“Of all things, a mere bishop—someone not even of high rank—what gave you the confidence to try to treat me when even the Pope and the imperial physicians have given up on me……?”
Cayenne’s eyes slowly moved, scanning Nicole up and down.
It was an openly degrading gaze, and Nicole’s face instantly flushed red with humiliation.
In that moment, Cayenne was clearly treating her as just another woman trying to curry favor with him.
“Tch. If I had known the bishop who came to treat me was a woman my age……”
“Your Highness. May I examine your condition?”
Nicole cut him off mid-sentence.
Cayenne raised a brow, as if saying Oh?, then let out a short scoff and tilted his head.
“Very well. I grant you permission to examine me. I’m now quite curious about the source of that confidence.”
His faint smile was sharp and dangerous, as if warning her that if she failed to treat him, there would be consequences.
Beside her, Eve clutched Nicole’s sleeve with a frightened face.
“B-Bishop Nicole……”
“It’s alright, Eve. Could you prepare the holy herbs?”
“Yes! Bishop Nicole!”
Eve, who had been trembling like a soaked puppy, immediately regained energy at having a task and began moving quickly around the room.
Cayenne watched as Eve spread the herbs across the table, arms crossed.
“Holy herbs…… So your medium is herbs?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
In emergencies, divine power could be directly injected into a person’s body, but it was not very efficient.
In general, priests used a medium suited to them to maximize healing and purification efficiency. There were four main types of such mediums:
Holy flame using fire, holy water using water, holy silver using silver, and holy fruit cultivated by infusing divine power.
“I’ve heard most people cultivate holy fruit. Herbs are new. You must know a great deal about them to use them as a medium.”
“That’s correct. My biological mother was an apothecary…… so I naturally became familiar with herbs. First, I will examine your pulse before preparing the holy herbs.”
Nicole wrapped her rosary around her hand a few times and took Cayenne’s hand, channeling divine power into him.
Fwoosh.
A soft white light glowed from her hand wrapped in beads, and that light flowed through their joined hands into Cayenne’s body.
From bishops to even the Pope, he had received divine power many times before—but the sensation of warmth rising from inside his body never became familiar.
More precisely, it felt as if the energy was inside him yet not truly belonging there.
There were rare cases of people whose bodies simply did not match divine power. Roughly one in ten thousand, they said.
When divine energy moved through him, it felt unpleasant. And when it left, it drained him completely, leaving his body limp and exhausted.
After Nicole withdrew her power, Cayenne leaned back weakly and asked in a tired voice:
“So. What is your diagnosis?”
“From what I can see…… to put it simply, there are remnants of poison scattered throughout your entire body.”
“Right. I’ve heard that countless times. Poor blood circulation, constant fatigue and fainting, inability to sit for long periods, dizziness—all caused by that poison.”
Even speaking was exhausting; he had to pause to catch his breath.
“So? Enough explanation. Just tell me whether you can cure it or not. If……”
“I can cure it.”
“…What?”
“It will take time, but it is treatable.”
Nicole met his eyes directly as she spoke.
Her calm confidence startled the attendants and palace staff.
“B-Bishop… is that true?”
“You really intend to treat the First Prince……!”
Crash!
A loud shattering sound silenced the room instantly.
“Shut up. You’re giving me a headache.”
Everyone froze at the sight of the shattered glass.
Even Eve, trembling in fear, was pulled behind Nicole.
“…So. Bishop, was it? What was your name again?”
“Nicole.”
“Right, Nicole. Listen carefully. I came here today despite advising against it, but next time, the Empress herself will attend the treatment. She is… extremely, extremely interested in my health. You understand that, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“This is your last chance to take back your words. If you say something wrong in front of my mother……”
“I assume anything I say would be difficult for you to believe anyway. So I will begin treatment immediately.”
The atmosphere in the room stirred instantly.
Ignoring the many piercing gazes, Nicole selected several holy herbs from the table.
“Eve, please prepare the grinding mortar.”
“Y-Yes!”
Under a mixture of anticipation, suspicion, curiosity, and doubt, Nicole calmly prepared the medicine.
“You were afflicted by poison at a very young age, and a long time has passed since then. This requires long-term treatment. It will take at least three years.”
“…Are you saying that after three years of treatment, my body can return to normal?”
Nicole lowered her gaze slightly and replied in a quiet voice.
“I cannot guarantee it. But I can say with certainty that you will improve compared to your current condition.”
“Improvement, huh.”
Cayenne suddenly laughed. He laughed so hard he ended up coughing blood, but he didn’t care and kept laughing anyway.
“I don’t ask for much. Just make it so I can sit for half a day—no, even half a day would be enough.”
“……”
“So that I can regain what I’ve lost…… I’ll grant you anything you want.”
Then he turned sharply to the attendants and palace staff in the room.
“If any of you dare speak of what you’ve seen or heard here……”
“We would never!”
“We swear we won’t speak of it!”
“Good. Because if even a single word leaks out, all of you will lose your heads.”
Everyone understood this was not a mere threat—it was a warning from the First Prince.
“Hic!”
Realizing she was included in that warning as well, Eve clung to Nicole, sobbing and hiccupping in fear.
Holding Eve gently, Nicole was swallowed by regret.
Maybe…… I’ve made a grave mistake.
But still……
As a child, shouldn’t one clean up the sins left behind by their parents?
Even if that meant bearing the burden of being the daughter of a traitor who poisoned the Empress—and hiding that fact just to survive normally