Leaving Kayla’s bedroom, I felt as if I had just returned from a personal fan meeting with my idol. A smile lingered on my face, and I probably looked like an absolutely happy fool.
Really... how could anyone be that beautiful? Even in such an exhausted state, Kayla managed to look stunning. It was simply unfair!
I wondered what it would be like when she fully recovered. Honestly, I was almost afraid to imagine it. It seemed that then I would be the one at risk of going blind — just from looking at her.
I gazed thoughtfully at my hand — the very one that had touched her forehead during the purification. The warmth of that moment still seemed to linger on my fingertips. And a completely absurd yet suspiciously persistent thought suddenly surfaced in my mind: should I even wash this hand today?
I had almost delved seriously into the philosophy of "to wash or not to wash" when I noticed Asha waiting patiently by the door. It seemed she had been standing there all this time, nervously fidgeting with the edge of her apron.
"Miss Rider... how did it go?" she asked with such anxiety that it seemed something extremely important depended on my answer.
"Oh, everything went well," I smiled. "Her Grace just fell asleep."
"What? She fell asleep?" Asha’s eyes widened, and her face showed genuine, almost shocked surprise. "Her Grace... really fell asleep?"
She repeated it as if it were something out of the ordinary — almost a miracle that no one in this mansion had hoped for in a long time.
"What is the matter? Does Her Grace also have trouble sleeping?" I asked, although an unpleasant suspicion had already begun to dawn inside me.
And at that same moment, my heart gave a painful throb.
"Of course," the maid sighed wearily. "The mistress suffers from severe pain almost all the time. Sometimes she cannot sleep properly for several weeks in a row..."
Hearing this, I felt something clench inside me.
My treasure was suffering from insomnia?..
That single thought resonated with a sharp, almost physical pain, as if someone had squeezed my chest with an icy hand.
My emotions must have shown too clearly on my face, because the next moment Asha looked at me and noticeably softened.
"But I am so glad that thanks to you, the mistress has finally been able to sleep!" she said with genuine warmth. "Your arrival at our estate is a true relief... like a gift from heaven!"
Ha ha...
Quite the opposite, really.
Because for me, meeting Kayla Regwerd was no less a gift from heaven. Perhaps even a far more valuable one.
"Rather, I am the lucky one to have been hired here," I replied sincerely. "As I said before, I am a big fan of the Grand Duchess. It is a great honor for me to be able to help her."
"Ah, yes... you mentioned that," Asha looked slightly embarrassed, as if she had only now truly remembered my words.
In fact, this was the main reason for my employment here — or rather, the version I had stated during the interview. Because, no matter how you looked at it, my desire to get into this particular house, given my abilities, seemed, to put it mildly, suspicious.
Possessing a rare divine power, I could easily have found work at any temple or adventurer’s guild and received far more money, recognition, and honor there. But instead... for some reason, this "promising" healer had chosen to work here — in the mansion of a disgraced, fallen Grand Duchess. And for a rather modest reward.
Of course, this looked strange from the outside. And I simply had no choice but to explain it all with the simplest and most plausible reason — I was a sincere fan of the Grand Duchess Regwerd and her merits to the empire.
So in the end, I had indeed managed to get hired here under the guise of a fan...
Although, of course, it was not just a "guise." It was the absolute truth. It was just that no one knew how deep this attachment of mine ran.
"I hope we can work together well and productively for the sake of Her Grace!"
"...Yes, exactly," Asha smiled absently, and then, as if remembering something important, added: "By the way, Miss Rider, I am only a maid, so you may address me informally."
"Oh, good. Then you may address me informally as well," I readily agreed, not thinking much of it.
However, the maid immediately became noticeably flustered and even stepped back slightly, as if I had suggested something utterly unthinkable.
"N-no, how could I!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "You are Her Grace’s healer and hold a far more honorable position than I do!"
"Well, even if I am a healer, I am still part of the estate’s staff," I countered. "Besides, I am a commoner myself. So nothing bad will happen if we communicate more simply..."
There was no lie in these words. Liliana was indeed an orphan found on the street at the age of five. No noble birth, no influential patrons — by all formal criteria, she was considered an ordinary commoner.
However...
My status as a saint changed everything.
A saint in the empire stood almost on equal footing with the emperor himself and wielded enormous influence. Not only common people but also aristocrats were obliged to treat the saint with the deepest respect. She was a symbol of hope and the empire’s support in the most difficult times.
So, although my origin was formally low, in reality, my position was one of the highest in the entire empire.
But now it did not matter. Now I was just a healer hiding my name and status. And I did not mind being addressed more simply — on the contrary, it even felt right.
However...
"N-no, even if you say that, I still cannot do that!" Asha protested, her voice carrying genuine embarrassment. "Compared to me, an ordinary maid, you are a rare possessor of divine power... I would be far too uncomfortable addressing you informally."
I was about to try to convince her again, but Asha looked so stubborn and at the same time so flustered that further argument seemed pointless.
"All right. Whatever makes you comfortable," I smiled softly.
At that moment, noise came from the corridor outside. The heavy main gates of the residence opened with a characteristic drawn-out creak, and a carriage pulled inside. I immediately went to the window on the second floor and carefully pulled back the edge of the thick curtain.
"Do we have guests at the estate?" I asked curiously, peering down.
"...Ah, that must be the young lady returning!" Asha perked up, and a slight excitement crept into her voice.
"What? The young lady?"
"Yes, Her Grace’s younger sister. She attends the academy and usually returns home at this time."
I honestly thought that today’s supply of emotions had already been exhausted. After meeting Kayla, my heart should finally have calmed down. But the moment Asha said those words, it treacherously sped up again, as if it had decided to live its own life.
"Y-younger... sister of the Grand Duchess?" My voice became suspiciously high and flustered for a second, like someone about to lose their composure.
"Y-yes..." Asha looked a bit taken aback. "I will go greet the lady. In the meantime, you can go to your room and rest..."
"No, I will go with you!" I blurted out almost immediately.
"What?" Asha blinked in surprise.
"I... I want to go greet the young lady too!"
At that moment, my eyes were probably gleaming far too suspiciously.
Asha visibly tensed...
"But, Miss Rider, you have traveled such a long way from the southern outskirts..." she said cautiously. "Do you not want to rest and freshen up first?"
"No, I am perfectly fine and full of energy!"
The maid was momentarily taken aback.
"Well... all right. If you say so, you can come with me," she gave in, shrugging her shoulders. "You can meet the young lady while you are at it. I think it is even better — the sooner you meet, the more convenient it will be going forward."
"Yes, you are right. That really is more convenient," I nodded in agreement.
Asha gave me another strange look but said nothing. She simply turned and headed for the stairs leading to the first floor, and I happily followed her, barely restraining the urge to bounce with every step.
My head was filled with excited thoughts.
I could hardly believe that I would soon meet Kayla’s family — that part of her life which was barely mentioned in the novel. I recalled everything I knew about Kayla’s family as we descended the stairs.
It was a tragic story. Kayla Regwerd was born out of wedlock — to a woman from a brothel. Her mother tried to blackmail the Duke when Kayla was born. She demanded money, status, recognition. But the Duke was cruel — he simply abandoned them both. "She is not my daughter," he said, though everyone knew the truth.
Kayla’s mother soon died of illness. The little girl was thrown out onto the streets.
From ages three to seven, Kayla Regwerd, the future Grand Duchess and legend of the empire, survived in the slums. Alone. Hungry, dirty, sick.
And then the Duke "remembered" her existence.
Because his legitimate son had died. There were no heirs left. And suddenly, it turned out that somewhere, wandering through dirty alleys, was a girl with his blood.
She was pulled out of the dirt, cleaned up, dressed in silk, and told: "Now you are a Regwerd. Be grateful."
How could you be grateful for being left to die?
I clenched my fists, chasing away the bitter memories of someone else’s fictional life. Now was not the time.
Well, in any case...
By now, the Duke and Duchess Regwerd were already dead. Only two people remained in the mansion — Kayla herself and her younger sister, the late child of the Duke and Duchess, who was mentioned only in passing in the novel. Thus, Kayla was not only the head of the family but also her guardian.
And that was what worried me most.
Because in the original story, the sister was not even properly shown. She did not even have a name! The author simply forgot about the existence of this character, or she was so unimportant that she did not deserve mention.
But now she existed. And I would be able to see her with my own eyes for the first time.
And, honestly, I was absolutely certain — the younger sister of Kayla Regwerd simply had to be an incredible little cutie!