MYCDM 09

Chapter 09

“Then….”

The doctor took Shia’s uninjured hand.

She felt something rising up through her arm.

The chilling sensation made Shia want to pull her hand away.

“Ugh!”

But unexpectedly, it was the doctor who let go first.

“Your Highness!”

The doctor’s eyes held a hint of resentment.

“Ah.”

Shia understood as well.

She hadn’t meant to, but the creepy sensation made her instinctively push back.

“I have no intention of controlling Your Highness’s mind. I only wish to check the condition of your Ring. Please do not resist.”

“Oh, well….”

She hadn’t meant to refuse.

But it wasn’t something she could control by will alone.

Just as the doctor reached for her hand again to try once more, Michael took Shia’s hand first.

“Wait a moment.”

The doctor looked at Michael’s face, bowed her head, and stepped back.

“Even as a child, the Princess could not tolerate another’s Ring penetrating her. She would resist even when His Majesty the Emperor tried to control her mental-type Ring.”

“Indeed….”

Knowing how powerful the Emperor’s abilities were, the doctor was taken aback.

“Having spent a long time in Arune, she is still not well-versed in Rings. Adapting to Tashin alone will be overwhelming enough, so let’s postpone the Ring examination for now.”

At Michael’s words, the doctor nodded, asked a few more questions, and finished the examination.

When the doctor left the room, Shia spoke in a small voice.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. It’s only natural that you feel uncomfortable and anxious.”

“…But I really didn’t mean to refuse. I don’t even know how to handle it in the first place.”

“Since you haven’t used it for a long time, that’s to be expected. Tashin doctors often include Ring examinations because they can determine a patient’s condition more precisely. I should have explained it to you first.”

“Oh, no. You’ve been doing more than enough for me.”

“Princess Shia, if you’re willing, shall I teach you how to use your Ring while we travel to the imperial palace?”

“Ah, if I learn, will my skill improve?”

Shia looked at Michael with surprised eyes.

“Learning will give you the knack of it. You already have more than enough talent.”

Shia looked down at her own hands. She didn’t even know what was there, yet she was told she had overflowing talent.

“Of course, since I don’t handle mental-type Rings, it would be better for you to learn directly from His Majesty the Emperor, but think of it as a temporary measure. You may also use me as a practice subject.”

“Ah, I’d love that!”

Amidst all the strangers, Michael was the only person Shia could rely on and trust. Learning from him was welcome.

“Also, Lord Luke may seem brusque, but his affection for the Princess is genuine. It may be difficult to become close all of a sudden, but please keep that in mind.”

Michael emphasized once more on purpose.

“…Is it really possible that he could be my biological father?”

Shia asked cautiously.

“Yes. The possibility cannot be ignored.”

“I saw him briefly, but I didn’t see any resemblance to me….”

“Well, the Princess resembles His Majesty the Emperor more.”

“Ah!”

Shia’s face brightened.

No matter how often she heard that she was the Emperor’s daughter, she was still anxious. But she was told she resembled her mother in the face.

“Aside from the hair and eye color, and the different overall atmosphere, your basic facial features resemble His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Really?”

Shia was relieved by those words. She felt a little less likely to hear, ‘You’re not my daughter!’ when they met.

“Um, while learning about Rings, I’d also like to learn a bit about Tashin imperial etiquette. Is that possible?”

Shia wanted to show a good impression when she met her mother.

“Of course.”

Michael showed his usual kind and beautiful smile.

“His Majesty the Emperor would be delighted just to see Shia, but hearing that you made an effort for Her Majesty would make her even happier.”

A smile spread across Shia’s lips.

That was exactly what she had wanted to hear.

They stayed one night in the port city of Fthia. To ensure Shia wasn’t overexerted.

Remarkably, Shia’s body endured without becoming seriously ill.

‘Perhaps it’s because my long-standing illness has disappeared.’

Shia leaned against the window and closed her eyes to the blowing wind.

Michael had briefly stepped away, saying he had matters to discuss with Luke’s party. With some time to herself, she felt somewhat sentimental.

The fishy scent characteristic of the seaside wafted through the window.

Oper came to mind, but she shook her head to erase the thought.

‘Lord Elihu said he would contact me if anyone came looking for me, so it’s fine. Surely the word will reach me.’

Elihu said he would depart later as he had other things to prepare. So if Oper came looking for Shia even later, Elihu would surely relay the news.

But for days, there had been no news that Oper was looking for Shia.

Everyone said Oper wasn’t her father, but Shia still found it hard to accept.

She remembered how Oper, barefoot, had carried her on his back and ran to the village doctor when she was in pain. She remembered how Oper would hold her and cry with her, comforting her whenever she wailed from headaches and dizziness.

All those good memories….

To think he was a kidnapper. She didn’t even want to think about it.

But at the same time, she knew she couldn’t just indefinitely push those thoughts aside.

If he truly was a kidnapper….

‘Let’s say he kidnapped me but truly loved me like a daughter. That’s why I have such good memories. But….’

Luke, who had spent fifteen years searching for a child he lost. She was told he might be her real father.

Of course, there was also another possible biological father. He had been killed around the time Shia was kidnapped.

Thinking of that story sent chills down her spine.

‘Could Oper have no connection to all of that at all?’

Shia’s hands trembled.

What if that dead man was her biological father, and Oper….

‘No, stop. Let’s stop thinking about it. It’s too scary.’

Shia hurriedly wiped away the tears that were flowing.

‘I should focus on being kinder to Lord Luke. Since he might be my father.’

Even though it was still unfamiliar.

When Shia had been eating in the dining hall earlier, Luke had been watching her from unusually close by, which made her feel pressured.

In truth, she was curious about Luke, who might be her biological father, and had many things she wanted to ask, but being stared at so openly made it hard to speak.

Besides, Luke wasn’t the talkative or sociable type.

Shia felt intimidated and only stared at her food.

Luke had peeled fruit and handed it to her, but Shia couldn’t overcome her awkwardness and barely managed to mutter, ‘Thank you.’

Compared to Luke, she realized all over again how warm and approachable Michael was.

‘His ability to keep a conversation going is excellent, and he’s also a good teacher. Amazing.’

One of the fortunate things for Shia was that Michael was her husband.

Thinking of him as a husband felt unfamiliar.

‘We’ll be able to stay together, right?’

Shia had already given a great deal of her heart to Michael.

‘But wouldn’t anyone become like me if they had such a kind husband?’

Even around puberty, Shia’s health had been so poor that she wasn’t in a state to like anyone her age.

Her mind had been filled with the desire for the dizziness and headaches to disappear, and just hoping she could feel a little less pain had dominated her thoughts.

But her health, which had begun to improve when she left for Tashin, had progressed at an incredible rate since meeting Michael.

Her appetite had also increased.

Part of it was because the food was varied and delicious, and part of it was because she wasn’t sick, so she could taste the food better.

‘Could one’s health improve this much so suddenly?’

In the past, her body had always felt heavy.

The arm that had been struck by the arrow was also recovering smoothly. She could feel herself improving a little in her studies as well.

Michael said there was no need to rush with either abilities or studies. That it was fine to learn gradually.

He also said that once she arrived in Tashin, His Majesty the Emperor would help Shia.

‘What kind of person is my mother?’

She couldn’t imagine a female Emperor.

Michael said the reason Luke had been sent was because the Emperor couldn’t leave the imperial palace recklessly due to her position.

That was why the First Imperial Consort Luke, who held the most powerful authority in the imperial family after the Emperor, had been sent.

Of course, the fact that Luke was a candidate for Shia’s biological father was also a reason for him to greet her.

Although Arune also had Emperors with multiple spouses, it felt awkward. Because the Emperor of Arune was male.

Shia touched her hair. The silver hair that Michael had neatly cut.

She was told her mother had intense golden hair, the color of the sun. A beautiful woman with shining golden hair and red eyes.

Also a highly capable and intelligent Emperor.

And that she was waiting for Shia.

Shia too desperately wanted to meet her.

‘Please make it certain that I am truly her daughter.’

Shia clasped her hands together and prayed.

‘So that we can become such obvious family to each other, a family that will never be separated.’