Chapter 69 – Hope (Aria’s POV)
A servant met us at the city gate, his face pale with worry. “My Lord, Lady Martha is being treated by the Grand Meister at his residence. As you requested, a few curse specialists were called for her diagnosis. They’re conducting tests as we speak”.
“Guide us there”, Dad said in a composed manner. He’s doing a lot better than he was a moment ago, or at least, he’s pretending to.
I didn’t speak much and followed them, one foot after another. I barely registered the curious gazes of city folk and their hushed whispers as we walked. We soon arrived at a large house nestled in the heart of the city.
As we entered, the smell of various herbs and medicines wafted through the air, carried by a mild breeze from the garden. We rushed past several rooms before finally arriving at our destination. The room was alive with quiet urgency—maids and servants moved around with a blend of concern and focus. In the center of it all lay my mother, looking paler than usual.
Two elderly figures stood near her, casting some intricate spells. Likely analyzing the curse as Dad requested. The Grand Meister, who we had spoken to before, joined us as well. Upon our arrival, they looked at each other as if silently deciding who’d be the one to break the news.
The older man, without wasting more time, walked towards us with a grim expression and said, “Sir, it is as you and the Grand Meister suspected. Lady Martha has been afflicted by a curse of unknown origin. The curse is quite complex and unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. I’m afraid we can’t treat her just yet”.
Hearing his words, the small hope that I had been holding onto crumbled. I felt my legs give out, barely avoiding the fall as Letty held me up. My heart raced wildly at the thought of my worst fear coming true.
“It’s all my fault, I’m so sorry Dad. I’m so sorry”, I whimpered.
“Please, my Lady”, the older expert interjected gently, “do not lose hope just yet. From what we can discern, the curse is quite complex, almost angelic in design. Yet, despite its intricacy, we see no signs of it actively affecting her. This leaves us with two possibilities: either the curse is masking its effects flawlessly, or—more likely—it isn’t causing her symptoms at all.”
The younger expert added, “We’ve monitored her closely, and there’s no indication that her condition is life-threatening. We believe the symptoms have another origin entirely. If we work together, we can uncover the true cause and treat it accordingly.”
“Since Lady Martha is unconscious, we need to rely on other clues to diagnose her”, he continued.
Stopping my sobs, I took a deep breath.
Dad moved closer to Mom and said, “We know about the curse. It’s called ‘Eclipsium Vein’...”, as he began recounting the entire story of the curse.
The Grand Meister looked a little surprised. Though he composed himself and began, “I had a feeling this was the case when you asked me about the curse. It feels surreal nonetheless”. They probably realized that my mom is royalty.
Unlike the Grand Meister, though, the two curse experts were also visibly shocked to find out that they had been treating a princess all this time.
“If I may, Lady Aria, could we analyze your mana-core? It might provide valuable insight”, the older curse expert asked.
“Of course”, I said, lying down beside Mom.
They cast a few spells and discussed something between themselves. The same patterns of magic were directed at Mom shortly after, their expressions growing more confident with each exchange.
“It is indeed as you said, my Lord. Lady Aria carries the same curse. But there is a silver lining. The state and the mana signature of the curse within Lady Aria’s body exactly match those of Lady Martha. Thus, we can confidently say that the curse isn’t affecting Lady Martha’s body. Whatever it is, it is unrelated to the curse”, they said with a smile.
For a moment, the words ‘unrelated to the curse’ lingered in my head. Suddenly, the air around me felt much warmer. The weight on my chest that had been building up loosened at once. I blinked repeatedly, trying to clear my vision of the tears that gathered without a notice.
Tears of relief- an overwhelming sensation of relief washed over me as I felt my strength returning. Letty grabbed my hands to pull me up as I processed their words completely.
“So, it’s not the curse?” I whispered in a cracking voice. Seeking reassurance from the specialists and the doctor.
“It’s not”, the Grand Meister confirmed with a soft, steady smile. “You can cheer up now. Moreover, her vitals are stable. Meaning, we can treat her like any other patient now without the fear of affecting the curse”.
Letty whispered something—soft, comforting—but the words were lost in the storm of emotions crashing within me.
“Oh thank the Gods…” Dad murmured, his voice thick with unspoken relief. I threw my arms around him, burying my face against his shoulder as his hand rested gently on the back of my head.
“My Lord, please allow me to run some more tests to pinpoint the cause of her symptoms”, the grand meister said, his voice bringing us to the present.
We nodded and began walking towards a waiting room to allow them to conduct his tests at ease. At last, my heart felt warm, knowing that the hope I had been clinging on to had prevailed.
***
We sat in the waiting room, the oppressive silence broken only by the faint echo of footsteps in the hallway. Letty handed me a cup of tea, her movements steady and calm, a sharp contrast to the turmoil churning inside me. I accepted it, wrapping my hands around the warm cup, letting its heat seep into my palms and anchor me to the present.
Dad sat across from us, elbows on his knees, hands clasped tightly together as if in silent prayer. His face was a carefully constructed mask, but the tension in his jaw and the faint tremor in his fingers gave him away.
“It’s a relief knowing the curse isn’t behind this”, Dad said at last, his voice quiet but heavy. “But now I can’t stop thinking about the future… knowing that someday, something like this could still happen”.
I lowered my gaze to the tea, watching as the surface rippled slightly in my trembling hands. “We’ll figure it out, Dad. We still have time, and we’ll fix this before it becomes a real threat”. My voice wavered, but I pressed on. “The exploration team and Sir Alister’s findings should give us the answers we need”.
Dad nodded but didn’t seem reassured. “Still… this incident forced us to reveal Martha’s identity. If word of this reaches the Emperor… or worse– he learns about this strange illness…” His words trailed off, but the weight of what he left unsaid settled over us like a storm cloud.
Letty broke the heavy silence, her tone gentle but firm. “We’ll handle it, Sir. Worrying about what-ifs won’t help Lady Martha recover faster”.
Dad let out a weary sigh. “You’re right. But it’s hard not to think about the consequences”.
Letty set her tea down with a soft clink, leaning forward slightly. “We’ll deal with that if it comes to it, Sir Richard. Right now, the Grand Meister is the best healer we could have asked for. With the possibility of a curse ruled out, he can focus on treating her normally. I have no doubt she’ll recover soon”.
“She’s right”, I added, looking at Dad. “Mom’s strong. And with the Grand Meister’s skill, it’s just a matter of time before she’s back on her feet”.
“You’re both right. She’s strong. And if there’s anyone who can help her, it’s him”, he said.
After a few more moments, a maid rushed in through the doors and exclaimed, “Lady Martha is awake”.
Without hesitating, all of us ran to the treatment room. I pushed the slightly ajar door, and there she was, sitting on the bed, being fed some medicine by her attendant.
My abrupt action caught everyone’s attention. Ignoring the surprised maids, servants, and the doctor, I leapt over her bed and into her arms. “Mom, we were all so scared. Why did you have to go and fight? If you had listened to me, none of this would have happened”, I said, hugging her tightly, almost desperately.
She winced slightly but wrapped her arms around me, her touch as warm and familiar as ever. “Ouch. I’m sorry, Baby. I made you all worry. But this was truly unexpected… Ouch—please, loosen your grip a little”, she said groggily, her voice tinged with both apology and discomfort.
I pouted but eased my hold, suddenly fearful I might hurt her further. Letting her go, I took a step back, glancing anxiously at her pale face. “You should’ve just stayed home”, I muttered under my breath.
Dad and Letty entered the room right behind me, their expressions a mixture of relief and lingering concern. Dad crossed the room in quick strides, settling on the opposite side of her bed. He took her hand into both of his, kissing it repeatedly.
“Honey, you’re safe! Thank the gods! When I got the call, for a moment… I thought…” His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard, forcing himself to continue. “I thought I was going to lose you. I was terrified.”
Mom’s expression softened as she squeezed his hand lightly. “Don’t say such things. I’m not going anywhere. I’m fine—ask him if you don’t believe me,” she said, gesturing faintly toward the Grand Meister.
Letty stepped closer, her voice gentle but firm. “Teacher, please be honest with us. What happened out there? What caused you to collapse?”
“Honey, you are anything but fine. Letica is right, you are not telling us the truth. You collapsed while casting a spell– a spell that you could have cast blindfolded. On top of that, we’ve learned about… new developments”. His brows furrowed as he added, “Did you even know that there is a powerful curse lying dormant within you and our daughter?” he asked, worried.
Mom’s eyes widened briefly before she relaxed, exhaling softly. “Yeah, sort of. Since our childhood, we were told to not acknowledge the curse as we can’t show any weakness to others. But how do you know about it?” she asked.
“Aria told me about it, due to her… circumstances”, he said.
“I see”, she turned to me, her gaze warm but steady. “Baby, there is nothing to worry about. This curse has been with us our entire lives, and it won’t cause any effects”, she said, ruffling my hair.
It will, soon… But let’s save that for later. Right now, we should focus on her health. “We’ll talk about it later, Mom. First tell us what happened out there”, I said.
Mom leaned back against the pillows, her fingers briefly brushing over her temple as if recalling the events caused a dull ache. “When we arrived at the site, I felt a mild headache. Nothing serious, so I decided to put up with it and finish my job quickly. Everything was normal until the day of the attack”.
She paused, her brows knitting together. “Even as I started casting my spell, I didn’t feel anything wrong at first. The spell was almost complete—just a few final stages left. But then, suddenly, I couldn’t draw any more mana to sustain it. It was as if my reserves were completely blocked”.
I held my breath, listening intently as Letty moved to sit beside me, her expression as serious as mine.
“Thankfully, your adventurer friend stepped up”, Mom continued, her tone softening. “He offered to use his mana-sharing skill just in time. With his help, I managed to finish the spell. But the strain…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “It was far more than I’d anticipated”.
Thank God I asked Ethan to look after her. He might just turn out to be a good guy after all.
Dad frowned, his concern deepening. “You pushed yourself too far, Honey. Why didn’t you tell anyone how you were feeling before it got to that point?”
“Because I didn’t think it mattered”, she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her gaze dropped, as if ashamed of her own miscalculation. “I didn’t know what was happening to me, not until now”.
“So, what happened?” I asked impatiently.
“That…”, she mumbled something softly and covered her face, as if embarrassed.
“What did you say, Honey?” Dad asked again.
“I said, I’m pregnant”, she repeated. This time, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The room fell into stunned silence.
“You’re…?” Dad blinked, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to form words.
Mom nodded, her cheeks reddening further. “Yes, dear. Pregnant. We are going to have another baby”.