“What’s with you, trying to find out everything about our Sapphire?”
When I stared at him intently, Aslan’s expression became even more bewildered.
“It’s true that she’s beautiful, but that’s not enough to make me fall in love with her. Isn’t that obvious?”
“Then why do you keep trying to dig into her background?”
“What digging? I’m just asking because I’m curious.”
“So why are you curious?”
“I’m curious, what more reason do I need? If you’re a mage, why are you asking such foolish questions?”
“…….”
Aslan was right; curiosity and a thirst for knowledge were the foremost qualities required to become a mage.
Still, something didn’t feel right. After spending 20 years as a family, it felt odd for him to say that.
“Is there really no other reason?”
“That’s right.”
“Then promise. Promise that you won’t investigate her separately.”
“…….”
Seeing Aslan hesitate momentarily in his response, I frowned.
“Look at this. You were planning to investigate after all.”
“….Eila.”
“I told you. Sapphire is my friend. How do you think I’d feel if my friend was constantly being doubted like that?”
“That’s why I’m doing it.”
Aslan said in a low voice.
“What do you mean?”
“I think you really care about that woman named Sapphire, and that’s bothering me.”
“…….”
As I hesitated and lost my words, Aslan wiped his mouth with a napkin and continued.
“Thinking about it, there are more than one or two suspicious points. Being a commoner-born mage, the fact that she’s so beautiful, and yet still unmarried and living alone… And then there’s the fact that we still don’t know exactly who cast a curse so severe that it would take this long to break.”
“…I explained that earlier when Viscount Doanne was here. About Sapphire being attacked by an unknown man…”
“Doesn’t that story seem too convenient? The attacker’s identity is unknown, and she has no clear memory of what had happened. Moreover, it’s a sensitive incident for others to pry. It clearly sounds like a lie.”
“…….”
It was just as I had worried.
Deceiving Aslan was not an easy task. Especially when it came to matters involving me, he was persistent in probing for the truth.
But I couldn’t reveal Clyde’s true story as it was. That was absolutely impossible.
How much I trusted and cherished Aslan was an entirely separate issue.
So I made an unavoidable choice.
“…Is it because Sapphire is a commoner?”
At my words, Aslan furrowed his brows slightly.
“Eila.”
“That’s right. You were like that last night too. You said you didn’t like the idea of me taking it upon myself to nurse a commoner. You said to think of the difference in status.”
“No, Eila, I…”
“I’m truly disappointed, big brother.”
“…….”
Aslan’s face hardened.
His demeanor was reminiscent of our father more than any other time before.
“I never knew that my older brother, Aslan, could be so narrow-minded. I never thought you would judge people solely based on their status and question their qualifications like this. Sapphire may not be a noble, but she’s a good friend to me. We enjoy talking together, and she understands me well. Do you really have to suspect my friend, who is truly one of the very few, just because she’s a commoner? Just because of that one reason?”
“…….”
Aslan’s face was nearly expressionless, his lips tightly sealed.
Yet, in the depths of his somber eyes, I could discern the hurt he was feeling.
It was incredibly rare for Aslan to exhibit such a gaze.
That was because Aslan was an extraordinarily strong individual even among us siblings. He was someone who hardly wavered or got hurt over trivial matters.
An exception, a rare instance within Aslan’s seemingly unbreakable exterior… yes, it would only be for his one and only cherished little sister, no one else.
“Never doubt Sapphire in front of me again. Don’t even think about secretly investigating people. If I find out you did that… I won’t see you again, ever.”
“…….”
I stood up from the dining table and left the room. Tess panicked and hurried after me.
“Miss, wait….”
“I’m going to rest. You don’t need to bring clothes, and you should rest too, Tess.”
“…….”
Leaving Tess, who seemed unsure of what to do, behind, I entered my room and closed the door.
The room was filled with the furniture that Aslan had been moving around since morning. At a glance, it could easily be mistaken for my own room in the mansion.
Without even changing my clothes, I collapsed onto the bed.
‘…I’m sorry, Brother Aslan.’
There was no way I could have missed Aslan’s sincerity.
I couldn’t deny that all the suspicion towards Clyde was driven purely by his concern for me.
I knew better than anyone else that Aslan was not as bad as I had just labeled him.
And there was no one who knew this better than me. No one could match this degree of loyalty and affection. Without Aslan, I might not have made it to Andela at all.
But I had no choice.
I couldn’t think of any other way to stop Aslan from investigating Clyde.
With my eyes tightly closed, I suppressed the rising urge to cry.
I had no right to cry.
* * * * *
It took another two days after that for the curse to be lifted.
Viscount Doanne returned to his residence every night, turning into a shadow, and Clyde fell into a deep slumber as if losing consciousness.
I couldn’t help but truly understand how scary is acurse.
Aslan and I hardly exchanged words during that time.
Come to think of it, we rarely argued even when we were younger. Unlike my other brothers, Aslan and I were only two years apart, so we should have clashed more often, but we didn’t.
Though it pained me whenever I saw Aslan, I couldn’t back down this time.
All the sacrifices I had made with a heavy heart would be in vain otherwise.
That evening, while sweating profusely as he recited incantations, Viscount Doanne suddenly dropped to one knee.
“Viscount Doanne!”
I was taken aback and rushed to his side.
“Are you all right? I think you should get some rest….”
“…It’s done.”
“What?”
“I’ve… completed the ritual.”
As I lifted my head, the blinding white light that had been radiating from the magic circle for the past few days disappeared like a lifting fog.
I hurried over to Clyde.
As I brushed aside his collar, the cursed mark that had been near the nape of his neck was completely gone, as if it had never been there.
Without realizing it, I let out a small cheer.
“Sapphire, are you okay? Open your eyes. Can you see me now?”
“…….”
Clyde remained leaning against me, then slowly opened his blurry eyes.
I looked into his eyes with anticipation.
However, Clyde’s pupils still lacked focus.
“…Sapphire, talk to me. Can you see me?”
“…….”
Clyde bit his lip softly and shook his head.
In an instant, I felt as if all the blood drained from my body.
“…Wasn’t the curse lifted?”
I turned to Viscount Doanne and asked in a trembling voice.
“The curse itself has been completely removed. There should be no further progression of the curse to the point of losing her remaining senses. However…”
Viscount Doanne paused for a moment, his words trailing off.
“However…?”
“As I mentioned before, due to the nature of the Lauchauri style spell there’s a possibility that the effects the curse had on his body may not return.”
“Does that mean that Sapphire will have to live in this state forever?”
Viscount Doanne quickly shook his head in response.
“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s merely a possibility. At this point, right after the spell’s completion, there’s a chance that over time, his lost senses might gradually return.”
“…So there’s nothing we can do about it, other than just wait it out?”
“As far as I know, that seems to be the case. I’m sorry.”
“…….”
It felt like my chest was tightening, making it hard to breathe.
I lowered my head with clenched fists and forced out the voice that wouldn’t come out.
“…There’s no need for Viscount Doanne to apologize. You’ve done your best.”
I straightened my knees and stood up, giving a formal gesture of gratitude to Viscount Doanne.
“Thank you very much, Viscount Doanne. Viscount Doane, I, Eila Rojasis will never forget this favor, and should the time ever come when you need the strength of me or the Duke of Rojasis, I will do my best to help you in any way I can.”
“…I am flattered to hear you say that, and I apologize for not delivering the results you were hoping for.”
Viscount Doanne lowered his head to me in response.
Aslan, who had been observing from behind, slowly approached.
“I’ll take care of the Viscount. Eila, make sure to look after your friend.”
“…….”
I nodded, then turned to Clyde.
Seeing Clyde slump in the chair with a vacant expression, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.
‘…No, I can’t jump to conclusions. He said there’s a possibility that his senses might return over time. And if that’s not the case… I’ll find a solution. I’ll find a way, no matter what.’
𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊
