Diana, who had been standing with a blank expression for a moment, soon flushed with anger.

“How dare he treat me so carelessly.”

He intimidates people like this just because I put some surveillance? Moreover, it wasn’t simply to monitor him.

I was just curious because a magician kept coming and going to that mansion to find my elder sister!

‘What an arrogant man! Does he think every woman in this world likes him?’

It wasn’t something Diana should be angry about, considering she had been weighing Cedar and Grisha just moments ago.

But while Diana was strict with others, she was lenient with herself.

The noble young ladies who had been watching Diana and Cedar’s argument from afar slowly approached Diana.

“Oh my, what’s going on?”

“Are you alright, Baroness Periway?”

Then a good idea occurred to Diana. She started to sniffle, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I, I just asked about my elder sister’s well-being. Lord Cedar seemed to be displeased.”

The fact that Cedar married a great magician who had fallen into a vegetative state had been quite the gossip among socialites, but it really ended up as just a momentary rumor.

It was partly because Cedar’s mother, Lady Briar, had silenced people, and partly because Cedar wasn’t very active in social circles.

But when mentioned like this, people naturally become interested again.

Above all, if he confronts her in such a hostile manner in front of many people like earlier, it’s bound to cause talk in social circles.

Diana squeezed out tears, adding fuel to people’s curiosity.

“Even when I request a visit because I miss my elder sister, the Granite ducal family always refuses. My elder sister, fallen into a vegetative state, can’t even express herself no matter how she’s treated…”

“Oh my.”

“That’s too much for the only family.”

It was a subtle way of leaving various suspicions.

Naturally creating the perception that Cedar was mistreating her unconscious elder sister.

Watching the murmuring young ladies, Diana smiled secretly behind her palm.

‘Well, take that.’

It wouldn’t even take a week for bad rumors about Cedar Granite to spread in social circles.

A week passed in an instant, and Jack’s curse was also smoothly lifted.

He held Grisha’s hand and kept expressing his gratitude.

“I will surely repay this kindness. Thank you so much.”

“I’m glad I could lift it.”

Although it was something he could have boasted about, Grisha was extremely humble. I watched the two with a pleased smile.

‘I’m glad the curse was resolved.’

I didn’t know before, but Jack, with the curse lifted, returned with a much fresher complexion than before.

It was as if a vibrant plant scent was emanating from his whole body.

‘It really was an ice-attribute curse, I guess.’

The mana that had been completely consumed resisting the curse that froze the heart was now vigorously coursing through his body with the curse ended.

How difficult it must have been all this time. I looked at Jack with a sympathetic expression.

“How did you end up with such a terrible curse?”

“While defeating a magical beast that entered the forest, its curse pierced my heart and I ended up cursed. Although I stay as a healer in the Dragon Knight Order, in the village I’m a frontline warrior.”

“So you got like that while protecting the village. It’s fascinating that magical beasts can curse.”

“That’s why intelligent high-rank magical beasts are dangerous. My lady, you should always be careful too.”

Although I doubted I would ever encounter a magical beast, I nodded obediently. It’s better to be careful about anything.

Jack smiled with a relieved face and added.

“It’s fortunate that it was me who could endure the curse, instead of weak women and children. Now I can return to the village.”

“Are you going back to the village right away?”

“I’m planning to stay only until the knight order’s subjugation mission, which isn’t far off.”

“The people in the knight order will be sad.”

“Well, all meetings premise partings.”

It was indeed an answer befitting an elf who lives for a long time. Jack handed small tablets to Grisha and me.

“This is a token that an elf considers you a sibling. If I can’t repay this kindness to you two, I will repay it to your descendants, so please do visit the elf village.”

Oh my, underestimating a magician’s curiosity? I answered with a chuckle.

“Descendants? I might come bothering you right away.”

“It would be an honor to become the protagonist of a new record.”

Jack also kindly received my joke.

After seeing Jack off, only Grisha and I remained in the mansion.

Cedar was out buying necessities for daily life.

‘Cedar said never to be alone.’

So I couldn’t tell Grisha to leave first. As I was hesitating, Grisha took my hand first.

“Now, since the curse is resolved, shall we take a look at Nelly’s magic circuit this time?”

“Huh? Now? You’re tired, aren’t you?”

“Not to that extent.”

Honestly, I was curious about my body’s condition too, so I obediently lay down on the sofa as Grisha instructed.

Grisha asked various questions and then held my hand, flowing his mana.

And after quite some time passed, he sighed with a distorted face.

“The mana is flowing into the heart, but it disappears as if being sucked in. I’m not sure what would happen if I sent a larger amount of mana, but I can’t try because Nelly might get hurt.”

There’s something called compatibility in mana, and Grisha and I were completely on opposite ends, so we couldn’t exchange mana. I forced a smile.

“I see.”

Although I had vaguely felt it already, receiving such a definitive answer felt like something was tightly pressing on my chest.

Even though it wasn’t Grisha’s fault, he hung his head low.

“I’m sorry. If there were cracks or visible gaps where it’s being sucked in, I could try to block it somehow, but for now, there’s no visible abnormality.”

“No, I’m so grateful just for you examining it. If you, with the best eyes in the world, can’t see it, then it probably doesn’t exist.”

Though I said that, my mind was complicated.

‘If even Grisha has no method, then there’s only one option left…’

‘No matter how desperate, that’s too much.’

Above all, a kiss isn’t something you do with just anyone, right?

I may have the purpose of replenishing mana, but I can’t demand a kiss from Cedar who has no reason.

‘Why is that the only method left?’

I let out a groan of frustration, and Grisha, misunderstanding my feelings, made a sympathetic expression.

“It must have been very hard on you, how did you endure?”

It wasn’t to that extent. Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.

“I’m fine. The moments of despair have all passed. And you helped me.”

“But you must have cried, right?”

I smiled awkwardly. I only shed tears right after I turned back time.

After that, days passed without even feeling the pain.

‘That’s thanks to Cedar.’

Knowing that Grisha and Cedar’s relationship was bad, I couldn’t readily mention Cedar’s name. Grisha muttered with a gloomy expression.

“I should have left the academy back then after all.”

That’s not it! I pressed Grisha’s brow with my finger and drew a clear line with a firm tone.

“I told you I’d never see you again if you did that, right? You shouldn’t throw away your future over something like this. My business is my business, your business is your business.”

“…You’re cold-hearted.”

“It’s natural advice as your senior.”

Grisha didn’t need to feel any guilt about my loss of mana.

There was no law that he had to treat me, let alone the reason.

Grisha looked at me with cloudy eyes and then changed the subject.

“How’s your mana? Is it unstable or anything?”

“It’s the same. I’m trying to gather as much as possible by drawing magic circles, but…”

No matter how many magic circles I drew, the mana flowing into me was extremely minute. Recently, I was in a state of half-giving up. Still, I’d be satisfied if I could gather enough to melt a lock or two more.

Grisha’s eyes sparkled at the mention of magic circles.

“I saw the magic circles drawn in the garden on my way in. They were intricately composed of things that help plant growth.”

“That’s right! I knew you’d recognize them, Grisha!”

To non-magicians, it might look like just drawing predetermined pictures with runes, but in fact, magic circles are a field where various forms need to be combined and composed according to the situation and needs.

That’s why the calculation and composition skills of the magician engraving the magic circle are so important.

‘Cedar is a person who is considerate enough not to touch the magic circles, but indeed, a magician understands a magician’s difficulties best.’