Prince Kael's Manor;
"You said Zora opened a medical hall?" Kael Moonstone leaned back, sipping the tea.
Alder nodded. "Yes, Young Lord. But due to her young age, no one dares to approach."
Kael chuckled softly. "That is expected. And how is she reacting?"
"She seemed calm." Alder hesitated, then added, "She looks indifferent, as if it didn't bother her.
A strange light flickered in Kael Moonstone's deep blue-violet eyes on hearing those words. "This Zora… she's changed a lot from the rumors. Can you find out what happened to her over the years?"
Alder looked thoughtful as he explained. "According to what I gathered, she changed only after her suicide attempt. Before that, she was timid and silent. Afterward… it was like she became a different person entirely."
Kael Moonstone's fingers tapped lightly on the stone table. "Hmm… one's personality can be changed when they have a near-death experience, but… something feels off here..."
His voice lowered as he added. "And all of it started right after her marriage contract with Philip was canceled… that makes it more interesting."
Alder was stunned as he caught the meaning behind the Prince's words. "You mean… she was actually acting timid all along to escape the marriage?"
Kael chuckled, "That was my first impression, too."
Alder's jaw tightened in surprise.
Philip had always despised the engagement. Who would've thought Zora hated it even more?
Kael Moonstone then stood and straightened his golden robes, "Alder, come with me. We're going to Origin Medical Hall."
Alder blinked. "Eh? What for?"
Kael Moonstone's lips curved slowly. "To see how my lady is doing."
Alder nearly choked. He stared at his calm young master, wondering if he'd imagined those words.
His young lord only had a flirty nature and showed shamelessness for others to see. He never expected this cold-faced prince to actually talk like a flirtatious fool even in private...
Alder murmured, staring at Kael's back, "I wonder if he has truly fallen for that lady after she saved him or something..."
*
Origin Medical Hll – Inside
Black sat on the table, and its tiny, round eyes filled with despair.
"Master, there are still no patients," it moaned. "At this rate, even you will starve. What about me? I need meat."
White puffed its chest with confidence. "The master must have a plan. Don't whine."
Zora laughed softly and patted White's fluffy head. "White is right. I do have a way."
Both furballs leaned closer. Black's curiosity bubbled like hot water. "What way?" It couldn't help but ask.
Zora's smile turned sly. "We'll let Philip handle it."
Black froze. "THAT idiot prince? Help US?"
"Exactly," she said with a playful gleam. "Why do you think I let my face be known to the public. News will reach the palace soon enough. We just have to wait for that trash to act."
The two furballs stared blankly. They clearly didn't understand how humiliating Philip was about to be used as bait.
Right then…
A loud, mellow voice tore through the moment:
"My wife, how could you leave without telling me? I've been looking for you everywhere."
Zora's smile stiffened, recognizing the voice. Even now, that flirty tone from a week ago rang in her head.
She turned slowly, and sure enough, the shameless prince was seen there with someone else she didn't recognize.
Her expression darkened, and she growled at once, "Who is your wife?" The last time he'd flirted with her, she'd nearly thrown him off a roof. Now he dared to call her "wife" in front of everyone?
Kael Moonstone blinked innocently. "My wife, you saved me in front of all those people. Everyone saw. Now I must take responsibility."
Boiling up in anger, she hissed at him, "When did I ever agree to that?"
However, he placed a hand dramatically over his heart as he replied, "That sunny day..."
"Speak the part that matters."
"You saved me. Therefore, I must repay you with my body." He looked completely serious. "I'm not someone who forgets debts."
Alder stood behind him, internally screaming. His mighty, wise young lord acting like a rogue… Ugh… It's so embarrassing.
Zora rubbed her aching forehead. His handsome face made the nonsense even more unbearable.
"If you truly want to thank me," she said dryly, "then please stop appearing in front of me. I would be grateful."
She had truly underestimated this guy's shamelessness.
Kael seemed completely unfazed by Zora's irritation at all. Instead, he glanced around Origin Medical Hall as if inspecting his future home.
"My dear wife, I didn't expect you to be a physician," he said lightly, strolling deeper into the hall.
Zora rolled her eyes so hard it nearly hurt.
Does this man have no shame at all?
She had no idea what he wanted or what he thought he was doing.
"But…" he went on, voice full of regret, "it seems business isn't very good. Do you need my help?"
The corner of Zora's lips twitched.
She stared at him suspiciously.
"What can you even do for me?" she asked bluntly. "If you want to help, pay back the hundred gold coins you owe me."
Kael once again placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "Talking about money hurts feelings. With the bond we share, such things can be forgotten."
His smile was warm and gentle like a spring breeze brushing over the skin.
To others, it would be charming.
To her?
He was a walking disaster.
"However," he continued smoothly, "I can help attract customers."
Now that caught her attention paused when she was about to hurl an insult.
"Oh? And how do you plan to do that?"
She already had a strategy, but if Kael Moonstone had something useful, she wouldn't refuse.
A slow, confident smile spread across his face as he said, "That's easy. Isn't a patient already standing in front of you?"
Zora blinked, and then realization hit her. "You?" she said flatly, pointing at him.
"Of course." Kael Moonstone nodded with elegance. "If you can cure my legs, I can give you any reward you want."
Alder stiffened instantly. The young lord's legs were not a trivial matter. Even the greatest divine doctor on the continent had tried and failed.
How could a teenage girl diagnose it?
He took a step forward, protective and tense, but Kael Moonstone raised a hand, stopping him.
"I want to test the doctor's skill," he said with a teasing smile.
Zora instantly understood his real meaning
He didn't believe her at all.
Not even one bit.
"Fine," she said without hesitation. "Since I don't have other guests today, I'll check your leg."
She moved closer. With a sharp gaze, she took his hand to check his condition. She expected warmth from the touch.
But instead, his fingers were icy cold, like winter frost.
Her expression flickered in surprise. This wasn't normal.
Kael Moonstone's own gaze sharpened subtly, focused entirely on her reaction.
She released his hand quickly, turning serious.
His injury wasn't ordinary. She realized that.
"Young Lord..." Alder couldn't help but warn. "With your identity as the prince, your body shouldn't be touched carelessly."
If Zora were a spy, this would be the perfect chance to harm him.
But Kael Moonstone waved Alder away with a lazy smile. "I want to see what the little doctor can do. And besides, why would my wife hurt her future husband?"
Zora's brows lifted slightly. She didn't pay attention to his teasing as she had caught the flash of killing intent in Alder's eyes the moment she touched the prince.
It disappeared quickly, but she'd already recognized it.
The killing intent she caught was so heavy that it could only be formed when one kills dozens of people with their hands.
Such an expert, serving a crippled waste… it feels off to Zora.
She then placed her hand once more over his wrist.
His palm was rough and calloused, clearly showing years of spending in holding a sword.
So he was a fighter, likely extremely skilled.
Then, their eyes met.
His eyes were steady, observing every change in her expression. In Kael's eyes, she didn't feel like a 16-year-old at all.
What happened to this girl?
He'd heard she was useless, talentless, neglected since childhood.
How did such a girl suddenly open a medical hall?
How did she learn medicine?
And how did she radiate such natural authority that only commanders can have?
As someone who commanded people before, Kael could see that aura in this girl who never properly stepped outside of the manor to see the world... until a week ago. Kael's curiosity increased.
Meanwhile, as Zora's fingers traced his pulse, her calm expression abruptly shifted.
Her eyes widened, recognizing something.
This…
This was the aura of someone living under a curse.
It was not an injury or disability.
It was a powerful curse that seeped deep into his body. No, it wasn't an external curse. It was a part of him?
Zora's breath caught at realization.
Kael Moonstone had the Physique of Protos.
*
She hadn't expected to encounter this physique again, not in this lifetime, not in this place.
Memories from her past life surfaced for a moment: a warrior she had met in her past life, someone from one of the ancient clans. Even that person, with his terrifying talent and monstrous bloodline, had struggled with this physique.
The fact that Kael Moonstone also possessed it… proved his identity was far more complex than the world believed.
Across all realms, some people were born with special physiques.
Some were blessed, speeding through ranks as if carried by the heavens.
Others were cursed, unable to train, doomed to become jokes in the eyes of their clan.
She herself had once been considered a waste material, unable to train, although it was mainly because her mana core had been destroyed. Even now, she still didn't know who destroyed it. Still, she faced that life akin to a curse.
But this physique…
This cursed body, the Physique of Protos, was both a blessing and a curse.
Its bearer could have fast growth early on, advancing far faster than others.
But once the curse awakened, their body began to freeze from the feet upward.
And if not resolved in time, only death awaits in their life.
However, if one survived the curse…
They would transform like a snake turning into a dragon.
From a talent cursed by the heavens to a talent loved by the heavens.
She had only ever seen one person survive such a catastrophe in her past life, a thousand years ago.
She never imagined the next one would be the prince that the entire empire mocks.
Her gaze lowered slowly to Kael Moonstone's legs.
The coldness she felt earlier…
The rigid, steel-like texture…
All of it matched perfectly.
Meanwhile, Kael Moonstone watched her reaction in silence.
He did not miss the fleeting shock in her eyes nor the weight of it. Even the world's divine doctor couldn't diagnose his condition.
How could she?
An unsettling suspicion formed in his chest.
"Miss Zora," Alder asked carefully, "is there a cure for Young Lord's condition?"
Zora didn't answer. Instead, she crouched beside Kael Moonstone and pressed lightly on his calf.
"Where did the numbness begin?" she asked calmly.
Alder froze.
So she knew it wasn't a meridian problem.
She knew it wasn't poison.
She even knew it wasn't a bone issue either.
She knew it was a loss of sensation.
Kael Moonstone's expression shifted. His casual amusement faded at once .
For the first time since entering the medical hall… he took her seriously and answered, "Below the knee, there is no feeling."
Zora nodded.
She then pressed deeper into the muscle.
In an instant, she felt the curse, the freezing of sensation.
"I understand," she said at last, with a nod.
Alder leaned forward urgently. "Understand? Does the girl… know what caused this?"
"I know." She said it simply, as if discussing the weather.
Alder's eyes widened. "What is it? Please, tell us"
He was desperate. Even the divine doctor had failed. Now, this teenage girl suddenly announced she understood. He didn't care whether it was true or false. He just wants to hear some answer other than 'I don't know or I guess', and then he will decide what to do with that answer.
Zora blinked innocently. "I know. But why should I tell you?"
Alder was struck speechless at once.
His mind went blank for a moment, and then he actually gaped.
Even Kael Moonstone paused. "..."