Chapter 109

109화

* * *

[System: Memory Fragment playback has ended. (4/7)]

I remained lying on the bed, covering my face with both hands.

“Damn it…”

I had been aware of Shinwoo’s feelings. A strange current had been palpable ever since he reopened his eyes, thanks to the power of the new medicine.

But Shinwoo was my family. I swear, not once had I ever seen him as anything more.

Knowing this, Shinwoo never demanded my love. Instead, he simply informed me that he was moving out.

For me, however, his decision to leave was more shocking than any confession.

The fear of losing Shinwoo, of losing my only family, made it impossible to keep my composure.

So I tried coaxing him, scolding him, and even flew into a rage.

“It’s because your social circle is small from being sick for so long. Once you start meeting other people, you won’t even think about me.”

“I don’t expect you to accept me, Noona. I’m not that greedy. But don’t make light of my feelings.”

“…Are you really going to do this? Are you really going to live without seeing me?”

“Noona, we’ll just be living separately. I have no intention of not seeing you. We’ll see each other all the time. Nothing’s changing.”

“Then why are you trying to leave? You can just stay here!”

“Because I’m scared.”

“What?”

“I’m scared I’ll do something terrible to you.”

“…”

“So please, just let me go.”

In the end, I allowed Shinwoo to move out. To be precise, it was less permission and more acquiescence, but in any case, I no longer objected.

I felt I knew what he was afraid of. The thought of him suffering all the while he lived with me made it impossible to hold him back.

And so, one month after the third gate closed, Shinwoo left home.

And I, left alone in the house, tore up the real estate contract.

At the time, we were living in an old apartment near the facility where the orphanage children stayed.

Two rooms and a small living room. It wasn’t spacious, but it was decent enough for the two of us.

However, with Shinwoo being over 190 cm tall, there were more than a few inconveniences.

The room was too small for him, and the sink and washbasin were too low.

So I had planned for us to move and had even put down a deposit.

I was going to tell Shinwoo on moving day. I wanted it to be a surprise.

But with Shinwoo gone, there was no reason to move anymore.

‘I never knew that old, 600-square-foot apartment could feel so vast and empty…’

The moment I let out a self-deprecating laugh, a mission window appeared.

[Mission: Now that you’re awake, check the damn forum, you rascal. (1,000 Points)]

[Accept] / [Decline]

“Huh? The forum?”

Looking at the chat window, the Constellations were in an uproar, telling me to go to the general forum.

‘Just how long have they been at this?’

“You even made a mission telling me to check the forum? This is a sweet deal for me, but you guys must be really bored.”

– Anonymous Constellation: We were trying so hard not to wake you up at dawn.

– Anonymous Constellation: I never knew we had this much patience.

– Anonymous Constellation: FR FR

– Anonymous Constellation: Hurry up and check the forum!

“Alright, alright. What’s so interesting that you’re all making such a fuss?”

I rubbed my tired eyes and went to the general forum, where a new post had been uploaded.

<Clip> The Prince’s Secret Hobby (Nationality is kept confidential to protect his privacy. No questions!!!) (♥473)

“…Is this really protecting his privacy?”

In this world, there was only one empire: Taikan.

Meaning, if someone was called a prince, it had to be either Igrid or Dante.

“It already has 473 likes? This is hot.”

When I selected the post, two short clips began to play.

Strangely, it was audio-only; there was no video.

“Is this the dress room? May I have a look around?”

“…I didn’t realize you were interested in dresses.”

“My interest has grown quite a bit lately. Princess, would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”

“Huh? This is…”

Anyone could tell that was Igrid’s voice and mine.

The second clip followed.

“Ah, no… There are just so many pretty dresses… I found myself wanting to try one on, and I got carried away.”

“The more I think about it, the more my heart aches. Could you spare me some of your time at some point?”

“…Time?”

“I’ll gift you a beautiful dress. When you have a moment, stop by the Guardian guild and have Louis take your measurements.”

“Th-thank you.”

The maliciously edited clip ended with a voice trembling as if moved to tears.

[System: You have succeeded in the mission <Now that you’re awake, check the damn forum, you rascal.>]

[System: You have acquired 1,000 Points.]

[Acquired items can be viewed in your inventory.]

‘Judging by the number of likes, pretty much every Hunter has seen this.’

It was painfully obvious what they would think of Igrid. Even if it wasn’t true, the rumor would spread.

That he was a male guild master who liked women’s dresses.

Would the stuffy, narrow-minded nobles quietly accept a leader with such a peculiar taste?

‘Not a chance.’

I didn’t know for sure, but the atmosphere at Bluebird was probably in utter chaos right now.

I could vividly picture the guild members trying their best to avoid Igrid.

And Igrid, not being a Hunter, would have no idea why his guild members were acting so strangely.

‘Were there thirty members in Bluebird, or twenty…? In any case, that number’s about to drop.’

This was as good as saying the number of Guardian guild members would increase.

‘So that incident turned into this. I like it.’

The gloom that had settled over me because of the memory fragment lifted as if it had never been there.

This was all thanks to the Constellations, who had gritted their teeth and edited this clip with the sole purpose of screwing Igrid over.

“You guys…”

Seeing my emotional expression, the chat window began to scroll at a frantic pace.

– Anonymous Constellation: Ahem! We pulled a few strings for you.

– Anonymous Constellation: How was it? Wasn’t it insane? Crazy? Killer?

– Anonymous Constellation: Now, hurry up and praise us. Praise us until your mouth runs dry!

“Aww, my dear Constellations, you did so well. How did you ever come up with such a brilliant idea? You guys make life worth living.”

I was giggling and rolling around on the bed when my bedroom door opened and Zenia walked in.

“Princess? Who are you talking to right now?”

“…Talking? It’s nothing.”

As I composed my expression and sat up, Zenia approached me cautiously, her face full of concern.

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“…Yeah.”

The way she was looking at me, as if I’d lost my mind, was incredibly embarrassing.

Just then, something lukewarm trickled from below my nose.

I quickly pulled up my sleeve to cover my nose. I didn’t need to look to know. It was another nosebleed.

Sure enough, my sleeve was quickly stained crimson.

I looked at Zenia, intending to ask her to bring me a towel.

But Zenia’s face was a mask of shock, as if she were about to scream.

“Zenia, calm down. Don’t scream…”

“Aaaah! My poor princess! You’re having another nosebleed!”

At this point, I had to wonder.

When would Zenia ever get used to my nosebleeds?

* * *

The healer, who had been holding my wrist, stealthily set my arm down. Then he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat drenching his forehead.

I looked with pity at the healer’s trembling hands.

“Um… a-according to the pulse diagnosis, there are no particular issues. The P-Princess is in perfect health.”

Alex, who had been standing right next to the healer, glaring daggers at him, immediately scowled.

“The girl is getting nosebleeds for no reason, and you say she’s healthy? Are you a quack? Do you even have a medical license?”

“…Young Duke, you’re the one who unceremoniously hauled me here from my clinic…”

“Oh, right.”

I clenched my jaw, watching Alex’s stupid reply. I had never been so embarrassed by him.

“Then what’s wrong with her? Can a perfectly fine person get four nosebleeds?”

“…As I have now explained about fourteen times, even healthy people can get them occasionally.”

“I don’t get it!”

“Why don’t you get it! Surely the Young Duke has had a nosebleed at least once when the weather was dry or when you were tired!”

“No, I’ve never had a nosebleed in my life. That’s something sick people get.”

Duke Ruthius, who had been sitting on the sofa drinking coffee, nodded seriously.

“Alex is right. Healer, find the cause of the illness.”

The light faded from the healer’s eyes. He looked completely catatonic.

It was understandable. He had repeated the same thing fifteen times, yet the person he was talking to still didn’t get it. He was probably on the verge of losing his mind.

‘I guess we won’t be able to call this healer anymore.’

The healer wiped away another bead of sweat that trickled down his face.

“It seems… my skills are lacking. I will introduce you to a healer far more skilled than I. You should have him examine her.”

“I knew something was off… You were a novice? Fine, what’s this healer’s name?”

The healer, who had been summoned first thing in the morning and relentlessly grilled by Duke Ruthius and Alex, was finally able to escape after offering a colleague as a sacrifice.

I grabbed Alex, who was immediately preparing to go and capture the next healer.

“Alex! Why are you making such a big deal out of nothing?”

“That guy seemed like a quack. I need to bring another healer.”

“But you said he was the most famous healer in the capital!”

“Exactly! To think the most famous healer in the capital was a quack. I never would have imagined it!”

“…”

Should I hit him?