For the heart - Chapter 76

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 76

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Nina, who woke up early, headed to the dining hall to have breakfast.

The dining hall was filled with the small sound of Tila’s knife work coming from the kitchen and the rich aroma of cream soup.

“Good morning, Tila.”

“You’re awake, Princess?”

Tila, who poked her head out while wiping her hands on her apron, smiled brightly along with her morning greeting. Then she quietly looked at Nina.

At that long gaze, Nina quietly brushed her cheek with her hand.

“Why… are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“Just… Our Princess’s face seems to be glowing especially today. Like a flower in full bloom, it naturally draws my attention.”

“What…”

Nina quietly averted her eyes at Tila’s words.

As Nina turned and stepped toward the dining table, Tila raised her voice a little louder.

“Wait just a moment. Breakfast is almost ready. Pieruto, bring the Princess a cup of tea.”

“Yes, Tila!”

Pieruto brewed tea with water that had been boiled in advance.

Soon, the boy who had poured tea into a teacup approached Nina, who was sitting at the dining table.

Perhaps because there was more tea in the teacup than expected, Pieruto, who carefully held the tray with both hands, widened his eyes and only looked at the teacup.

Nina’s eyes fell on the newspaper placed on the dining table, casually looking at the title written in large letters.

[The Sorrow of a Woman Searching for Her Son Who Disappeared After Only Paying Medical Bills]

Just from the title, it would be a story that made one sigh.

Just as she was about to slowly lower her eyes to the content, she heard a crash followed by the sound of dishes breaking.

Clang!

“Pieruto!”

“I’m, I’m sorry! Princess! I, I didn’t know my shoelace had come undone and I stepped on it…”

The boy, whose hand had turned red from the hot tea, didn’t know what to do.

Nina, who finally grasped the situation, jumped up and grabbed Pieruto’s hand, heading to the kitchen. Then she plunged Pieruto’s hand into a basin filled with cold water.

“What happened, Princess? Pieruto, are you hurt somewhere?!”

“The teacup fell because I tripped…”

Pieruto kept glancing at Nina. He seemed scared that he had broken the Satellite Palace’s property.

Nina said to such Pieruto.

“When something hot touches you, you need to quickly put it in cold water. What if the burn gets worse?”

“I’m sorry…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. No one here will scold you for breaking a teacup. So next time something like this happens, think of your body first.”

“Thank you, Princess…”

Only then did Nina, who had pulled out her hand that had been submerged in water with Pieruto, turn around.

Tila, who had wiped Pieruto’s hand with a dishcloth, turned her head to check if the boy’s hand was okay.

“It’s a bit red but it’s fine!”

Tila said, stretching her head toward Nina.

As if she knew Nina was concerned, even though she hadn’t asked.

Nina, who returned to the dining table, picked up the large fragments of the teacup and put them in a basket.

“Ouch.”

In that moment, she cut her fingertip on the sharpest fragment.

Nina, who frowned, quickly put her finger in her mouth.

This much would heal quickly.

Tila, who was bringing a broom, saw this and widened her eyes.

“Princess! Are you hurt?!”

“No. I just got a small cut. It’s nothing serious.”

Pieruto, who was also startled by those words, quickly approached and took Nina’s hand.

After slowly looking at Nina’s fingertip where blood was seeping out, he firmly grasped her hand with his small hands and focused his eyes.

“You little…”

“You got hurt because of me! I can heal it right away!”

Nina laughed in disbelief. It wasn’t a wound that required healing from a Healer.

Nina spoke in a pretend scolding tone.

“I told you that Healers who aren’t adults should never use their healing power.”

“Just until the bleeding stops. I did well last time too, Princess. I can’t feel at ease.”

“Oh my, look at this boy talking.”

Tila, who found it amusing that the young boy said he couldn’t feel at ease, burst into giggles.

Since it didn’t seem like a serious wound to Tila either, she just ruffled Pieruto’s hair, who had a very serious expression, and returned to the kitchen.

Pieruto, who was concentrating while holding Nina’s hand, cautiously raised his head as if checking her reaction.

Long eyelashes fluttered over clear eyes looking at the Princess before him.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, no. It’s, it’s strange… Why won’t the bleeding stop…”

Pieruto, who quickly lowered his eyes that had been looking at Nina to her hand, tilted his head with a troubled expression.

Although his healing power was on the weak side, it wasn’t this weak. A small wound like this should have healed quickly.

But even though he had been holding her hand for quite a while now, the bleeding showed no signs of stopping.

Nina let out a low sigh of “Ah” as she saw Pieruto’s face gradually hardening.

“You must quickly find your lost heart. Even your immortal body won’t be able to endure much longer.”

Anny’s warning, which she had momentarily forgotten, flashed through her mind.

‘Did it mean that even the Healer’s healing power no longer works?’

The blood that hadn’t stopped was now flowing down along her finger in a long stream.

Nina smoothly withdrew her hand that had been held by Pieruto.

Then she wrapped the handkerchief placed beside her around her fingertip and gripped it tightly.

“It’s fine. It’ll heal quickly.”

“I’m sorry… It worked well last time…”

Pieruto, who had successfully healed the bump and bruise on Nina’s forehead last time, apologized in a dejected voice.

Nina gently patted Pieruto’s head once.

“It’s not because your healing power is weak.”

“Then what is it?”

“…Just, I think there’s some problem with me.”

* * *

Today again, Nina went to the library and entered the Secret Archive that the Librarian had opened for her.

She reopened the Arsed chronicles she had been reading until the day before yesterday, the chronicles from the third year of Emperor Magnus Arsed’s reign.

‘It’s certain that the Former Emperor didn’t want military unification.’

He had firmly maintained neutrality in the chaotic and endless war history of the entire continent.

There were many traces of his efforts to connect each nation as a center of trade, and there were dozens of alliance documents based on promises between nations to prevent meaningless wars.

Nina could also see the alliance document with Hamer there.

[Alliance Document between Arsed and Hamer.

The Arsed Empire and the Kingdom of Hamer swear to be connected by one breath.

Arsed shares Hamer’s breath, and Hamer shares Arsed’s blood.

When war comes, the two countries will share each other’s lives…]

Hamer was such a small country compared to Arsed, yet the alliance document was deeper than any alliance treaty made with other countries.

Though it was a treaty between nations, as it went on, it felt almost like a passionate pledge of love.

‘If they tried to break such an alliance… they might have had no choice but to make the Former Empress the worst kind of person.’

Nina raised her head to look up at the low ceiling.

According to her teacher Tark Dagnir’s story, Mother would have died on the day she gave birth to her.

‘She tried to protect me…’

Could Mother, who had blocked the flames with her entire body to protect her, really have stabbed Father’s heart with a sword?

If she had, how could Father still be alive without dying?

Her chest felt stuffy with unanswered questions.

Nina gently rubbed the small cloth wrapped around her index finger with her thumb.

No more blood was seeping out now, but when she applied pressure, the cut wound throbbed.

‘If I can’t find the heart, the immortal ability will disappear.’

The thought that she didn’t have much time left made her mind snap to attention.

Nina shook off her idle thoughts and focused again on the contents of the chronicles.

Soon, Nina’s eyes grew wider and wider as she began reading through the records of April 1305.

Her finger returned to the part she had read and pointed out the content.

[April 2nd, 1305, it was confirmed that a priest of the Imperial Palace temple was using black magic.

By the command of the enraged Emperor, he was expelled from the Imperial Palace, the name ‘Randino’ was permanently expelled from the Priestly Order, and a large-scale investigation into black magic began.]

‘Randino?!’

Nina’s eyes widened at the name mentioned only once.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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