"Why are you crying?"
I asked Michaela who suddenly showed up behind me, why do you look so sad? Cursed? What does that mean? I glared at the viscount, in front of me.
"What's this about Claire being cursed? Hey Gideon tell me!"
"Yes, indeed, her highness Claire has been cursed, and that's why even when Layla's magic can heal her physically, she still won't wake up, it's not that we are hiding the situation, we just needed confirmation.
Her wounds were supposed to be healed already physically, however, she still won't come back to us, Layla needed at least a month to confirm the existence of the curse and today is the last day, that's why her majesty Michaela also arrived at the same conclusion"
Really? So I'm the only one that doesn't know, so Michaela has been having that fear of waiting, while I'm here knowing nothing, why didn't I sense it? If she was suffering that much, why didn't she rely on me?
Questions popped up into my mind, as I saw Michaela slowly breaking down,I have lots of questions to ask her, but she was already breaking down herself. I couldn't ask her in her current state, the blue skies slowly replaced by dark clouds and raindrops poured from the heavens.
"Gideon… tell me more about the curse, it's something you and Layla can cure right? I don't know anything about magic but it can be cured right?!" I muttered as I was slowly being bathed in the raindrops unable to move, its as if a past trauma was slapped in front of me, telling me that it's my fate to lose the ones that I love.
"The curse was inflicted on her soul, it severed the connection to her physical body, although her soul is still there, if she passes on, her body will just be a husk of her former self, and will be a state similar to death.
The reason why we couldn't let any visitors at that point was that Layla was taking precautions, if indeed she was cursed the protection magic she cast wont to let her soul disintegrate yet.
Cure… we don't know any cure at the moment, the dark elves are masters on arts humans know nothing about, it might be better if we see Layla right now, she'll be able to answer your question.
But if this continues, her highness Claire will most likely… die"
The faces of the doctors telling me that Ann's surgery would go well, popped into my mind, they were liars, in the end, Ann didn't come out alive from the operating room, I loathed those faces so much that I cursed them in my heart, and this time it's happening again, but this time I'm confronted with the truth - the cure doesn't exist.
A comforting lie and hurtful truth, even which it is, it crushes your soul when it's for someone you love.
I felt my knees wobbling, I dropped to the ground at my knees, as I remembered Claire's faces, since coming to this world, she has always been at my side, she even healed the wounds that I got from my former world, although she was always throwing something at me, when we are alone she was always thoughtful, understood and cared for me the best way that an awkward girl like her could, she was the one who calmed the storm inside me, a storm that I myself created due to my hurtful past, thanks to her I was slowly finally able to love myself once again and be able to fall in love with her.
Just imagining living in the world without Claire, struck intense fear within my heart, I covered my mouth tightly and closed my eyes in order to stop my tears from falling, but little I know that it already did, all I could do was I breath out in rapid succession in order to suppress my heart that was slowly breaking inside.
"No… it couldn't be, Claire would die?" my eyes wandered towards Michaela who curled herself up, not showing her face, but seeing her face earlier and knowing that she already had clues of what was happening to her one and only family, she must be suffering way worse than I am, way back and right now that it has been confirmed.
I gritted my teeth as I stood up, it's not the time to fall into despair, think Andrei Spia, you need more information, you shouldn't give up, you don't want Claire to die right? You don't want to see Michaela in that state right? Stand up!
I looked at Gideon who could only stare down, it must have been hard for him to be ambushed by my question and to be the one to break the bad news, however, it was thanks to this man that Claire is barely hanging, and for that I find him to be a reliable comrade and a true friend.
It's much easier to confront a hurtful truth, at least one thing is different from Ann and Claire's situation; First this world has magic, the cure hasn't been found yet, but if we can find it, Claire's recovery isn't impossible, next, the existence of Layla and Gideon and finally, it's called a curse for a reason, I don't want to believe in fairytales but a curse is meant to be lifted
"Gideon… can you take me to Layla?" , The viscount slowly stared into my eyes, don't feel bad, it's not your fault, in fact, I am very thankful to you old man.
"Got it, will her majesty Michaela also accompany us?" But when we saw Michaela, she was still sitting on the grass, with her hands on her knees, her face hidden under it as she sobbed.
Hearing no answer from her, Gideon and I decided to go on our own and entrusted Michaela to the maid's Celeste and Clarissa.
"Sorry, Michaela, don't worry I'll be back soon"
I told her without waiting for her reply.
…
We got out of the carriage Gideon provided and went towards a two-floor Inn, where Layla and Gideon were staying, it was at this Inn where Claire is being treated, around the building there was a presence of Kydus and Ethareri knights patrolling, making sure no one would come near the building.
We were greeted by Gideon's loyal servants, Eagle and Raven, it's been long since I saw them on the battlefield when I gave them instructions on how to carpet bomb the enemies. When they saw me, they put their hands in their chests and made a slight bow, and didn't say anything, it seemed that they could read my mood well.
After entering the inn, we were guided into a room on the first level, where Layla was waiting. When we entered Layla was in her ladylike clothes, she wore a pretty sleeveless dress with rose patterns on it, she greeted her husband with a warm hug, it seems that they are intimate when he saw me he made a slight curtsy and offered me a seat.
"I thank you for coming here your highness Andrei, I'm sorry about the trouble my idiot husband has caused, but it's better that you are here so I can explain more about her highness Claire's situation"
Layla told me about Claire's curse, and how potent it was, it was due to her wounds that the dark elf was able to cast a curse before dying, the rest was about the situation of her soul, all she could do was construct a successive healing barrier to stop the threads keeps her soul and her physical body connected as such no humans were allowed, as it may cause interference with the magic she was casting, at her explanation a question popped into my head, desperate to see Claire.
"Can I ask a question, please don't take it badly but why can only you be allowed, you are a human like us right?"
At my question the couple went stiff for some reason. In my question Gideon tried to stand up as if trying to tell me something but Layla held his hand stopping him.
"It's okay, I'm sure Andrei will understand," she told him. It seems that Gideon was trying to protect her from something.
Layla put her hands together and muttered a spell.
["Rimbë- kal, Spirits of light, Reveal my true self and remove my disguise, Mirror of Light"]
Layla's figure glowed and I closed my eyes due to the intense light. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Layla but something was different about her, she now had pointy ears and her eyes emitted a faint green light, other than that her appearance did not change much.
"I can go near her, because I'm not human, I am a light elf," she told me with a slight smile. Gideon knelt in front of me as he pleaded.
"My wife… is not human, so I hope that you'll keep this to yourself Andrei"
As a stranger to this world, I don't have much knowledge about races, I haven't read the scriptures that was rumored to have knowledge about the other races, but one thing is certain, due to the light in her eyes, and the pointy ears, and the complexion that changed so much into pale, I knew that what she was saying was true and indeed she was a light elf.
Although I was surprised, I was desperately looking for answers.
"I see, so you're a light elf huh, it's okay Gideon stop doing that, I don't intend to do harm to my last pillar of hope," I told Gideon and immediately faced the light elf Layla in front of me, "then is really Claire's situation that hopeless?"
The two looked startled that I immediately went into business, and the fact that I just took their reveal lightly, to be honest I was quite surprised, but I already saw the elf-commander up close, Ms. Layla's appearance was beautiful compared to the grotesque appearance of the dark-elf-commander.
"Actually, there isn't a cure, but to end a curse there's only one thing to be done"
"And what is that?"
"To find the source of the curse and kill it, which means, one has to go to the dark-elves realm and destroy it"
In fairy tales, to lift a curse, the prince would usually, have to kiss the princess, would go through the thorny barricade, or would have to kidnap her from the tower by climbing her hair, but in my story, I guess I may have to go against a whole country or realm. What can a single human like me even do?
But for the person I love, nothing is impossible.