In the end, Kailas, who took all the swindler’s property, handed over all the deeds and promissory notes of the swindler’s house to the belatedly arrived Banessa.
“Take good care of this. Make sure not to miss a single one and handle them well.”
“Sis, what is this?”
“This is what you need to return to the owners.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, give that to me. It belongs to Irene.”
Kailas took out the promissory note that the doctor had given for the mansion and returned it to him. The doctor, holding Irene, shed tears like chicken droppings.
“Kailas, how can I ever repay this grace…”
Kailas, who was silent for a moment, suddenly spoke.
“Doctor, can I join the hospital too?”
“Huh? Aren’t you in the palace right now?”
“That’s right, but I’m planning to leave the palace.”
“Oh.”
“I was thinking of seeing patients until things settle down. What do you think?”
“Oh my! I would, of course, be delighted!”
“Then please take good care of me. Irene, take care.”
“Wow! Is sister going to live with us too?”
Irene hugged Kailas tightly.
“Yes, for a while.”
Kailas smiled gently.
The anxiety she had felt seemed to ease just a little. It was probably because she proved her worth by helping the doctor and Irene today.
Deciding to work at the doctor’s hospital was impulsive, but it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
‘Let’s think about my future while seeing patients for a while. If I work hard, maybe I can be of some help to Leticia.’
Kailas hoped she could live a different life than in the wretched Holy Empire.
* * *
With Kailas joining, the establishment of the doctor’s hospital progressed smoothly.
Despite going through such a major ordeal, the doctor almost got scammed a few more times but luckily avoided it.
The hospital was established by renovating an old two-story mansion in the outskirts. Though not very large, it was enough to receive patients.
The doctor offered Kailas the position of co-director, but she declined. Though she had helped establish it, the hospital was ultimately the doctor’s. Just borrowing a small office until her future was certain was sufficient.
Perhaps because of the previous events, the hospital was bustling with people from the first day it opened.
That day, Mano came to see Kailas. She came to get treatment for the mental illness she had been suffering from. Meeting Mano for the first time since their night walk, Kailas greeted her nervously.
Fortunately, Mano remembered Kailas.
“Baby, we meet here again. Your eyes are still so beautiful today. They look like stars shining.”
“Thank you for remembering me, Madam Mano.”
Mano smiled brightly.
“Of course I remember. I also heard that you punished a bad person.”
She was referring to Kailas catching the swindler who had deceived the doctor.
“Oh, did you also hear the rumors, Madam Mano?”
“Yes! A hundred times! I told everyone I know about you. You are truly amazing.”
“…Haha. I see.”
Kailas’ face turned red.
The showdown with the swindler had spread throughout the entire capital in the blink of an eye. Not only had it spread, but it had been tremendously exaggerated.
The rumor was about the Healing Wing who subdued the swindler with just a look! She didn’t even use the power of her wings! A noble and great person, unlike the priests of the empire!
Kailas felt incredibly embarrassed that such rumors were spreading. Despite the incident, she wanted to live quietly. Just like the small clinic she used to have, she wished to see patients in a small room.
‘It seems that living quietly is already out of the question.’
It was her own doing, so who could she blame? If even the Queen Dowager Mano knew, it meant everyone who needed to know already knew. Kailas couldn’t help but laugh.
She soon adjusted Mano’s posture and began the treatment.
“Madam Mano, please hold my hand tightly. It might feel a bit strange. But don’t be scared, okay? You can do it, right?”
“Of course!”
After checking Mano’s vitality, Kailas carefully infused her healing power. Since Mano had suffered from a mental illness for a long time, she had to approach it more cautiously than treating physical wounds.
“Ouch!”
But as soon as she infused the healing power, Mano let out a scream as if she had been burned and made a grimace while holding onto her hand.
“M-Madam Mano?”
Kailas was shocked and froze at the completely unexpected situation.
“M-Madam Mano, are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Her hands trembled as she checked Mano’s condition out of sheer shock.
Mano was the first patient she had since coming to the Principality. It was her first indication of whether she could live a different life from the past. As a member of Leticia’s family, she was the most important patient.
The thought that she might have hurt Mano made her feel like crying in fear.
Mano shook her head with her eyebrows drooping.
“It doesn’t hurt, but it feels weird.”
“What?”
“It felt strange. Cold and ticklish, anyway, strange.”
“Oh.”
Kailas, whose face had turned pale, let out a short sigh.
“I’m so sorry, Madam Mano. I infused the healing power too suddenly. Since it’s your first time experiencing the healing power, I should have adjusted it. I’m sorry.”
Kailas, who was blaming herself, carefully held Mano’s hand.
“Can I try it once more?”
“The thing you did just now?”
“Yes. It’s the power of the wings. It will help you recover.”
“I don’t like it because it feels strange…”
Mano shook her head dejectedly and then smiled brightly, shaking Kailas’ hand.
“Baby, let’s stop this now and go on an outing with me? I’ll buy you a big candy. Okay?”
“Candy?”
“Yes, it’s very delicious. Have you ever had candy, Baby?”
“Uh… I have, but…”
What should she say next?
If it were Julia, she would have had the candy ready as soon as Mano mentioned it and gently coaxed her, saying, ‘You’ve had a delicious candy, so now please receive the treatment, Madam Mano!’
Not knowing Mano well and being far from delicate, Kailas felt at a loss on how to overcome this obstacle.
‘Does she mean she doesn’t want to receive treatment by mentioning an outing? Did I make a bad first impression of the healing power on her? I’m so sorry.’
Kailas was at a loss for words to persuade Mano, who was whining about going on an outing, when there was a knock on the door.
“May I come in for a moment?”
It was Julios, who had come as Mano’s guardian. Kailas quickly stood up from her seat. As Julios entered the consultation room, she awkwardly placed one hand on her stomach and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Her other hand was held by Mano, so she had no choice. Julios smiled warmly. His kind sky-blue eyes looked at her gently.
“I should have waited until the treatment was over. I’m sorry. It seemed like my mother was making things difficult for you, Kailas.”
“Not at all, Your Highness. It’s entirely my fault.”
“How could it be? Who is more skilled in healing than the Wing of Healing who uses the power of the goddess?”
“Oh, I apologize.”
Kailas bowed her head in confusion at Julios’s apology.
She already felt guilty towards Mano due to her clumsy treatment, and now facing Mano’s guardian, she couldn’t bear to lift her head.
“If you don’t mind, Kailas, can I try to persuade my mother?”
“Huh? Yes. Of course, Your Highness. Please go ahead.”
Kailas spoke stiffly.
She found Julios awkward.
The first time Kailas saw Julios was after he had been resurrected from death.
Kailas could only watch from a distance as Julios and the people around him shared the joy of reunion. The warm happiness that surrounded them was not something Kailas felt she deserved. She didn’t know Julios well, nor did she feel she belonged in such a happy atmosphere.
Even after coming to the Principality, her interactions with Julios were almost nonexistent.
Julios was a prince loved by everyone in the Principality, while Kailas was still a misfit wandering, unable to find her place.
Starting work at the hospital seemed to show a path forward, but it was clear it would take a long time to stand firmly. Considering the time she had spent isolated in the Holy Empire, it was even more so.
Julios knelt on one knee and held Mano’s frail hand.
“Mother, do you want to go on an outing with Kailas?”
“Yes. I want to give her a big candy. Wouldn’t that make her smile?”
Kailas flinched and touched the corner of her mouth.
‘Was my expression that bad?’
Julios gently soothed Mano.
“Of course, it would. But Mother, how about receiving treatment from Kailas first?”
“Treatment?”
“The healing power.”
“I don’t like strange things…”
“It might be unfamiliar, but it won’t be entirely strange. Leticia also received help from Kailas.”
“Leticia?”
“Yes. Leticia also received Kailas’s help. The healing power helped Leticia’s child grow healthy.”
Kailas watched the mother and son with a sense of unfamiliarity. Julios had barely said a few words, but Mano, who had been whining about going on an outing, had calmed down. She even smiled when talking about Leticia’s child.
‘Is it magic?’
Of course, it wasn’t, but considering how clumsy she had been in front of Mano just a moment ago, it seemed as impressive as magic.
As Mano seemed to settle down, Julios nodded slightly at Kailas. Kailas quickly sat down and reached out to Mano.
“Madam Mano, shall we try once more…?”
“Alright.”
Mano reluctantly extended her hand, but soon withdrew it and shook her head.
“No, I don’t want to.”
Then, as if she had lost all interest, Mano hummed a tune while looking out the window.
Kailas froze mid-motion, reaching out towards Mano.
‘Did I do something wrong again?’
Julios looked at Kailas with an awkward expression.
“I’m sorry, Kailas. Since it’s the first treatment, my mother seems to find it unfamiliar.”
“Oh, no. It’s my fault…”
As if dealing with Julios wasn’t awkward enough, she felt entirely at fault for Mano’s refusal of the treatment, and on top of that, trying to observe the etiquette for dealing with the Principality’s royalty made her break out in a cold sweat.
“Kailas, how about I receive the treatment with my mother?”
“What? Your Highness?”
“There’s no need to actually use the healing power. Just pretend to. If I do it with her, my mother might find it less unfamiliar. I heard Julia often used similar methods when our mother refused medicine.”
Julios sat next to Mano and slightly rolled up his sleeve. His sky-blue eyes were filled with an apologetic look.
“I know it’s an unreasonable request, but my mother really needs your power…”
“No, it’s a good idea. I’ll give it a try.”
Kailas already felt guilty towards Julios and Mano, so if she could resolve it this way, she couldn’t ask for more.
She cautiously took Julios’s hand and was slightly surprised by the cool yet firm touch. Despite not long since his resurrection, he already had calluses on his palms, indicating how diligently he had been training.
“Baby, are you playing hand-holding? I want to join too!”
Julios’s plan worked immediately. Mano, who had been looking out the window, beamed and grabbed Kailas’s hand. Julios also smiled and held Mano’s hand.
“Yes, Mother. We’re going to see who can hold hands the longest. How about we give a candy as a prize to the last person holding hands?”
“Great! I can win that.”
Mano answered excitedly, humming a tune and moving her hand cheerfully. Julios also responded warmly and gently to Mano.
Kailas found it challenging to keep a straight face while playing a hand-holding game she had never played even as a child. Julios and Mano’s bright, sunny image made it even harder. Her gloomy outfit of the day made the contrast starker.
‘Focus. Focus.’
Kailas carefully infused healing power into Mano’s body.
This opportunity could not be missed.
Fortunately, the treatment ended well.
A significant gain was that Mano no longer found the healing power awkward.
“Baby, I’ll bring some candy next time. Will we meet again?”
“Yes, Madam Mano.”
Mano’s treatment wouldn’t end with just one session. Healing a mental illness was harder than treating physical wounds, and Mano’s condition was so long-standing that it required a long time.
After Julios and Mano left, Kailas slumped back in her chair. Despite not having done anything particularly special other than Mano excitedly waving her hands, she felt exhausted. She had been tense throughout Mano’s consultation, which added to her fatigue.
‘…But how can someone be so bright? It’s amazing.’
Kailas rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. Julios was helping Mano into the carriage with a gentle smile.
‘Is it because he was born with such brightness?’
Julios had been resurrected from death. While everyone celebrated his resurrection, Kailas wondered if it was truly a good thing. Being resurrected meant he had experienced a tragic death once. How could he be so bright after such a horrifying experience?
‘If I had gone through the same thing, could I have smiled like that?’
The answer was simple. Kailas would never have been able to smile as brightly as Julios. Thinking about how she had sunk into despair for years after losing her father, it was even more evident. Although she had recovered now, it wasn’t something she had achieved on her own. If Leticia hadn’t appeared, Kailas would have remained submerged in the swamp.
‘I’m envious.’
Kailas let out a small laugh and clenched her fist. She still remembered the sensation of holding Julios’s hand.
‘What can I do? That’s the extent of my capacity.’
He was someone fundamentally different from her. Not in terms of status, but in the strength of their inner selves, which was incomparable.
Julios was like the moon or stars that illuminated the night sky. No matter how dark the night, it lost its power before him.
On the other hand, she was just a weed struggling to grow in the shade.
She humbly acknowledged the difference and put aside her thoughts about Julios.
…So, at that time, she couldn’t even imagine.
How someone who shone like the moon in the unreachable sky could eventually seep into the shade where a single weed barely managed to survive.
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