Case 60: Where love stems from.

*****

''I... you know how my body is a bit weak, right? With this constitution, I probably won't be the same after giving birth... if I even survive, that is.''

A cold night.

Today, too, Kiara could not easily sleep.

Every time she closed her eyes, her thoughts would gravitate toward that girl—that fragile yet cheerful girl—the one she loved. To the princess, Cecilia was so beautiful that she seemed almost ethereal—like a goddess descending onto this realm.

Even after months by her side, Kiara still could not contain her heartbeats whenever she happened to lay her eyes on that person. From her mannerism that embodied the word 'elegance,' her two red eyes that gleamed as though rubies, or the mesmerizing smile tainted with an ounce of sadness.

It was as if a painting had turned into a person.

Possessing such charms was perhaps Cecilia's fortune, yet it could undoubtedly bring anguish to others. At least, that was what Kiara thought.

And those charms... Kiara was drawn to them. Like a moth burning itself in the flame, she couldn't help but sink herself deeper each time into this hopeless crush.

'...No. It isn't hopeless.'

Cecilia herself promised Kiara.

If she couldn't trust herself, she must trust her crush, the person who brought a corner of peace to her days of anxiety. The pressure to socialize, the pressure to conform, the pressure to become someone people accepted—all of it was dismantled, step by step, by the girl who was kind enough to be her companion.

Yet, ironically, Kiara had become just as anxious as before she met her.

Even though Cecilia had helped her so much, she had not done anything to repay that debt. More accurately, she didn't know what she could do. At times, she felt proud of her royal blood and even found confidence in it, but her beloved already had people she could rely on.

Both her rivals were people she couldn't beat, be it in battle or any other field.

That was why Kiara had been a coward, relying on Cecilia's affection to feel good about herself. She used to console herself that with time, she could slowly work on their relationship... until she overheard that conversation her crush and the other two had after the duel.

Even now, Kiara could recall the exact moment her heart seemed to stop beating. She always knew Cecilia wasn't in the best of shapes, but she didn't realize that it was so serious.

''Hah... am I really such a coward, Mr.Chief?''

[Absolutely.]

''...''

[I don't understand. Why not just help her?]

Kiara couldn't possibly answer that question. If she did, it would be no different than admitting her fear of being rejected once her beloved knew she was useless.

But... she couldn't just stand by and do nothing, either. She didn't want to see the woman of her dreams suffer. Losing that smile forever... would undoubtedly break her.

[It's time to begin, isn't it?]

''...Yeah.''

Sensing a source of determination from his owner, Mr.Chief could finally sigh in relief. Perhaps it was a big decision for Kiara. After all, only he knew how much of a scaredy cat the princess was.

But now, she could finally take the first step forward.

To nurse Cecilia de Orleans back to health, Kiara first needed to comprehend her condition.

Still, it seemed as though the patient herself was reluctant to disclose it to anyone, extremely so. She could only deduct it from the symptoms Cecilia had shown, and fortunately, like many good fighters, Kiara was an observant person.

Frequent coughings, weakness to the cold, frail muscles, and low energy—those were the main signs Kiara could catch.

''Ruling out common cold... is it asthma?''

''I see.''

Such was the answer she got after consulting the royal doctor of the house of Anjou. Without directly examining the patient, even he couldn't speculate much further.

'As expected. It's hard to pinpoint because the symptoms aren't distinct enough.'

For now, she could only keep guessing.

Since the other two mentioned that they would ensure the best doctors were present, Kiara decided to skip the more common diseases and focus on the rarer ones if she wanted to be ahead of the curve.

Of course, with such broad symptoms, it would still be nearly impossible to specify one, and the alleged cures for those rare conditions were too scarce.

''Hmm...''

[I've never even heard of those ingredients. Fangs of Molten Slimes? Do slimes have fangs...? Ghost Jellyfish's bones, Miner Squirrels' acorns...]

''Most of these are nourishing elements. I think we should get them all and feed her.''

[To see if which one works?]

''Yeah.''

[Do we have enough logistics, though? These are hard to get.]

''...I'll accelerate that plan.''

Hearing those words, Mr.Chief couldn't help but gasp in shock. To begin with, one of Kiara's passions was adventuring. She had always admired legends of adventurers roaming the continent in search of treasures and honor.

So, from a very young age, she had made a promise to herself—that once she grew up, she would establish an adventurer guild to support her passion. It would be a guild above others, taking on the most elaborate and demanding tasks known to man.

With such an entity by her side, collecting rare ingredients would be certainly feasible. Originally, it was supposed to be registered after Kiara had graduated, but now...

''We need to act fast.''

Using her status as a royal and some connections that she inherited from her dominant mother, who used to work with a variety of mercenaries and adventurers, Kiara established Azure Guild right the day after.

Thankfully, the princess was never one to spend ludicrous money, so she had quite a pile of cash from allowances and other sources. With that, she was able to deploy a few commissions right on day one of the guild.

'Hang in there, Cecilia. I'll help you...'

Kiara's sudden action surprised many, including the king of Anjou, Kiyuel d'Anjou.

It was genuinely the first time her daughter had moved so much money and manpower. Intrigued, she summoned Kiara directly to ask about the situation.

''...I'm doing it for someone.''

''Hm? Who?''

''That...''

''...''

The reluctance in Kiara's voice only fueled Kiyuel's curiosity. Who on earth was able to make her reserved daughter so devoted to them? Although fascinated, pressing further might have a negative effect, so she decided to let it go for now. Of course, she would still monitor this endeavor in secret, but that was a story for another day.

''You can excuse yourself.''

''...Understood.''

Nonetheless, it would be a while until the commissions yielded results, and Kiara was determined to gain some leverage in her relationship with Cecilia beforehand.

So, after much thought, she grabbed her phone and opened her beloved's contact.

[Hey. Are you free this weekend?]

*****