SPRH 7

Chapter 7

I pushed Emma into the carriage.

“Young miss, let me quickly go and get the food—”

“Stay put.”

Emma fidgeted anxiously, apparently feeling guilty about spilling all the food.

Lately, Emma had been saying she lived for the joy of watching me eat well and gain weight.

My body, which had once been skin and bones like a dried anchovy, had been steadily filling out and becoming soft. Now that I’d gained weight, I seemed to have more energy too.

“You must be hungry. We need to fatten you up as much as possible before you relapse into anorexia again…”

As I brought the water pitcher and sat across from her, Emma shifted her hips restlessly.

Her uncle’s neglect and her aunt and cousins’ harassment—the original Liriope, whose mental age was only seven, found it difficult even to eat comfortably. She repeatedly vomited and suffered indigestion every time she ate, until at some point she became afraid of eating itself.

*’She had so little strength that she couldn’t stand up to Oliana and her aunt. She probably couldn’t even think of running away.’*

After all, the brain to scheme a fight and the strength to resist both come from eating. The guts to take on the villains and fight fair—even that was something that came after eating something. At the very least, you had to chew on grass roots and tree bark to be able to spit out harsh curses.

“Don’t worry. You won’t get anorexia again.”

After telling her to be at ease, I grabbed Emma’s reddened hand.

“Really?”

Emma smiled brightly despite her blistered hands.

“Yeah.”

I placed a handkerchief on Emma’s palm and poured clean water over it. This water contained holy water from the temple. Nobles supposedly drank only water containing holy water. That’s why they always received plenty of holy water in advance when traveling and kept a separate servant solely to manage the holy water.

“This precious water…”

“Your hands are more precious, nanny.”

Emma was reluctant to waste the holy water by pouring it on her hands, but I pressed my lips firmly together and washed all the soup off her hands. Seeing Emma’s hands after the soup was washed away, my throat tightened and my eyes grew hot for no reason.

“Haha, just your breath alone, young miss, and the pain would disappear.”

Emma tapped my lips, which had gone crooked from holding back tears. At her touch, I forced my ugly-turned lips upward and smiled.

*’Can I heal my nanny’s hands?’*

In the original story, Emma dies of an epidemic the year Liriope gets married. At that time, Emma tells Liriope the secret about the bracelet. Liriope, left utterly alone, must have wanted to be loved by her husband Philip, even if she was trash. Having thus awakened her power, Liriope has her ability exploited by Philip, and her body rapidly deteriorates. Then, when the female protagonist turns five, she leaves behind the bracelet and dies.

“Nanny, I’ll heal your hands.”

I steeled my resolve at the blisters that were growing increasingly taut and large. If I could heal Emma’s hands, I didn’t care if she found out I’d awakened my power. I gripped the two sapphires on the bracelet with my right hand.

“Young miss!”

Emma urgently grabbed my right hand and called to me quietly. Then she looked around, checking for any signs of people outside the carriage.

“Young miss. You must never, ever touch the bracelet. You must keep it exactly as it is, just as your mother gave it to you.”

After confirming there was no sign of anyone outside the carriage, Emma spoke with a stern face. Her wavering eyes pleaded with me. Never touch the bracelet, never reveal your power.

“Nanny, I know.”

“What?”

I removed Emma’s hand from mine, flustered as she was, and twisted the two sapphires on the bracelet. After my hair turned silver-blue, I covered Emma’s burned hand with my right hand.

“You mustn’t, young miss! The bracelet, quickly—”

“Let me try just once.”

I focused all my attention solely on Emma’s hand as she fidgeted, not knowing what to do with her anxiety.

“If you’re caught like this, you’ll be locked in the Count’s estate forever… like your mother.”

Emma’s voice choked up. Tears hung in her eyes like a child’s, round and trembling.

“I know.”

I faced Emma and curved my eyes into thin crescents.

“What’s so special about this old woman’s hand?”

Emma’s tears could no longer hold back and streamed down her cheeks.

“It’s the hand of the person most precious to me.”

I regretted not being able to wipe her tears because both my hands were covering hers.

*’Please, let me manifest the healing power.’*

I prayed earnestly to the gods, closed my eyes, and concentrated all my spirit into both palms. It was around the time my hands began to tremble finely and cold sweat started beading on my forehead.

*’It seems the healing power has appeared!’*

A water droplet formed on my palm and gradually grew in size. The enlarged droplet, wondrously, didn’t burst even as it completely enveloped Emma’s hand.

“From now on, you must focus your mind on the water droplet. Water abilities are less taxing in places with abundant moisture. They’re harder in dry places.”

Emma calmly explained in a voice steeped in reminiscence. Seeing deep wrinkles form on her forehead, she must have been thinking of Liriope’s biological mother.

*’It’s much harder than I thought.’*

Healing another person required far more stamina than self-healing. Around the time the sweat beading on my forehead rolled down in drops, the blisters that had risen on Emma’s hand cleanly disappeared.

“The treatment is all done.”

I slumped back against the seat, utterly exhausted.

“Quickly, the bracelet.”

Emma snapped out of her recollection and returned the sapphires on my bracelet to their original state. Accordingly, my hair returned to its light brown color as well. After wiping the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief, Emma pressed her lips firmly together and asked only with her eyes. How on earth did you find out about this? I hid it so carefully—how did you learn it?

“I just happened to. While playing with the bracelet in the bathroom.”

I grinned, trying to gloss over it. Emma’s sigh was long and deep.

Emma seemed to be counting down the days until Liriope would marry and leave the Akis Count’s estate. To Emma, the Akis Count’s estate was a terrible prison that had caused Liriope’s biological mother’s death.

“Please never do this again. Even if it costs me my life. You must never be caught.”

At Emma’s solemnity, I had many grievances of my own, but instead of arguing, I rubbed my belly. Emma’s worry wasn’t unwelcome. Before I possessed Liriope, I was from an orphanage and had never received someone’s affection entirely for myself alone. To someone like me, Emma was giving her whole heart.

It was the first time. Receiving such unconditional, devoted love. Perhaps that’s why I tried even harder to act like Liriope. Because I wanted to receive more of Emma’s love. Receiving Emma’s genuine affection like that, I found myself unwittingly opening my heart wide to her. Even now, seeing the affection in Emma’s eyes as she deliberately glared at me with wide eyes, I felt like being spoiled for no reason.

“I’m hungry.”

“Oh, right. Just wait a moment. I’ll quickly bring the food.”

At my pretense of hunger, Emma hurriedly got out of the carriage. Then she trotted off toward the tent where food was being distributed. Not long after Emma left the carriage, I heard the sound of footsteps on the dirt nearby.

“Is nanny back already?”

Waiting for food, I opened the carriage door and stepped out joyfully at the sound of someone approaching.

“Duke Declan?”

Contrary to my surprise at Declan’s unexpected appearance, Declan calmly held out his hand.

“I thought you might need this.”

On his palm rested a round silver ointment container. Bewildered by his kindness, I stared blankly at his hand for a moment.

“Thank you, Duke.”

It was just as I was about to take the ointment container from his hand.

“Young miss!”

From behind me, Emma called out, holding a basket of food high. Then she spotted Declan and froze completely.

*’Oh dear, my nanny, she’s going to have a heart attack at this rate.’*

While I was worrying about Emma’s heart, Declan’s red eyes landed on Emma’s right hand holding the basket high.

*’Gasp! Did he notice?’*

I quickly moved into Declan’s line of sight and exchanged looks with Emma.

*’Nanny, lower your hand!’*

At my look, Emma hurriedly lowered her hand and shifted the basket to her left. Then she hid her right hand in her skirt and walked over very slowly.

“Duke, thank you. I don’t know what to do with myself before the Duke’s grace.”

I looked back at Declan and smiled innocently with my eyes.

“Such an elaborate greeting. It’s an ointment made by the ducal family’s physician, so it should be effective.”

Declan was now gazing at my face, not Emma’s hand.

“Yes, thank you.”

Relieved by Declan’s casual response, I nodded my head vigorously. I got it, so please leave quickly. Can’t you see my nanny and the food are stuck over there because of you?

*’Thank goodness. It seems he didn’t notice. It must have been too far to see properly.’*

Or perhaps he thought Emma’s hand burn wasn’t that big.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“Please take care.”

Finally, as Declan turned his back, I clenched my fists, ready to praise Emma’s acting and my quick thinking. Suddenly, Declan turned back around and stared at me intently.

“Especially effective, it will be. For burns.”

For just a moment, one corner of his mouth curved up slyly like a mischievous boy. Soon, his expression became stiff as if it had never happened, and he turned and walked away.

*’He noticed.’*

His retreating back seemed to be telling me. I caught you completely.