Wrong Genre! - Chapter 23.1
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Lying on the bed, Rueg stared blankly up at the ceiling.
Maybe it was because he had stayed in the bath for so long, or maybe because of the intimate things he had shared with Felix. His face was so flushed it almost felt like he had a fever.
‘Is it really okay for this to happen…’
The lingering aftereffects were so strong that Rueg couldn’t think about anything. His mind was empty, and the only thing he could remember was being held in Felix’s broad embrace.
“Rueg, sit up for a moment.”
Felix, who had come out of the bath a little later than him, spoke. He had already been kind, but his voice now sounded twice as gentle as usual, and Rueg pulled the blanket down.
As Rueg slowly sat up with only his eyes peeking out at first, Felix, his well-built muscles now hidden beneath his clothes, reached out a hand.
“Your Highness?”
A large hand gently cupped Rueg’s cheek.
At the soft touch, Rueg unconsciously rubbed his face against Felix’s palm.
“If you act that cute, I’ll want to kiss you again.”
“…Ack!”
“I’m joking. You’ve got a bruise on your face.”
“A bruise? Really?”
“Yes. It makes you look even uglier, so we should have it treated.”
At those words, Rueg’s mouth fell open.
…You said I was lovable earlier! You said you wanted to keep looking at me!
Feeling oddly sulky at the way his emotions were being toyed with, he pouted slightly, and Felix laughed as he lightly waved his hand in the air.
A cluster of pure white light began to gently brush across Rueg’s cheek.
“Oh, this…”
“This?”
“This white light. I saw it earlier too, when things were really dangerous…”
Curious about what it was, Rueg looked at Felix with an expression that clearly asked for an explanation.
“This is…”
Felix started to answer reflexively, but then suddenly closed his mouth. It was because of something Versha had told him before.
“The range of Rueg’s memory loss is quite wide. He’s even forgotten basic common knowledge.”
“For example?”
“He didn’t even know what the ‘Blessing’ is. Oh, and if Rueg happens to notice it and asks what the Blessing is, please don’t explain it clearly. No, please make sure he doesn’t realize that he himself has the Blessing.”
“…Is there a reason it has to be that way?”
“The Verdic family doesn’t possess as great of the Blessing as Your Highness does. You can use that power to heal others or kill them, but… Rueg and I can barely use it to protect ourselves.”
“So?”
“If that fool finds out that his Blessing can be used to save others… knowing his personality, he’ll definitely think of others before himself. So please stop that idiot from doing something reckless when he’s in danger.”
Blessing, the power said to be given by the gods.
It was a special power granted not only to Felix, a member of the imperial family, but also to the Verdic and Everton families, who had long been called the empire’s hounds.
Those blessed with this Blessing, which drew strength from nature and the land, could sometimes display power beyond human limits.
Like Felix, they could heal wounds, neutralize most poisons after ingesting them, and even recover completely from stab wounds the moment the blade was removed. That was how powerful the Blessing could be.
But not everyone who possessed this Blessing could use it as strongly as Felix. There were many who lived their entire lives without even realizing they carried it.
‘Versha wanted Rueg to never learn about the Blessing for the rest of his life.’
Thinking about the past, it made sense why Versha worried.
Rueg Verdic, whose health had once been so robust that even Felix would have had to concede, had become frail after ‘that incident’ ten years ago.
The Blessing he carried now was probably only activated to protect his own body. If he tried to use it for others, it would likely be quickly exhausted, and he would collapse.
“I did it.”
“……?”
“I placed it on you. Since you never know what might happen inside the imperial palace.”
In the end, Felix lied for Rueg’s sake.
What if Rueg had noticed something about the Blessing and asked? A trace of tension lingered at the tip of Felix’s tongue as he spoke the lie.
“I see…”
Fortunately, Rueg nodded slowly, as if he suspected nothing.
“Then I’m alive thanks to you, Your Highness.”
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