I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

Such a peaceful day continued for a while. 

It was a winter when everything was in perfect order. Likewise, Julia thought that her body was gradually getting better. 

However, one morning, which was no different from usual, Julia woke up coughing up blood.

Her lips quivered as she looked at the blood that had moistened her palms.

A trickle of blood stained the bedding red.

Julia couldn't hide her confusion at the sudden hemoptysis that hadn't come for a while.

After hurriedly bringing a cloth and wiping off her mouth and hands, Julia touched her chest.

Thump, thump, a faintly running beat, she could faintly feel the power inside her shaking. At the same time, she could feel that her power was fading more than before.

No one told her, but Julia could predict it to some extent. The more her power faded, the more and more the life inside her was disappearing, Julia immediately sat up with a pale face.

"Should I tell Cedric? But….”

Cedric was still traveling to and fro, searching for a cure.

However, he had yet to find any results.

If he found out that her condition had gotten worse, he might feel overwhelmed.

"…… It's okay."

Julia mumbled to herself. 

Then she went straight to the closet and changed her clothes. She tucked the bloodstained bedding to one side first.

While she was doing that, someone knocked on the door.

Julia walked up to the door and opened it, and Gabrielle looked at her in surprise.

"Hey, you look really pale, are you okay?"

Her cheeks had turned white, and by all accounts she definitely looked like a patient.

Julia just shook her head, not wanting to cause any unnecessary worry.

“I'm fine. I guess I didn't sleep well."

She smiled faintly, but Gabrielle was already worried.

Gabrielle, who reached out her wrinkled hand and touched Julia's forehead, yelled in surprise.

"What do you mean you’re fine? Your forehead is on fire!"

Gabrielle grabbed her hand and hurriedly sat Julia down on the bed.

"Please wait. I'll bring a doctor soon.”

Before Julia could respond, Gabrielle rushed out of the room.

The door closed and Julia, who had been blinking her eyes loosely, but her lip.

Even if she met with the doctor, it wouldn't change much, because her condition was not something that could be made better by the normal medical techniques.

After sitting like that for a while in a daze, Gabrielle entered the room with a town doctor.

He was the only doctor in this village. He had met Julia a few times.

The doctor examined her condition and diagnosed her as sickly with fever. They gave her a fever reducer and a restorative.

Knowing that it was useless, Julia took the medicine without fail for several weeks. It was Gabrielle’s way of being stubborn.

However, taking the pills did not make Julia feel any better.

After all that time without success, suddenly a certain doctor, who said he was from another land, visited the monastery. 

He was a well known and prominent doctor. In short, it meant that he was an expensive doctor in the noble family.

Julia couldn't help but be suspicious, even as she received the medical treatment.

"Um…”

The doctor, who had been carefully monitoring Julia's pulse, slowly withdrew his hand.

Then he began to speak in a very polite manner.

"There seems to be a problem with your heart. The flow of the acupuncture points touching your heart is not smooth, so your body is cold, but your head is hot and you may feel chest pains occasionally."

Julia couldn't help but open her eyes wide at the surprisingly accurate diagnosis.

The doctor in town who visited a few weeks ago had dismissed her condition as a simple fever.

"I'll prescribe you some medicine for your heart condition. I will give you a stabilizer that will temporarily help your circulation. If you take it when you feel chest pain, you will feel better.”

Julia nodded vaguely as the words continued smoothly.

In addition, the doctor provided her with a basket of herbs that were good for restoring her energy.

The tea made from the roots was said to be good for improving physical strength and stabilizing nerves.

“I'll come back when you finish all the medicines I prescribed. If your body gets sick again before then, you can always contact me."

"Ah… yes, thank you."

With those last words, the doctor stepped out of the bedroom, bowing in a polite gesture.

After he was gone, Julia spoke to Gabrielle.

"Um, Gabrielle, how was that doctor here?"

Such a famous doctor rarely visited private homes, no matter how much money was paid.

Gabrielle answered quickly with a small smile.

"One of the followers introduced us to him. He said he’s a very famous and capable doctor.”

"…Did the doctor just agree easily and come here like that?”

"Well, yes. Actually, I was going to take you to visit him there, but he told me that he would visit in person. In any case, we are fortunate. Now, let's start eating quickly so you can take your medicine."

Still wondering, Julia nodded obediently.

The doctor had pinpointed her symptoms specifically. That alone was enough to convince her that he was an excellent doctor.

However, it was not known whether the prescription drug would work.

So after finishing her meal, Julia took the medicine the doctor gave her. After that, she even drank the tea which was brought by Gabrielle.

It made her feel like a child to be taken care of like this.

Julia hadn't been able to get enough sleep in the past few days. Because her body was constantly feeling uncomfortable and tingling.

Today, however, she felt much better. She thought it might be because of the medicine she  took.

Julia gradually closed her eyes, feeling more at ease than she had in a very long time.

That night, for the first time in a long time, Julia was able to sleep soundly.

After taking the medicine for a few days, she found that the prescribed medicine had a definite effect on the symptoms that appeared on the surface.

Most of the physical discomforts such as increased fever and fast beating heart have disappeared. The quality of her sleep has also become better than before.

Looking at it that way, her condition seemed to be getting better little by little. That's what the doctor who came to visit her periodically said.

Ironically, however, the power within her remained unsteady.

"Cedric."

As the evening wore on, Julia looked over at Cedric, who was walking alongside her, and called his name.

They were on their evening walk, as usual.

"Yes?"

Cedric looked at her gently. Julia quietly lowered her gaze.

 "I wonder how much power I have left in me."

At the quiet statement, Cedric paused, his face frozen for a moment.

He looked bewildered. It was because Julia had never asked specifically about her condition before. 

But she already seemed to know that the power in her was slowly disappearing.

"Actually, I've been feeling it for a while. The power in my heart fading little by little."

Julia explained calmly as she looked up at him. Finally, the bewildered Cedric nodded.

“…… Yes, that's right. It's Julia's body, so there was no way you couldn't feel it yourself…"

He muttered a sigh, and continued with his next words.

"I can't feel Julia's power. But I’m sure Matheus knows. He’s the original owner of the holy power.”

Since his visit to the temple of Ilion a few months ago, Matheus hadn't had much communication.

So, Cedric still didn't know exactly what Julia’s current situation was.

"For now, Julia's best treatment is to not use your holy power."

Even so, the power would faintly fade, but as long as she didn't use an enormous amount of power all at once, there would be no sudden abnormalities in her body.

Cedric spoke to her in his usual gentle voice.

"Don't worry. You will be fine. Julia is loved by God."

Julia managed to raise the edge of her lips.

"Yes, I'm sure I’ll get better too."

It’d be lying if she said she wasn't anxious. But she didn't want to ruin her current peace of mind with such anxiety.

She was finally able to find some happiness now. One day at a time was very important to her.

‘When will I faint again? What if I don't wake up?’ She didn't want to waste precious moments with such meaningless thoughts.

There would be no change in the pain if she did. So she just had to go about her daily life as usual and be at peace.

"Yes….."

Julia took a deep breath. She then turned to Cedric and gave him a small smile as if to say that she was really okay now.