Episode 50

“Miss, do you mean to say that you also have Lisbeth’s disease?”

It was a well-known fact among the nobles that the granddaughter of the Drenihan family was suffering from an incurable disease. It was only natural that Peter, who had spent his time in the distant borders, was unaware.

“Forgive me, Miss. I spoke thoughtlessly without knowing your situation….”

Peter stammered, clearly flustered. He had spoken without realizing what tragic fate awaited someone like me in my early twenties.

“I’m sure a cure will be developed soon. It’s too late for me, but….”

“No, it’s alright. I’m already aware of these things.”

“Miss….”

When I smiled and spoke, Peter looked at me with pity.

Peter possessed incredible talent, but his fate led him to live a life of despair due to his impending early death. I, too, felt similarly until recently.

That was why I felt I understood him so well.

His remaining time was likely very short.

I wanted to find a cure before it was too late.

Not just for myself, but for people like him.

“Don’t give up, Peter. It may sound like a hollow comfort, but I still hold on to hope.”

I knew it was just a comfort for now.

‘I must find the doctor and develop the cure as soon as possible.’

Peter smiled faintly at my words.

“Thank you, Miss.”

He handed me the jewel he was holding.

I accepted the ‘Tear of the Sun’ somewhat hesitantly.

“But I really want you to have this jewel. Especially after our conversation.”

His face was brighter than before.

“My life has been a series of gloomy days. It worsened as time passed.”

“Peter….”

“I entered the gladiatorial tournament to leave my mark. But after meeting you, my perspective has changed a bit.”

He looked at me earnestly.

“You have given me a sense of hope I had long forgotten. My heart feels lighter than it has in years.”

“If my words brought you any hope, I’m glad.”

“Well then, I should return home. I will never forget what happened today.”

“Before you go, can you give me your address? In case I find a medicine that shows promise, I’d like to contact you.”

“Of course!”

Peter handed me a piece of paper with his address written on it, thanked me once more, and left the room.

“I never thought I’d meet someone in the same situation as me in a place like this.”

In the original story, Peter was only mentioned briefly in Lucion’s dialogue. It was surprising that someone as skilled as him was only a minor character mentioned in passing, but now I understood why.

“…….”

Arzen looked troubled.

Meeting a patient who had become so seriously ill that he couldn’t even use one arm seemed to weigh heavily on his mind.

“Cheer up, Arzen. Peter found hope, so why are you more worried?”

I chuckled, and Arzen forced a smile.

“At least you no longer look like you’ve given up.”

“Thanks to you. Because of your efforts. And Peter too….”

I tightly grasped the ‘Tear of the Sun’ in my hand.

* * *

By the time the gladiatorial tournament ended, the sky had already turned a beautiful shade of sunset.

The nobles, who had moved to the royal palace for the evening banquet, couldn’t stop talking about the tournament winner and Sierra Drenihan.

Among them was Orzen’s family.

“Can you believe it? Did Sierra use some kind of trick?” Orzen’s voice was filled with disbelief.

“98 million gold… That’s an insane amount. She must be incredibly lucky,” muttered Calik.

Having traveled from the distant south to the capital, they had missed the tournament but arrived just in time for the banquet.

It was hard to believe at first, but the rumors were true: Sierra had won 98 million gold.

“Good grief…”

“Is this really the time to be worrying about that? Get your head together.”

Beth scolded Orzen, nudging him with her elbow.

“This is the last chance Father has given us. If we mess this up, it’s over for both of us.”

Beth mimed cutting her throat with her thumb.

“Alright, I get it.”

They lowered their voices as they entered the Becklu Palace where the banquet was held.

An attendant announced their arrival loudly.

“Announcing Viscount Douglas and Viscountess Douglas, along with their son, Calik Drenihan!”

Beth hated being referred to as Viscountess, but she knew this would be over soon if they succeeded today.

She bit her lip and entered the hall.

* * *

“Your foresight is truly remarkable. I could never have guessed he would win….”

“What did you see in him that made you choose him…?”

“Would you consider investing in our magical tool development project…?”

People kept approaching me with questions, making it difficult to move forward.

Originally, I had planned to take my winnings from the tournament and leave, but here I was.

[The Crown Prince requests your presence at the evening banquet.]

Lucion had personally sent a message through an attendant, making it hard to refuse.

And this was the result.

As I made my way through the crowd with polite responses, the sound of soft string music began, and the doors opened.

“Announcing His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, His Highness the Crown Prince Lucion, and His Highness Prince Theodore!”

The people before me stepped back to make way for the royal family.

The Emperor walked to his throne, looking down at the crowd with a commanding presence.

He raised his glass of wine and spoke loudly.

“Raise your heads and enjoy the evening banquet.”

The music changed, signaling the official start of the banquet.

Men and women paired off, dancing gracefully in the hall.

I was planning to spend some time and then leave when a soft voice spoke beside me.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Sierra Drenihan.”

It was none other than Lucion.

“It’s an honor to meet the Empire’s small sun.”

“Such grand greetings are unnecessary.”

He laughed and extended his hand.

“Would you honor me with a dance?”

It was an invitation I couldn’t refuse.

Refusing the Crown Prince’s dance would be unthinkable, so I took his hand.

“Of course.”

As we moved to the center of the hall, others naturally stepped aside.

As we danced to the music, Lucion spoke to me.

“Why did you choose Peter, my lady?”

I knew this question would come. I had heard it dozens of times already.

“People don’t believe me when I say it was a hunch. But Peter’s eyes were different from the other gladiators. I sensed his experience.”

I explained with plausible-sounding reasoning.

Whether he believed it or not was another matter, but I couldn’t exactly reveal that I already knew.

“You have a keen eye for people.”

Lucion’s tone was amused.

He didn’t seem entirely convinced.

“Actually, I brought him here.”

“The Crown Prince did?”

That was a surprise.

So, he knew about Peter’s skills beforehand.

Then why…

“Why didn’t you choose Peter then?”

“If no one had chosen Peter, I would have written his name. But you beat me to it.”

I couldn’t understand.

Lucion was the future Emperor.

If he had chosen Peter, people would have praised his foresight.

Sensing my confusion, Lucion continued.

“There should only be one winner. Both inside and outside the arena. If there are multiple winners, people’s interest diminishes. It wasn’t meaningful enough for me, so I acted on a whim.”

Was he always this unpredictable?

Perhaps he was different before meeting Jenna, but knowing he was this capricious made me wary.

“I heard Peter gave you the ‘Tear of the Sun.'”

“How did you…”

“I heard it from him directly. I won’t mention it elsewhere to avoid trouble.”

He chuckled as if amused.

His crimson eyes were unreadable.

It felt completely different from dancing with Ludwig.

The song was nearing its end.

“There is a legend about the ‘Tear of the Sun.’ It’s not well-known, so you may not have heard it.”

“A legend?”

“The jewel’s owner is said to be cursed by an evil dragon. Until now, it was in the hands of the royal family, but now it’s yours….”

“…….”

“I hope you don’t suffer the same fate as us.”

He spoke with a meaningful smile.