TAVD 11

Chapter 11

In her dream, Lirian was walking across a snow-covered field.

It was exhausting, and she was out of breath from limping.

Strangely, her right leg wouldn’t move properly.

It was as if it had been badly injured and then completely withered away…

‘Why?’

But the confusion quickly faded in the dream.

She accepted her condition completely naturally.

Even the sorrow that rose to her chest.

Even the guilt that gripped her heart.

‘Ah!’

In the end, she couldn’t escape for long and fell in the snow-covered field.

Then someone shouted from behind her.

‘Lirian!’

‘Don’t come!’

Lirian shouted back at the man following her with his eyes.

But the man didn’t move an inch, as if nailed to the spot.

“Immobile” would be more accurate.

He was already making such a devastated expression.

Still, Lirian cried out.

‘I hate you! I really hate you!’

Tears streamed down her face.

Even though it was a dream, the wind was so cold that her tears seemed to freeze on her cheeks immediately.

Yet she couldn’t hold them back.

‘You make everyone hate me. I hate you so much…’

Her heart felt like it would burst from all the hatred.

She begged desperately to be abandoned.

But nothing went the way she wished.

‘What happened next?’

She couldn’t remember.

Snow fell again.

The pain and suffering quietly sank beneath the pure white, as if one could trick oneself into feeling no pain by ignoring the wounds.

It had been two days since Lirian Tillard collapsed.

Evren narrowed his eyes and glared at the tent door.

Inside, groans of illness were still heard over the heat.

All the female ability users were holding Lirian’s hands, diligently massaging her arms.

Yet her awakening fever didn’t drop an inch.

On the contrary…

“Excuse me, Your Highness…”

“We can no longer absorb control energy.”

Those assigned to care for her had reached their limit and came out exhausted.

They whispered to each other in hushed tones.

“Wasn’t she supposed to be powerless?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“But it’s even better than when she got help from an A-class controller.”

“Wow… my head feels empty. Feels really refreshing.”

“Me too… wait. Then she might die.”

It had been a long time since anyone felt such a clear-headed sensation.

Though they couldn’t show surprise openly due to the urgency,

‘What grade will she be when this awakening fever ends?’

‘Judging from the compatibility with all of us, it won’t be small…’

‘At least B? No, maybe A?’

A strange excitement began to stir inside the barracks.

Controllers were fewer than ability users.

And higher grades were even more precious.

Even families in difficult situations would throw grand feasts if a child awakened as a high-grade controller.

So it was natural to be excited when someone of immense grade awakened.

Even if it was the Tillard she had conflicts with!

Yet Evren was slowly growing irritated.

What’s going on? Why isn’t she getting better?

“We can’t move her like this. Is there nothing we can do?”

“Hm… Your Highness. I actually have a suggestion…”

The physician cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Delayed awakening usually happens because of contact with another ability user.”

“Lirian Tillard has met countless ability users.”

Starting with that cursed fiancé, among others.

“To act as a catalyst for awakening, the person must be… extremely high-grade.”

“…”

“Simply holding hands won’t trigger it…”

The physician glanced at Evren, careful not to meet his gaze.

The shadows lifted their heads quietly but restrained themselves, only moving their eyes.

An extremely high-grade ability user in this room…

If it were S-class, it would only be his lord.

Then what could have acted as the catalyst if not hand-holding…?

The physician cleared his throat again, hastily continuing to speak in rapid succession to get past the awkward moment.

“Why she’s responding only now isn’t certain. But! The person acting as the catalyst must remain nearby. Only then will her power stabilize quickly, and the fever will drop fast.”

“…”

“It should be faster with that person than anyone else. You must at least keep holding her hand. Actually, you could even… imprint—”

“…Excuse me?”

The physician quickly lowered his head.

Imprinting.

A permanent bond between an ability user and a controller.

The controller can only use their power for one person.

And the ability user must give everything to the controller in return.

A promise stronger than love, stronger than any human marriage.

“Physician.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then you really had the audacity to suggest such a horrific, pointless thing?”

“…I apologize.”

The physician slumped in defeat, and Evren entered the tent.

The hastily prepared patient room smelled faintly sweet yet clear.

‘Were the others fine?’

Those who had cared for Lirian earlier were fine.

Evren silently rubbed his shoulders, feeling every muscle ache.

In the center of the makeshift room lay Lirian, buried in the bed.

So many had tended her for two full days.

Yet her fever had not dropped at all.

Creak…

Evren lightly perched near Lirian’s head.

Was the amplified sound just his acute hearing?

Tap, tap.

He lightly touched Lirian’s palm, which was hot with fever.

Her palm was soft.

Naturally, since she wasn’t gripping a sword.

He traced the delicate lines with his index finger.

Then he ran his fingertips over the round flesh beneath the thumb.

And along her inner wrist, as soft as a feather.

Despite trying contact for a while, such childish gestures couldn’t reduce her fever.

The minimum “contact” meant properly holding her hand.

Yet Evren didn’t grab her hand, just stared.

‘Such a fake, superficial Tillard…’

The Tillard family, condemned even by the gods as full of pretenses.

Yet he thought they weren’t like that among themselves.

Ramiot Tillard, reputed to be proper, had mocked Lirian struggling on the floor.

He no longer hesitated and took Lirian’s right hand.

He heard the subordinates holding their breath in awe earlier.

Her control was said to be as pure as an A-class controller.

Yet as soon as he held her hand, he felt suffocated.

A sweet heat crawled along his spine like a slow serpent.

Why was this overwhelming compared to the refreshing sensation they had described?

Even more so, just the joined hands sent shivers.

Through their slender fingers, his own heat seeped in, making his ears ring.

This couldn’t be normal control.

This… was…

“…Your Highness.”

The interlaced hand twitched.

Evren wiped the heat from his eyes with the back of his hand.

Lirian, who had been unconscious all this time, opened her eyes.

She was still groggy…

Evren calmed his ragged breathing.

But when he met her green eyes, partially hidden by lashes,

Evren nearly leapt up.

‘What is this?’

His heart pounded wildly.

It felt as if someone had put an invisible leash around him, choking his breath.

“Hah?”

He scratched his nape.

Nothing was touching him.

Yet instinctively, he knew.

“Hah.”

Had he been imprinted?

By Lirian Tillard?