Episode 119

Even though I acted on my feelings…

I still found myself looking down at Ludwig, who was unmoving in my arms.

He was holding me tightly, as if he wouldn’t allow even the smallest gap between us.

It almost felt like he was sulking, saying I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere anymore.

“…….”

I decided to just stay like that for a little longer.

I couldn’t bring myself to ask if he had been doing well.

Anyone would feel the same after seeing how much Ludwig had changed in just half a month.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Instead, I gently ran my fingers through his fine hair and asked.

I had heard the rough version from Askan, but Ludwig would know the details best.

“Ludwig.”

“…After you collapsed like that, countless wizards and physicians came and went. But none of them could find a clear cause.”

His low voice tickled my ear.

“It wasn’t your illness. It wasn’t poison. There was only one thing left.”

“…A curse.”

I heard his teeth grind quietly.

I couldn’t see his face because he was holding me, but I could feel the quiet rage seeping from him.

Even knowing it wasn’t directed at me, it still gave me chills.

Feeling my faint shudder, Ludwig quickly reined in his killing intent and continued.

“…It was an ancient curse, layered and tangled in countless ways. After much work, Queensbury and I figured out how to break it. We finally managed it just yesterday.”

“…….”

A few concise words, hiding what must have been an incredibly difficult process.

I tilted my head back to look up at Ludwig’s face.

Dark shadows underlined his eyes, proof he hadn’t slept properly for days.

‘How does someone manage to look handsome even with dark circles…?’

The cold, exhausted beauty of it made him look even more devastatingly attractive — but considering the situation, I held myself back from admiring him too much.

“Thank you, Ludwig. I don’t know why I always end up relying on you like this.”

Really, what am I even worth?

According to Askan, Ludwig had stabilized and no longer needed an imprint to suppress his rage.

At first, I had helped calm him down a few times, but that wasn’t necessary anymore.

Leaving his side was supposed to be the way to help him now.

Ludwig gently brushed my hair and spoke in a low voice.

“Sierra, you are my imprinted one.”

“…….”

Despite having hidden it for so long, his voice was steady and without hesitation.

I had already known it — but hearing it directly from Ludwig felt completely different.

“But you are far more than that to me.”

His lips curved into a soft, natural smile.

“From the night when you found me, under that pouring rain, I can say without exaggeration… it was then that I truly began to live.”

“…….”

His clear, unwavering gaze captured me.

If there were such a thing as pure white, it would be like him.

While I had been busy hiding my feelings, Ludwig spoke his heart openly and without shame — enough to make me feel embarrassed for my own cowardice.

“I kept the imprint a secret because…”

“I know. You were afraid it would burden me, weren’t you?”

I lifted my hand and gently touched the mark engraved near Ludwig’s collarbone.

“And I had already suspected it, faintly. It was strange. The imprint always showed signs when we were together.”

“…Aren’t you burdened? By such a one-sided bond?”

“It would be a lie to say I wasn’t at least a little overwhelmed…”

I met his gaze directly as I answered.

“But there’s a part of me that’s glad, too. It means I occupy that big of a space in your heart.”

“I would say you occupy nearly all of it.”

“…I’m still not used to you being this honest.”

Ludwig’s tense face softened slightly at my teasing words, as if relieved.

“But Ludwig, your arm…”

I squirmed a bit in his embrace.

At first, it was fine, but staying pressed against him for so long made my arm start to ache.

“Ah.”

Ludwig immediately loosened his arms, which had been holding me tightly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize… Were you very uncomfortable?”

I stared at Ludwig — who looked completely flustered — and thought to myself,

‘Hah, I don’t even know anymore.’

I had reached the limits of pretending to stay calm and composed.

I cupped his face with both hands and pulled him close.

“Sierra?”

From just a hand’s width away, his golden eyes caught mine delicately.

“Ludwig, let me make one mistake too.”

Smooch—

I pressed a kiss onto his cheek.

At that, Ludwig’s eyes slowly widened.

I squeezed my eyes shut and left the clumsy, inexperienced kiss on his cheek.

Then Ludwig, who had been frozen stiff, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing?”

Embarrassed, my face burning, I buried my head against him.

Ludwig laughed again, sounding genuinely happy.

“May I consider that an answer to my confession from last time?”

“…Something like that.”

He immediately cupped my face and placed a light kiss on my cheek, mirroring mine.

“I must be the happiest man in the world right now.”

His voice was so beautiful as he said that, I closed my eyes.

The fragile, ambiguous relationship between us had changed.

By simply following my heart, without overthinking, I found myself holding his hand.

A hand that felt like it would never let go — nor would I ever want it to.

* * *

“I’m truly relieved, my lady.”

Robert had come to visit, holding Sharon’s hand as she sniffled beside him.

Because I was under strict orders to stay absolutely still, I had to greet Robert and Sharon from my bed.

“Big sis, you really scared me that day.”

“I’m sorry, Sharon. I made everyone worry.”

“It’s not your fault, my lady.”

I turned to Robert and asked,

“More importantly, what happened with the Lisbeth cure?”

Robert pulled a glass vial from the bag slung over his shoulder, its contents shimmering with an odd glow.

“I thought you might ask, so I brought it with me.”

“Is that…?”

“I spent several days pouring all my energy into the research, believing that you would definitely wake up.”

Robert smiled confidently.

“We can administer it at any time.”

I took the glass vial from his hand.

It was hard to believe that what I had longed for so desperately was now finally in my grasp.

“Sharon already took the medicine and completely recovered from Lisbeth.”

At Robert’s words, Sharon nodded enthusiastically.

“You should drink it too, big sis!”

Without hesitation, I opened the vial and drank the contents in one go.

A wildly bitter liquid slid down my throat.

“Ugh, ugh….”

I grimaced at the unbearable bitterness, and Sharon, clearly understanding my pain, quickly handed me a candy.

“Haha, it’s very bitter, isn’t it? I didn’t really worry about the taste.”

“That was really too much, Father. I almost passed out drinking it too.”

“As long as it works, that’s what matters.”

I popped the candy into my mouth, trying to wash away the lingering bitterness.

“So, is it done now?”

“Yes. It’s over now, my lady.”

Robert nodded with a bright, relieved smile, as if a huge burden had finally been lifted.

“You really worked hard. Thank you, Robert.”

“……Honestly, at first, I thought a foolish young lady had come knocking.”

He smiled a little as he looked at me.

“Because you asked me to solve something that seemed absolutely impossible.”

“But now, I know you were right. Thank you for trusting me and giving me a chance.”

When I first met Robert, he had been consumed with guilt for failing to save his wife.

Even working as a street doctor seemed like a punishment to him.

But now, there was no trace of regret left in his eyes.

“What do you plan to do next? If you want, Robert, you’re welcome to keep using the research lab.”

Robert was a once-in-a-generation genius physician.

‘I’m sure he’ll continue achieving milestones that will go down in history.’

“I’m more than willing to continue sponsoring you.”

At my words, Robert smiled warmly.

“…It would be hard to find a more reliable sponsor than you, my lady.”

He bowed his head deeply.

“I look forward to working with you in the future, my lady.”

* * *

After Robert and Sharon left, I lay in bed, lost in thought.

Robert’s parting words seemed to echo in my ears.

[Be careful of those around you, my lady. I’m sure you’ve already heard from His Grace, but the person who cast the curse on you is likely someone closer than you think.]

A curse strong enough to expel a soul couldn’t have been cast from afar.

‘That means… it had to happen at a distance close enough for direct contact.’

Just who could have cast a curse on me?