My Second Engagement: Loved by the Duke’s Son and Thanked for My Healing Magic ~ My Selfish Sister Took My Fiancé, but Gave Him Back Because She Didn’t Want Him Anymore~ - Episode 18

“Good morning, Madam~ Time to wake up~”

“Mmm…”

“If you sleep in, Master will be worried about you.”

Huh?!

The word “overslept” made me jump up. I quickly looked outside and saw that the sun was already quite high in the sky.

“I messed up…”

“Are you really that tired?”

“Maybe you used too much healing magic and got exhausted~?”

Nene and Coco looked at me with concern.

But that’s not it.

I just couldn’t fall asleep last night—for a completely different reason.

Julite-sama’s face was too close, and my heart was racing. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept remembering it, and I got too excited to sleep.

There’s no way I can ever say that out loud.

“Where is Julite-sama…?”

“He’s worried and waiting outside your room.”

“He’s a gentleman, you know~ He refused to enter while his fiancée was still sleeping defenselessly~”

Even though he was so close, he didn’t try to steal a kiss.

I wouldn’t have minded if he had…

Wait, what am I even thinking?

I hurried to change out of my nightgown into a dress so I could greet Julite-sama properly.

Since I had grown taller, the dress had become a short mini-skirt, but it was my absolute favorite.

Ever since I learned that it was a gift from Julite-sama, I had stopped hesitating to wear it.

I decided to wear it whenever I was inside the duke’s mansion and no guests were around.

“Good morning, Reina. You look lovely as always.”

The way he spoke and looked at me—it was like he was completely in love.

Please, have mercy.

At this rate, my heart won’t last, and I’ll be sleep-deprived forever.

“Good morning, Julite-sama. I’m sorry for waking up so late.”

“It’s fine. But… did you not feel well? Or is something bothering you?”

“Not at all! I’m perfectly fine!”

Of course, I couldn’t tell him that the real reason for my lack of sleep was his overwhelming affection.

“I see… But yesterday, you used healing magic many times, didn’t you? I was worried that you might be exhausted.”

“My magic is fine.”

“If you ever feel even a little tired, please tell me, alright? I mean it!”

Julite-sama gently held both of my hands as he spoke sweetly.

Even though Nene and Coco were watching…

But they just smiled at me.

“This dress is amazing, though. It still looks brand new after all these years. You must have taken great care of it.”

“Ah, actually… um…”

I felt bad letting him misunderstand, so I decided to explain properly.

I told him how Almia had taken it, stained it with a mark that wouldn’t come off, and how, as a last resort, I used healing magic—only to find that the stain disappeared, and the dress looked as good as new.

“Your magic can restore not just people but objects too… Reina, you never cease to amaze me.”

“Um, Madam~ If it’s not too much trouble… could you fix this as well?”

Nene had never asked me for a favor before.

She showed me a broken necklace that looked too damaged to wear.

It was also covered in dirt that didn’t seem like normal wear and tear.

“This is a treasure my husband gave me… Someone tried to steal it from me and ruined it out of spite…”

Nene, who was always so cheerful, looked sad and frustrated.

I didn’t want to suspect Almia, but…

It was hard not to.

Actually, I was almost certain.

Nene didn’t mention any names, but the way the necklace was dirtied—it had to be intentional.

“I’m so sorry…”

“Oh, no, Madam, you don’t have to apologize!”

I had to fix it.

Almia’s actions were partly my responsibility too.

More than anything, I didn’t want to see Nene looking so sad.

“Heal, Heal.”

A soft light wrapped around the necklace.

The dirt vanished, and it regained its original shine.

The broken parts were perfectly reattached, making it wearable again.

“Oh, wonderful! As expected of Reina.”

“Thank you! Thank you so much!!”

Even though they were thanking me, I still felt guilty, knowing Almia was the cause.

“Are there… any other broken or dirtied items like this?”

“There are quite a lot… If you can fix them…”

I should have told them sooner that my healing magic could repair things.

I never expected Almia had caused this much trouble.

“Where should we even start…?”

“There’s that much?”

Despite everything, no one said Almia’s name out loud.

That was kind of them.

We headed to the first place that had been affected.

◇

Julite-sama had work to do, so Nene and Coco led me.

This was my first time seeing the duke’s estate’s back garden.

Delicious-looking vegetables grew in the soil, and fruits hung from the trees.

But some parts of the field were completely empty.

“This used to be a carrot field.”

“Ah… I understand now.”

Almia’s most hated food.

Whenever it was served, she always put it on my plate or threw it away.

But to go so far as to destroy the entire field…

“Was it ruined?”

“It was burned down. Fortunately, Master noticed in time and used water magic to stop the fire from spreading to the mansion.”

“He actually scolded her that time~ But she showed no remorse at all, so it was a struggle.”

They didn’t say her name, but it was obvious who they meant.

So even Duke Gress had to deal with her…

Almia had fire magic.

But this was a huge field—big enough for ten adults to lie down with arms spread out.

She shouldn’t have had enough power to burn it all.

How did she do it…?

Wait, no, I should focus on restoring the field.

But I had never used healing magic on such a large area before.

Would it even work?

“Heal, Heal.”

A light spread across the entire carrot field.

It looked almost mystical.

I realized I actually liked this light.

Just looking at it made me feel a little healed myself.

“But… nothing’s happening.”

Unlike before, there was no visible change.

I felt disappointed.

But Nene and Coco were kind.

“Even if it didn’t work, you filled the field with light. I’m sure your feelings reached it~”

“That’s right. When planting season comes, we’ll grow them again.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

My first failure.

Not everything goes perfectly.

But I’ll do my best to fix what I can.

Torn maid uniforms, stained tablecloths, broken vases… There was so much more.

“With all the trouble she caused, why didn’t they break off the engagement…?”

“Because Master loves you—”

“Big sister!”

“Ahem, never mind~”

Wait, is there a reason related to me…?

Now I feel like I really have to fix everything.

“Heal, Heal.”

“Heal, Heal.”

“Heal, Heal.”

Normally, casting magic was fun.

But this time, all I felt was guilt.

Huh?

I feel… a little tired?

No, definitely tired.

I had never felt this way after using magic before.

I hadn’t even used that much magic today.

For the first time, I experienced exhaustion after casting magic.

“Wow~ Madam’s magic is amazing~”

“You fixed everything so beautifully… Everyone will be so happy.”

“Thank you so much!”

“Yeah… I’m glad.”

I forced a smile so they wouldn’t notice.

Maybe my magic wasn’t working well today.

Luckily, the healing center was closed today.

I should take it easy for now.