As expected, after what had happened, I could not sleep the entire night.
No, seriously. How could anyone calmly close their eyes after something like that? I had... actually kissed Kayla Regwerd. My beloved character!
To be honest, I still could not believe it — as if it had all been just a dream or a figment of my overwrought imagination. At night, I lay in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling, replaying that moment over and over in my head... every second, every sensation. And still, I could not believe it.
But my sore backside, aching from the fall to the floor, very confidently reminded me: this was definitely not a dream.
God...
Was this really that "dream come true"?
I now lived next to my favorite character, saw her almost every day... and we had even kissed!
I turned over onto my stomach, buried my face in the pillow, and let out a muffled groan of overwhelming emotion. No, I truly did not regret that my life in the previous world had ended. Not one bit!
Because compared to what I had now... this was more like actual paradise!
Nevertheless, there was just one circumstance that worried me a little...
No matter how you looked at it, yesterday I had slightly... exceeded my job responsibilities, had I not?
Well, "slightly"...
Very much so.
After all, I had essentially kissed another person without their permission. Moreover, a person in a dependent position — my patient, my employer, a woman who could not resist because she was blind and ill.
To some extent, that could be considered... a crime?
I froze for a second, staring into space, and then abruptly dismissed the thought.
No. It was for Kayla’s sake!
At that moment, it was the only way to transfer the holy power to her. The only one I could think of. It was not a crime or something strange — it was emergency treatment. A non-standard but necessary method. A medical measure, after all!
All to save her. Ha ha.
...Yes.
And the longer I thought about it, the more convincing it sounded.
In any case, the next day, I again headed to Kayla’s room to check on her condition and visit her.
But at the door itself, I involuntarily stopped, never touching the handle.
Muffled voices came from inside.
It seemed Butler Gerald was there. So I had come at a bad time...
I was about to turn around and quietly leave, not interfering or eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation. After all, that would simply be rude.
But...
I managed to hear my name.
"...Your Grace," Gerald’s voice sounded even, but there was a slight bewilderment in it, "so you are saying that the healer yesterday truly... assaulted you?"
"Precisely," Kayla’s voice was cold as a verdict. "She took advantage of my helplessness and committed inappropriate acts. I demand that measures be taken."
"Well... that is..." the old man hesitated, searching for words, "that is truly unexpected."
Butler Gerald could find no other words to comment on the situation.
For him, it was already a shock that something like this had even happened in this house. Someone who dared to assault Kayla Regwerd — even if fallen, still a formidable heroine of the empire, a woman whose name had once made battlefields tremble.
And even more unexpected was that the culprit turned out to be that same "angelic"-looking healer.
It seemed appearances could indeed be very deceiving...
"...And after all this," Kayla growled, "you still insist on keeping her in this house?"
"My lady..." Gerald sighed resignedly. "In this situation, I am afraid we do not have much of a choice."
"What do you mean?"
"Aside from her... could we find another healer willing to treat you? Especially one possessing holy power..." The old man spoke slowly, as if laying cards on the table one by one. "You yourself understand that this is practically impossible."
After listening to the dry, yet relentlessly objective verdict of the butler, Kayla had no choice but to angrily press her lips into a thin line. Because even she could not deny the truth the old man had spoken.
In the entire Empire of Berria, it was unlikely that another person could be found willing to treat the fallen Grand Duchess Regwerd. A woman now considered an enemy of the empire, a traitor who had nearly destroyed the Saint. And even more so if that person possessed holy power. Such people could be counted on the fingers of one hand throughout the empire — all of them served in temples or at court and were in the public eye.
And even those people would never agree to help Kayla. Because everyone knew: it was this depraved woman who had tried to harm the Saint — the savior of the empire. Helping her would mean becoming an enemy of the temple. No, of the entire empire. And no one wanted to risk their reputation, their position, or perhaps even their life for an outcast.
Therefore, the choice of healer was, to put it mildly, limited.
Very limited, in fact.
To be specific, besides this slightly mad woman who had suddenly appeared on their doorstep a few days ago with blazing eyes and incomprehensible motives, there was no one else.
Kayla herself perfectly understood that she had no choice. And this realization irritated her even more. She sat on the bed, her face as gloomy as a storm cloud.
And what added even more fuel to the fire were the butler’s following words:
"My lady," he said cautiously, "despite everything, you were planning to hold on at least until Lady Irene came of age, were you not?"
"I know..." Kayla sighed heavily.
"Then you cannot afford to stray from the path now," he continued more calmly. "Even if... certain difficulties arise on that path."
"..."
"I do not like this woman either," the butler added grimly, and a rare, almost personal dislike sounded in his voice. "But for now, she is our only option. We will have to accept it."
"So you are suggesting I simply accept being assaulted by this woman?!" Kayla’s indignation knew no bounds.
"Your Grace..."
"She is not just a pervert," Kayla continued, growing more and more heated, "I am even beginning to suspect she is a stalker. And that is not all. Since she came here, fully understanding the risks and knowing my condition, it is not out of the question that she also has... very strange inclinations. Do you really think I should tolerate the company of such a woman for the sake of treatment?!"
"...Your Grace," Gerald said cautiously, clearly choosing his words, "actually... it may not be so cut and dry."
"What?!" Kayla could not believe her ears.
Even her faithful butler was now defending this crazy woman?
"Think for yourself," he continued calmly, lowering his voice. "A woman possessing rare holy power suddenly appears on our doorstep. Without documents, without possessions... That alone is suspicious, is it not?"
Kayla frowned but remained silent.
"In that case," Gerald made a small pause, "the simplest assumption would be that she is a spy. Or a fugitive criminal. Or something even worse."
He shook his head slightly.
"But, fortunately," he added with a heavy sigh, "everything turned out to be much simpler. She is just... a person with rather strange inclinations. You could say we were lucky."
"..."
"I understand this is difficult, Your Grace," he said more softly. "But please... try to endure it. For Lady Irene’s sake. For the future of this house."
Pervert.
Stalker.
Strange inclinations...
Each of these words struck me painfully like a slap in the face. I stood behind the door and felt my face flush — whether from shame or indignation.
Hey... I am standing here listening to all of this, you know! Is it normal to discuss someone behind their back with such words? I am not a pervert at all! Well... maybe just a little...
And what do you mean, "endure" me? Do you see me as some kind of dirty pervert who gropes people on crowded buses? Hey... that is actually very offensive!
I could no longer stand it. Clenching my teeth, I was about to interrupt this conversation and finally say everything that had been building up. I had already taken hold of the door handle and was about to burst into the room with righteous anger. But just at that moment — when I had almost pushed the door open — suddenly a noise reached me that made me freeze in place.
Shouting. It was coming from below, from the first floor, and it took my breath away.
"...I said, leave me alone!"
My heart skipped a beat.
"That is an order! I am not going anywhere with you!"
Of course, from the voice, I immediately recognized who it belonged to.
Irene. Kayla’s younger sister.
And I grew even more worried, suddenly hearing these shouts.
Had something happened?
Alarmed, I forgot my intention to burst in on Kayla. Instead, I let go of the door and decided first to check what exactly was happening on the first floor.
I quickly, almost at a run, descended the stairs, but halfway down, I involuntarily stopped dead in my tracks.
Because I became an unwilling witness to a scene that made my blood run cold.
"...I said, leave me alone, you stupid maid!" the girl shouted angrily. "I am not going to school! No matter what!"
At that moment, right before my eyes, Irene struck Mrs. Farris.