The busier you are, the more you get hooked on it.
Focusing my mind on the Vanklyft Family’s mansion, I could see Sauvel and Lauren bustling about in one corner of the guest room, barking orders at maids and servants.
I realized Father had already told them everything. That’s fine, I told Van, and let go of my power.
The transfer took a split second. When I opened my eyes, I heard startled gasps and cries from below—Sauvel and the maids.
We’ve transferred everything from that room—the furniture, the people.
Floating in midair, me and the bed and chest, Sauvel and the others just stared, stunned.
"Uncle!~"
I flung my arms out, grabbing him midair, and he caught me, confused but managing to hold on.
"Wha—Elen… you know I hate it when you do stuff like this, it’s too sudden…"
Slowly, the chest and bed descended to the floor.
The Hume and his mother, still tangled in each other’s arms, stood frozen in shock.
“Sorry… Anyway, please send a healer quickly—go see to the mother of young Hume.”
“Ah… ah… right…”
Still reeling, Sauvel lowered me to the floor and then bowed to the mother seated on the bed.
“We both looked startled, didn’t we? My apologies, niece. I’m Sauvel, head of the Vanklyft Family.”
“Ah… that is…! In this… condition…!”
“No need to worry about that. I’ve just heard from my brother—your son’s mother, a healer serving in my domain.”
“Y-yes…!”
Even dazed, Hume’s mother managed a polite bow.
“Forgive my tardiness. I am Liliana Belundoor…”
“Belundoor? The count’s family?”
Sauvel blinked. His eyes drifted over the surrounding furniture. Just ordinary household items—nothing at all like the kind a noble family would use.
He couldn’t possibly be from the count’s household.
“…Elen. What in the world is going on?”
“I’ll explain the details tonight, but in short— I’ve rescued the princess who was imprisoned by the corrupt count’s family!!”
“Rescued…?”
“Ah— I asked him to do it!!”
Hume stammered, turning to Sauvel in a panic.
“Oh? You’re… somewhere familiar…”
“Y-yes… It’s been a while… I’m Hume, the court healer who accompanied the princess when she was taken…”
“…………”
Sauvel froze this time. Just as he was about to wonder why a court healer was here, he finally realized— this was the one who’d been promised a visit to the domain. The one he’d been waiting for.
“Eee… len…?”
“Eep!!”
Why’d you go to the academy and bring back a court healer...? Wait—Belundoor’s the name of the family that’s run the academy for generations, isn’t it?
Right. The family that kept sending me those persistent letters, practically demanding I attend the academy.
So when I showed up to speak with their head, and then brought back their wife… no wonder Sauvel’s head’s pounding.
“Everything Elen does is unpredictable…”
“…Sorry?”
If my actions were already so transparent, that’s a problem in itself, I guess.
Still, I apologized, and Sauvel let out a sigh—full of resignation, like this wasn’t the first time.
“Ah, well… Lauren. Go get Mother. Better leave this to the women. And have the healer bring another woman too.”
“Understood.”
“Tonight, you said you’d explain everything, right?”
"Yes. For now, we’re heading back to the academy to prove our alibi."
"Alibi…? Oh, whatever. You’ll definitely come tonight. With your brother."
"Yes. Then, Hume, let’s head back to the academy!!"
Our conversation sped along like a drumbeat, and Hume and Liliana just stared, eyes wide.
"Wha—? What?"
"Right after we get back, you’ll show us around the academy as planned. You’ll be with us the whole time. That’s how we’ll explain it to the headmaster."
"O-oh… I see."
"Liliana-sama, we’ll talk properly later. Just think of this as a rest. Don’t stress about the countess’s affairs. We’ll handle it—don’t worry!"
"O-oh…? Um… okay…"
"It’s fine. You’ll be better in no time! Well then!!"
Grabbing Van’s hand, Kai and Hume vanished in an instant.
Sauvel and the others were left behind, exhaling nothing but weary sighs.
＊＊＊
They’d been teleported back to the original location. And right in front of Hume, who was still staring blankly, I waved a hand and called out, “Hey!”
He hadn’t snapped out of his daze yet.
“Are you okay?”
“…………”
“Hume?”
Slowly, his eyes wandered around. There it was—the place they’d just been moments ago.
Only twenty minutes had passed since the transfer. The only difference was that Father hadn’t come back yet.
“…A dream?”
“No, not a dream. Liliana-sama is at our manor.”
“N-no way… like this… so easily…?”
“I think the headmaster’ll be furious, sure. But if we’re adding insult to injury, he’ll probably be even madder. Still, Mother’s been evacuated, so we’re safe.”
“…………heh.”
Hume suddenly burst out laughing. I tilted my head, wondering what was so funny.
"Seriously, what is this, Your Highness?!"
"…Eh…?"
"Really… this kind of thing… wishes granted this fast… so easily… after all that worrying… all that pain…"
Her words trailed off, dissolving into sobs. I quietly offered her a handkerchief.
She reached out, expecting the cloth—then suddenly, her hand was caught, and I was pulled into a tight embrace.
I froze, eyes wide, before she started murmuring "thank you, thank you" over and over through her tears.
"Hey!! Get away from the princess!!"
Van lunged forward, yanking me away in a fury.
I stood there, dazed, until I noticed Kai’s eyes—still fixed, still rigid—had already locked onto me from behind, and I only realized then that I’d been pulled into his shadow.
"Seriously!! You call that a 'slip'? That was a full-on gap in the defense!!"
Van was trembling with rage, clutching Hume’s collar, but Hume just kept laughing, tears streaming down his face from sheer amusement.
“Ah… yeah, I guess joy really can make you cry, huh…”
Hume said dreamily, lost in his own little world. I pretended nothing had happened—completely.
“Anyway, Hume. If the headmaster asks anything, play dumb. He’ll be searching for Liliana, who vanished out of nowhere. But if he finds out you know, he’ll keep it secret so you can’t be used as leverage. Buy us time. We’ll be ready soon—once we’ve got everything set up, we’ll rescue Liliana for sure.”
“…Yeah. Of course. It’s for Mom.”
“Then, shall we continue the tour of the healing tower?”
Hume stared at me, eyes wide, but managed a wry smile—like he knew I was faking it perfectly.
"Seriously, princesses... you know?"
"What?"
"…Why did you even help me? I mean, I’m technically on both the royal and academy sides, right? Shouldn’t I be the enemy?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
"Uh…?"
"Did you forget I rescued Hume under a trade agreement? We made a deal. So, if you’re feeling grateful, I’d appreciate it if you’d serve me with all your heart and soul!"
I said that with a smile, and Hume just shrugged, muttering something like, “Fine, you win.”
Some people take selfless acts seriously—like Albert, who’d carry the weight of it forever, brooding over good and evil. Others, like the headmaster, would use it to flex power and control.
So instead of planting seeds of suspicion and mistrust, I just said: we respect each other, no hard feelings, and we’re both just after what we want. Simple.
"Ah… I think I get it now. Why the princess is playing king against the king…"
"…I don’t feel complimented at all, though."
I tilted my head as Hume laughed it off, continuing, "You’re being praised," and followed behind Hume, Kai and the others trailing close.
But I didn’t catch Hume muttering softly, "Prince must be struggling too…"
The path gradually shifted to stone paving.
Right beside it, a small canal had been dug—just like the little irrigation channels beside the fields.
"We’re diverting water from the lake. It’s used in the garden we just passed."
"Ah, I see… I see…"
This place is seriously well-equipped.
Not just the tech for channeling water—but in this world, most people still rely on well water as standard.
You’d usually draw water from here, so the idea of pulling it straight from the aqueduct feels a bit out of the ordinary, honestly.
My interest in the herb cultivation site ahead had only grown.
＊＊＊
The sudden appearance of Lovell in Lavisel’s office made the guards snap their hands to their sword hilts in an instant.
"Love. Showin' up unannounced like this—just wait, you're gonna get cut down by these guys, mark my words."
"It's been a while, Your Majesty. Since I'm only appearing where Your Majesty is, there's no problem as long as Your Majesty stops me."
"Say that again."
Lavissel laughs, lowering her guard, yet her face and hands remain fixed on the documents.
Lavisel cut right to the chase, and Lovell did the same.
The royal court's physician—Elen wants one.
"...Oh? A request from Elen? That's rare."
"He says he'll double the supply if you send it over. The healer's name is Hume."
"Aha-ha!!"
Lovell sighed, already expecting the sudden burst of laughter from Lavisel.
"He's someone I've got my eye on. I'll agree if it's sent over as a dispatch."
"Thought you'd say that. Honestly, it's kind of scary how things are going exactly as Elen predicted."
"...Your daughter is really a pain. I was actually glad you came—maybe the extra medicine was cut even more than double..."
"Ah. Yeah, daughters tend to haggle like that."
"Whatever. Should I just send orders to Hume?"
"Ah, also, the healer’s mother wants to be taken along too."
Lavisel froze mid-sentence, pen hovering over the paper.
"...That house isn’t Belundoor, is it?"
Lavisel narrowed her brows at Lovell, who shrugged in response.
“The headmaster’s been pestering me nonstop about wanting to bring Elen into the academy. When I dug into it, she seemed to be sniffing around for medicinal formulas. Seems she’s got connections elsewhere, too.”
“Turning me and Elen into enemies, are we? How… delightful.”
Lavisel offered a dark smile, immediately snatching a blank sheet of paper and scribbling something down, then signing it and slipping it into an envelope. She pressed the wax seal shut.
“Send this to Belundoor.”
“Much appreciated.”
“Been on the receiving end of what happens when you make Elen an enemy. Know the feeling.”
Lavisel chuckled bitterly, then paused mid-turn, her hand still outstretched toward her desk. She called back to Lovell.
“Preferably, make the painkiller portion a bit stronger.”
“How may I assist?”
“Works wonders, that one.”
“Oh? Feeling unwell somewhere?”
"Headache. Takes the edge off, helps me sleep."
"…You're not actually drinking it with alcohol, are you?"
"…………"
Ravissel turned away with a huff and went back to her work, unimpressed by Lovell’s words.
"If you want to live past your prime, absolutely no drinking with it. And if you use it too often, it’ll ruin your stomach and stop working altogether."
"…Is that so?"
"Elen says your body builds up a tolerance. Gets used to the medicine, I suppose."
"…I see."
Lovell blinked at Ravissel’s tone—almost disappointed. He couldn’t help but doubt his own eyes. Had she really been this straightforward before?
He suddenly felt a chill at the thought: had Elen really managed to straighten out the king like this?
"Ah, right. What about that thing Sauvel’s been doing? How’s that going?"
"…That?"
"Daughter suggested this—when wiping the body, you wring out the cloth soaked in hot water and use it, right? Just warm the water a little, then place it over the eyes."
"…Over the eyes?"
"Like this—lie down on the bed, cover your eyes with the cloth, and it’s amazing. My brother, who can’t sleep and tosses and turns all night, collapses into sleep in an instant. He’s hooked on it."
With that, Lovell vanished.
Listening to this, Raffilia fell silent for a moment, then rang the bell to signal a break, called for servants, and immediately had everything prepared.
Lying on the sofa, covering her eyes with the cloth, the guards beside her gasped.
"Your Majesty!?" they cried—but Raffilia was too stunned to answer.
"…This…"
She couldn’t help but sit up, staring intently at the warm cloth still covering her eyes.
She left only a murmured “Just sleep a bit more,” then placed the cloth back over her eyes.
After that, nothing.
She was startled by how quickly she’d fallen asleep. A little more rest had eased the headache, and the strain in her eyes had faded.
Maybe this could help with stiff shoulders too? Liliana pondered.
It was the moment the second addict appeared—just like Sauvel.