Summoned and Unwanted

Vincent stopped when he arrived in front of Bilka and Anna. He moved his head and asked Lucas, “I believe the reason for her highness’s visit isn’t merely a coincidence. Isn’t it?”

Lucas shrugged his shoulders without giving an answer.

“Her highness didn’t walk and take a seat. Instead, her highness was carried and placed on her seat. I think this would be humiliating to a royal family member, yet what we saw just now was done so normally that it makes me wonder if her highness can’t walk because of her low-speed stat.”

“Don’t address her highness that way...”

“I haven’t finished, little girl. I want to know if this was a coincidence or planned.” Vincent interrupted Bilka.

“Vincent, you are both right and wrong. I heard how badly your wife’s condition was.” Lucas looked at Lilith. “But now look at her. She is as beautiful as the last time I saw her twelve years ago.”

Vincent looked at Lucas. “There is a reason for that. I used a rare scroll to cure my wife from her curse of eternal youth with the cost of gaining a tremendous amount of weight and killing her if she ate like a normal person?”

The dining hall became silent for more than half a minute. Everyone looked at Lilith, covering her face with different thoughts.

.....

Vincent’s words made Lilith recall the ten years of hell she suffered.

Ester and Lupa looked at Lilith, worrying what horrible memories she might recall for her tears to appear. Iris and Sakura were sitting beside her. They tried to comfort Lilith with their warm, gentle touch.

“I... didn’t hear it was that bad...” Bobstrider said.

“The Blackhearts are too evil!” Exclaimed Aceon, while Tiffi now saw Lilith as her second idol. To Tiffi, Lilith was a fellow survivor of her cruel fate.

Bilka frowned while Anna looked at Lilith with a worried expression. They couldn’t believe such a beautiful woman had suffered so much. Lilith looked happy with her new family to them, yet her horrible past was something engraved in her soul.

Lucas frowned after discovering how the reports weren’t accurate. He looked at Vincent and asked, “What else is the Lionheart suffering from that I don’t know about?”

“Lilith’s parents are also cursed, but we didn’t want to reveal this information because we aren’t powerful enough to protect ourselves from the Blackheart family. Only the Reddawn, Graymoon, Sunrise, and the Griffionheart families should know the truth.”

“Look’s like I have to stop going out with the princess and giving her a breather from the palace filled with hypocrites and filthy people.” Lucas held his anger and looked at Anna with a fake smile. “Princess. It looks like I will not be about to take you out for a walk any time soon, secretly.”

“Out for a walk? Her highness isn’t a dog.” Bilka complained, forcing the previous mood to return.

“Let the adults do the talking little girl.” Said Vincent after he couldn’t understand how Bilka could fearlessly scold the mighty Lucas. The old man could kill her with a mere slap if he wanted to.

“Little girls should stay still.” Lucas winked at Bilka and looked more peaceful than before. “~Little. Girl.~ Haha.”

Bilka glared at Vincent for turning the situation against her. However, when a small, frail hand landed on her thick muscular shoulder, Bilka tried to hold her anger.

“I apologize for Bilka’s actions. She is a little bit too overprotective.” Anna looked at Lilith after apologizing and continued, “As the princess of this Kingdom and daughter of the owner of this city, I, Royal Princess Anna Lusterfall, am sorry for what happened.”

“Princess...” Bilka murmured unhappily, causing the princess to apologize to lower nobles.

[Princess Anna is as kind as she looks. She apologized for something she had no control over. Just because she is the princess doesn’t mean she should apologize for what her subjects do.]

Vincent approached Anna and lowered to his knee. “May I see your legs, your highness?” He asked, shocking most of the people in the dining hall with his words once again.

“V-Vincent. Please do not disrespect her highness.” Begged Aceon with his secret third handkerchief only used in extreme nerve-wracking situations to wipe his nervous sweat.

Ester, Lupa, Iris, Lilith, and Sakura couldn’t understand what was happening anymore.

First, it was an invite to a duke’s very unique mansion. Then making a business deal to create a staff that is yet to resume, and now meeting the princess of the Lusterfall Kingdom with her jokester and challenging to figure out Royal Guard Lucas.

Tiffi and Plow were the only ones who acted like spectators most of the time.

Tiffi was greatly curious about what would happen next as if she was watching an unbelievable show at the theater, while Plow was curious about how Anna’s small hand would feel if she brushed the soft blue fur.

Vincent ignored Aceon’s plea and said to Anna, “Your highness, your condition is healthy, that means there is nothing wrong with you. No curse or injury either.”

“I can also see that her highness is like my wife, Lilith. Awakened as a Healer in hopes to change your fate by fixing your situation.” Vincent said while glancing at the nervous blushing Lilith.

“I knew it. Your Inspection level is much higher than Darwin’s. This is interesting, haha.”

“Now that I think about it, Lucas is right.” Said Bobstrisder while rolling his mustache symmetrically with both hands.

“I heard from my wife that the Royal Family and the Royal Guards keep their real stats hidden from any gemstone. Anyone who has an Inspection or similar skill will only be able to see one or two minor details.”

[If it’s true, then that’s why no one can see the Hero Class and most of the Mutation Class skills. Yet again, it might be because of your affinity to souls.]

[Maybe your Inspection can directly look into the soul and reveal the truth.]

‘Am I a soul detective now?’ Pondered Vincent.

Anna blushed and nervously said, “I-I will allow only a little peak. And that is... because no one has been able to fix me up until now.”

Anna mustered her courage and lifted her skirt up to her knees.

Anna revealed half of her legs. Apart from being skinny because she had possibly never walked in her entire life, nothing else looked out of the ordinary.

Vincent closed his eyes and used his intent combined with Energy and Mana Flow to control to send the energy in Anna’s legs and let Kazumi do her work.

This action made Lucas smirk and murmur, “Biro, no wonder you were happy these last few months. This Vincent is pretty amusing.”

[I used Mana Sense on you the faint mana you directed at Anna’s legs. I could vaguely see badly shaped muscles and frail bone structure in her legs.]

[I have memories of all the people who were affected by the mutation like you. After referencing Anna’s legs with their weakening legs, I have concluded that Anna was born with defective legs instead of a hidden curse.]

[Although it isn’t the end of the world if such a baby was born into a good and welcoming family, the story is different because Anna was born as a princess.]

[I don’t want to think how much ridicule the poor sixteen-year-old girl had to suffer in her life. No wonder Bilka appears to trust no one other than Anna.]

Vincent stood up. “Your highness can cover your legs now.” He apologetically bowed and continued, “I am sorry for acting rudely your highness.”

Lucas noticed how Vincent acted as if he had discovered something with his change in expression. “Did you discover something, Vincent?” He asked.

[Vincent. It is as we had discussed with Plow’s situation. No one can help Anna. Regrettably, I can’t help you explain this to them.]

-Leave it to me, Kazumi. Your mana scan was enough help.-

Vincent looked at Anna and respectfully asked, “What solution has your highness discovered up until now?”

“I am waiting for the day we find someone with the legendary blessed heal and allow me to walk... but for now... no one with that legendary spell has been found. Not even the goddess of the desert kingdom.” Responded Anna with a sad expression.

“Your highness, it is good to dream of a better future, but the dream will also stop you from moving forward until it is accomplished...”

“You! Don’t crush the princess’s dream! The princess’s legs will be fixed one day!” Bilka furiously interrupted Vincent.

Anna placed her hand on Bilka’s shoulder once again. “Please stop, Bilka.”

Anna looked at Vincent with her eyes ready to start watering. “Could you please tell me why? Why will my dream stop me from moving forward? Why can’t I dream of a better future? Why...”

“Your highness, the concept of healing is like time travel. It will make the injury go back in time to when it was healthy by causing the body to regenerate.”

Vincent went to lift Plow. “This is my familiar named Plow.” He said before requesting to stop controlling her ninth tail, currently in the form of her missing leg.

“Plow was born without a tail and with one missing leg. But as your highness saw, Plow walked without a problem with her fake leg.”

“Vincent, what are you trying to say?” Asked Lucas.

“What I am saying is the most basic knowledge any healer would know. To heal means to regenerate and return healthy. But what if the person is already healthy like my little Plow?”