As the blinding white light faded, I gasped sharply and found myself back in Elise’s bedroom.
At the edge of my vision, Claude’s worried face peered at me. Reality. I’d returned.
The moment this realization hit, overwhelming exhaustion assaulted my entire body. My legs trembled violently, barely supporting my weight. An extreme lethargy gripped me, as if every drop of moisture had evaporated from my limbs.
Claude rushed to steady me as I staggered.
“Lady Lydia! Are you alright?! You’ve gone completely pale.”
(Of course I’m not alright. I’ve hit absolute zero, both physically and mentally.)
Despite my internal screaming, I gently pushed his arm away and forced myself to stand straight. The mask of Lydia couldn’t slip yet.
“I’m perfectly fine.”
The slight hoarseness in my voice was unavoidable.
Then—a faint rustle from the bed. Our gazes snapped toward the movement simultaneously.
Elise’s eyelids fluttered open. A fragile light returned to her previously vacant eyes. Her lips quivered.
“Big brother?”
The first words she’d spoken in months. Claude inhaled sharply and rushed to her bedside.
“Eliese! Can you recognize me? It’s Claude, your brother!”
He clasped her tiny hands, tears streaming down his face as he spoke.
Eliese gave a small nod. The deathly pallor had vanished from her cheeks, replaced by a healthy flush. Her shallow, labored breathing had steadied into peaceful sleep rhythms.
The curse was broken.
My power had saved this child’s future. From the depths of my exhausted body, warm relief surged upward.
The next instant, Claude turned and dropped to one knee before me, a gesture of utmost respect, especially for a ducal heir.
“Saint Lydia!”
His gray eyes no longer held suspicion or hostility. Only pure reverence, as if gazing upon divinity itself.
“No words can express my gratitude. You’ve saved my sister’s life and the future of our Ansbach house.”
He bowed deeply, offering a knight’s salute.
“I swear upon my life to repay this debt.”
(Eh… EHHHHHHHHH?!)
I screamed internally.
(Loyalty?! Swearing his life?! Too heavy! This is way too heavy! I just wanted to avoid doom flags, not gain some ultra-devoted retainer!)
The unexpected development nearly short-circuited my brain. But showing hesitation wasn’t an option. I’d maximize this advantage.
“I require no such sacrifice.”
My quiet declaration made Claude look up sharply.
“Just one promise will suffice.”
“Anything you command.”
“Tonight’s events remain secret. My power must stay hidden. And…”
I met his gaze squarely.
“No matter how Prince Alphonse treats me henceforth, you will never become my ‘enemy.’ That is enough.”
This was a transaction between equals, the Villainess Saint Lydia’s way.
Claude fell silent, weighing my words. Finally, with resolve hardening his features, he answered firmly.
“Understood. But Lady Lydia, I won’t merely refrain from being your enemy. No matter what occurs, I’ll stand as your ally.”
The light in his eyes would never waver again.
I’d completely neutralized one member of the condemnation squad. No better than neutralized. I’d gained one of the strongest possible allies. Mission accomplished.
“I take my leave.”
Turning from Claude, I exited on unsteady legs. His fervent gaze burned into my back.
The waiting carriage took me from the estate.
“Lady Lydia, your complexion. You should return to the manor at once.”
My maid’s genuinely worried voice reached me. She wasn’t wrong, I desperately needed to collapse into bed. But not yet.
“To Viscount Weidt’s residence.”
I forced out my next destination through gritted teeth.
“Work remains unfinished.”
(If I stop now, everything falls apart!)
My inner voice lashed at me. The Ansbach matter was resolved. The future had shifted slightly toward a better path. I couldn’t let this momentum die.
Through fatigue-hazed consciousness, I rallied my strength for the next battlefield.