Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince-Chapter 48 — Are You Happy?

"Rune?" Edric’s voice echoed in the silent hall.

"I do not like repeating myself, Edric." Cynthia’s sharp voice was ignored by Edric who with a loud thud rose from his chair abruptly.

He rushed toward Lucian, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of curiosity and excitement.

Lucian clenched his fist around his sword’s hilt, surprised by the sudden unexpected movements of the middle-aged man, ready to strike if necessary.

Cynthia noticed Lucian’s hostility and shook her head in disbelief. She couldn’t stop him from behaving this way—hostility toward her was nothing new. But he didn’t even know Edric.

Was it because he was an acquaintance of hers?

"Please try to trust me, just once," she mumbled, lowering her head slightly.

She tried to remain hopeful, but his behaviour made it difficult. Was it too much to ask for her husband to trust her, just once? He always trusted everyone else but her.

"May I take a look at your chest?" Edric asked, his hand hovering near Lucian’s chest.

Lucian flinched, moving back and glaring at the dark green-haired man.

"I’m not asking you to take your clothes off... just let me check, will you?"

Although hesitant, Lucian slowly loosened his clenched fists.

"He won’t do anything to harm you," Cynthia whispered, looking at him.

With a brief nod, Lucian closed his eyes.

He felt a strange warmth in his chest, and the constant burning sensation began to fade. The burning wasn’t unbearable most of the time, but sometimes it became so intense that he couldn’t breathe, his mind clouded, and his vision blurred.

"Done."

Hearing Edric’s voice, Lucian opened his eyes.

"I wasn’t harmed," he thought, his gaze following the dark green-haired man as he returned to his seat.

"So? He has Rune, right?" Cynthia asked nervously. Although she believed Arlot’s words, Edric was more experienced.

Edric nodded.

"Now, do you trust me?" Cynthia grinned at Lucian, who didn’t bother to look her way.

"How can I cure it?"

"That’s the difficult part. It seems... you were a victim of dark magic."

"Dark magic?" Lucian and Cynthia repeated, shocked.

Dark magic was forbidden in every kingdom, yet it wasn’t uncommon for people to be killed after being subjected to it, as it could destroy a person’s mana core.

Yet, not only had Lucian survived, but his mana core wasn’t destroyed, and he still manifested magic powers, even if he couldn’t see them. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"Rune might be a small side effect," Cynthia murmured.

She had never heard of this in her past life. Everything she thought she knew about Lucian was unravelling, and she began to doubt whether she knew him at all. Though they had spent two decades together, perhaps they had only truly met fifty-five times in total.

"Maybe I never knew him to begin with, even though I was his wife..." she thought, a scoff escaping her.

"How can I cure... it?" Lucian asked again, his tone steady, unaffected by Edric’s revelations.

"You’ll need divine powers. Preferably, a saint should perform the ritual. High priests can help, but it may take a long time due to the amount of dark magic in your mana core. I’m just surprised... that you’re still alive despite that."

Cynthia noticed Lucian’s eyes hardened. He hated when others pitied him, and Edric was a man who couldn’t easily hide his emotions.

"We should head back!" She rose abruptly, only to feel Edric grip her wrist, confusing her.

"Are you not done?"

"We need to talk, Your Highness. It has been a long time since we last met, and you seem very... different."

Raising an eyebrow, Cynthia looked at the man approaching her.

Edric gently caressed her cheek, and his lips curled into a smile as he watched her frown at him. Yet, she didn’t lash out at him.

"She’s trembling in anger, but she’s controlling herself in front of this man?" he wondered, amused.

"What is it?" Cynthia moved away from his touch and pulled her arm free from his grip.

"I sense mana from you, Your Highness," Edric’s voice was strangely soft despite its depth.

"Hah!" She scoffed. "Not you too. I’m leaving," she said, turning her back and heading toward the exit.

"Your Highness! You do have mana. If you don’t let me check, your life will be in great danger!"

Hearing Edric’s words, she halted and looked back, her face barely visible, hidden by her hair. Without a word, she sat back in her seat, while Lucian quietly observed her from his spot.

With a short sigh, Edric knelt on the ground and placed his fingertips on her chest, whispering a few words.

A large golden light appeared, sending Cynthia a warm sensation. Normally, having magic performed on her would cause unbearable pain, yet she felt relaxed and strangely... good.

"What is this for?" she asked.

"It’s to help you manifest your powers. It seems your mana core was completely shut off. You know how some people don’t have a mana core at all? Well, they often die at a young age because... magic is everywhere. By young, I mean as a child, Your Highness. But you were not only healthy but still alive until now, so I should have thought about it sooner. I meant to visit you, but I’m glad you came," Edric smiled softly.

"So... what do I do now?"

"You can start learning some spells," Edric said, rising from the ground and searching through his bookshelf. He grabbed a few books. "Take these. They can help a lot for beginners. Both of you, I doubt, will need a teacher."

"Alright... I’ll leave now."

Cynthia rose from her seat, followed by Lucian, as they headed toward the exit.

"Your Highness," Arlot rushed to Cynthia and held her hand, stopping her.

"What is it?" she frowned, pulling her hand away from the white-haired man’s grip.

"Are you... Happy now?" he asked quietly, the hesitation in his voice clear.

Cynthia froze for a moment, taken aback by the sudden question.

Was she happy? The magic powers she had once craved in her past life—she had finally obtained them in this one. Lucian had magic too, and now he would trust her, knowing she hadn’t lied. With their agreement fulfilled, she could now take charge of the mansion. She would finally have the authority she had longed for, the power she had begged for in her past life.

Yet none of it brought her happiness. Instead, she felt hollow. Maybe it was the smouldering rage, the lingering agony, or the unshakable desire for revenge that refused to fade, no matter how kind the gods had turned towards her.

Inside, she was already broken.

"Of course," she responded with a bitter smile.

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