HTNSA 31

Chapter 31

“Ah, so you really didn’t know.”

Eila let out a bitter smile.

“I’m a commoner now. I have nothing to do with the Blanche family anymore.”

“…What do you mean? How can a noble lady of the Blanche family suddenly become a commoner?”

“It’s a long story. The noble lady of the Blanche family you’re referring to is now over there—Roshia.”

At Eila’s words, Peony’s face gradually turned red. She had realized Eila wasn’t joking.

Still, Eila didn’t falter and stared straight into Peony’s eyes.

“I heard you were very sick recently and couldn’t attend the academy. You only just recovered a few days ago, right?”

“…”

“I can understand why you wouldn’t know what happened in the Blanche family, especially if you’ve been cut off from outside news.”

At that, Peony’s lips tightened.

Her poor health was already widely known.

But the fact that she had been so ill she nearly died—that was a secret she hadn’t even told her family.

‘Then how does Eila know that? Especially now that she’s just a commoner?’

While Peony stood frozen in confusion, Eila’s smile deepened.

“And one more thing… I also know how to cure your illness.”

“What?”

Peony frowned at the absurd statement.

Had she been more hot-tempered, she would have snapped at Eila on the spot.

The Imperial Family had done everything in its power to cure her disease.

But even the most renowned doctors and mages in the empire had failed to find a solution.

And now Eila claimed she could?

It was utterly incomprehensible.

“Are you making fun of me right now…?”

“Don’t forget to take the potion we made today.”

Cutting Peony off, Eila casually handed over the magic potion they had crafted in class.

As Professor Jayce had praised, it shimmered with a brilliant golden glow.

“We made it together, so we should share it.”

Peony glared suspiciously, but Eila just smiled with ease.

“If you’re interested in what I said, come to the western annex of the academy by evening three days from now.”

“Oh, and come alone.”

Without waiting for a response, Eila walked away.

Three days passed faster than expected.

In that time, Peony still hadn’t made up her mind.

She tried hard to erase Eila’s words from her memory.

‘How could a mere student possibly cure my illness?’

Peony’s illness was considered incurable.

It was a rare disease with no known cause or treatment.

She had tried everything to endure the sudden bouts of pain.

But nothing worked. Her condition worsened, and the intervals between the pain grew shorter.

And now someone claimed there was a cure?

Peony couldn’t bring herself to believe Eila.

‘She’s probably trying to deceive me.’

She clenched her fists.

After magic potion class, she had learned through her maid what had happened to the Blanche family.

The girl who had been treated as a noble lady all this time turned out to be a fake—switched at birth by her nanny.

‘Backed into a corner, she’s clearly just trying to cause some drama.’

Recalling Eila’s brazen attitude despite becoming a commoner only made her angrier.

Yet, Eila’s words kept echoing in her mind.

“I know how to cure your illness.”

…It couldn’t be true, and yet—what if it was?

What if a way truly existed to escape this dreadful pain that struck without warning?

Her gaze fell on the bottle of golden liquid peeking out of her bag.

A chill crept through her chest.

Just then, her maid, standing nearby, spoke with concern.

“Your Highness, you look pale. Maybe you overdid it today. Perhaps you should’ve rested longer.”

Peony silently looked at her.

Her maid, Lona, had been personally assigned by her father when Peony was a sickly child. Lona had some medical knowledge and always stayed by her side to take care of her.

Thanks to the Emperor’s special permission, she had been allowed to accompany Peony to the academy.

“Did that commoner, Eila, do something rude to you earlier? Honestly, the very fact she dared speak to Your Highness despite being a commoner is outrageous. Just thinking about it upsets me.”

“On the other hand, the newly transferred noble lady Roshia is already the talk of the academy. Apparently, her magical skills are exceptional—fitting for a daughter of the Blanche family. Have you met her yet?”

Peony wasn’t really paying attention to Lona.

Most of what she said were insults toward Eila.

True, today’s events had worsened her opinion of Eila, but hearing others badmouth someone still didn’t sit right with her.

Peony was about to tell Lona to stop when—

“And Eila—she seems to have good taste in men, at least. After being dumped for being a commoner, she apparently started dating another commoner. And that man recently beat her ex-fiancé, Lord Leight, in a sword duel.”

“A commoner… defeated a noble from the Leight family?”

Peony tilted her head in disbelief.

Even those unfamiliar with social circles would know the name.

Kadin Leight. The only heir to a marquis household and a rising star as a skilled knight.

Although Peony didn’t particularly like him personally.

“Yes, I think his name was Felix. He used to suffer from mana insensitivity and was pretty useless, but his condition suddenly improved. Strange, right? Now he’s staying close to Eila.”

Peony’s face froze.

She knew Felix well by reputation.

Though they’d never met, he was widely gossiped about in the swordsmanship department as an outcast due to his eccentric nature.

And now his mana insensitivity had miraculously disappeared—after getting close to Eila?

‘Don’t tell me she cured him too…?’

But mana insensitivity was so rare and had no known treatment. It was practically a death sentence for a mage.

“Well, maybe he recovered on his own. Still, it’s strange that it happened after getting close to Eila.”

At Lona’s words, Peony felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips.

Her pulse began to race irregularly.

Suddenly, Eila’s suggestion no longer sounded absurd.

‘Come to the annex alone. I know how to cure your illness.’

‘She really did look confident when she said it.’

The image of Eila skillfully crafting potions came back to her.

Even Professor Jayce, a renowned mage from the Tower, had praised her skills.

‘If Eila truly cured Felix’s mana insensitivity…’

Peony’s heart thudded wildly in her chest.

She knew she shouldn’t be swayed, but she couldn’t stop herself from hoping.

Meanwhile, Lona continued ranting beside her.

“In any case, nothing good can come from mingling with that commoner. I even heard Eila kept pestering Your Highness during class—how dare she, not knowing her place!”