Chapter 21

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 22

Chapter Title: The Golden Lion's Treasure and the Polluted Water (6)

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Roxiana paused beside Jewelry's bed, gazing down at the child for a moment before bowing toward Hexston. Her platinum hair cascaded softly, draping over his shoulder.

"I might be able to heal the child, Sir Lenadro."

For the first time, hope flickered in Hexston's eyes upon hearing those words.

"You can heal her?"

"Nonsense!"

The sharp outburst came from Arsen, who had been silently observing the situation until then.

"Don't delude a grief-stricken father with empty words. False hope is nothing but poison!"

Roxiana turned a piercing gaze toward Arsen, who was condemning her so harshly.

"Are you certain of that?"

"What?"

"Are you so sure that my words are meaningless, that my hope is false, that I can't do anything to help these people?"

Roxiana was still gaunt and pale. Leaning forward to whisper in Hexston's ear, her posture was unsteady.

Yet something inexplicable sealed Arsen's lips. He could scarcely believe he had been overwhelmed by this small, frail woman.

"Even if you can't believe it, even if you can't accept it, shouldn't we try something in such a desperate situation? Are you dismissing a father's desperate grasp at any straw simply because you dislike my presence?"

"Let her try, my lord."

Hexston spoke up.

"My lord, please... Anything. Our Jewelry... Our child... Our daughter, ah..."

Hexston roughly wiped his tears away with both hands, scrubbing his face.

"Let me do something, anything."

Floyd clenched his fist, staring intently at Roxiana.

He couldn't believe that this woman, who until recently had seemed so weary of life she wanted nothing more than to die, was now stepping into this scene and confronting the knights. And strangely, he found himself expecting that she might actually pull it off.

'Kanta's princess.'

Roxiana, having resolved to act, was utterly different from the woman who had confined herself in the lily palace. Though she wore the same face and clothes, she seemed like an entirely different person.

Her voice was still soft and faint, yet it commanded the atmosphere.

"Very well, Princess. I don't know what you plan to do, but give it a try."

With Floyd's permission finally granted, Roxiana visibly relaxed and spoke.

"Please leave only the patients behind and everyone else, go out."

"No, that won't do."

Kirshan stated firmly.

Kirshan knew all too well how desperately Roxiana longed for death, so he feared she might attempt a murder-suicide with the patients.

Without even glancing at Kirshan, Roxiana looked up at Floyd and said,

"It'll only take a moment. I won't have time to kill everyone, nor to kill myself. It might get a bit noisy, but once the commotion ends, so will this ordeal. It may sound like a pipe dream, but since you've decided to give me a chance, trust me. A ruler of a nation must be bold in a gamble once it's begun—what say you, Your Highness?"

In that instant, Floyd recalled Roxiana's words about becoming a brazen witch.

'I thought she meant a witch in bed.'

No, that wasn't it. Each of Roxiana's words right now pierced Floyd's heart like the enchanting whispers of a siren.

It felt as though he were glimpsing fragments of the beloved Franche princess cherished by the people of Kanta. The Roxiana in Floyd's memories was a young, cheerful girl who would pout at her brothers' teasing, but she had lived through times he knew nothing of and become a quiet, gentle, yet resolute woman.

Lucas had shattered that woman, but Roxiana had gathered the fragments of her broken shell and now stood here, ready to help children and servants who meant nothing to her.

Floyd believed she wouldn't die here with the patients.

"Leave only the patients and everyone else, out."

"My lord!"

"Your Highness..."

Confused voices rose here and there, but Floyd was unyielding.

"Get out now!"

The people cast uneasy glances at Roxiana as they filed out of the treatment room. Kirshan followed the doctors and pharmacists, then the knight captains. As Floyd turned to leave, Hexston said to Roxiana,

"I'll stay here..."

"Rest assured, Sir Lenadro."

Roxiana met Hexston's eyes and added in a whisper meant only for him.

"Even if it costs my life, I'll save this child."

Once everyone had left, only the groaning patients remained in the treatment room. Those tainted by demonic energy were still unconscious.

Roxiana whispered to the flower vase in her arms.

"What should I do now?"

"Tell me quickly. How do I summon Undine?"

A brief silence made Roxiana anxious. Just as she was about to press again, a response came.

Despite hearing she might die several times, Roxiana didn't hesitate. Her desire to meet Undine overflowed.

Roxiana hugged the vase close and said,

"Undine."

At first, she thought nothing had happened. But soon, she sensed the air change. The humidity rose, making it hard to breathe.

As beads of moisture formed on Roxiana's skin, suddenly breathing became easy again, and a translucent figure appeared before her eyes.

A transparent humanoid form about the size of two palms pressed together floated in the air, its gender ambiguous.

The translucent figure cried out in a voice clearer than that of the low-rank spirits.

It was hard to keep up with the torrent of words. But Roxiana could tell Undine held her in great affection.

Cautiously, Roxiana reached out. Though it looked transparent, her fingers didn't pass through. Something moist and water-rich touched the tips precisely.

It hadn't been a hundred years, but Roxiana saw no need to correct her. That wasn't what mattered now.

"People are dying."

At those words, Undine turned her translucent body to survey the treatment room.

Undine was strangely kind to Roxiana, but her tone toward others dripped with hostility.

"Can you heal them?"

Thank goodness.

Roxiana said urgently,

"Then help them."

"What?"

"I don't mind dying. So please..."

As Undine began to fade, preparing to leave, Roxiana grabbed her arm. Undine looked down at the arm Roxiana held.

Roxiana pulled Undine straight into her embrace. Something cold pierced through her dress, touching her skin. It felt like dampness seeping into her flesh.

The translucent form vanished. In that moment, Roxiana felt as if her insides were freezing over. The voice that had come from outside now echoed in her mind.

Roxiana had never learned how to wield a spirit's power. Most spirit mages had died long ago, so even her mother, Angelia, didn't know the methods.

Yet Roxiana instinctively knew how to use the Undine now within her. Her green eyes gleamed brightly as she surveyed the patients in the room and declared,

"I don't care, even if I die."

Banished to the corridor, the group stared grimly at the treatment room door. For a while, no sound came from within.

Adrian was dissatisfied with the situation but didn't dare complain to Floyd, who stood with arms crossed, glaring like a tiger. Instead, he whispered to the more approachable Kain.

"Our lord has lost his mind."

Kain shrugged.

The only time Kain had seen Roxiana was when they rescued her from the merchant ship, and that was the last. Since then, he'd only heard stories, so he'd merely pitied her.

A princess betrayed by her fiancé, losing her family, her country, and reduced to slavery. A pitiful woman even the grand duke's servants saw as a thorn in their side.

To Kain, who was endlessly soft toward the weak, Roxiana was more than worthy of sympathy.

'Sympathy, what...'

The Roxiana he saw today was utterly different from his memories. Tall and slender, emaciated, yet she possessed a quiet dignity.

'To silence Arsen like that.'