The Reincarnated Princess Has a Visitor

Thanks to my heavy-handed appeal—well, it was more of a threat—we were allowed the use of a spacious mansion near the harbor. We were also informed that the doctor lived on the outskirts of town. A little more than ten minutes later, the man that’d gone to summon the doctor returned, carrying another, older man on his back.

The old man appeared to be in his sixties; his clothes were a mess and his grizzled hair was untidy, so he must’ve been pulled out of bed. He let out a big yawn and poked his hand through a gap in his clothes to scratch his stomach, but after seeing Klaus’s condition, his expression grew severe.

“This...doesn’t look good,” he said.

When I heard those words, a bead of cold sweat trickled down my spine.

The doctor removed the bandage and towel from Klaus’s torso, and we saw that the area around the wound had turned a faint dark-brown color. “Poison,” the doctor muttered with a tut. “The ones who got him were pirates based in the islands, right? It’s a wonder that he’s still alive after a hit of their poison. What medicine was he given?”

“A concoction that I mixed up,” Wolf answered, raising his hand.

“Yourself?” The doctor’s eyes grew round. “You’re saying...the medicine wasn’t something you bought for a high price from a merchant? You just happened to be carrying the ingredients on you and made it from scratch?”

Wolf paused for a moment. “I keep a large stock of medicine on hand for my line of work. I just used that to throw something together.”

“You ‘threw it together’? That’s...really something. A godlike level of prowess,” the doctor said, his tone a mixture of admiration and shock.

Wolf said nothing in reply. He simply forced his lips into a bitter smile.

“I never expected I’d meet one of you in a tiny country town like this,” the doctor continued. “Living a long life does have its benefits.” He then lowered his voice and whispered, “One of the miraculous tribe...”

The doctor was by my side, opposite Wolf, and his voice was so quiet that only Wolf and I could hear it. Even so, I was sure that I’d heard him correctly.

“I’m honored,” Wolf replied, “but we don’t have time to chat right now.”

“True... But, what to do?” the doctor mumbled while rubbing his stubbly chin. “I’d like to scrape off the necrotic flesh near the wound... However, he might not survive if he loses any more blood.”

I followed the doctor’s gaze and stared at Klaus. His face was pale, and he hadn’t regained consciousness since the attack. When I’d held his hand, he’d given no response. But it was his breathing that scared me the most; his inhales and exhales were so shallow that it seemed as if they might stop for good at any moment.

“It would be a different matter if there were some way to cut out the affected area and immediately stop the bleeding,” the doctor mused, “but I don’t expect you to have any medicine magical enough to do that.”

“No,” Wolf said at once. “But we have no choice but to do it.”

The doctor furrowed his brows and sighed. “Yep,” he agreed bitterly. He then turned to the townsfolk who’d been watching from a distance. “You lot! Boil some water!”

“Mary, you should—” Wolf started, but I interrupted him.

“I’ll help!” I said enthusiastically.

Wolf’s eyes grew round.

He’d probably been about to tell me to wait in another room. Staring at me intently, he seemed to be gauging my determination. “We’re gonna be cutting his flesh away. That means there’s about to be a lot of blood, even more than there was earlier. Do you understand that?”

He was making sure that I was prepared for what was coming. Frankly, I wasn’t great with blood. I didn’t like seeing pain either, and it did scare me...but not as much as the thought of leaving Klaus’s side while he was on the verge of death.

I looked Wolf in the eyes and nodded firmly. “I do.”

“What am I gonna do with you...” Wolf said with exasperation, slapping his forehead and tilting his face back. Then, he let out a sigh so big that I thought he must’ve completely emptied his lungs of air. When Wolf looked back toward me again, he lowered his eyes for a moment and waved his hands in front of himself. “Fine. Got it. You can start by cleaning yourself off.”

“Okay.” I turned around and ran, weaving through the throngs of townsfolk who’d begun to scramble here and there.

First, I was given some water and a hand towel, which I used to clean myself, and then I borrowed some clothes from an adjacent room and got changed. I hastily slid on a blue-gray dress and a white apron, then tied up my hair so that it wouldn’t get in the way.

Someone stopped me in the corridor as I was returning to Klaus’s room. I turned around and saw Jan, the sailor in charge of the kitchen. He informed me that I had a visitor. This spooked me since I didn’t know anyone in Flanmer, and moreover, I hadn’t been scheduled to dock in this town. The only people who knew of my presence here were the ones that had been aboard the ship.

Jan’s expression grew tense when he noticed vigilance in my reaction.

“They didn’t seem like a bad sort to me,” he said, “but if you don’t know who they could be, then I’ll tell them they can’t see you. Don’t go off on your own, just in case—if they turn out to be dangerous, we wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.” He spoke to me like a responsible grown-up and patted my head. But the next second, he seemed to remember something and his expression stiffened. He took a step backward. “Whoops... I forgot I have to treat you differently now. I beg your pardon, Your Highness.”

“Please, don’t!” I hurriedly stopped Jan from kneeling on the floor.

He stood back up, but I could see the confusion on his face.

I hadn’t expected him to treat me exactly the same as before, but this was a bit too much for me to bear. I knew that his behavior was the result of what I’d chosen to do, but that didn’t make me feel any less sad.

After I fell silent with an awkward look on my face, Jan seemed unsure of how to react, so he went quiet as well. I couldn’t stand the uncomfortable silence, so I told him through stutters that I was in a rush before making my exit.

The preparations for the operation were done by the time I returned to Klaus’s room. He was lying facedown and his arms and legs had been restrained, probably to prevent him from thrashing around if he regained consciousness. He’d also been gagged. There was incense burning, which explained the thin strands of smoke and the strange smell in the air. I wondered if it had a relaxing or pain-killing effect.

In place of a mask, Wolf had wrapped a cloth around his head to cover his mouth. “You took your time,” he commented without moving his eyes from what he was doing with his hands.

I apologized while wrapping a cloth around my own head, then took my place next to Wolf. The doctor was standing opposite us, with Klaus in the middle.

I saw the doctor holding something—a small knife, which glinted in his grasp. The sight overwhelmed me. My heart started pounding noisily, my mouth immediately dried out, and I began to sweat all over. I wasn’t even the person who was going to be performing surgery, but I felt so nervous that I thought I might pass out.

“Let’s begin,” the doctor stated with a grave tone of voice. He pressed the knife against Klaus’s body. There was a quiet squelch, and the blade sank into his skin. Blood began to well up along the incision in a bead.

The sight alone hurt me, but I kept watching. After all, I’d made up my own mind to be by Klaus’s side. I clenched my fists. The pain of my nails digging into my palms kept my focus from drifting. Around us, the air was thick with tension, and the only noise was the sound of medical implements in use.

Suddenly, the quietness was shattered by a clamor approaching the room. The door let out a loud bang as it was thrown open with such force that it almost flew off of its hinges.

“Lady Mary!!!” A well-dressed boy hurtled into the room, almost tripping over himself. The hood of his cloak fell away, revealing platinum-blond hair tied at the nape of his neck. He’d clearly been in a rush to get here, as his bangs clung to his forehead where it was drenched with sweat. His violet eyes darted back and forth beneath his long eyelashes, searching.

I could’ve recognized that handsome face anywhere. “George?!” I called his name and ran over to him.

Several people followed George into the room, looking to evict this unexpected visitor. However, after seeing my reaction, they left him alone.

George sighed with relief. “Thank goodness... You’re all right.”

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“A bird delivered a letter to us. The message said that pirates had attacked the ship you were on, and instructed us to head to this port town at once.”

“A bird?” I repeated.

He nodded and elaborated. “A black bird.”

Obviously, I had no idea what bird that was. I wanted to ask who’d sent the letter, along with a million other questions, but none of that was important right now.

“Mary, save the touching reunion for later,” Wolf reprimanded. “Kick that lady-killer out of here.”

“Yes, sorry!” I replied in a hurry. “We’ll talk later,” I said to George. I moved over and tried to push him out of the room, but he seized my hands instead. He pulled my arms, and I was more surprised than angry. This ungentlemanly behavior was uncharacteristic.

“George?”

“Please don’t start the operation yet.” George was looking over my shoulders, his eyes fixed on Wolf behind me.

I swiveled my head around and saw the doctor furrowing his brows suspiciously.

Wolf wore no facial expression except for a shockingly chilly look in his eyes. His face, with no smile or frown, looked as pretty as a china doll’s, and that made his ice-cold glare stand out all the more. “Someone’s life depends on this operation, and you want us to wait? Who do you think you are, a god? Can you change people’s fates?”

Finding himself on the receiving end of that glare, George began to look nervous. However, he didn’t turn his eyes away from Wolf. “I’m not a god. I don’t even have any special skills. I’m just a child... But he might be able to change fate.”

“He?” Wolf’s question coincided with the noise of the door opening again.

Bianca entered the room, and a slender young man walked in behind her. He was gripping her, holding on so he could stand upright. The soft, thin strands of his hair looked as messy as a bird’s nest from where they’d been mussed by his hooded cloak. Drops of sweat dotted his forehead, and he looked terribly pale, perhaps short of breath since his shoulders were heaving. He was unsteady on his feet and seemed liable to trip, but even so, the young man let go of Bianca and stood on his own. When she shot him a concerned look, he smiled awkwardly.

“I’ll be all right on my own now,” he said.

His sister spoke up in concern. “But...Michael...”

“I’m fine,” he repeated. “Thank you, sister.” The young man—Michael—discarded his cloak and handed it to Bianca. Then, he turned to face me.

Our eyes met, and I unwittingly tensed up. I couldn’t help that. After the way that we’d parted, I didn’t know what to say to him.

Michael peered at me awkwardly.

“Princess.” Michael leaned down and stared into my eyes, but then he must’ve noticed something because his gaze dropped down.

I followed his eyes to see what’d caught his attention and noticed that there was a small red stain on my apron. When did that get there? I thought. It’s a borrowed garment, so I shouldn’t get it dirty...

Michael took hold of my right hand and lifted it up respectfully. A trickle of blood flowed from three crescent-shaped cuts on my palm; I must’ve been clenching my fists too hard earlier. He tenderly cupped my hand in both of his.

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you,” Michael murmured.

“Huh?”

“I’m an earth-affinity sorcerer. You know that, don’t you?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Earth-affinity sorcerers can’t use offensive magic,” he continued, “so what kind of magic do you think we are capable of?”

His thin fingers passed over the palm of my hand in one slow, smooth stroke. He was barely brushing my skin, and the contact only lasted for a dozen or so seconds. However, there was an obvious change in my hand. I saw that the three crescent-shaped cuts along the head line of my palm had vanished without a trace.

I gawked at my right hand with wide-open eyes, then flung my head up to look at Michael. There was a faint smile on his face. Indeed, it was a smile, but his lips were quivering. He looked like a child on the verge of tears.

“I’ll save the life of your precious guard...” he said. “That’s why I’m here.”

***

My brain was out of order, but the conversation proceeded without me.

Neither Wolf nor the doctor seemed to believe in magic. Not that they could be blamed for that—they were foreigners, and not even all of Nevel’s citizens believed in the existence of magic. However, Michael blew their doubts away with a spectacular demonstration: he cut the palm of his own hand with a knife and then healed the wound right before their eyes.

“My magic isn’t all-powerful,” he stated. Then, he began to elaborate. According to him, his healing abilities weren’t a cure for everything. Apparently, they only allowed him to excite an individual’s innate capacity for healing.

“I can’t cure illnesses that require medication or surgery,” he explained. “The same goes for injuries like this one which require special treatment to deal with the poison. The most I can do is close the wound.”

Until now, Wolf had been too shocked to say anything, but it didn’t take him long to return to his senses and accept Michael’s help. “If you can stop him from bleeding out, that’s more than enough.” From the look on Wolf’s face, it was clear that he was ready to use any and all means at his disposal to save Klaus.

“But that will come with its own problem,” Michael said. “I’ll be forcibly exciting his body’s healing processes, which will drain his stamina. And if I exhaust his stamina before the wound is fully closed...” Michael’s words trailed off.

I knew the end to that sentence—though I didn’t want to—and I looked down at Klaus. His face was already as pale as a sheet of paper. I wasn’t sure whether he had enough stamina left to heal such a huge wound.

My mind went blank. I tensed my leg muscles up. If I hadn’t, then I would’ve surely collapsed onto the floor.

“All the more reason not to waste time,” asserted Wolf.

“Yeah,” agreed the doctor. “Let’s get on with it.”

They’d made up their minds, and their voices were resolute. The two of them returned to Klaus’s bedside, and Michael followed them, rolling up his sleeves and readying himself.

I seemed to be the only one not coping.

“Mary,” Wolf called out.

“Y-Yes!” I answered, raising my head. I tensed up, anticipating another scolding.

However, Wolf defied my expectations and gazed down at me with a gentle look in his eyes. “Take it easy and have a seat.”

“N-No! I’ll stay here and—”

“I’m not telling you to go,” he interrupted. “Sit there and talk to Klaus.”

“Huh?!”

I’d expected him to tell me to leave because I was in the way, just as he had before. I hadn’t thought that I’d be allowed to remain unless I could prove useful.

Tears welled in my eyes and blurred my vision.

“No crying,” Wolf said with a wry smile. “If anyone’s voice can reach him, it’s yours. It’s your job to keep him down here with us.”

“I will.” I wiped away my tears and knelt by Klaus’s bedside.

I stared down at his face and brushed a lock of hair away from his cheek with my fingers. There was a crinkling noise as a dark-brown flake dropped from his hair. His body was so covered with blood that I couldn’t even tell whether it was his or someone else’s. Every drop of blood, every speck of mud, and every one of the countless cuts etched into his skin gave testament to how desperately he’d fought to protect me.

“Klaus.” I touched his cheek, and with my other palm, I covered his hand. Although “covered” wasn’t quite the right word—his hands were much bigger than mine, so it simply looked like I was clinging to him. “Please, Klaus. Fight.”

I repeated that last word over and over, so many times that I lost count.

Then, Klaus’s body jerked. His eyes were still shut, but he was scrunching his face up in an expression of anguish. He let out a muffled groan. Accompanying his pitiful moans was the gruesome sound of the blade slicing through flesh.

An incision without anesthetics... The pain must be unimaginable. It’s practically torture.

“Ugh!!!”

“Klaus!”

His nails dug into the bed beneath him, and I grasped his large hands tightly from above. I wasn’t sure whether doing this would interrupt the procedure, but I couldn’t bear to sit there and do nothing. I called his name again, and again, and again, like I’d lost my mind.

“Hold him down!” Wolf ordered.

“Got it!!!” Michael answered.

The two of them piled on top of Klaus and restrained him as his body thrashed around to escape the pain.

The cloth that had been gagging him came loose and fell from his mouth. “Aaaaargh!!!” Klaus’s scream resounded throughout the room. It was a fierce sound, like a beast’s howl.

If this carries on, he’ll bite his own tongue, I thought. I hurriedly picked up the cloth and tried to gag him again, but I couldn’t force it all the way inside his mouth because of how much he was thrashing around. Before I managed to do anything, Klaus’s mouth slammed shut. A trickle of blood flowed through his gritted teeth and oozed out of the corner of his lips.

Did he bite his tongue? I thought, growing pale. “Klaus! Klaus!!!” I clutched his cheeks with both hands and shouted his name.

But then, I heard the metallic ping of the scalpel landing on the floor.

The doctor exhaled deeply, letting out the breath that he’d been holding, and then he said to Michael, “Done! I can hand the rest over to you now, right, boy?!”

“Yes!” Michael replied, and immediately, he held his palms above Klaus’s wound. He stared at his hands, a fierce determination shining in his eyes. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. This act must’ve required a considerable amount of concentration.

As I stood witness, Michael’s eyes changed color from black to turquoise. This shift wasn’t as dramatic as Lutz’s or Teo’s, but his irises now looked as beautiful and intricate as the surface of a deep lake.

Finally, Michael’s hands began to radiate a faint glow. The gentle light dimly illuminated his surroundings, casting shadows across his handsome face.

The first change to Klaus’s condition came a short time after that—his tensed muscles slowly began to relax. His fingers, which had been clawing at the bedsheets, grew lax, and the blood vessels that had been throbbing on the back of his hand grew less prominent.

This is all okay...as long as it’s just his body’s relief at being freed from pain. But his complexion looks too pale for me to jump to that conclusion just yet.

Klaus’s brows unfurrowed, and his face looked so peaceful... Too peaceful. Anxiety welled up inside me. He looked like a waxen model, completely devoid of vigor, and I couldn’t control my sense of dread. My stomach was churning.

Through my hands, on top of his, I felt the coldness of his skin. It filled me with so much terror that I wanted to scream.

I thought that I could hear the footsteps of Death coming to claim him.

“Klaus!!!” I yelled as if to shake off my fears. “I won’t allow it! You don’t have the right! I forbid you to die!!!” My entire body was quivering, and my voice was just as shaken and uncontrolled. But I didn’t let that stop me. I continued to shout. “Aren’t you supposed to be my guard?! Are you going to leave me on my own all the way out here?! Don’t you know how irresponsible that is?!?!”

I wanted to say, “What are you talking about?” and give myself a punch. He’s protected me more than enough. And he’s accomplished above and beyond what he needed to. If anyone’s irresponsible, it’s me—I’ve flung myself into a world of danger despite having no means to protect myself, and now I’m dragging everyone around me into it.

Klaus, was I wrong to ask you to accompany me? Or maybe I was wrong to set out on this journey in the first place. I’m a little girl with no power of my own...and I somehow latched onto the idea that I could actually change the future of this world. This very second, my ignorance and arrogance are killing you.

A large teardrop fell onto the back of Klaus’s hand, which I was gripping in my own. The drop splashed on his skin, merged with some half-dried blood, and left a faint red trail as it trickled down his hand.

“Klaus... Hey, Klaus...!”

If you leave me now, how am I ever going to make it up to you?

Every single time you tried to grow closer to me, I pushed you away. I stubbornly refused to acknowledge the respect and loyalty that you showed me. This entire time, to me, you were just the guard who got on my nerves with his meddling. Nothing’s changed since the time we first met.

Wait, no. I’ve just convinced myself that nothing has. But in truth, I relied on you so much. I did think that you were annoying and hard to be around, but I still knew that you were there for me.

And...I was only just beginning to think of you as my second older brother...

“I-If you die, I’ll carry on with my journey on my own! I’ll... I’ll leave you behind!!!”

I knew how ridiculous I must’ve sounded. I was acting more spoiled than a child throwing a tantrum, and even a five-year-old’s vocabulary would’ve sounded more impressive than mine right now.

In my mind, I was aware that I was acting pathetic, but I just couldn’t stop babbling. More than anything, the silence scared me. “I can’t exactly take you back to Nevel... Nobody here knows you, so your grave will end up covered in weeds! And someone else will become my guard...!!! Are you okay with that?!”

I was ripping out my voice from deep inside my body, and it came out hoarse. Plus, the intermittent sounds of my sobs probably made it difficult to understand my words. Not that there was much to understand, as it was incoherent yammering anyway. It sounded like nothing more than hysteria.

But even so...

It reached him.

It reached the one person that I’d been calling out for.

“I’ll...have something to...say about that.”

For a moment, I failed to understand what had happened. At first, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me, and then I doubted my eyes. I felt Klaus’s hand stir slightly within my firm grip. Although they’d been cold and limp, his fingers squeezed mine back. It would be difficult to express in words just how much that action shocked me.

I sat, frozen, and watched. Klaus’s eyelids, which had been held firmly shut, trembled and slowly began to open. His green eyes, now visible, lacked focus at first—but after a while, they began to move with purpose. They drifted left, then right, and finally, they found me. He looked at me with a gentle narrowing of his eyes, and I grew flustered.

“Lady...Rosemary.”

I took a sharp breath. I wanted to say something to him, to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming, but my voice stuck in my throat and I didn’t manage to form any words. When my voice failed, I tried to use my eyes to get visual confirmation that this was real. But I could hardly see anything.

My vision’s all blurry and blotched. My eyes aren’t doing their job at all, the useless things...

A teardrop streaked down my face. My cheeks stung. My throat hurt as well, and there was a ringing in my ears.

“Don’t cry...” Klaus said with a troubled smile. “I can’t move my body, so I can’t wipe away your tears.”

What are you going on about? You’ve never been one to do something that pretentious anyway, and I’ve never been one to allow you to.

I bluntly shot him down. “I’d never let you.”

“Ouch,” Klaus muttered, casting his eyes down and smiling.