As she watched Luria drinking breast milk in her sleep, her mother, Amalia, smiled gently.
“…Please, take care of her.”
“Wait, Amalia! Don’t go!”
“I’m just… a little tired, that’s all.”
With those words, Amalia let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.
“Mmgh… (So, Mother’s name is Amalia?)”
Thinking it was a beautiful name, Luria , now full, also drifted off to sleep.
◇◇◇◇
After both Luria and her mother had fallen asleep, Luria was carried by her nursemaid to a crib meant for infants.
Meanwhile, her father, overcome by the belief that his beloved wife had passed away, collapsed to the floor, supporting himself with both hands as he cried out in anguish.
“Why… Why, God, spirits… Why must you take Amalia away from me?”
“Your Highness…”
“Amaliaaaaaa!”
Even as the doctor called out to him, he didn’t respond.
The doctor, a kind-looking woman who appeared to be in her forties, tried to regain his attention.
“Your Highness! Get a hold of yourself, Your Highness!”
“Amaliaaa!”
“Your Highness! Your wife… she is merely asleep.”
“She’s… what?”
Hearing this, the father raised his tear-streaked face and hurriedly turned to look at Amalia.
“Your Highness, the curse on your wife has been lifted.”
“What… What do you mean?”
His confusion evident, he turned to the doctor for an explanation.
“The illness that afflicted Amalia during her pregnancy was caused by a curse, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s what we determined.”
“You diagnosed that the curse was beyond your ability to break, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Then how could a curse so powerful, one that even the kingdom’s greatest healer could not dispel, suddenly be lifted?”
During her pregnancy, Amalia had been suddenly cursed.
The doctor was unable to break the curse, and even healing magic had no effect.
The doctor had warned that giving birth was far too dangerous.
Both mother and child would likely lose their lives. Even if, by some miracle, the child could be born safely, Amalia herself would surely not survive.
The father begged again and again for her to give up on the birth.
But Amalia would not listen; she insisted that she would give birth, even if it meant dying.
“How is Amalia’s condition?”
“The worst is over. For now, she should be fine. She’s no longer in a state where death is imminent.”
“She won’t die?”
“Of course, her strength has been greatly reduced, so we must be careful.”
The doctor, who had also experienced childbirth, emphasized this with a serious tone.
“Childbirth is very taxing, even under healthy conditions. Your wife was cursed. Even though the curse has been lifted, we must still be cautious.”
“I understand.”
The father nodded obediently.
“…God, spirits… Thank you.”
The doctor, having finished her prayer, approached the father and whispered in his ear.
“Your Highness.”
“…What is it?”
“For a moment, I felt as if the young lady had used healing magic.”
The father looked at Luria , who was peacefully sleeping in her crib.
“Impossible… could that be? She’s just a baby.”
“Normally, it would be impossible. But when I gave birth to my son and fed him his first milk, I sensed the presence of spirit magic from him. Of course, it didn’t fully manifest.”
In other words, the doctor was subtly suggesting that it might be possible for a newborn to use spirit magic.
“Hmm. Your son…”
“Yes. He has been appointed as a court magician this year.”
“I know. He broke the record for being the youngest court magician by far, becoming one at the age of ten. A genius.”
“I am honored.”
“So even your genius son couldn’t activate it…”
A curse is different from an injury or illness.
Curses are brought about by malevolent beings known as “cursers.”
Cursers are sometimes called the natural enemies of spirits, as they prey on weaker spirits.
And the curse cast by a curser can only be broken by a spirit magic stronger than the curse itself.
“…Please, keep this secret.”
The father asked the doctor to keep it quiet.
A newborn royal who lifted a curse that even the kingdom’s greatest healer couldn’t break—such a thing has too much political significance. It could lead to the child being killed before they grow up.
“I understand.”
The doctor nodded deeply.
Then, the father lowered his voice even further.
“Please, keep this a secret.”
“I have already responded that I understand.”
“To my father, and of course, to my brother as well.”
“To His Majesty and the Crown Prince as well?”
“Yes. I do not want them informed.”
“…Understood.”
The doctor took a brief breath before bowing deeply.
Afterward, the father made sure that everyone present in the room was sworn to secrecy.
